Scouts - most important people at a club according to Wenger

[Guest Knightrider]

I read an article a while back where Wenger was putting into words his philosophies on the game, his team and his set-up and he basically said scouts are the most important people at a club or to a manager. Traditionally we think of scouts as bespectacled old blokes standing in rain watching Grassroots football in the hope of finding a gem but today they are far more rounded and take on more roles within a football club to the point where the better ones, are worth their weight in gold. A good scouting network basically does the spadework for the club and manager, who assess the opposition which helps the manager prepare for games better, assess individual opponents which helps the players to prepare for battle and helps to identify new players which can save, as we've seen with Arsenal, fortunes for club and manager.

 

The better the scouting network the better set-up behind the scenes and the chance for success on a whole manner of fronts like the transfer market, brining in the right characters, match preparation even down to finding the best hotels with the best facilities for away games.

 

At Newcastle do we even have such a set-up? I don't think we do, we'll have individuals charged with various jobs but I don't think this comes under the umbrella of a network.

 

Our two behind the scenes weaknesses at the moment seem to be on the transfer front and match preparation which Roeder even used as an excuse for yesterday's shambolic performance and subsequent defeat.

 

Forget splashing millions on players for the time being, spend some money on a scouting network because it appears we need one and badly, especially the overwhelmed and inexperienced Roeder.

[Dinho lad]

Our "scouts" only seem to go to work when we need an opposition team scouted.

 

Pile of crap.

[biggs]

Our "scouts" only seem to go to work when we need an opposition team scouted.

 

Pile of crap.

have we got scouts here or does roeder have a pile of videos to mull over and tell us they have a list of targets who we always miss out on because of dithering about etc

[Yorkie]

Bring back Charlie Woods.

[robbo_11]

Roeder was meant to have brought two West Ham scouts in?

[Guest Knightrider]

Our "scouts" only seem to go to work when we need an opposition team scouted.

 

Pile of crap.

have we got scouts here or does roeder have a pile of videos to mull over and tell us they have a list of targets who we always miss out on because of dithering about etc

 

His comments about having a pile of DVDs on his desk from agents and clubs is rather distressing as it suggests he is the man charged with finding players himself which is a role he neither has the skills or time to achieve any success in.

 

The club, like Arsenal, should have scouts out there scouring the globe reporting back to Roeder on behalf of Roeder who then sits down with them to assess these players, so he can run the rule over them himself and have the final say, in the hope that the compelling evidence presented to him by scouts makes things simple for him in that sense.

 

It is also worrying that despite several managers, we always seem to be linked to the same old players, which confirms we really musn't have a scouting network.

 

Anyone can spot a Scott Parker and say, yes, he's a half decent player, we'll have him, or a Luque. The whole key to scouting is spotting players that aren't obvious, that won't cost lots of money, that can be assessed over time for character and such.

 

We don't do these things so have become a chequebook club, we buy obvious players and spend lots on them, that's why we hardly have any success with these players and keep buying duds or bad apples.

 

I wouldn't say Roeder is to blame here BTW, he can only do so many things at a club, for example Big Sam just manages his team and coaches them, he has over 30 members of staff to deal with things like scouting, stat analysing, team preparation and so on, as a result he's been allowed to work soley with his team and put all his efforts into that, like Wenger. People say Wenger must have a great eye for talent, he doesn't, his scouts do, what he has a great eye for is appointing the right people to work with and making sure they understand his core philosophies, i.e. find me players who are athletic, strong, who won't cost millions, who can adapt and play in the system we deploy. And they do, like clockwork. He has over 200 youngsters being scouted throughout the world as I write.

 

If Roeder wants to emulate Wenger he must take a serious look at the set-up at SJP and look to put one in place filled with the right people, and the club must allow him to do so. That would be my main priority once the season ends, fuck signing players for now, we do that every year and still we underachieve and still we ask the same old questions like "do we have any scouts".

[johnnypd]

Roeder was meant to have brought two West Ham scouts in?

 

yes two youth scouts, since scouting and recruitment is said to be the wham academy's main strength i'd say that is something of a coup.

[Guest Knightrider]

Roeder was meant to have brought two West Ham scouts in?

 

yes two youth scouts, since scouting and recruitment is said to be the wham academy's main strength i'd say that is something of a coup.

 

We need more than two, we need bases, or camps worldwide, never mind individuals. These things take time of course and could be, as I write, being drawn up and implemented. I bloody hope so.

[Guest HyDrO]

He's obviously right, looking at their squad.

[Newcastle Fan]

I agree with Wenger,finding young good players before they devolp to big stars is something every club should try and do these days,otherwises they will end up paying millions for the same player 5 or 6 years later

 

Sadly,here at NUFC our scouts are unknowen,its usually Glenn or Terry mac,Clark and the rest of the coaching staff who scout for players,while i never heard of us signing a youngster since Roeder was hired.

 

Bobby Robson found Zoggy for us

 

Souness found Krul

 

its Roeders time now to find another world class youngster

 

 

[johnnypd]

Roeder was meant to have brought two West Ham scouts in?

 

yes two youth scouts, since scouting and recruitment is said to be the wham academy's main strength i'd say that is something of a coup.

 

We need more than two, we need bases, or camps worldwide, never mind individuals. These things take time of course and could be, as I write, being drawn up and implemented. I bloody hope so.

 

yeah roeder said in one of his infamous "talk-ins" that the academy needs to be overhauled, starting and finishing with scouting and recruitment.

[Guest Knightrider]

I agree with Wenger,finding young good players before they devolp to big stars is something every club should try and do these days,otherwises they will end up paying millions for the same player 5 or 6 years later

 

Sadly,here at NUFC our scouts are unknowen,its usually Glenn or Terry mac,Clark and the rest of the coaching staff who scout for players,while i never heard of us signing a youngster since Roeder was hired.

