[Albion] #StrikerFail - who is to blame?

[Bozza]

There's lots of blame on other threads being thrust in the general direction of "the recruitment team".

I guess it depends on how one defines "the recruitment team" but my view, which may well be wrong, is that it's Paul Winstanley and his team who have the job if identifying players who may be suitable for our needs. I would guess that part of that role may include coming up with an estimate of both up-front purchase and ongoing contractual costs.

From the point of identification, I'd assume that players that are going to be pursued become a matter for more commercially-minded folk. At the Albion, I would imagine this is Paul Barber and Tony Bloom.

Based on what I think happens (again, I might be horribly wrong), I'm finding it hard to blame "the recruitment team". It feels as though where we failed to strike deals happened further down the process than that.

Who are you blaming and why?

 

[Albion Dan]

Whoever is to blame it's not getting things done earlier that has cost us dear. The club rhetoric has always been we will do deals late in the window and that has proven to be a fatal strategy. I suspect the commercial element thought they could play a smart game and it's exploded in our faces.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Nobody.

 

[spence]

Burke lost his job due to poor recruitment ? and so i guess Winstanley is in the firing line.


Signing players like Ryan in this window and no strikers is not good enough.

Not one single British player with Premier league experience was signed either. To many risky foreign imports for my likening also.

 

[MrSnuggles]

Presumably the recruitment team should also know about pre existing medical conditions of players they had reportedly been watching over many months even seasons! To have two failed medicals on top targets strikes a little of incompetence. It should be the recruitments team responsibility to find out as much as possible about the target player, which includes dodgy knees and heart conditions! They need to get it right for January which is 5 long months away!

 

[seagullwedgee]

It's a good question Bozza. I would like to know, with 18 weeks when Huddersfield only had 13 weeks, that they set off at a cracking pace, worked out you need to get deals done, and get the team starting to gel, even if that means no superstars. But we planned to play brinkmanship, tried to get superstars, and royally ballsed it up. That to me suggests we got the STRATEGY wrong, and so we know where that sits, CEO level. I happen to know staff in the performance analysis team, we respond to requests from the scouts, and compile collodal data in very quick time to great deal, to enable the recruiters to do a very thorough job. I think operationally, therefore, the process is sound, but on this occasion strategically we got it all wrong. Partially caused by thinking the PL would be no different, partially by the unexpectedly massive shift in prices, and partially by the naïve belief that everyone actually wants to play for us because we're just brilliant.

 

[GT49er]

The players and their agents - and maybe the selling clubs, We identified 8 good targets. One opted to go to Swansea to get the brown envelope for his family. Three (I think) decided to turn us down. One was pulled out by his selling club, who changed their minds because of other in- and out-comings and goings. Two failed the medical.
Yes, we've not been lucky - but however much Uncle Tone was willing to fork out today will, I presume, be available in January. New situation then, especially if we're doing better than the more hysterical moaners are predicting.

 

[Don Quixote]

The CEO I suppose. The one at the top has to take the blame.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Hugo Rune]

The 'recruitment team' identified lots of good strikers and we agreed deals with FC Zurich, Spurs and Fiorentina (and maybe other teams) for three seemingly good players. One fell through because of our due diligence and perhaps the other two wanted £80k+ per week instead of the £40k we probably had on the table.

I blame the Neymar transfer and the insane inflation we've seen in this window and plain old bad bad luck.

I suspect, sadly, we'll be relegated for not scoring enough goals like Boro were last season (incidentally, they spooged £30m on strikers this window).

 

[seagullwedgee]

New favourites for the drop with every single bookie on oddschecker. Says it all. A friend did some analysis on when our matches against those in our mini league within the season, relative to other teams in our mini league. The balance of ours occur in the middle third of the season. That starts in 10 games time. We will have no one, so we will fail in the critical games against teams in our mini league. Our most difficult segment is our final third, and even if we do get big names in, it will be too late, and still very unlikely we'll defeat the big boys. Analytically, therefore, rather than bedwettingly, I believe thendie is already cast now.

 

[Bozza]

New favourites for the drop with every single bookie on oddschecker.

We were clear favourites before today. Huddersfield ensured that with their start.

 

[y2dave]

I'm sure people on all sides gave there best efforts but what concerned me all summer was the complacency in our efforts to get deals done and move players on. Our strategy, urgency and attitude was way off. As Manager and CEO the blame sits with Hughton and Barber. There are no excuses to be made we just need to learn, adapt and pray that we are not hopelessly adrift in 3 months time. The most frustrating thing is how obvious and predictable our failure today has been after a 4 month window was wasted. I do wonder how much Ewan Chester leaving has impacted us.

 

[Baker lite]

May or may not be Winstanley's failure but as head of recruitment he will have to go,Burke did the decent thing,Winstanley should do the same,simply not acceptable.

 

[Triggaaar]

Who are you blaming and why?

Since I also don't know where the blame lies, I'm just blaming the club in general. I just can't believe it. I'm flabbergasted.

Look at what the Championship clubs are spending - getting promoted from there is really difficult, even for the relegated teams. Getting relegated will probably cost the club a huge amount of money, and we've failed to sign a striker over a few million. I'm in total shock.

 

[seagullwedgee]

And let's be honest, we had 18 weeks to balls this up, while Huddersfield had 13.

We've been arrogant, they've been humble.

We were still on the piss, they got on with deals.

We thought we could attract superstars, they were far more realistic.

We are licking our wounds and favourites to go down, they are flying high, in every respect.

Our #PLR team have royally ballsed up, through breathtaking arrogance, over 18 weeks.

18 weeks. That's more than 100 days. Christ, they judge a new President over what he can change and impact in 100 days, we can't even sign a single player who plays the game in the oppositions half!

It is, the most staggering own goal we have ever scored. It is frankly, not believable. But it has happened.

 

[neilbard]

There's lots of blame on other threads being thrust in the general direction of "the recruitment team".

I guess it depends on how one defines "the recruitment team" but my view, which may well be wrong, is that it's Paul Winstanley and his team who have the job if identifying players who may be suitable for our needs. I would guess that part of that role may include coming up with an estimate of both up-front purchase and ongoing contractual costs.

From the point of identification, I'd assume that players that are going to be pursued become a matter for more commercially-minded folk. At the Albion, I would imagine this is Paul Barber and Tony Bloom.

Based on what I think happens (again, I might be horribly wrong), I'm finding it hard to blame "the recruitment team". It feels as though where we failed to strike deals happened further down the process than that.

Who are you blaming and why?

Sorry Bozza but I have to blame Uncle Tony its his baby. In my opinion he's been sleeping while Rome burns.

 

[neilbard]

May or may not be Winstanley's failure but as head of recruitment he will have to go,Burke did the decent thing,Winstanley should do the same,simply not acceptable.

Bloom employs him so yes, P45's at dawn.

 

[OzMike]

Everyone involved in the process and greedy agents/players.
Maybe we should scour the conference/lower league teams for the next Vardy, as they would see it as a privileged.

 

[neilbard]

Since I also don't know where the blame lies, I'm just blaming the club in general. I just can't believe it. I'm flabbergasted.

Look at what the Championship clubs are spending - getting promoted from there is really difficult, even for the relegated teams. Getting relegated will probably cost the club a huge amount of money, and we've failed to sign a striker over a few million. I'm in total shock.

Sit on the fence. Mr Bloom is where the blame lies he's in charge ffs.

 

[SeagullSam]

Trying desperately to be positive (enjoy the ride and all that), but the club have made it hard today. Hopefully Izquierdo can do it up front.

Has anyone got Lloyd Owusu's number?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk