It is time to make a change in the recruitment department.

[jono_t2000]

There is plenty of people in the scouting network. The person who joined him in the scouting dept with no experience in scouting is going to be doing what? Scouting?. Well unless it’s a qualified coach I find that hard to believe, plenty of coaches do scouting missions. Or is the person from analysis and doing analysis work? Because that is pretty normal for the analysis team to help the scouting team.

I think ur knowledge of our scouting team is from bygone periods.

If our scouting departing was a style of art, it would be best known as 'minimalist' at present.

 

[jono_t2000]

.

 

[HarryHaslam]

I think ur knowledge of our scouting team is from bygone periods.

If our scouting departing was a style of art, it would be best known as 'minimalist' at present.

I know someone who has worked in the past for PMs scouting dept and someone currently working for the dept. It’s laughable that people think it’s one man and his dog. He has United World scouts feeding him information abroad aswell as countless number of freelance scouts that he uses abroad that feed him information into our computerised system. Here he has his own team of staff with help from analysts, used plenty of part time and freelance scouts to view many games and players constantly. We are obviously not what other premiership clubs are but anyone who thinks it’s just PM throwing a dart at a fixture list and jumping in his car to go and watch that game because he doesn’t have the staff or network of scouting contacts are mistaken.

 

[Davalon]

Do you still get one of those big long coats like Wenger used to wear, if you're scouting for us?

 

[HarryHaslam]

Do you still get one of those big long coats like Wenger used to wear, if you're scouting for us?

Academy scouts still get a club jacket

 

[Davalon]

But are they like this?

 

[Fjortoft's Aeroplane]

View attachment 178264

But are they like this?

Or this?

 

[Zeblades34]

I'm sorry, but were not brilliant in this area, and I think we need fresh eyes!
Mitchell seems to be the only one we hear about pointing out "talent", but I'm sure that a weeks holiday at Specsavers may be well over due!
It's time to have a shake up, if other teams can find and recruit gems, why can't we??
Everyone I've spoken to said the new keeper isn't what they were hoping?
I couldn't go yesterday, and refuse to watch highlights, if you can call them that......., of us getting schooled again.
But looking at Joao Pedro and the likes, and comparing those types of players to the ones we recruit, Brewster for example......well, summats not reyt.

Keeper couldn't do nowt about at least 4/5 of them goals saturday

 

[Davalon]

Or this?

Even better

 

[Russtheblade]

Academy scouts still get a club jacket

I was asked not to wear mine when on official club duty, better to merge into the crowd & not be noticed

 

[HarryHaslam]

I was asked not to wear mine when on official club duty, better to merge into the crowd & not be noticed

You an academy scout Russ? Great pastime mate, hope you’re enjoying it. Was a big part of my life on and off for 3 decades, even pre academy days. Over 15 years since I stopped doing it but it was a hobby I loved and I still miss it now.

As for the coats, you could always spot the ones from various clubs that take themselves too serious, club coat on looking around at everyone, yep I’m here top scout me then there was the discreet ones that people there would never know were scouts until they pulled out their club I.D when wanting to chat to a parent.

 

[Champagneblade]

Not really had my say on this thread so here goes…

I know this is a generalisation but it feels like the recruitment team has no idea what a Premier League player looks like in terms of physicality and what you need to compete.

Many Prem players are quick in speed and thought, are physically strong, often imposing figures and get up and down for 90 minutes. This is then coupled (obviously) with no shortage of footballing ability. Why do we therefore hamstring ourselves from the start?

I know the Xavi, Messi arguments can get made and I often say a good Big ‘Un beats a Good Little ‘Un as a general rule.

Look at who we bought this summer:

1 Hamer. He’s 5’6”, 1’69m. This immediately puts you at a height and presence disadvantage, especially when you consider he replaces 6’5” Berge. The fact he doesn’t make up for this with superior fitness is down to him alone. Smashing the shots with Cov fans pre-season showed he’s hardly dedicated to his profession as he should be.

2. Slimane. He’s 6’2”, 1.88m. So he is a good size. But he is as slow as HMS Invincible. Or should they be HMS Invisible? Slow paced plodders have no place in the top division unless they have some outstanding asset, which at present, it doesn’t look like he does.

3. Traore. He’s 5’7” to 5’8”, 1.72m. But what’s more he looks as weak as chip vinegar. Unsurprisingly he’s been dispensed with quickly. Could he do a job in a 4-3-3 out wide? Maybe he can, but unlike say Brereton-Diaz, he’s another who brings a physical disadvantage to the group. Tommy Doyle was a similar height but he was strong enough to compete. He’s neither tall, nor strong.

