Head of Recruitment Chris Badlan and Chief Scout Stuart Benthom have left the Club. (1 Viewer)

ccfc1234

Well-Known Member
This is all circular.

A couple of years ago I made reference to us following the “Brentford Model” - where we buy decent prospects in their early 20’s and develop.

I got called out and referred people to a Dave Boddy podcast on the subject.

Anyhoo

Gyok, O’Hare, Sheaf, Hamer fit the model and are wins in that regard. Walker, Hillsner, Baka, Allasani, not so.

The key is, did Badlan have more wins than failures?
While i am sure Badlan was involved I think your post discredits Mark Robins and the wider recruitment team by suggesting that the identification of those players was down to Badlan and not Robins.

Robins is on the record as saying he likes CCFC as he has control of the 'footballing side of things'. Therefore to give Badlan the credit for all the major signings seems a bit unlikely.

I can well believe that Robins left Badlan in charge of identifying u21 and recommending European talents and this is why i think based on the calibre of players we got from Europe and fir the u21s he was happy to let Badlan go.
 

SBT

Well-Known Member
The point isn't really about the recruitment here because it is irrelevant in terms of my post. We could have signed Neymar, Mbappe, and Haaland, or Biamou, Duffy, and Burge. I mean, the reaction you received on your attempt at trying to be funny qualifies what I'm saying anyway.

For the record we did make a lot of really bad signings under him, but let's not upset anybody any further.
I think I missed the part where he became this massively controversial figure. But anyway - he did a good job! It shouldn’t be considered weird (or some kind of attempt to…befriend him?) for people to say that!
 

slowpoke

Well-Known Member
It was a myth he was any good for us

We brought in some utter horse shit on his say so, anyone who thinks he was any good needs sectioning
I think MR just wanted to change our scouting network, wether that prompted Badlan to look elsewhere who knows but strange the two went
 

slowpoke

Well-Known Member
There is no evidence he signed Gyokeres at all Perry - you are just making things up
We all know Vik was at Swansea on loan from Brighton and I reckon at the time he was way down the Swansea list and Vik filled a gap here nice and cheaply which at the time was mostly on the bench, we have got lucky big time with our Vik, but he has too.
 

Grendel

Well-Known Member
We all know Vik was at Swansea on loan from Brighton and I reckon at the time he was way down the Swansea list and Vik filled a gap here nice and cheaply which at the time was mostly on the bench, we have got lucky big time with our Vik, but he has too.

Well Rupert he’s signing a new deal and going nowhere
 

no_loyalty

Well-Known Member
I believe Blackpool got rid of him, as he had Kastaneer, Jobello, Hilsner and DaCosta lined up for their league one promotion push.
 

SBAndy

Well-Known Member
The Brentford model which has an owner who gifted them £100m and had a £44m wage bill when promoted

This is always brought up. Nothing to do with the funding of a new stadium at the time? And, of course, the £53m incoming transfer funds had nothing to do with the growing wage bill.

If anything, it proves the model. Buy low, sell high and reinvest. This hasn’t been the typical “rich man’s plaything” project.
 

Hobo

Well-Known Member
think Pressley did one with it
It wasnt the club's, the club didn't have one. Pressley called in favours from mates and set up his own scouting network and data base.
 

PVA

Well-Known Member
Did he sign Kastaneer, Da Costa and Hillsner as well Perry? Sounds like his an Andy Thorn type of scout to me

The biggest clubs in the world, with the best recruitment departments, and the best analytics and the best scouts can spend £80m on duds.

And you expect a club with a few quid down to the back of the sofa to spend on recruitment to make perfect signings every time and not sign any duds?
 

Saddlebrains

Well-Known Member
The biggest clubs in the world, with the best recruitment departments, and the best analytics and the best scouts can spend £80m on duds.

And you expect a League One club with a few quid down to the back of the sofa to spend on recruitment to make perfect signings every time and not sign any duds?