 

Bobby Robson found Zoggy for us

 

Souness found Krul

 

its Roeders time now to find another world class youngster

 

 

 

Carver found Taylor, Chopra, and N'Zogbia, SBR didn't find Zoggy, he just said find me some good youngsters and yes when presented with N'Zogbia, like Wenger does with all his talent.

[STM]

I reckon we just scout players we are interested in, rather than be interested in players we have scouted. Which is the wrong way round in my opinion. We should have more emphasis on sending knowledgable people into french,spanish and italian second leagues with a view to pick up their rising stars such as Bale is to our league.

 

i.e more N'Zogbias, less Luques.

[Guest Knightrider]

Our 'Scout' at Deportivo was a Spanish TV exec who happens to be British, and backed up by a Spanish based English reporter who sent back glowing reports about Luque's character, his ability etc. Luque was a deal that just become apparent and us being us, thought "Big La Liga star - he'll do". The result - £9.5m spunked down the drain, he wasn't even on Souness' wanted list FFS, he wanted the cheaper Boa Morte. A club signing if ever there was one, Bruce Shepherd concluded the deal IIRC and he isn't even strictly a club employee, just FF's brother.

[STM]

I think Krul is a prime example of one of our better scouted signings. If there was a blue print on how to do these things then that was it.

[johnnypd]

I agree with Wenger,finding young good players before they devolp to big stars is something every club should try and do these days,otherwises they will end up paying millions for the same player 5 or 6 years later

 

Sadly,here at NUFC our scouts are unknowen,its usually Glenn or Terry mac,Clark and the rest of the coaching staff who scout for players,while i never heard of us signing a youngster since Roeder was hired.

 

Bobby Robson found Zoggy for us

 

Souness found Krul

 

its Roeders time now to find another world class youngster

 

 

 

Carver found Taylor, Chopra, and N'Zogbia, SBR didn't find Zoggy, he just said find me some good youngsters and yes when presented with N'Zogbia, like Wenger does with all his talent.

 

it was charlie woods who found N'Zogbia, a french contact supplied him with a video of zoggy in a youth match.

[Guest Knightrider]

I agree with Wenger,finding young good players before they devolp to big stars is something every club should try and do these days,otherwises they will end up paying millions for the same player 5 or 6 years later

 

Sadly,here at NUFC our scouts are unknowen,its usually Glenn or Terry mac,Clark and the rest of the coaching staff who scout for players,while i never heard of us signing a youngster since Roeder was hired.

 

Bobby Robson found Zoggy for us

 

Souness found Krul

 

its Roeders time now to find another world class youngster

 

 

 

Carver found Taylor, Chopra, and N'Zogbia, SBR didn't find Zoggy, he just said find me some good youngsters and yes when presented with N'Zogbia, like Wenger does with all his talent.

 

it was charlie woods who found N'Zogbia, a french contact supplied him with a video of zoggy in a youth match.

 

I stand corrected then, cheers. I think Carver watched him a few times though so can be credited in any scouting report done on him along with the scout who first spotted him, Woods.

[Parky]

I mean it's 2007 and the club are still in the throws of setting up a proper player evaluation network. ABSOLUTE FUCKING JOKE!!

[tmonkey]

Our 'Scout' at Deportivo was a Spanish TV exec who happens to be British, and backed up by a Spanish based English reporter who sent back glowing reports about Luque's character, his ability etc. Luque was a deal that just become apparent and us being us, thought "Big La Liga star - he'll do". The result - £9.5m spunked down the drain, he wasn't even on Souness' wanted list FFS, he wanted the cheaper Boa Morte. A club signing if ever there was one, Bruce Shepherd concluded the deal IIRC and he isn't even strictly a club employee, just FF's brother.

 

Luque's signing was at the time reported by most sources to be those of the two Shephard brothers. That entire summer was a debacle of transfers, yet Souness gets all the blame for it. He wanted 4-3-3, he wanted players like Anelka and Boa Morte, but he ended up with players the chairman decided to sign, Luque firstly, and Owen second, as the big England international signing - a signing which rendered his 4-3-3 plans useless.

[johnnypd]

it was kenneth shepherd who was out in spain with Luque, but he was also in Milan to conclude the martins deal. shepherd said, in the presence of souness, that souness asked for Owen. obviously there would've been a list with various players on but im sure owen was on the list.  souness also told luque that he wanted to play luque and owen off the shoulders of Shearer, after all owen had played the majority of the previous season in a 3 man attack and had a good goalscoring record. i think shepherd deliberately stalled on an anelka bid in order to capture a more high-profile name, owen and torres were probably also on the list and more attractive as merchandising icons.

[Crumpy Gunt]

Gary Glitter swears by a good scout. Apparently!

[biggs]

Our 'Scout' at Deportivo was a Spanish TV exec who happens to be British, and backed up by a Spanish based English reporter who sent back glowing reports about Luque's character, his ability etc. Luque was a deal that just become apparent and us being us, thought "Big La Liga star - he'll do". The result - £9.5m spunked down the drain, he wasn't even on Souness' wanted list FFS, he wanted the cheaper Boa Morte. A club signing if ever there was one, Bruce Shepherd concluded the deal IIRC and he isn't even strictly a club employee, just FF's brother.

 

Luque's signing was at the time reported by most sources to be those of the two Shephard brothers. That entire summer was a debacle of transfers, yet Souness gets all the blame for it. He wanted 4-3-3, he wanted players like Anelka and Boa Morte, but he ended up with players the chairman decided to sign, Luque firstly, and Owen second, as the big England international signing - a signing which rendered his 4-3-3 plans useless.

oh dear a souness fan