[Albion] Questions for the Recruitment Department

[Commander]

OP. I think you have to look at what the recruitment team actually do.

They are basically a very large scouting network that can make recommendations of players they've seen and provide reports on players who agents are touting to us.

Whether Tony Bloom is willing to sign off on these recommendations or not is up to him. Presumably he'll be strongly influenced by the opinions of Potter and Ashworth. But even if he is willing to sign the cheques, plenty can still go wrong. The player might not want to come to us, another club might come in, the agent might make unreasonable demands, there might be work permit issues, the player might fail the medical etc.

The recruitment team certainly don't sign off on players such as Locadia and Andone leaving. Again that would be agreed by the key people at the top of the club.

The idea that there is this faceless department within the club that is responsible for all our failures (if you regard us as failing) might meet your simplistic need to blame someone, but it doesn't recognise the complexities of dealing within the modern transfer market.

Indeed. Or this idea that they sit around for the rest of the year doing nothing and then think the day before deadline day ‘maybe we should try and sign someone”. The absolute ignorance and stupidity of some of our fans is just astonishing. I wonder if we are worse than most in this department. I feels like we are, but we’re probably not, I suppose.

 

[blue-shifted]

- Do the club really believe Maupay (Championship striker last season) and 36 year old Murray is sufficient to compete in the Premier League?

Well it is, because we are competing.

We have been competitive in (I think i'm safe in saying this) every game we've played this season

 

[Eeyore]

Fair, but this is the point. We’ve all known this window was coming, surely our Recruitment team should be prepared for this?

I wonder that the problem goes back to letting Andone go. The decision doubtless had good reason. But this situation was coming as you say.

January is a nightmare for this. A competent prospect will be held on to by any club that doesn't need the cash right now. So that rules out most home based clubs that are involved in ups and downs.

So the club looks at the mainland. You know, Austria, Czech, those kinds of places. Then there's the usual problem of a player with aspiration. Would they want to make that big move to a club that may not be at the top level next year ? Oh, and then there's the contract price. Inflated doubtless. Albion could end up with a player who wasn't their first choice by some distance and also on a lengthy term.

I don't know how it works, I'm just a layman, but I would have been looking at a loan right from the start. Probably more to choose from and less risk.

 

[amexer]

£35m for Trossard and Maupay. Not there fault no other players support. Hopefully will start playing Mooy or Alzate between midfield and Maupay instead of on the wing and full back.

 

[portlock seagull]

I’m holding fire on this. If:

a) We sign a quality CF, as well as taking 4 or 6 points from Watford/West Ham - we’re in a good place.

b) No striker and no wins, we’re in deep .

Aaah, the old if my auntie had bollocks she’d be my uncle...or maybe still my auntie, as it’s 2020 and who knows what you can safely say anymore?!

 

[vagabond]

I’m surprised nobody has thought of these questions before. I’m sure Bloom will be willing to answer them from the next imbecile at the next fans forum. Perhaps you should attend?

Perhaps discussion forums aren’t for you. You don’t seem willing to entertain anything that is possibly critical or an opinion different to yours.

I’ll dress it up for you. Everything’s great and the recruitment team are doing a smashing job. There. Happy now?

 

[vagabond]

I wonder that the problem goes back to letting Andone go. The decision doubtless had good reason. But this situation was coming as you say.

January is a nightmare for this. A competent prospect will be held on to by any club that doesn't need the cash right now. So that rules out most home based clubs that are involved in ups and downs.

So the club looks at the mainland. You know, Austria, Czech, those kinds of places. Then there's the usual problem of a player with aspiration. Would they want to make that big move to a club that may not be at the top level next year ? Oh, and then there's the contract price. Inflated doubtless. Albion could end up with a player who wasn't their first choice by some distance and also on a lengthy term.

I don't know how it works, I'm just a layman, but I would have been looking at a loan right from the start. Probably more to choose from and less risk.

Well said, I think most of us are just fans. So laymen is probably fair.

I think losing Andone and Locadia after the Summer window shut is now looking a very questionable move. Why didn’t we shift them earlier? If Andones red was a flash point, you can’t help but look to GP to manage him. I’m sure most of us agree there’s a really effective player there.

