Port Vale boss Jon Brady says players lacking an appetite to improve "will not be here" after an eye-opening chat with Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior.
The League One strugglers were hammered 7-0 by the Premier League side earlier this month after a thrilling FA Cup run to the quarter-finals.
Brady was impressed by what Rosenior had to say about the Blues' work-rate and hunger and has urged his squad to learn from their example.
"He talked to me about the Chelsea group and said how top they are," Brady told BBC Radio Stoke.
"They're world-class players but they come in and strive to be better every day, not just better on the grass, but better in the way they perform in the gym.
"The rate they work at is incredible and that gave me those snippets and those insides.
"It's miles apart from where we are at, and just to hear those top world-class players work with that appetite to get better every day, it's an attitude.
"We have to have players here that have that attitude, and that hunger and desire to be better every day.
"They're the players I want to acquire to take this football club forward, and if you haven't got that appetite you won't be here, simple."
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Brady said there was a "clear plan" in place for recruitment as they looked to shape a squad for the probability of life after relegation from League One, but that there was also still time for players to secure their futures at Vale Park.
"Players have still got the opportunity to show what they can do, but obviously time is running out as well, so it's up to them," he said.
"But also we want to make sure that even if we are in the league below next year that we're better than this year."
Port Vale face a punishing schedule in their uphill battle to avoid an immediate return to League Two, with seven matches in 18 days, starting on Tuesday with the visit of Barnsley.
They are 16 points from the safety line, with only 21 to play for, but Brady insists his side will not give in until all hope is extinguished.
"Realistically the points gap is quite big, but while you've got the opportunity to stay up, you fight to stay up, you never give in until the last breath," he said.
"You never give in until it's mathematically impossible. Realistically the odds are heavily stacked against us, but you never give in."
