Head of Recruitment

[Kenny Foggo 1,116]

We seems to buy players based purely on work rate and speed, failing to find out f they can actually play with a ball.

[Christoph Stiepermann 1,138]

1 minute ago, Kenny Foggo said:

We seems to buy players based purely on work rate and speed, failing to find out f they can actually play with a ball.

Workrate I agree but speed? I don't know about that. I think we always look at workrate and short passing ability first and foremost. It's a huge issue for me our lack of pace and dribbling ability in central midfield and forward areas and it's a key reason why we always look so one paced and pedestrian in attack. We signed Rashica who has pace, dribbling skills and good ball carrying ability and that is a huge tick mark for the recruitment team but we needed more of that, not just raw pace like Placheta either, players who have the technique to actually use their speed and run at defenders, we don't have enough of them. 

Players we signed in the last two seasons like Dowell, Gilmour, PLM and Tzolis all just want to try to create chances by passing around the opposition, Sargent and Hugill want to bundle the ball towards goal and Placheta wants the ball played over the top which is never going to work at this level. We needed more Rashica type players who can take the ball and make things happen, we seem very reluctant to sign players like that, then you look at Watford and Brentford and they've filled their team with players like that, it's hugely frustrating to me that we don't seem to get that to create lots of good chances in this league you need to be able to break quickly at pace and run at teams defenses, not p155 about with it at the back for 30 seconds then try to pass around teams when they're back in shape

[Ken Hairy 3,779]

10 minutes ago, Kenny Foggo said:

We seems to buy players based purely on work rate and speed, failing to find out f they can actually play with a ball.

Sargent hasn't even got speed, so all he has is work rate which being quite frank is just a given. Stick anyone off this messageboard on the pitch and we'll give you work rate. 

[Dr Greenthumb 750]

1 hour ago, Kingston Yellow said:

Needs a hard look at them self.  Hugely overrated and ineffective at this level.

 

I live in hope that Smith holds the purse string in the next window. 

Bit difficult when he isn’t going to get any money

[priceyrice 123]

I just can't understand how our squad is regressing the more money we spend. Webber's best signings have been his cheapest. Give the man money to spend and he buys absolute dross. He has pissed more money up the wall then any other previous regime and he needs to be held accountable for this. 

[Worthy Nigelton 1,058]

53 minutes ago, Capt. Pants said:

Tbh I'm a bit worried about the quality of some of those signings even in the Championship.

Sargent just doesn't look as though he can deal with the pace and physicality of the English game, PLM a string bean with no real pace and lightweight as well.

Tzolis needs a lot of work. Rashica looks decent but might be tempted away.

 

Physicality isn't his problem. It's his touch and finishing.

[Midlands Yellow 4,026]

1 minute ago, priceyrice said:

I just can't understand how our squad is regressing the more money we spend. Webber's best signings have been his cheapest. Give the man money to spend and he buys absolute dross. He has pissed more money up the wall then any other previous regime and he needs to be held accountable for this. 

His plans haven’t gone to plan so we’re stuck with him. Stu thought he’d be at a huge club abroad soon enough.That ain’t happening when he keeps failing in the Premier League. 

[Ken Hairy 3,779]

Didn't Webber recently say his next job won't be in football? I'm pretty certain now that his current one shouldn't be either. 

[Fuzzar 1,702]

46 minutes ago, Ken Hairy said:

Sargent hasn't even got speed, so all he has is work rate which being quite frank is just a given. Stick anyone off this messageboard on the pitch and we'll give you work rate. 

If I'm being 100% honest, I wouldn't be prepared to run much, personally. 

[birchfest 397]

Every signing is a gamble and it can take players time to settle, you need only look at Buendia and how the jury is still out on him with many villa fans, despite us all know his quality. 

 

What I have found confusing is the logic behind some of the signings and how they match with the statements made by Webber at the start of last summer. He said something along the lines of wanting to have a small group with a higher quality of player within it, and that we need judge his transfer dealings at the end of the window as to if our 11 is stronger than the previous. 

 

I hate to say it, but I would take last years 11 over this years, and that includes Skipp over Normann and Buendia over rashica, though those are currently the two who look capable off making an impact.

 

What I'm really struggling with is the considerable amount we've spent on what now appears to be players for the future in Tzolis and in a way Sargent, and also on PLM who appears to be a very Rupp style signing of having experience but not being better than anything we had at the club. Why have we spent close to 18 million on two players who don't seem ready for the top flight yet? We don't have that sort of luxury to hope they come good, it will be a wasted opportunity. Why have we got in a player who honest I think isn't much of an upgrade on what we have nor significantly better than Vrancic was at this level? 

 

And why oh why are we into a 4th season with Pukki and no realistic alternative as back up? Why have we started this season with a young lad who was expensive and has a poor scoring record and a youth player who hasn't played a full season of professional football? 

