Scouting (or the lack of...)

[Sparky]

Given our financial situation, it makes more and more sense to look around non-league or Wales/Ireland for players - as there are plenty over the years who have gone onto big things.

Reason I bring this is up is that I noticed on telelext last night Blackburn have given an 18 month contract to a lad from Southport. I remember Plymouth last year also signed a lad from Southport and Rooneys younger brother on the books of Macc, is on trial at Derby. Even Jermaine Beckford came from non league a few yrs ago

Obviously these bigger clubs may financially be able to take more of a chance on unproven talent but surely even by our standards they would not cost much compared to what they must be on in non league etc. Also makes me thing of the likes of Kevin Doyle signed from the likes of Cork City. There are numerous others that in recent times, we don't seem to find. Gone are the days when Ian Nolan, Dave Higgins etc came.

Dave Philpotts I think is our scout but has been around for ages and maybe a change is needed ? Its even more important nowadays that we try and recruit from lower leagues.

Just a thought really....

 

[SonkORLY?]

I believe Dave is highly regarded as a being a very good scout at our level. More often than not player recruitment is down to the manager, my understanding is that most scouts at our level are primerily concerned with going to games and keeping tabs on upcoming opposition. They may recommend players but at the end of the day it's down to the manager. Bain would be an example of risk taking gone wrong. I know Les goes to some Welsh league games as I've seen him at a few, there is a very big gap between that level and ours.

 

[bigmart]

It is a worry that thats two players from southport that have gone to league teams that it would seem we havent noticed. There are surely more players playing at non league lever for local teams that we could look to sign.

It seems we havent signed anyone from local non league sides for a while

 

[The Bootle Rover]

Games in Wales......

Sonko......really.......you watch non league games in Wales?

Who? Anyone taken your eye?

 

[SonkORLY?]

This season I know a few of the lads at Colwyn Bay so I go to watch them sometimes. Quite a lot of players at that sort of level have fallen out of league football after not making the grade at professional clubs. There aren't as many standout young players "working their way up" the football ladder as one might expect, and the jump up from that level to league 1 shouldn't be underestimated. I suspect there are some talented players in Ireland who, for purely geographical reasons, might not have been picked up by English clubs. I don't go to the reserves games but I believe that most weeks we have at least one trialist - players with a decent CV in lower league football can write to the club and ask for a trial, Dave will probably go and watch them and decide whether they're worth a look. As you'll have noticed, it's tremendously rare that any of these guys are deemed good enough to warrant even a short term professional contract.

Chris Smalling's meteoric 2 year rise from Maidstone United to Manchester United is the exception rather than the rule.

 

[SonkORLY?]

Haha, I meant Connors Quay. Used to go to Colwyn Bay a bit though.

 

[Tartantranmere64]

or even Connah's Quay!

 

[SonkORLY?]

****ing sheep shagging *******s with their ******* spelling!

 

[Boz]

Article in the Observer today about Charlie Austin, a brickie who played for non league Poole in the Wessex league. Now at Swindon, 13 goals in 18 matches.

Some of the players who've had a trade before coming into the game seem to be more level-headed. Recall mention of Ian Nolan, who was a mechanic fixing some-ones motor at PP. However, I suppose given our academy system, that such players need to be exceptional before a deal is offered.

 

[SonkORLY?]

I doubt other clubs are doing more than us; I think trial by request is the standard means of "scouting" non-league players for lower-league professional football teams. 99.9% of talented young players these days are picked up by professional academies, players tend to fall down the leagues rather than rise up them as may have been the case in the past. Nolan was a YTS at Preston North End before dropping out of professional football and working his way upwards. Talented players don't slip through the net like that anymore; they tend to fall slowly, like John Welsh, no offence intended to him, and find their level that way.

 

[TRFC_Ian]

Ive been banging on about this for a year or so now. Theres definitely potential in the lower leagues - the example i've used in the past is Peterborough - half their team have come from non-league and they have got them to the Championship!

We obviously cant compete with Liverpool or Everton on a straight fight for kids coming through the ranks - but they are much less likely to look at a non league level and with so many local Merseyside/North Wales clubs we should be taking more advantage. And it could work both ways too - we loan out a lot of our younger players especially to league of Wales sides anyway - so building up relationships with these local clubs could be mutually beneficial.