 

[portlock seagull]

Indeed. Or this idea that they sit around for the rest of the year doing nothing and then think the day before deadline day ‘maybe we should try and sign someone”. The absolute ignorance and stupidity of some of our fans is just astonishing. I wonder if we are worse than most in this department. I feels like we are, but we’re probably not, I suppose.

Totally this. I’d be happy if Jan window didn’t exist in fact, seems increasingly for desperate deals only that work out neither for club or players. Perhaps until end of season loans only.

 

[el punal]

It’s looking like we’re not getting any additions this window. We certainly don’t seem prepared for it. If so we truly haven’t learned from last season. And some serious questions to be asked:

- Why let Andone and Locadia go without a replacement?
- Do the club really believe Maupay (Championship striker last season) and 36 year old Murray is sufficient to compete in the Premier League?
- if so, then Potter won’t even play Murray, and he won’t give Connolly a chance to play more than 1 game every few weeks. So we’re effectively pinning our goal scoring survival hopes on Maupay.

We can still stay up, don’t get it wrong. But crikey, it’s almost arrogant to assume we can stand still whilst rivals strengthen. I feel bad for Potter.

The price of being in the PL is astronomical, why are we scrimping and saving? And more importantly... what do our recruitment team do all year?

I tell you what - Tony Bloom is probably broke, what with spending his money on building the stadium, the top notch training facilities, the investment of coaching staff and players, making up for the financial losses to date. So go on, I dare you, lend him some money and then tell him he and his board are scrimping and saving and then ask what his recruitment team do all year.

FFS!!!

 

[vagabond]

I tell you what - Tony Bloom is probably broke, what with spending his money on building the stadium, the top notch training facilities, the investment of coaching staff and players, making up for the financial losses to date. So go on, I dare you, lend him some money and then tell him he and his board are scrimping and saving and then ask what his recruitment team do all year.

FFS!!!

We all love Uncle Tony. Way to miss the point.

QFT:

Which part of "we're in a relegation scrap for 3rd season in a row and desperately need a striker" is difficult to understand??

 

[Weststander]

Well it is, because we are competing.

We have been competitive in (I think i'm safe in saying this) every game we've played this season

We haven’t. For example, Stamford Bridge, Blades, plus plenty of other games where we’ve awoken from a subservient self late on when the damage is done - Goodison, Anfield, Leicester, Chelsea at home (where Reza saved us).

 

[Justice]

The recruiting team have to find players around the £10-15m mark tough ask to get real quality in at those figures. We have one of the lowest budgets in the league no real quality will arrive anytime soon. Dembele from Celtic went for nothing really at £20m we offered £12m the lad even wanted the move unfortunately we are like a tinpot Spurs never want to pay the going rate.

 

[Taybha]

We must have a spare kit and a grand laying around somewhere .

 

[Reinelt12]

1) Andone - he wanted to go, wasn’t getting enough game time in his eyes, therefore you don’t keep a player who isn’t happy, absolutely pointless, because they then get a red card and screw your over if they aren’t 100% professional.

2) We have spent 60m+ every season on players including this season already in the summer. We don’t have a large budget, but we compete with what we have got.

3) There are only 2-3 games this season where we haven’t competed, the rest of the games we have been in with a shot of points. The issue isn’t competing, it’s poor defending and finishing where we aren’t winning games we are dominating.

4) The transfer window isn’t shut yet.

5) Just because we haven’t heard anything from the club, doesn’t mean they aren’t working behind the scenes on a deal or two - we actually don’t want to know until it’s done, or everyone else will know and hijack them. The best signings are usually those that come from nowhere without any rumour previously.

Yes, we need a striker to help Maupay out, I’m sure they are looking, but we haven’t got the budget to pay stupid amounts on one - if something comes up in the right range then it will get done. It’s all usually a chain anyway, have to wait for each club to replace their player before you can then let the player you want go (Probably what we are doing with Murray and Forest) - that will go to the deadline in all probability.

Let’s see how the week plays out and go from there...