Luton manage it brilliantly tbf
And Millwall

Cant tell me they're loads richer than us because they aren't
 

PVA

Well-Known Member
Luton manage it brilliantly tbf
And Millwall

Cant tell me they're loads richer than us because they aren't

I mean I'd say we do it just as well as them given they're only a few places above us and we've climbed up the leagues like Luton.

And you don't think they sign duds too?

I just looked at Luton, for the summer of 2020 as that's when we signed Hilssner and Dacosta.

Amongst their signings that summer is a signing who played 10 games for them and dropped to League One, and another who has played one game for them and currently on loan in L2.
 

The Philosopher

Well-Known Member
While i am sure Badlan was involved I think your post discredits Mark Robins and the wider recruitment team by suggesting that the identification of those players was down to Badlan and not Robins.

Robins is on the record as saying he likes CCFC as he has control of the 'footballing side of things'. Therefore to give Badlan the credit for all the major signings seems a bit unlikely.

I can well believe that Robins left Badlan in charge of identifying u21 and recommending European talents and this is why i think based on the calibre of players we got from Europe and fir the u21s he was happy to let Badlan go.
Not for one minute am I discrediting Robins, I’d hope he has the final say in these things at the very least.

Definitely not suggesting Badlan deserves credit or blame for the success or otherwise of all major signings.

Not trying to be contrarian, but I’m sure Mark is very familiar with all current Champ / L1 etc players as part of his role. Ady was obviously very familiar with Chelsea and ex. Chelsea 20 somethings too.

I’d expect the likes of Badlan to be getting involved with players that Mark and Ady don’t encounter regularly: foreign and non-league.

Ie. The Jobellos and Hilssners and Dacostad from abroad, Prem reserves and non-league.

If McCallum fits that bill then whoever scouted him deserves credit for example.

Veering off and I guess this is as good a place to post as any, just listened to Malcolm Christie’s podcast. From shelf-stacker to Prem and Eng u21 in a few months and then some cruel injuries.

The arc is that Cov had sent a scout to watch him at Nuneaton Boro and did nothing. Not long after that he’s scoring at Old Trafford in the Prem on £800 per week, we are also in the Prem with Andy Ducros up front.

Our scouting network should ensure we things like that don’t happen. Nuneaton FFS - I mean it’s not as though he was in Outer Mongolia (although…)
 

fernandopartridge

Well-Known Member
Not for one minute am I discrediting Robins, I’d hope he has the final say in these things at the very least.

Definitely not suggesting Badlan deserves credit or blame for the success or otherwise of all major signings.

Not trying to be contrarian, but I’m sure Mark is very familiar with all current Champ / L1 etc players as part of his role. Ady was obviously very familiar with Chelsea and ex. Chelsea 20 somethings too.

I’d expect the likes of Badlan to be getting involved with players that Mark and Ady don’t encounter regularly: foreign and non-league.

Ie. The Jobellos and Hilssners and Dacostad from abroad, Prem reserves and non-league.

If McCallum fits that bill then whoever scouted him deserves credit for example.

Veering off and I guess this is as good a place to post as any, just listened to Malcolm Christie’s podcast. From shelf-stacker to Prem and Eng u21 in a few months and then some cruel injuries.

The arc is that Cov had sent a scout to watch him at Nuneaton Boro and did nothing. Not long after that he’s scoring at Old Trafford in the Prem on £800 per week, we are also in the Prem with Andy Ducros up front.

Our scouting network should ensure we things like that don’t happen. Nuneaton FFS - I mean it’s not as though he was in Outer Mongolia (although…)

The season Christie scored at Old Trafford was the season we got relegated (his goal practically relegated us). We had Craig Bellamy and John Hartson up front. He signed for them in 1998 when our strikers were Noel Whelan, Darren Huckerby and Dion Dublin.
 

The Philosopher

Well-Known Member
The season Christie scored at Old Trafford was the season we got relegated (his goal practically relegated us). We had Craig Bellamy and John Hartson up front. He signed for them in 1998 when our strikers were Noel Whelan, Darren Huckerby and Dion Dublin.
Is there any need?

