Transfer Rumours

I agree with you and @Rogered Tart - the setups are nowhere near comparable, but then Leeds paid £15m for a player last season so we have to appreciate where we are in comparison as well. But what is consistent is the use of the technology - sitting through footage isn't amateurish even if that is the manager. Who knows, maybe a positive of the enforced salary cap will be that we can invest in this area of the club and reinstate someone in Greg Abbott's previous capacity to ease that strain on the manager.

 

Just a thought; are we taking McCall's comments too literally?

 

OUCH! But nice play sir. If Rahic gets the blame for all the signings then McCall can't take the kudos where it might suit his supporters.

 

Yes but based on a poorly written article in the T and A.

 

There's a reason Leeds are now in the Prem. I also suspect what the players have on their plates for lunch, is nothing near what ours have. Same with the facilities in the gym. Number crunching means employing someone to do it - which costs money. As does carrot crunching - someone has to cook it, which costs money. The thing that gripes me, is that with us, we're always banging on about how little money we have, instead of trying to find resources within our means. I'm pretty sure there's plenty out there with some experience in scouting, who would be happy to do it for minimum wage or even for fun. Same with data analysis. There never seems to be much "drive" within the club, unless it's geared around season ticket sales.

 

If our revenue and playing budget is 2.5m for example, I don’t think employing 3/4/5 analysts on 20-25k is a lot of money for the return on investment. I’m an analyst who absolutely loves football, I’d happily take a few grand drop in wages for a chance to work in football, I know a lot of people of the same ilk. In the lower leagues and non league especially there’s a huge market of unknown players, largely untapped.
But you’d need a forward thinking, innovative person at the top pushing and driving this, sadly, we have the opposite. A large number of fans, myself included, are extremely disillusioned with the club at the moment, Bradford City as an organisation seem absolutely clueless and rudderless with no clear strategy. It’s infuriating.

 

Totally agree. I'm sure there's many out there who'd love to give something back to the club. A friend of mine, her grandfather is a scout for Swansea and does it for the love of the game. He's been involved with football most of his life, and wants to give something back to the club he's supported since he was a boy. Sure we've got the same. That fella who sadly died - Archie Richie. I contacted him and told him I'm involved with football over here in Estonia, and he asked me to recommend some players and go to some games to give him feedback. Sadly he left before anything could be done, but I'm pretty sure if I sent the same email (to who?) I'd get knocked back. Ragnar Klavan was one I suggested!

 

It seems when people like yourself recommend players to the club it falls on death ears, which is absolutely criminal, some don’t even get a reply. I’d love to work for the club, I’d have to take a heavy cut in wages but like you say, people would snap your hand off for an opportunity like that, it’s something which speaks to your inner kid working in football for your club. It wouldn’t even take much investment, a small team of dedicated professional, football addicts who cover specific areas, be it location, position etc could work wonders for this club. Unfortunately it’ll never ever happen.

 

Isn't that the point we are making though? We aren't comparable but it's the same method and the that would obviously scale up the further we go up the leagues. It's almost like folk think Bradford City should have a global network of scouts ready for the clubs next scouting mission. Why do you need that in League 2? I'm sure Stuart has his contacts around lower league football and probably knows all about the teams and players too. It's the same as anything with players generally, it's not what you know it's who you know.

 

Isn't that the point we are making though? We aren't comparable but it's the same method and the that would obviously scale up the further we go up the leagues. It's almost like folk think Bradford City should have a global network of scouts ready for the clubs next scouting mission. Why do you need that in League 2? I'm sure Stuart has his contacts around lower league football and probably knows all about the teams and players too. It's the same as anything with players generally, it's not what you know it's who you know.

 

why do we always go form one extreme to the other? You don’t need a vast network of scouts at this level but at least an operation which has a list ready or 2 to 3 options for each position based on the manager preferences. Pacy wing backs, target man etc. Then when Vaughan goes for example you already know who you are going to get and can make moves quick.
That way not leaving it down to Rhodes on the phone on deadline day looking around for a favour

 

I used to like the "ask player to suggest a player" command on Football Manager. Can't we do the same with our lot?
In all seriousness though, the days of getting some young lad from a Prem team, even a parent club, seem to be a thing of the past. Even if we haven't got a scouting system of our own, we should be using scouts and information from clubs higher up the league.

 

Do you think there isn't already a similar list?

 

It's not the same method whatsoever, unless you can point me to what our recruitment policy is? Or show me that our recruitment is influenced by data and analytics?

Nobody expects to have a recruitment infrastructure the size of Leeds, of course not. But we don't have anything whatsoever. Since the playoff final defeat, we have had three seasons and six transfer windows of complete garbage. Either siging past it players, mercenaries, manager's mates or players simply inferior to those they replace. That's why we've done nothing but decline. Add into the pot that the recruitment of managers is just as hap hazard and inconsistent and that's why we end up needing an annual clear out and rebuild. Theres no strategy or planning past the here and now. And that's to be expected when your recruitment is based on hoping something lands on your lap one way or another.

We're a professional football club and don't employ a scout. Not a single one. Even Parky, who had full control of transfers, had a chief scout, because he knew you had to be prepared for a transfer window and watching a few clips here and there doesn't cut it. He knew he couldn't manage that to an adequate level as well as coach the players. But we seem to think because stuart has a few mates in high places who may do him a favour, that is adequate.

 

I’d go with there’s probably a wish list of sorts, where Stuart has a list of 2/3, but if he doesn’t get them “we’ll see what comes up” or “wait to see the loan market” or the whole Kieffer Moore and end up with Bruenker situation.

But I highly doubt there’s an extensive list based on specific performance and characteristic metrics with data to back that up. A deep list of realistic targets for every position and formation. Where if you don’t get your first few targets, there’s still very viable options.

 

If like on here we take Stuarts word he's clearly using WYscout, which is what Leeds do. Surely a slight comparison there? Both data driven approaches I don't disagree our recruitment has been dreadful but I think we can only go by our current stratergy/recruitment, Elliott Watt been the example of maybe the way we are trying to recruit now?

Out of interest what other EFL club would you look at for recruitment and see as a shining light and who's recruitment has brought them success? There's an arguement that it isn't the be and end all, we all want to find the best talent but what also goes away is hard work and I know the edgy city fans hate that but look at Ainsworth at Wycombe, what would you say they have done their with their recruitment? I'd argue that they've actually just got a really commited group with the odd flair player thrown in.

I'm all up for criticing the club when it's definitely crap, but the way we have recruited so far isn't terrible at all and I'd like to see what else we do before I say our scouting is currently crap. Now if we got rid of Vaughan and brought in Dennis I wouldn't be happy but SO FAR, i'm reasonably happy that we have moved away from signing journey men after another pay check and Cooke and Watt both young with youth international experience. If that's the sort of player we are looking to recruit in future them I'm happy.

 

I think that is about right, one comment I would make is Stuart uses a lot of football generalisations when he is talking which sometimes make it look like its 'back of a fag packet' stuff which is then thrown back at him - from people who I have spoken to who know him he is a lot more analytical than that, knows what he wants and is determined to get the best he can

 

I think a lot of it is how people interpret it he actually said there is nothing in the pipeline which I would have thought nothing imminent. He has said on a number of occasions that he is having to be patient for his remaining signings until they are released or loaned out

 

The last 3 or 4 windows show there quite clearly isn’t. Prove to me otherwise?

 

Read my last post.