 

[Deadly Danson]

1) Andone - he wanted to go, wasn’t getting enough game time in his eyes, therefore you don’t keep a player who isn’t happy, absolutely pointless, because they then get a red card and screw your over if they aren’t 100% professional.

2) We have spent 60m+ every season on players including this season already in the summer. We don’t have a large budget, but we compete with what we have got.

3) There are only 2-3 games this season where we haven’t competed, the rest of the games we have been in with a shot of points. The issue isn’t competing, it’s poor defending and finishing where we aren’t winning games we are dominating.

4) The transfer window isn’t shut yet.

5) Just because we haven’t heard anything from the club, doesn’t mean they aren’t working behind the scenes on a deal or two - we actually don’t want to know until it’s done, or everyone else will know and hijack them. The best signings are usually those that come from nowhere without any rumour previously.

Yes, we need a striker to help Maupay out, I’m sure they are looking, but we haven’t got the budget to pay stupid amounts on one - if something comes up in the right range then it will get done. It’s all usually a chain anyway, have to wait for each club to replace their player before you can then let the player you want go (Probably what we are doing with Murray and Forest) - that will go to the deadline in all probability.

Let’s see how the week plays out and go from there...

Absolutely all of this.

 

[drew]

We haven’t. For example, Stamford Bridge, Blades, plus plenty of other games where we’ve awoken from a subservient self late on when the damage is done - Goodison, Anfield, Leicester, Chelsea at home (where Reza saved us).

Anfield!! I seem to recall we were very unlucky not to get an point and were certainly on top for the last quarter of the game.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

2) We have spent 60m+ every season on players including this season already in the summer. We don’t have a large budget, but we compete with what we have got.

That's true, but I question how it is spent. We seem to buy a lot of the same type of players, which leads to us being overstaffed in some areas and threadbare in others. We have more wide players, central defenders and midfield players than we know what to do with, some of whom struggle even to make the bench, but we only have three central strikers, all of whom have well-discussed limitations.

 

[Jordy]

Indeed. Or this idea that they sit around for the rest of the year doing nothing and then think the day before deadline day ‘maybe we should try and sign someone”. The absolute ignorance and stupidity of some of our fans is just astonishing. I wonder if we are worse than most in this department. I feels like we are, but we’re probably not, I suppose.

Perhaps discussion forums aren’t for you. You don’t seem willing to entertain anything that is possibly critical or an opinion different to yours.

I’ll dress it up for you. Everything’s great and the recruitment team are doing a smashing job. There. Happy now?

Superb effort in showing [MENTION=2095]Commander[/MENTION] how to entertain a critical opinion that differs to yours

The reality of things is the guys/gals in charge of recruiting will be going about their business as usual, seeing what’s available, and should there be someone available that would be a good fit, they will have to see if it will be cost effective etc. They won’t be sat on their thumbs or playing with themselves as I doubt uncle Tony would happily pay people to do nothing.

The best way to do business is to do so quietly, as if you make it known to others you’re after someone it alerts other clubs who may also then be interested, and increased interest pushes costs up as clubs will play interested clubs off against each other for a better price and players agents will do likewise when negotiating wages and add ons for their client.

Last thing any of us want is relegation, and that’s Mr Bloom right the way down to us, the paying customer.

Keep the faith, still plenty of time to do a deal or deals, but no point spunking money up the wall on players that aren’t necessarily better than what we already have. If we sign a new striking sensation that goes on to bang in 10-15 between now and the end of the season and pull us towards mid table, then I’d be over the moon. If we don’t sign anyone and it’s a case of tin hats on and getting behind the boys to stave off relegation, then I’m up for the fight.

Don’t panic Mr Mainwaring!

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Perhaps Potter's going to play with a false nine, in the absence of a real one.

He plays week in, week out with a false centre half so might as well play with a false striker.

 

[nwgull]

1) Andone - he wanted to go, wasn’t getting enough game time in his eyes, therefore you don’t keep a player who isn’t happy, absolutely pointless, because they then get a red card and screw your over if they aren’t 100% professional..

He came on as a sub after about an hour in the first 2 league games and started the 3rd, in which he got an early red card and 3 match suspension. The only person to blame for not getting enough game time was himself.