4. Davies. He’s 5’11”, 1.80m. No issue with his height or his build but his fragility. He has played just a single match because he’s had recent injury history. It must have come as a real shock a player with an injury history being unavailable…due to injury!

Let me pause there. You have small and unfit, small and weak, tall and slow and injury prone for 4 summer deals and according to transfermarkt, that is a spend of £21,000,000. If we work on around £25,000 per week average wage, that is an additional £5,200,000 per annum too.

Add in additional deals for Tiny Tim Osborn and Jimmy Fleck and you’d question whether it’s some sort of travelling circus of oddities we were assembling rather than a fit for purpose group of Premier League athletes. I’m being flippant, I know, but surely them standing up to the physicality of the League has to be an early question in terms of suitability.

Quite frankly they’ve have an absolute fucking mare, again, in the recruitment department.

I’m fine with Souza in that he can at least compete. Brereton-Diaz has been impressive. McAtee himself was a known quantity and despite being young and slight, has shown he can compete in the league. Archer you can accept but he isn’t the same as Ndiaye and Akpom would have been more appropriate for our style. Yes he went to Ajax, but only after we spent an eternity fucking about trying to save a million here or there. He’s 1.86m to Archer’s 1.75m so would have added presence.

Looking at the others, Thomas was a desperate, pathetic signing. Trusty an understandable one given he did well for Brum, was a scoring centre back and was available for a decent fee, but who seems not at the level. Larouci a justifiable gamble perhaps who may add pace at least to the team, though won’t be missed either.

I would have taken Doyle instead of Hamer, Slimane, Traore and Davies and had change to spare on wages and fees. I think it was a poor effort not proceeding with that. I know he was never available at the makeweight fee attributed in the Wolves deal, but he wanted to come by all accounts and we could have made it happen with funds we spent elsewhere. He is 1.72m, but unlike Slimane and Traore, he had proven he was up to the physicality of the English leagues and he wasn’t carrying weight like Hamer either.

So when we bemoan the Prince and say he didn’t spend money, he isn’t one who interferes with folk doing their jobs, so look at those who are empowered to make the most of the funds. I.e. Hecky and the recruitment team.

We could have brought in Akpom for Archer and spent 8m less doing so in replacing the want away Ndiaye. We could have still swapped Souza for Berge. We could have simply not lavished money on Traore, Slimane, Davies and Hamer and put a fraction of that on Doyle.

Let’s say we had to pay the Hamer fee for Doyle. Add in the £10.5m for Akpom. Accept Trusty made some sense and Larouci. Even with the money on the keeper in January, we would have a net spend of £18.7m instead of the current net of £30.7m.

So as much as we moan about funds they’ve been poorly used and we chose the wrong options in my view when we had chances in the summer to take different directions.

 

[Silent Blade]

Not really had my say on this thread so here goes…

I know this is a generalisation but it feels like the recruitment team has no idea what a Premier League player looks like in terms of physicality and what you need to compete.

Many Prem players are quick in speed and thought, are physically strong, often imposing figures and get up and down for 90 minutes. This is then coupled (obviously) with no shortage of footballing ability. Why do we therefore hamstring ourselves from the start?

I know the Xavi, Messi arguments can get made and I often say a good Big ‘Un beats a Good Little ‘Un as a general rule.

Look at who we bought this summer:

1 Hamer. He’s 5’6”, 1’69m. This immediately puts you at a height and presence disadvantage, especially when you consider he replaces 6’5” Berge. The fact he doesn’t make up for this with superior fitness is down to him alone. Smashing the shots with Cov fans pre-season showed he’s hardly dedicated to his profession as he should be.

2. Slimane. He’s 6’2”, 1.88m. So he is a good size. But he is as slow as HMS Invincible. Or should they be HMS Invisible? Slow paced plodders have no place in the top division unless they have some outstanding asset, which at present, it doesn’t look like he does.

3. Traore. He’s 5’7” to 5’8”, 1.72m. But what’s more he looks as weak as chip vinegar. Unsurprisingly he’s been dispensed with quickly. Could he do a job in a 4-3-3 out wide? Maybe he can, but unlike say Brereton-Diaz, he’s another who brings a physical disadvantage to the group. Tommy Doyle was a similar height but he was strong enough to compete. He’s neither tall, nor strong.

4. Davies. He’s 5’11”, 1.80m. No issue with his height or his build but his fragility. He has played just a single match because he’s had recent injury history. It must have come as a real shock a player with an injury history being unavailable…due to injury!

