Losing chief scout Ewan Chester

[drew]

That doesnt explain why we never had a back up striker in mind just in case, that we could have chased, as we had the time unlike if Stephens had gone late on. Nor does it explain the purchase of Duffy and Norwood who both look like panic buys.

But you don't know that. You don't know what other enquiries were made for other strikers where we might not have been willing to agree the asking price..

 

[BensGrandad]

Again, we'd like to know how you know there wasn't a 'back up striker' just in case.

Are you party to Paul Winstanley / the board's meetings?

Obviously I dont as I dont profess to know all about the dealings at the club but if there was they failed to deliver which is a greater indictment of their ability than if they couldnt find the right one in the first place.

 

[Blues Rock DJ]

Scouts can only identify players, wouldn't think they negotiate wages/contracts ?
Get Sessegnon in !!

 

[The Albion Roar]

Obviously I dont as I dont profess to know all about the dealings at the club but if there was they failed to deliver which is a greater indictment of their ability than if they couldnt find the right one in the first place.

You're still guessing. As you say - you don't know.

 

[NooBHA]

Surely the scouts report to the chief scout who then watches the player himself and then passes it on to the manager and or recruitment team for them to take action. Without the chief scout in this case Ewan Chester somebody else, who may or may not be as good a scout, passes on the info. It will be interesting to monitor Birminghams transfer dealings.

Ewan Chester wasn't Chief Scout at Albion

He was Chief Scout at most clubs he has been at but not at Albion - Fair to say then that before we all pass judgement on Paul Winstanley it would be better if people actually knew what the set up was and or is.

Ewan did not unearth all the good ones and the bad ones down to others. I don't know who found who - I would guess that there is a mixture of good and bad amongst them all. Ewan is good at what he does and he is a loss to the club but he wanted to be closer to Scotland so we move on

 

[chaileyjem]

Obviously I dont as I dont profess to know all about the dealings at the club but if there was they failed to deliver which is a greater indictment of their ability than if they couldnt find the right one in the first place.

Well this OP is implying and you're agreeing is
- the clubs failure to deliver a striker
- and the supposed failings of Norwood, Duffy based on a couple of poor performances with 40 games to go

are all because a key scout left to join Birmingham in June, despite the fact that its inconceivable he hadn't been involved in identifying or watching/analysing Norwood, Duffy, Poco, Pritchard etc as potential players to sign this summer before he left and because the scouting team or recruitment head wont' have final say in securing any deals to bring a player to the club. (as Bloom/board decide on the football budget, Barber does the deals, Hughton has final say).

but apart from that.

 

[Machiavelli]

To Birmingham at the end of last season is looking very unwise right about now.

Chester was responsible for finding kayal,knockheart, goldson, rosenior, skalak etc we had excellent recruitment last season.

Now we are left with winstanley who seems to be a bit of a plodder incapable of getting deals done and seemingly incapable of finding new talent.

Thoughts ?

Now you've amended the earlier Stephenson/Winstanley error, can you clarify a point. You mention Kayal, Knockaert, Goldson, Rosenior and Skalak. I fully agree with you that these were extremely successful signings, and I doubt that there will be too many on NSC who disagree with this point.
But you seem to be carving some wedge between Ewan Chester (chief scout, up until the end of last season) and Paul Winstanley (recruitment head), and attributing all those named successes to Chester. You also, arguably a tad prematurely, seem to be writing off this close season's signings, and attributing those exclusively to Winstanley, and not including the residual views of Chester (which will still be operable in the recent transfer window), or even his replacement as chief scout (whoever that is).
So, do you have any inside information which align those signings you mention exclusively to Chester, while the recent window's are purely down to Winstanley; have you made an error in your OP in seeking to contrast Chester and Winstanley so starkly; or is there something else that I'm missing?

 

[chaileyjem]

Ewan Chester wasn't Chief Scout at Albion

He was Chief Scout at most clubs he has been at but not at Albion - Fair to say then that before we all pass judgement on Paul Winstanley it would be better if people actually knew what the set up was and or is.

Ewan did not unearth all the good ones and the bad ones down to others. I don't know who found who - I would guess that there is a mixture of good and bad amongst them all. Ewan is good at what he does and he is a loss to the club but he wanted to be closer to Scotland so we move on

yep. details in Mar 2015 just say he joined the recruitment team headed up by Paul Winstanley.
http://www.seagulls.co.uk/news/article/ewan-chester-joins-brighton-hove-albion-2248713.aspx

 

[NooBHA]

But you don't know that. You don't know what other enquiries were made for other strikers where we might not have been willing to agree the asking price..

100% correct - We did chase several strikers but they cost a lot of money and the good ones the clubs wanted to hang on to them. We can't force deals through just because we want a player, just like Burnley couldn't force through the Stephens deal.

There is no point in taking a player just because we can't get the ones we want. That would be reckless and a waste of resources

 

[BensGrandad]

Well this OP is implying and you're agreeing is
- the clubs failure to deliver a striker
- and the supposed failings of Norwood, Duffy based on a couple of poor performances with 40 games to go

are all because our chief scout left to join Birmingham in June, despite the fact that its inconceivable he hadn't been involved in identifying Norwood, Duffy, Poco, Pritchard etc as potential players to sign this summer before he left and because the chief scout or recruitment head will have little to do with securing any deals to bring a player to the club. (as Bloom/board decide on the football budget and Barber does the deals).

but apart from that.

Nobody is saying that just asking if it is so. There are very few on here that could answer the question accurately but that doesnt stop people asking and suggesting for discussion purposes which is surely what this forum is for.

