Recruitment policy

[e77]

My understanding of the recruitment policy:

Oscar identifies need for a player
David Burke assesses scouting reports and draws up a list of half a dozen then hands it to Oscar
Oscar chooses which one he wants
DB goes after the player (presumably ultimately signed off by Tony Bloom and/or Paul Barber)

Probably different for Development Squad signings

 

[fosters headband]

If the Garcia rumours have any foundation, it seems to me recruitment policy is at the heart of it and is a major issue, probably the issue, at the club.

Now I am not devastated if Garcia moves on, and I don't think he has done/proved enough to be throwing his weight around at this point in time. The strikes for him are getting in the play-offs (albeit luckily and not very impressively), overseeing the club regrouping post-Poyet, and coping with crippling injuries to a host of key players right up to the play-off semi-final itself. The strikes against him are often dull and unadventurous football, and dropping a lot of points against inferior teams, and unspectacular recruitment. I'd certainly have given him another season, but if he doesn't want to be here then fine, we'll get somebody decent to replace him.

But it is on this last point of recruitment where there is a lot of uncertainty, and it may not be all his fault.

How much freedom has Garcia been given on transfers? Has he been able to sign any of the players he wanted? How many of his suggested signings have been rejected? The players we did bring in, were they his signings? How involved are Burke and Barber/Bloom on coming up with the initial list of targets? Does it work having a manager with little or no say in signing players they are then responsible for the results from, if indeed that is happening? Is the squad balanced as it stands?

This stuff might not be sexy, but it is really important.

Successive managers, both decent coaches, have now either said, or clearly implied, that they are not happy with this aspect of the club and that they are not being given the tools to do the job. You may or may not believe them. And the club would no doubt counter those claims, but then they would, wouldn't they. They are the ones under scrutiny.

Wow Tooting your assumptions after reading the Argus story today, on why Oscar resigned are very close to the truth in this post.
There are some club ars* lickers in this thread with egg on their faces after Oscar's reasons for resigning have now been published.

 

[Springal]

Lets not turn Burke into a scapegoat for this. He is employed by Tony Bloom, and works with a budget set by the board, and with a very clearly defined role that the board sets him. The buck has to stop with the board/Bloom in all this.

 

[The Birdman]

We are building a fantastic new training ground but we need to fill it with potential stars of the future lets hope we got the right scouting team otherwise TB will be chucking his and our money away.

 

[fosters headband]

Lets not turn Burke into a scapegoat for this. He is employed by Tony Bloom, and works with a budget set by the board, and with a very clearly defined role that the board sets him. The buck has to stop with the board/Bloom in all this.

Are you serious, when he thinks players like Rodriguez, Obika and Lita were going to strengthen our squad. Bloom employed Burke as someone to bring talent to the club not as a rubbish collector.

 

[Fatboy Quim]

I just emailed this to a non Albion colleague who was criticising our lack of ambition.. .wanted to put it on here to add to the discussion and see if how many agree...

"our Chairman bought our stadium, out of his own pocket practically the day after buying the club and has invested near on 20 million in what will be one of the best training facilities and academies in the country . This will open next year. That's not only huge ambition, but smart ambition and investing very heavily in the infrastructure and future of the club. I would even suggest that the massive ambition, investment and high attendances might have led Garcia to think we're a club desperate to get into the Premier League as quickly as possible. We're not.

Where I would imagine the problem lies is with the internal structure of the club and the club's refusal to throw money at players/agents/managers (and rightly so in my view). As well as wanting to be a flag bearer for the principals of FFP, we have a Director of Football - David Burke- that handles transfers. Poyet hated this, and to be fair to the Chairman he bowed to Poyet's strops and let him do some of his own deals. Poyet wasted a hell of a lot more money through bad transfers than Burke has done.

I've been undecided about this structure, but, if anything, I think this latest episode proves that the DoF structure is the right one for the club. It promotes continuity and negates any risk of implosion if a manager decides to up sticks and leave on a whim!!

If all a manager wants is a load of money for transfers to have one successful season then that is not the manager I (and I would imagine the vast majority of Albion fans) want.

What I am so thoroughly pissed off about after this, is that seemingly for two season's running we've gone into our most important games with a sulking manager with one foot out of the door. We've subsequently not turned up on either occasion, and I would imagine that a lack of motivation and commitment has played a huge part in that. That's a disgrace.

Whoever comes in next, it would be nice for them to show some ambition and play some attacking football. It would also be a novelty if they could have some faith in their own ability to get a good set of players playing well, without just demanding the quick fix of throwing millions at new ones. To be honest, I'm not particularly fussed who that is."

 

[fosters headband]

I just emailed this to a non Albion colleague who was criticising our lack of ambition.. .wanted to put it on here to add to the discussion and see if how many agree...

"our Chairman bought our stadium, out of his own pocket practically the day after buying the club and has invested near on 20 million in what will be one of the best training facilities and academies in the country . This will open next year. That's not only huge ambition, but smart ambition and investing very heavily in the infrastructure and future of the club. I would even suggest that the massive ambition, investment and high attendances might have led Garcia to think we're a club desperate to get into the Premier League as quickly as possible. We're not.

Where I would imagine the problem lies is with the internal structure of the club and the club's refusal to throw money at players/agents/managers (and rightly so in my view). As well as wanting to be a flag bearer for the principals of FFP, we have a Director of Football - David Burke- that handles transfers. Poyet hated this, and to be fair to the Chairman he bowed to Poyet's strops and let him do some of his own deals. Poyet wasted a hell of a lot more money through bad transfers than Burke has done.

I've been undecided about this structure, but, if anything, I think this latest episode proves that the DoF structure is the right one for the club. It promotes continuity and negates any risk of implosion if a manager decides to up sticks and leave on a whim!!

If all a manager wants is a load of money for transfers to have one successful season then that is not the manager I (and I would imagine the vast majority of Albion fans) want.

What I am so thoroughly pissed off about after this, is that seemingly for two season's running we've gone into our most important games with a sulking manager with one foot out of the door. We've subsequently not turned up on either occasion, and I would imagine that a lack of motivation and commitment has played a huge part in that. That's a disgrace.

Whoever comes in next, it would be nice for them to show some ambition and play some attacking football. It would also be a novelty if they could have some faith in their own ability to get a good set of players playing well, without just demanding the quick fix of throwing millions at new ones. To be honest, I'm not particularly fussed who that is."

Thank you David Burke

 

[Springal]

Are you serious, when he thinks players like Rodriguez, Obika and Lita were going to strengthen our squad. Bloom employed Burke as someone to bring talent to the club not as a rubbish collector.

But we couldn't afford talent. See Grabban.

 

[Seagulls1984]

I don't want Burke picking the signings let the manager do that. Director of football doesn't work in this country .

 

[fosters headband]

I don't want Burke picking the signings let the manager do that. Director of football doesn't work in this country .

I would like to know how this man is judged as being good at the job or not.
The manager is judged by results how is the Head of Football judged?