777Kidnappings wrote: ↑Thu Jan 15, 2026 3:24 am
I actually suspect we arent really scouting players. Think we probably signed barry primarily because he scored 13 goals in Spain. Probably signed dibbling primarily because there were nice stories that he was the next big thing and worth 100m. I dont think we are much deeper than that. Think we are decades behind in scouting and like you say probably lots of other things too
I mean, yes maybe, as there seems a fair bit of disjointedness,... but I think it's likely that there are a few other factors that might prevent us from getting the players we need, in a similar way that other clubs often don't get what they need...unless they're the big 5/6...
Our transfer budget, our targets not appreciating our recent league positions(no Europe) or wage structure, the dearth of suitable options available (20 goal a season finisher) (youth focus), and the more stringent personality testing a manager like Moyes employs.
There also don't seem to be many cases where we can go "gee we had the opportunity to sign that fella, and didnt" and it not be simply a case of 'Monday's expert' hindsight.
There also dont seem to be many names knocking around from our fanbase as to who would be a good signing, satisfying the categories above.
No one in the marketplace we're trading in will fit 2 or more of those categories, so we've got to go with what we can (in most cases carrying risk) and hope some of the other categories work out in the individuals we end up choosing.