Norburn absolutely was a key player (he played virtually every game last season and was our main midfield playmaker) and would definitely have been good enough at League Two level. He went down the leagues earlier in his career like Norwood, but that that is no reflection of his abilities now. One of the real positives this season was the potential pairing of Banks and Norburn in midfield, so losing one of that pair is a big blow, however people dress it up. Harris has nowhere near the same quality.
If we accept the club's word and we had no choice but to sell because the player wanted to leave, then fair enough. But we are now left with only two experienced central midfielders, one of whom probably is not good enough for this division long term. Scrabbling around in the loan market at the last minute is not an ideal situation, to put it mildly.
I have not seen the comments directed at Palios, but this is a disappointing sale if we are trying to build something at Prenton Park, particularly following the loss of Cook. All I would say is perhaps the chairman should have been more measured in his predictions for the season if he knew we were likely to lose players, and the Rowe deal probably would not get over the line. I think Mellon has got quite a tough job on his hands now I and hope he is shown patience by owner and supporters.