Let me pause there. You have small and unfit, small and weak, tall and slow and injury prone for 4 summer deals and according to transfermarkt, that is a spend of £21,000,000. If we work on around £25,000 per week average wage, that is an additional £5,200,000 per annum too.

Add in additional deals for Tiny Tim Osborn and Jimmy Fleck and you’d question whether it’s some sort of travelling circus of oddities we were assembling rather than a fit for purpose group of Premier League athletes. I’m being flippant, I know, but surely them standing up to the physicality of the League has to be an early question in terms of suitability.

Quite frankly they’ve have an absolute fucking mare, again, in the recruitment department.

I’m fine with Souza in that he can at least compete. Brereton-Diaz has been impressive. McAtee himself was a known quantity and despite being young and slight, has shown he can compete in the league. Archer you can accept but he isn’t the same as Ndiaye and Akpom would have been more appropriate for our style. Yes he went to Ajax, but only after we spent an eternity fucking about trying to save a million here or there. He’s 1.86m to Archer’s 1.75m so would have added presence.

Looking at the others, Thomas was a desperate, pathetic signing. Trusty an understandable one given he did well for Brum, was a scoring centre back and was available for a decent fee, but who seems not at the level. Larouci a justifiable gamble perhaps who may add pace at least to the team, though won’t be missed either.

I would have taken Doyle instead of Hamer, Slimane, Traore and Davies and had change to spare on wages and fees. I think it was a poor effort not proceeding with that. I know he was never available at the makeweight fee attributed in the Wolves deal, but he wanted to come by all accounts and we could have made it happen with funds we spent elsewhere. He is 1.72m, but unlike Slimane and Traore, he had proven he was up to the physicality of the English leagues and he wasn’t carrying weight like Hamer either.

So when we bemoan the Prince and say he didn’t spend money, he isn’t one who interferes with folk doing their jobs, so look at those who are empowered to make the most of the funds. I.e. Hecky and the recruitment team.

We could have brought in Akpom for Archer and spent 8m less doing so in replacing the want away Ndiaye. We could have still swapped Souza for Berge. We could have simply not lavished money on Traore, Slimane, Davies and Hamer and put a fraction of that on Doyle.

Let’s say we had to pay the Hamer fee for Doyle. Add in the £10.5m for Akpom. Accept Trusty made some sense and Larouci. Even with the money on the keeper in January, we would have a net spend of £18.7m instead of the current net of £30.7m.

So as much as we moan about funds they’ve been poorly used and we chose the wrong options in my view when we had chances in the summer to take different directions.

Doyle refused to sign a contract that had a relegation clause.

 

[Champagneblade]

Doyle refused to sign a contract that had a relegation clause.

I heard that too.

We don’t know what the number was.

It might have been less than Berge was on even in the Championship.

So I guess it depends what the figure is.

We could always sell him if we went down.

 

[Bladezz]

El accounto said it was changing in February.

Be a 10 year process and it’ll be the same in February 2034.

 

[The Bear]

Wrong, we have a whole network of scouts with Mitchell at the head of it. Even Bettis said a while ago on video that Mitchell has got a big team of staff working for him, the biggest he has ever had.

They're just not very good at it.

 

[S64 Blade]

Apologies if it has been said already, but United should go and get that Jay who used to do Bladespod, who's at Luton. Not saying it's all down to them, but their recruitment seems to have blown ours out of the water - this at a much less-desirable, smaller club.

He's a Blade, so I'd have thought that'd hold some sway. I guess the crux would be the infrastructure around him, which we are probably lacking currently. Also, I'd imagine probably want to peanuts currently for a role like this.

 

[Lightsoot]

Someone (Wilder?) made the point last night that Eze and Olise are ‘50 million pound players’. I’m not sure about that, but they’re certainly a class above what we have.

But what we do know for certain is that they cost £16 million and £8 million respectively. We’ve spunked much more on players who can’t consistently step up to Premier League level.

It’s hard for us to compete, but not impossible.

 

[Ndiayewillalwaysloveyou]

If Holgate is our only signing today then I disagree with CW that we'll be stronger when the window shuts. Yes BBD has done well but he'll be back in Spain in the summer.

Grbic
Curtis
Holgate
Diaz

 

[munksyb]

It’s not about the recruiting team

It’s all about MONEY

 

[Pintor75]

It’s not about the recruiting team

It’s all about MONEY

If you have the money you still have to spend it wisely, look how we waste most of it last time in premiership

 

[Silent Blade]

Our scouts 50 years ago!