Anyway, the point being that Ducros signed for Nuneaton from us in 1999. Ducros got 10 apps in the PL 97/98/99 ish.

Our scouts missed a decent 19 year old on our doorstep.

What point are you trying to prove here?
 

blunted

Well-Known Member
While i am sure Badlan was involved I think your post discredits Mark Robins and the wider recruitment team by suggesting that the identification of those players was down to Badlan and not Robins.

Robins is on the record as saying he likes CCFC as he has control of the 'footballing side of things'. Therefore to give Badlan the credit for all the major signings seems a bit unlikely.

I can well believe that Robins left Badlan in charge of identifying u21 and recommending European talents and this is why i think based on the calibre of players we got from Europe and fir the u21s he was happy to let Badlan go.
I think there is a recruitment committee where the recruitment team recommend players and all interested parties make a decision. I would imagine, Robin has the main say, although Adi obviously is a big influence with his previous Chelsea involvement.
 

The Philosopher

Well-Known Member
I think there is a recruitment committee where the recruitment team recommend players and all interested parties make a decision. I would imagine, Robin has the main say, although Adi obviously is a big influence with his previous Chelsea involvement.
My take on this is that in recent years scouting had become overly reliant on stats and computer reports.

There’s a load of ex Cov pros out there who I guess would love to be still involved with the club.

Get them scouting. Get them watching local non league and reporting back. All the ex pros I hear on podcasts just want to be involved with a club again. Get them reporting to Ady or whoever once a week at Ryton. Get them feeling like part of the set up. I’m sure half of them would do it for expenses and a bonus if one of their pick-ups plays and a cut of any fee. Get them incentivised.

If we can go chucking £13k per week to Waghorn I’m sure we can finance 26 scouts for that.

I know what’d bring more long term reward.

Chris Badlan and his second hand MacBook has a place, but I do think we need to get back to the days of actual looking and scouting.
 

slowpoke

Well-Known Member
My take on this is that in recent years scouting had become overly reliant on stats and computer reports.

There’s a load of ex Cov pros out there who I guess would love to be still involved with the club.

Get them scouting. Get them watching local non league and reporting back. All the ex pros I hear on podcasts just want to be involved with a club again.

They do, there’s scouts half a dozen a time at the Higgs on most Saturdays doing as you say “old fashioned” scouting young hopeful starlets soon get known and reputations.
 
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cstring82

Well-Known Member
Veering off and I guess this is as good a place to post as any, just listened to Malcolm Christie’s podcast. From shelf-stacker to Prem and Eng u21 in a few months and then some cruel injuries.

The arc is that Cov had sent a scout to watch him at Nuneaton Boro and did nothing. Not long after that he’s scoring at Old Trafford in the Prem on £800 per week, we are also in the Prem with Andy Ducros up front.

Our scouting network should ensure we things like that don’t happen. Nuneaton FFS - I mean it’s not as though he was in Outer Mongolia (although…)
Going off topic also, I was at that game, the Scout and Gary Pendry were sat behind me and my grandad, he was saying they wanted £100K but he didn’t see the value despite me saying different and trying to get him to sign him.
Probably why I’ll never be a Scout or Agent!
 

The Philosopher

Well-Known Member
Going off topic also, I was at that game, the Scout and Gary Pendry were sat behind me and my grandad, he was saying they wanted £100K but he didn’t see the value despite me saying different and trying to get him to sign him.
Probably why I’ll never be a Scout or Agent!
You should have shouted louder.

It’s your fault we were relegated from the Prem.

Don’t let it eat at you though. Don’t keep thinking about what might have been.

(Satire)
 

The Philosopher

Well-Known Member
Dobbie in until rest of season so no “Warnock type” lined up to give them a shout of staying up. Bit trigger happy that, Scouts then Manager.

Josh Bowler is a good champ player.

Shame. Many will miss the away day.
 

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