Ray Wilkins on Talk Sport

[The Edge]

It's common knowledge that the "recruitment staff" (paddy reilly)was far too influencial in the summer. It's been discussed at length on here.

Is it? If anything the "recruitment staff" seem to have recruited some of our more talented players of the incoming transfers - Amavi, Ayew, Gana, Traore, Veretout. The "football staff" seem to have landed us with Micah "The Big I Am" Richards, Joleon "Run? You must be joking" Lescott and a striker with the movement and ball skills of a lampost.

Oh ok then I must of got the wrong end of the stick. I thought the recruitment policy was a big fuck up in the summer. As it's been such a big success we need to carry on with it. The new manager will just have to live with it. Good old Paddy Reilly.

No, you didn't get the wrong end of the stick. It was just your opinion. As the above is mine.

so is it your opinion that having a recruitment team selecting players for the manager instead of the traditional method of the manager identifying his own players a good thing?

That would be a bad thing, but that's not what happens. They're not "selecting" players they're suggesting players.

Sherwood says "I want a new winger, how about Townsend?" Recruitment team says "we're being quoted £15m and £80,000 per week which is more than we can afford. Here are a bunch of similar players who are inside what we can afford, here is what is good about them and bad about them - which one should we move forward with?"

The same way as nearly every other team in the league does it. Presumably you think that Leicester shouldn't be doing it this way either?

But it is what happened. The players bought in were not the ones Sherwood was after. If Leicester really did use that system then maybe it can work if it's done right. We did not do it right. That's why we will be in the championship next  season. 

[The Edge]

It's common knowledge that the "recruitment staff" (paddy reilly)was far too influencial in the summer. It's been discussed at length on here.

Is it? If anything the "recruitment staff" seem to have recruited some of our more talented players of the incoming transfers - Amavi, Ayew, Gana, Traore, Veretout. The "football staff" seem to have landed us with Micah "The Big I Am" Richards, Joleon "Run? You must be joking" Lescott and a striker with the movement and ball skills of a lampost.

Oh ok then I must of got the wrong end of the stick. I thought the recruitment policy was a big fuck up in the summer. As it's been such a big success we need to carry on with it. The new manager will just have to live with it. Good old Paddy Reilly.

No, you didn't get the wrong end of the stick. It was just your opinion. As the above is mine.

so is it your opinion that having a recruitment team selecting players for the manager instead of the traditional method of the manager identifying his own players a good thing? Gestede might be a big lump but we know that TS/RW wanted Lennon and Townsend. With them supplying the ball things might have turned out very differently this season.

Ahh yes, two former Tottenham players, how creative of Tim.
Apart from the fact that Lennon and Townsend aren't exactly pulling up tree's at their respective clubs, one of which is massively underperforming and the other is more than likely going to go down with us, the fee's and wages of both those players would have both been way too much for the budget that Sherwood would no doubt have been made aware of from the outset.
As we have seen this season, a good scouting network is worth its weight in gold, look at Leicester, Spurs, West Ham,all bought players very cheaply who have massively over performed this season in respect of their fees.

Well obviously a good scouting network
is vital if you are to be successful. The moneyball system which is what we are talking about is a totally flawed system. Managers dont just go on stats. It's about blending a bunch of players to form a team. Like Leicester have.

So when Sherwood talked about having tracked and watched players for years, how does that fit into us using the moneyball system? Or only using stats?

Well I'll just stick to agreeing with what Nigel Spink said on WM. "The recruitment policy was a disaster in the summer and ultimately that is the reason we are getting relegated"

[Abbeyfealeavfc]

Wilkins is scraping the barrel for credibility by stating his fitness advice to agbonlahor was ignored. He was a useless coach with no authority at BMH or pitchside. He will be remembered for his failures at Villa. There is no credibility to be had when he is as responsible for where we are as sherwood was for the shambles at the start of the season

[SamTheMouse]

I think the problem with the recruitment this summer was a lack of communication and understanding between Sherwood and everyone else.

The new structure wasn't properly thought through. We signed a load of players without apparently having given any thought to the system that they would be playing in.

If you're not going to let your manager pick all his own signings, you at the very least need to identify players that suit his style.

[The Edge]

Wilkins is scraping the barrel for credibility by stating his fitness advice to agbonlahor was ignored. He was a useless coach with no authority at BMH or pitchside. He will be remembered for his failures at Villa. There is no credibility to be had when he is as responsible for where we are as sherwood was for the shambles at the start of the season

Agreed

[Villa in Denmark]

I think the problem with the recruitment this summer was a lack of communication and understanding between Sherwood and everyone else.

The new structure wasn't properly thought through. We signed a load of players without apparently having given any thought to the system that they would be playing in.

If you're not going to let your manager pick all his own signings, you at the very least need to identify players that suit his style.

But Sherwood himself is on record saying that he signed off on all of them.

They not have been the first names he thought of, but he agreed to them.

As I said earlier, does anyone really think that a gobshite like Sherwood would have gone through the summer and into the season without briefing against the club if he was being forced to accept all of these players against his will?

[tomd2103]

Wilkins is scraping the barrel for credibility by stating his fitness advice to agbonlahor was ignored. He was a useless coach with no authority at BMH or pitchside. He will be remembered for his failures at Villa. There is no credibility to be had when he is as responsible for where we are as sherwood was for the shambles at the start of the season

If I was him I would stop answering questions about Villa in the hope that it would be forgotten that I was ever there.

[brontebilly]

I think the problem with the recruitment this summer was a lack of communication and understanding between Sherwood and everyone else.

The new structure wasn't properly thought through. We signed a load of players without apparently having given any thought to the system that they would be playing in.

If you're not going to let your manager pick all his own signings, you at the very least need to identify players that suit his style.

