Our scouting setup

I've noticed that the last few seasons we've finally started to look a bit into foreign leagues for talent. More value for money etc. Which I honestly always wanted, so this isn't me being negative about the club. I've also however noticed that we tend to be linked with the same players from season to season. Last one is this Malaga player which I'm 100% certain of we've been linked with before. This leads me to think we must have changed our scouting system, and quite possibly gotten someone half capable of doing the job. Especially since we've seen how well Benteke turned out. Now there have been people saying Lambert was a shit manager, but great at finding talents. I'm just suggesting here that maybe that had zero to do with Lambert, but more to do with our new scouting department? Obviously this will mean Lambert was just shit in general, but that's not my point. It would also mean TS is trusting the clubs scouts instead of just doing the business on his own.

Does anyone know what people we have got doing the scouting for us?

Joppe84 wrote:I've noticed that the last few seasons we've finally started to look a bit into foreign leagues for talent. More value for money etc. Which I honestly always wanted, so this isn't me being negative about the club. I've also however noticed that we tend to be linked with the same players from season to season. Last one is this Malaga player which I'm 100% certain of we've been linked with before. This leads me to think we must have changed our scouting system, and quite possibly gotten someone half capable of doing the job. Especially since we've seen how well Benteke turned out. Now there have been people saying Lambert was a shit manager, but great at finding talents. I'm just suggesting here that maybe that had zero to do with Lambert, but more to do with our new scouting department? Obviously this will mean Lambert was just shit in general, but that's not my point. It would also mean TS is trusting the clubs scouts instead of just doing the business on his own.

Does anyone know what people we have got doing the scouting for us?

OPTA.

That advanced eh.

Joppe84 wrote:That advanced eh.

I'm being serious unfortunately.

I think we started to put one together during McLeish's time here and I think Holman was our first signing from this scouting network. Looking at McLeish's signings and how awful of deals he made, it was painfully obvious that something needed to change. Lambert's first summer was apparently the first window in which we utilized Reily's work, shortly before he went off to Liverpool.

Paddy Riley does the scouting. He is our head scout! He was here when McLeish was here 1st time and recommended Benteke to McLeish and then again to Lambert when he was here and then manager's take decision based on his opinions.

Here is his linkedin with the years he was at Villa in head scout capacity: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/patrick-riley/54/496/a84

He was here in his first spell and was behind us signing Benteke and this time since he returned from Liverpool where he recommended Coutinho to us in his first spell and recommended him to Liverpool who ended up signing him

Gill, Gueye apparently was his suggestions as well..

He may have recommended Darder in past as well (Linked under Lambert too)and obviously his name has re-cropped back up at moment, with new names such as Praet, Amavi being linked.

I am sure he spotted some a few years back and the reports are kept on file hence why we keep having these re-links of same players under Sherwood..

Another player we keep getting linked with is Moussa Konate (Senegal Striker) McLeish, Lambert and now Sherwood!! Think again it's a Paddy Riley suggestion

Sherwood plays FM 95, we have Tonton Zola Moukoko lined up as our next signing!

I'm hoping to have a blog set up about the scouting network- I had drafted one but it has since been lost in my computer somewhere! I'll try and have it up sometime next week- Its just about the ins and outs of the scouting network- just trying to add meat to the bones because what most of you have said is practically right but things are changing in all clubs which would explain why we are constantly linked with some players.

Can we start a fan list of players out there who we would like to see at villa?

Maybe forward it to the scouting team... give them a helping hand?