A Winning Club is Built from the Ground Up!

This topic contains 8 replies, has 5 voices, and was last updated by killyboye killyboye 6 years, 9 months ago.

Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)
  • Author
    Posts
  • #1497510
    hatters
    hatters
    Participant
    • :

    The club has just signed the manager of scouting at Juventus. Javier Ribalta comes in to head up the sccouting function for us after doing so for 5 years at Juventus. We have obviously head-hunted him.

    Now this is what I want to hear. For me, this type of an announcement is a better sign for the future of the club than the signing of any player. It indicates to me that we now have a proper long term strategy (or at least are trying) to fix the operational management at the club. Identifying the world’s best players before they cost 100 million pounds is of paramount importance to make sure we aren’t still being taken to the cleaners in the transfer market 2-3 years from now.

    Well done to Mourinho, Woodward, and the rest of the sitting board members.

    #1497527

    Great first step! Can’t understand why the biggest clubs in the world don’t go out and sign the best young 16 / 17 year olds from all over Europe for a fraction of what they’d pay in wages to the first team each week. Players like Fosu-Mensah can be signed for peanuts and have a great chance of at least being squad players or, at worst, making the club a profit in future if they develop to any remotely decent level.

    #1497532
    killyboye
    killyboye
    Participant
    • :

    Many of us have been talking about the need to upgrade the scouting dept for a while so delighted to see this. Still begs the question of the need for a director of football to control the clubs vision, direction and style of play and why we didn’t move for Monchi of Sevilla when he became available. If a proper DOF had worked with Fergie in his final season or two we wouldn’t be where we are now, Moyes may have gotten the job anyway but LVG certainly wouldn’t have.

    #1497558
    MacGuffin
    MacGuffin
    Participant
    • :

    I dont know anything about this bloke, does anybody? Do you hatters? If not, why you are so cock-a-hoop about him joining us? Do we even know what his role will be at United.

    From the little I’ve gleaned his expertise seems to be in assisting in contract negotiation and this seems to be his likely role at United, assisting Ed in negotiations.

    I’m all for ground up and getting the right staff but am disappointed we can’t find an ex-player or person associated with the club for a scouting role. I hope he is not being appointed on the basis of being a pal of JM’s. He was at AC Milan at the same time Jose was at Inter.

    Forgive me if I cheer after he’s proven himself instead of before.

    #1497568
    hatters
    hatters
    Participant
    • :

    @macguffin. Our player recruitment has been dodgy for nearly a decade now.

    “It indicates to me that we now have a proper long term strategy (or at least are trying) to fix the operational management at the club.”

    All I was saying in the above emboldened paragraph is that there is a shake up in the management internally. I have no idea if this fella is any good and how he fits in but at least we appear to have identified a weakness in scouting and/or recruitment and are attempting to fix it. Considering the success of Juventus over the last 5 years, I think this man must surely have a decent CV.

    As for your suggestion that we appoint ex-players instead of seasoned professionals, my answer to you is the same as when you were punting Giggs as manager. Being a good footballer doesn’t make you a good football administrator.

    #1497580
    roygbiv
    roygbiv
    Participant
    • :

    Our recruitment has indeed left a lot to be desired and hopefully this appointment will be a step in the right direction. Having said that, looking at the signings Juve made in this period you can’t really say that Ribalta was uncovering some hidden gems: Dani Alves, Andrea Pirlo, Sami Khedira, Fernando Llorente, Arturo Vidal, Paul Pogba, Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata…not exactly unknowns are they? Still, with the internet and all that, there aren’t many unknown players out there anymore so let’s just hope Ribalta can reccomend better players to our manager than our previous scouts.

    #1497584
    MacGuffin
    MacGuffin
    Participant
    • :

    my answer to you is the same as when you were punting Giggs as manager.
    @hatters – ROFL – That shows how good your memory is. I was against Giggs. My opposition was on the basis he had never shown any leadership qualities. And I pointed out to the forum “Being a good footballer doesn’t make you a good football administrator.”

    Given than there are hundreds of people with United connections and no doubt many with an eye for a player and who know what attributes are needed for United and the PL, I’m surprised we could not find somebody closer to home. But perhaps its experience dealing with foreign agents and players that is needed.

    Yes the scouting system needs a shake up. I have been saying that for years and only recently repeated it. I complained about cronyism with Fergie’s brother chief scout. I argued that we should be producing more players than we have been. Even Moyes for all his faults realised it (can’t have been hard to spot) and the Glazers agreed with him.

    http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/david-moyes-overhauls-manchester-united-6751601

    https://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/feb/26/david-moyes-glazer-rebuild-manchester-united

    #1497589
    hatters
    hatters
    Participant
    • :

    @macguffin. I must say it is embarrassing when an old geezer like you has better memory than me! My mistake on the Giggs issue.

    As for everything else. I think we’ve pretty much covered it.

    #1497656
    killyboye
    killyboye
    Participant
    • :

    We’ve always had English talent, the problem is that most English talent doesn’t make it to elite level anymore. It’s important therefore to have a strong European scouting network as that seems to be where the future world class talent lies along with South America. That seems to be what Jose is doing. It’s probably more about this guys contacts than his actual scouting ability

Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)

You must be logged in to reply this topic.