Player recruitment - what changed?

Discussion in 'Bulletin Board ARCHIVE' started by Watcher_Of_The_Skies, Aug 29, 2016.

  1. Wat

    Watcher_Of_The_Skies Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2011
    Messages:
    9,390
    Likes Received:
    5,305
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Leeds
    Style:
    Barnsley
    So we start to look at lower league players who are hungry and have some ability. Hardly the most groundbreaking idea ever and Im sure plenty of other teams were trying this long before we decided to stop paying massive amounts of money to older players at the end of their careers.

    So how come we are so successful? Is it just a random streak of good luck? What did we do with our scouting teams? Is it something to do with Maurice Watkins and his contacts? Does anyone know who is scouting for us?
     
    Watcher_Of_The_Skies, Aug 29, 2016
    #1
  2. Marlon

    Marlon Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2011
    Messages:
    23,677
    Likes Received:
    14,562
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    HERE.
    Style:
    Barnsley Dark
    It's not just the scouting ,the prospect of bringing raw talent isn't as you say new.
    What's happened down at well is not just recruiting and nurturing but it's also about believing in them and giving them a chance .
    The incentive for the players is plain to see and when they are seeing the likes of stones,Ashley,Mason , MN Mawson etc realising their dreams its a massive lift for them and coupled with a great coaching staff committed to the cause .it's great times.
     
    Marlon, Aug 29, 2016
    #2
  3. jud

    judith charmers Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 9, 2011
    Messages:
    5,791
    Likes Received:
    5,700
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Occupation:
    Travel advisor
    Location:
    Barbados
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    Me and my dad were on about this earlier on, we appear to have stole ground on others with our ethos as a club and our player recruitment. I'm pretty certain our Yorkshire neighbours (with the exception of Wednesday) will be looking and thinking 'how have Barnsley built this system up'

    It makes you wonder if Leeds poached Ben Mansford as a result of our success of last year and the general progression in our off field activities
     
    judith charmers, Aug 29, 2016
    #3
  4. jedstar

    jedstar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 19, 2012
    Messages:
    6,698
    Likes Received:
    137
    Trophy Points:
    63
    Location:
    Ardsley
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    A lot of it comes down to whoever the manager is, a lot of them seem to want total control over who comes in, they'll sign people they know, people with experience, they don't necessarily want to have to rely on some young kid with potential who might have had a good half a season in League 2 - you can kind of understand that in a way, it doesn't work out and it's them who have the black mark on their CV.

    For all his faults, Lee Johnson was happy to buy into the 'Head Coach' title, which with hindsight took a lot more of the traditional 'manager' role away from him than a lot of us thought, and the fact that things probably got better when he left tells it's own story.

    I still think our transfer policy was largely down to the league we were in and I doubt we'll get the same kind of success rate being in the Championship, we're less likely to be nicking players for the cost of a Ford Mondeo from a conference team, instead we'll be going for players who are on a lot of clubs' radar. I think it will work to our advantage that we have a reputation of giving youth a chance a though, for any young player with their head screwed on it would be better in the long run for them to come to us for a few hundred quid a week less and have a chance of more exposure, than going to one of the bigger teams to go unnoticed in the reserves.

    We do at least seem to be 'scaling up' on the policy though, which is definitely needed - if it's right about the 450,000 fee to QPR for this kid then that's not the kind of fee we'd usually chuck at a punt is it? I suppose you could look at the Mawson money as getting a decent win at the bookies, use the winnings on 10 other bets to try and win even more overall, some will work, some won't. I dare say there's more science goes into these science than me sticking a tenner on the Bucharest derby though. :cool:
     
    jedstar, Aug 29, 2016
    #4
  5. Jack Tatty

    Jack Tatty Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2011
    Messages:
    21,354
    Likes Received:
    14,838
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Stanley,Wakefield
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    The lack of signing journey men who dont give a toss is also a bonus.
     