[hogesar 9,716]

1 hour ago, Kenny Foggo said:

Scrape survival... Not a hope! Webber unfortunately is not as good as he thinks he is

Results away to spurs are unlikely to be what dictates our survival. Our points tally under Smith hasn't been far off whats required at all.

[Rock The Boat 1,332]

Smith will walk before the season is out. It's going to get toxic from here on in. 

[Mullet 293]

5 hours ago, Kingston Yellow said:

Needs a hard look at them self.  Hugely overrated and ineffective at this level.

 

I live in hope that Smith holds the purse string in the next window. 

[Sooty57 403]

I seem to remember Webber accusing his predecessor of pissing the transfer money up the wall on unsuitable players.

Reminds me of the old proverb about people in glass houses not throwing stones. 🤔

[Jim Smith 2,339]

You could tell from the moment you saw PLMs physique that he was not what we needed. An ok squad player but nothing more. Sargent and Placheta recruited on the back of their speed and stats under our new data led approach but neither can actually play football. Does not bode well. 

[king canary 7,652]

9 hours ago, Sooty57 said:

I seem to remember Webber accusing his predecessor of pissing the transfer money up the wall on unsuitable players.

Reminds me of the old proverb about people in glass houses not throwing stones. 🤔

The 'pissed it up the wall comment' is as much about resale value as anything. 

I get the new signings aren't performing well in general but the key difference between now and McNally is that if we get relegated I'm not worried we'll be up the financial ****ter. Players like Rashica, Tzolis, Giannoulis and even Sargent will be sellable assets if we need them to be, whereas Naismith and Jarvis were not. 

[Grant Holts Moustache 105]

17 hours ago, Capt. Pants said:

He won't.

But I would hope the BOD gives him at least a hard time having sacked Farke when it's coming glaringly obvious that the quality of players just isn't there.

And/or they haven't been developed as well as they should? For example Adam Idah has regressed horrendously, Sorensen not used etc.

In Webber's defence Rashica is getting better, Normann looks good as does Williams but the rest are pretty ordinary bordering on poor. 

The head of recruitment for the last couple of years was Kieran Scott. He left at the start of the season and is now at Middlesbrough. Webber isn't and never has been our head of recruitment.

[Sooty57 403]

27 minutes ago, king canary said:

The 'pissed it up the wall comment' is as much about resale value as anything. 

I get the new signings aren't performing well in general but the key difference between now and McNally is that if we get relegated I'm not worried we'll be up the financial ****ter. Players like Rashica, Tzolis, Giannoulis and even Sargent will be sellable assets if we need them to be, whereas Naismith and Jarvis were not. 

I stand corrected - the old memory not what it used to be.

However, unless the coaching staff can work wonders with him, I struggle to see anything other than a hefty loss on Josh Sargent. Don't get me wrong, I love his commitment and work ethic, but his ball skills seem to be sadly lacking. As another poster said recently, I would rather we spent £55m on a few decent PL/Champ proven players who could help us now than 11 relative unknowns who may come good and make the club a profit. If we can't at least make a fist of staying up what is the point of fighting for promotion?

[Ken Hairy 3,779]

1 hour ago, Jim Smith said:

You could tell from the moment you saw PLMs physique that he was not what we needed. An ok squad player but nothing more. Sargent and Placheta recruited on the back of their speed and stats under our new data led approach but neither can actually play football. Does not bode well. 

Speed??? Sargent???? 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[Alex 26]

22 hours ago, Dean Coneys boots said:

I disagree. We could have the best head of recruitment on earth- but if the budget is championship standard and wages short then you will end up with players who are not good enough. In Sargent We see what 8m strikers get you- we also see why other teams around us spend 5 x that! 

To be fair Watford spent 3.5 million on Emmanual Dennis and only Moh Salah has directly been involved in more goals than him in the premier league this season. And they signed Josh King on a free and he has 5 goals already. There are bargains out there! Of course money helps but recruitment could have been a lot better. It's too easy to just say we haven't got the finances to compete.

Edited December 6, 2021 by Alex

[king canary 7,652]

35 minutes ago, Sooty57 said:

I stand corrected - the old memory not what it used to be.

However, unless the coaching staff can work wonders with him, I struggle to see anything other than a hefty loss on Josh Sargent. Don't get me wrong, I love his commitment and work ethic, but his ball skills seem to be sadly lacking. As another poster said recently, I would rather we spent £55m on a few decent PL/Champ proven players who could help us now than 11 relative unknowns who may come good and make the club a profit. If we can't at least make a fist of staying up what is the point of fighting for promotion?

I think he's got some traits that means he can succeed in the Championship. I know that isn't what we bought him for but from a resale value I think if we go down and he shows what he can do at a lower level (noticeable he's had 3 games this season against lower division teams and has 4 goals in those games) then he'll have value.

[Walcombe canary 69]

January is going to be massive. We will find out who has the Big Say. We do have a few players in our squad who will want to play more. Add to those, 1 or 2, who the new Manager will want to Trade with. Will it be all too late ?