I dont think our recruitment last summer is the prime reason for our relegation this term.

Amavi surely suited Gestede, Traore I'm sure was meant to provide width. Veretout had plenty of assists in France and provided some again this season. Ayew was definitely an upgrade on Gabby/Weimann. Gueye would have been fine to complement Delph but lacked the character to replace him. Unfortunately lots of the newbies struggled to settle, the French league is played at a very pedestrian pace and our Frenchies in the main struggled with it.

even if Sherwood had signed Townsend and Lennon, neither of which have pulled up any trees this season, we would have been absolutely rinsed in midfield playing those two wide. Adebayor has been a joke at Palace too while Cleverley hasnt offered Everton anything. None of those would have replaced our two best players, Benteke and Delph.

to be fair to Sherwood and Garde they both identified that Guzan needed replacing but there didnt seem a plan B when Begovic went to Chelsea or the Croatian guy in Jan didnt work out. Also right back, starting the season with Bacuna was worrying. A clued in club would have known about Gabby's antics off the pitch but perhaps they tried to get rid. I'm sure Nzogbia would have gone if any club had shown interest

But the recruitment crew cant take responsibility for what was obviously a farce of a pre-season with shocking fitness levels throughout the squad. Nor the complete lack of structure in the team, lack of team spirit and cohesive play.

Timmy signings included:

Richards - signed as captain and centre half on a crazy four year contract despite having not played there in years and rarely competently in any position in recent years, disgrace of a professional who didnt try a leg when put to right back
Lescott - may have been signed as back up but legs were evidently gone in the cup game last season, disinterested and disruptive
Gestede - flop really though was a reasonable punt for the money paid I thought at the time

[Villa in Denmark]

^^^^^Nailed it there.^^^^^

[class-of-82]

Love to see a stare out between him and mezut ozil

[villan from luton]

^^^^^Nailed it there.^^^^^

Not sure I agree with that. Amavi is a player for sure, Ayew we will probably get money back but don't like his attitude at times, Traore, Wilkins suggested Lennon was the preferred choice but the choice was Traore. Wilkins was not complimentary and lets be honest, has he been worth 60k per week?

The Gabby comments were quite damning, he dont give a shit.

I dislike Wilkins now, but he talks some sense imho and we need to rid our club of this nonsense

[The Edge]

I think the problem with the recruitment this summer was a lack of communication and understanding between Sherwood and everyone else.

The new structure wasn't properly thought through. We signed a load of players without apparently having given any thought to the system that they would be playing in.

If you're not going to let your manager pick all his own signings, you at the very least need to identify players that suit his style.

I dont think our recruitment last summer is the prime reason for our relegation this term.

Amavi surely suited Gestede, Traore I'm sure was meant to provide width. Veretout had plenty of assists in France and provided some again this season. Ayew was definitely an upgrade on Gabby/Weimann. Gueye would have been fine to complement Delph but lacked the character to replace him. Unfortunately lots of the newbies struggled to settle, the French league is played at a very pedestrian pace and our Frenchies in the main struggled with it.

even if Sherwood had signed Townsend and Lennon, neither of which have pulled up any trees this season, we would have been absolutely rinsed in midfield playing those two wide. Adebayor has been a joke at Palace too while Cleverley hasnt offered Everton anything. None of those would have replaced our two best players, Benteke and Delph.

to be fair to Sherwood and Garde they both identified that Guzan needed replacing but there didnt seem a plan B when Begovic went to Chelsea or the Croatian guy in Jan didnt work out. Also right back, starting the season with Bacuna was worrying. A clued in club would have known about Gabby's antics off the pitch but perhaps they tried to get rid. I'm sure Nzogbia would have gone if any club had shown interest

But the recruitment crew cant take responsibility for what was obviously a farce of a pre-season with shocking fitness levels throughout the squad. Nor the complete lack of structure in the team, lack of team spirit and cohesive play.

Timmy signings included:

Richards - signed as captain and centre half on a crazy four year contract despite having not played there in years and rarely competently in any position in recent years, disgrace of a professional who didnt try a leg when put to right back
Lescott - may have been signed as back up but legs were evidently gone in the cup game last season, disinterested and disruptive
Gestede - flop really though was a reasonable punt for the money paid I thought at the time

The quality of the French signings is not really the issue here. There was a dressing room split from game one. I know for a fact that after the games Gabby & the rest sat at one end of the players lounge and the new players  (all french) sat at the other and never speak to each other. Same goes at BH. A fractured dressing room is a disaster for any team at any level. That is what Sherwood found himself up against. Garde identified this problem straight away when he said he wanted only English spoken in the dressing room and at BH. Clearly this hasn't been resolved. Another reason why we're going down. 

[Dave]

A fractured dressing room is a disaster for any team at any level. That is what Sherwood found himself up against.

Poor chap. He should have asked somebody whose job it was to get that kind of thing sorted.

[SheffieldVillain]

A fractured dressing room is a disaster for any team at any level. That is what Sherwood found himself up against.

Poor chap. He should have asked somebody whose job it was to get that kind of thing sorted.

He did his best to solve it. I'm sure leaving the French players out and not talking to them helped matters tremendously.

In between leaving Gabby to sort out his own fitness and not talking to the new signings, I'm not sure how Sherwood and Wilkins had any time to work on anything else.

[The Edge]

A fractured dressing room is a disaster for any team at any level. That is what Sherwood found himself up against.

Poor chap. He should have asked somebody whose job it was to get that kind of thing sorted.

yeah your right poor chap.He gets a bunch of non English speaking players dropped on him. To my knowledge TS is not a multi lingual interpreter so getting a language barrier sorted was giving him extra problems he could of well done without.