    Jack Tatty, Aug 29, 2016
    #5
  6. Wat

    Watcher_Of_The_Skies Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 12, 2011
    Messages:
    9,390
    Likes Received:
    5,305
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Leeds
    Style:
    Barnsley
    I should also have said there's clearly some good coaching going on too - but even so you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, so we're obviously picking them well. Long may whatever it is continue :)
     
    Watcher_Of_The_Skies, Aug 29, 2016
    #6
  7. red

    red1289 New Member

    Joined:
    May 5, 2015
    Messages:
    163
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    I think the platform of league one helped us massively to almost start again. We tried something similar under Keith Hill but the harsh nature of the Championship exposed that plan - other factors involved too.
     
    red1289, Aug 29, 2016
    #7
  8. andytyke

    andytyke Administrator Staff Member Admin

    Joined:
    Mar 9, 2006
    Messages:
    13,104
    Likes Received:
    2,886
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    Featherstone
    Home Page:
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    This is a quote from a Sheff United fan on their s24su forum. I read it sometime last season

    """"My Son has been at their academy last 4 years and this season they introduced a new system and structure to the whole club from first team down to the U9 academy side, each position on the field has a DNA apparently and all players know exactly what is expected from them in that position, they are marked out of 10 for each match, this is fed back and where and what they need to see improve. All figures are churned into a database (Software developed by owners son) and again this is communicated to the lads on a regular basis. They also do this on potential new players and in a presentation they mentioned that they had approached Che before we stepped in...

    Emphasis is on a fast passing game and this is where the most obvious difference is when I watch our lot on a Saturday. Johnson was just part of the system and hence why they have brought in the coach for the rest of the season as he knows the "Barnsley way" as they call it, whether it will be a success long term is open to opinion but least they have an identity and a style they wish to play which I think is all we want in reality is to be entertained and have a link to at least a few of the players on the pitch."""""
     
    andytyke, Aug 29, 2016
    #8
  9. Gally

    Gally Administrator Staff Member Admin

    Joined:
    Nov 5, 2009
    Messages:
    17,113
    Likes Received:
    12,722
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Location:
    York
    Home Page:
    Style:
    Barnsley
    It's more than contacts or scouts. There has been a wholesale change in strategy in the last 2-3 years that has included the following (and more besides ):

    -Definition of a detailed philosophy of how a Barnsley team should play. e.g. Attack down the flanks with interchange between the full backs and the wingers, centre backs are going to be mobile, and they are going to carry the ball out and the midfield is going to get ahead of the strikers so you have an advantage in numbers in the final third. (In much more detailed but you get the idea)
    -Implementation of this single footballing philosophy right across the club and academy.
    -Definition of a DNA which details the attributes required to be a Barnsley player, for us play to the philosophy e.g. If you want your centre back to be mobile then they have to have pace with a good first touch
    -Sensible use of loans to get those players with the right attributes that you don't want to, or aren't able to, commit to but want whose skills/ attributes you require to enhance the playing philosophy, sometimes with a view to a permanent signing.
    - Change from the old manager to head coach model that is often used in European football with heads of department (more akin to a corporate structure) and not sacking the whole back room staff when a manager leaves. This allows for better succession planning when a head coach moves on as we saw with LJ.
    - Creation of a recruitment department to provide the head coach with information to help him recruit players who match the DNA and who can enhance the philosophy because the head coach cannot be expected to know every footballer that plays. This department captures football intelligence about every single player in the football league, in the conference down to north and south and the upper echelons of the Evostick. Every single player is held in a statistical model about how they are performing according to intelligence gathered from ratings, soccer base, transfer market, performance data etc. So , for example, the head coach will be told, if a 17 year old breaks into a conference side, The head coach will then ask for further information, video clippings of the player and send people out to scout players so we can either rule them in or rule them out on the basis of the DNA attributes required to be a Barnsley player, playing under the philosophy that has been defined.
    - Recruiting young / hungry players that can be developed.
    - Recycling those who don't make it back to the lower leagues (recouping some/all of the investment in them)
    - Not recruiting players towards the end of their career looking for a final payday


    Obviously, this change has coincided with Patrick persuading Maurice Watkins to become Chairman. As you might know, Maurice has experience of strategic changes at organisations like Manchester United, British Swimming, RFL as well as other non-sporting organisations.
     
    Gally, Aug 29, 2016
    #9
  10. Mr C

    Mr C Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 9, 2011
    Messages:
    24,964
    Likes Received:
    15,739
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Occupation:
    Saving the world.
    Location:
    Wentworth
    Style:
    Barnsley (full width)
    Beat me to it... :)
     
    Mr C, Aug 29, 2016
    #10

Share This Page