Riley - When Will It Happen

[Dante Lavelli]

Fox and Almstadt went after Bernstein and Little came in. 

Revamping the scouting network I imagine takes a little longer; and Hollis will want Little and Bernstein to see what's there first before considering kicking him out.

I agree with this.  The scouting needs to have a focus and that cannot be defined until the new board have decided their whole strategy and indeed tested whether Reilly can fit into it.

[Villafirst]

The thought of Reilly remaining doesn't fill me with hope at all. It needs complete root and branch change, end of. Shift the whole lot out and start again. Also, fuck knows why Krulak is returning - another backward step.

[TheMalandro]

The worst haircut in football.

[Toronto Villa]

I don't know why I've started to think he might stay but I think he might stay. He can point to the players that he actually recommended from France and Spain and state they were all highly regarded at the time. The English or English based lads he might have signed on recommendation from Sherwood. They might think he can still do a job given the right direction from Little.

[ozzjim]

I think he may well stay as chief scout or something.

[GarTomas]

I know there has been lots of criticism of the purported Moneyball approach based on stats, but I think this is important as part of a wider scouting method.

Maybe he fills that role.

[Villa in Denmark]

I know there has been lots of criticism of the purported Moneyball approach based on stats, but I think this is important as part of a wider scouting method.

Maybe he fills that role.

I agree.  The Moneyball/Playstation/X Box barbs are cheapshots engendered by the understandable anger at the shit soup of a season.

Having someone pouring though the myriad spectra of statistics available today is just sensible. Isn't Reilly's official title head of data analysis or similar? Christ it's something Alardyce was being lauded for as a visionary 10 years ago or more.

Where it is a problem is if it's your only means of identifying targets.  If the manager turns round and says I need a new right back, as a priority he needs to be able to defend one on one, or help in the air at corners,  or whatever he says, the stats man should be able to pull 10-15 players out from around the globe that best fit what the manager's looking for.  Then the scouting starts.  Alternatively the manager or scout turns round and says "what do you know about player X" and gets the data and scouting films.

The days where a manager, his assistant and a scout could cover everything because there were only 91 clubs in England plus however many were in the the top 2 Scottish divisions are long gone. Unless your name happens to be M. O'Neill.

[pbavfckuwait]

VID the thing the stats and data do not show and where at times we have really let ourselves down, is what sort of character is he, any problems from years ago that could flair up again, this sort of thing.
Take a look at Richards, by all accounts a billy big bolloxs at Man City, thought he was better than what he was, then went abroad for a while, where he was probably zoned off as the Brit, comes back with a chip on his shoulders against foreigners and causes shit here with his attitude to the French lads.
Good old fashion digging on the part of a scout is always required, as well as the stats and data, we fall down on both.

[Villa in Denmark]

VID the thing the stats and data do not show and where at times we have really let ourselves down, is what sort of character is he, any problems from years ago that could flair up again, this sort of thing.
Take a look at Richards, by all accounts a billy big bolloxs at Man City, thought he was better than what he was, then went abroad for a while, where he was probably zoned off as the Brit, comes back with a chip on his shoulders against foreigners and causes shit here with his attitude to the French lads.
Good old fashion digging on the part of a scout is always required, as well as the stats and data, we fall down on both.

That's why I said, "Then the scouting starts".

[JUAN PABLO]

hes safe


the club feels there is a a lot of potential at Villa . they think some of the players he has recommended are good prospects but its not been his decision alone. I think they felt with the experience they would have been ok.

You  would have thought with Hutton .,Lescott ,Richards , Richardson , Cissoko , Gabby , Guzan , Clark and even Sanchez , there is enough experience and internationals to have been ok  . Its just they have been absolute wank making mistakes after mistakes every week , some of those players have really let us down. They are not good enough .

[pbavfckuwait]

This is the thing this season, watching Sunderland / Newcastle yesterday, there was always the chance of a mistake, but that would have been what it was a mistake, when you see some of the things our lot do, you start to think this is on purpose.

[kippaxvilla2]

You do have to wonder what was going through Brad Guzan's mind as he was telling players to get out of the box ahead of the free kick and then to launch himself in the way he did was bordering on the insane.

[Phil from the upper holte]

What's his role?

[Des Little]

You do have to wonder what was going through Brad Guzan's mind as he was telling players to get out of the box ahead of the free kick and then to launch himself in the way he did was bordering on the insane.

Guzan is a f*cking bomb scare.  If he ever plays for us again it'll be too soon.

[Bottom Right 89]

You do have to wonder what was going through Brad Guzan's mind as he was telling players to get out of the box ahead of the free kick and then to launch himself in the way he did was bordering on the insane.

Guzan is a f*cking bomb scare.  If he ever plays for us again it'll be too soon.

Let's not forget that in seasons gone by Guz was as valuable as Benteke at the other end but I can't forgive Saturday. He has to drop him after that clanger, we were well in that game and it was only a defensive fuck up that was going to win it for Swansea. Cissokho tried to chuck it in their favour moments before they scored but Guzan made sure. I'm starting to think he has a vision problem.