 

[HAILSHAM SEAGULL]

Obviously I dont as I dont profess to know anything about the dealings at the club but if there was they failed to deliver which is a greater indictment of their ability than if they couldnt find the right one in the first place.

Edited for you BG

 

[Icy Gull]

Nobody is saying that just asking if it is so. There are very few on here that could answer the question accurately but that doesnt stop people asking and suggesting for discussion purposes which is surely what this forum is for.

Given what we were allegedly willing to go to to get Pritchard you have to assume that the club left no stone unturned to find another striker. To have good cover in every other position and to just give up on another striker just isn't going to be happening.

Whoever we wanted, we couldn't prise away from whoever they came from surely?

 

[Yes Chef]

The player's mentioned in the OP were all established professionals/internationals, to what extent Chester facilitated those moves is something we wouldn't be party to, but I don't think as a scout he would be in a position to offer so and so £xxxxx a week. That would presumably be Winstanly's job. Chester would have assessed the merits and weaknesses, and reported back to his boss.
With the latest financial bonanza on offer for the players, our hand has been weakened further in negotiations, and I think the players following the money, a la Pritchard, is key to what may have gone "wrong" in the transfer window, regardless of personnel.

 

[BensGrandad]

There is no point in taking a player just because we can't get the ones we want. That would be reckless and a waste of resources

Do we not identify 2 or 3 players that meet our requirements and determine their availability before making official approaches and bids to the clubs concerned? I would think that we do.

 

[NooBHA]

Do we not identify 2 or 3 players that meet our requirements and determine their availability before making official approaches and bids to the clubs concerned? I would think that we do.

Not just 2 or 3 BG, possibly half a dozen but it is possible to come across a brick wall on all of them for differing reasons. Clubs just don't want to let their good players go. They see the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow that is the Premier League just as clear as we do

 

[Stat Brother]

But you don't know that. You don't know what other enquiries were made for other strikers where we might not have been willing to agree the asking price..

This has to be the right answer.

Applying logic to buying footballers is fine and dandy for 2/3rds of the pitch.
That's just not possible with strikers, and everybody knows it.
Yet the AMEX era Albion have still only ever shopped in the bargain basement even though time and again it's blown up in their face.

Ulloa being the exception that proves the rule has set the Albion back even further perpetuating this need to sign a 'good value striker'.

In a close season that required minimal business the only emphasis for this window should have been signing one of the strikers earmarked from the last 12 months.

If the only way that was possible was by selling player x then so be it.

Next summer the squad will need rebuilding through centre midfield, full backs as usual, strikers as usual, and probably a couple of wingers.
None of that was needed this time, so not signing that striker is a terrible mistake.

 

[chaileyjem]

- In a close season that required minimal business the only emphasis for this window should have been signing one of the strikers earmarked from the last 12 months.
-If the only way that was possible was by selling player x then so be it.
- not signing that striker is a terrible mistake.

We didn't need to do just "minimal business" - we've signed 5 ex prem and/or international players (as well as strengthen the u23 squad)
but yes, as you say, the "emphasis" in the window was signing "one of the strikers earmarked in the last 12 months", Pritchard, who wasn't being shopped for in the "bargain basement"
Not landing Pritchard had nothing do with selling anyone.
Not signing Pritchard might be a mistake, might be a "terrible" mistake but we have 40 games to go that presumably you've written off.

I guess you'd have rather we bought a player , anyone - that
- Hughton didn't want
- Was over priced

and don't believe we were prepared to spend at least £7m or more getting the right striker so by definition weren't shopping in the "bargain basement" even in the over inflated market that is the Championship.

 

[BensGrandad]

In the clubs defence the prices that players have gone for recently especially strikers is so ridiculous that it is little wonder we couldnt get one.

 

[Captain Sensible]

This has to be the right answer.

Applying logic to buying footballers is fine and dandy for 2/3rds of the pitch.
That's just not possible with strikers, and everybody knows it.
Yet the AMEX era Albion have still only ever shopped in the bargain basement even though time and again it's blown up in their face.

Ulloa being the exception that proves the rule has set the Albion back even further perpetuating this need to sign a 'good value striker'.

In a close season that required minimal business the only emphasis for this window should have been signing one of the strikers earmarked from the last 12 months.

If the only way that was possible was by selling player x then so be it.

Next summer the squad will need rebuilding through centre midfield, full backs as usual, strikers as usual, and probably a couple of wingers.
None of that was needed this time, so not signing that striker is a terrible mistake.

I agree, we had the wages of Greer Zamora Wilson and now Holla to play with. Maybe not signing Norwood and holding back that cash to throw into the wages of Pritchard should have been the priority. Maybe it was? Maybe that did happen, maybe it still wasn't enough. It was a kick in the teeth either way and we've got a want away midfielder on the last year or his contract as well as Kayal that said some time ago he will 'honour' his last year. So it feels like the squad aren't as united...yet. I'm sure Hughton can turn it around, but a fast pace number 10 was the priority, we didn't get him, but how much of a priority was it? Enough to hold off other transfers in order to get who you want? Or just a priority along with others?

 

[fat old seagull]

Bloody disappointing when OPs post on here being overly critical about staff, when there's very little chance they have a clue what goes on behind the scenes. I think pretty much all of us would be pizzed off, hearing criticism of our own input to our employment by someone that knows bugger all about it! Was Ewan solely responsible for bringing in those mentioned? What was Paul Winstanley doing when this was going on?

Reading NSC today you'd be inclined to believe we'd lost half a dozen games on the trot...not played one poor game.