Lentwood
Full Member
@Isotope
Simon Wells is still around and along with Jose Mayorga, will replace the two out-going head scouts.
I personally believe a club's scouting is only as good as the direction it's being set by the people leading the football side of the club. And with Solskjaer and Phelan leading the way, Simon Wells can only only identify players for the criteria set by the aforementioned two. So what the criteria was regarding player attributes/characteristics is open to speculation, but it was reported that a strategy was put forth by Solskjaer and Phelan, which focused on a particular demographic and later abandoned.
I think the below tweet outlines a criteria which will help the scouts to follow a clear plan set by the DoF/head coach. And if they do follow the criteria below, I do believe it won't be long before we get back to competing for titles.
The criteria above should filter out the mistakes we've made in the past.
1. 'Can they out outrun the opposition'? Ticks the intensity/physicality box.
2. 'Can they outplay the opposition'? Ticks the touch and technique box.
3. 'Can they outfight the opponent'? Ticks the strong mentality box.
I think that will then allow Erik ten Hag to mould the team in his image when it comes to implementing a playstyle, togetherness and strong mentality.
Shows how far behind we are that it's taken until now for us to realise these are key qualities for a footballer