It's not Vidal ... it's Chris Evans!!!

Thank you very much for your reply Vidal and once again, done with utmost respect

comment by Ramdini (U6565) posted 51 minutes ago
Well Peeder,

I guess we'll have to wait and see. But I'd rather see y money spent on players rather than a D of F
--------------------------------------------
just about sums up your blind ignorance to 'progress', you've been happy to watch football change as a game and leave dinosaurs (like NC) and the clubs they manage stagnate!

I personally would rather have players properly scouted and from a wider pool of knowledge than watch us waster £3m on such useless players as Keogh and Sammon, then see us court players like Martin and Maguire for so long only to decide they are not up to the job of playing for Derby.

On another forum, someone who knows a lot more about Evans than any of us pointed out his influence. He was responsible for bringing through the likes of Lescott and Robbie Keane at Wolves, and found the likes of Gary Cahill at Bolton. He's highly regarded at the clubs he left even if Megson isn't. He's operated on shoestring, and particularly at Bolton, they spent less money than they bought in, whilst improving the team inherited from Sammy Lee.

On that other forum your "expert" just quoted from the Rams web site Mostyn, hardly an expert.

Mostyn,

If I'm supposed to be impressed by Evans "discovering" Lescott, Keane and Cahill I have to say I am very much underwhelmed. I'm sure they would still be playing just as well if Chris Evans never existed. Don't understand your concept of discovery!

The concept of 'discovery' is exactly that as described in all footballing terms: he discovered them at a lower level and identified them as capable of flourishing at a higher level. What, must they be the actual fruit of his loin before he gets credit for them?

It's agreed those players would still have become good players; what the debatable point is, is for whom they would have been plying their trade, and if the 'discovering' club made profit from their subsequent rise through the game.

Honestly, Mapdini, for someone capable of stringing coherent sentences together you really are quite incapable of rational thought. The fact you find allies only in Iwas and Peeder speaks volumes about your sensibilities and, as is usually advisable, I'll ignore the green-tinged ramblings of the perennial PoTY bridesmaid, Vidal's'.

so Ramdini, Clough gets NO credit whatsoever for Hughes, Hendrick, Bennett etc? After all, they'd have played anyway

Mostyn, I think you are right, most of any credit goes to Wassall. Some goes to Clough for selection and training etc. But signing such as Bryson, Brayford and others brings great credit on Clough.

I had already seen the advantage of SIGNING good young prospects, and if Evans had anything to do with that then he maybe earned some of his salary. But the net effect on Bolton and Sheffield does not seem to be very striking except in a negative way.

Finally, do I think McL has improved the team. Very much so.

Given that, even by Mapdini's Clough-before-club standards, EVERY decision and appointment made thus far by Sam Rush and Steve McClaren has borne fruit, isn't it a tad pessimistic to determine that this latest one shan't?

Or is Map on a personal quest to see how many times between now and the end of the season he can be so publicly wrong and be forced into a groveling climbdown?

#Embarrassing #Blinkered #arbitraryhashtags

I'm liking this enlightened, modern, approach to running the club. Rush's goatee might be questionable but, so far, his organisational decisions have been spot on. Let's hope this latest appointment (the travesty of Vidal's exclusion aside) continues that trend.

Article below an interesting read.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2013/nov/10/premier-league-management-director-of-football?CMP=twt_gu

The comment about having a "detailed dossier" of players is interesting. In theory this means the club should know a bit ahead of time when players are likely to become available or when discussions about new contracts are beginning. I don't know how it works in practice but you get the feeling that if contact can be made at an early stage with a player's representative it is more likely you can steal a march on other clubs. Certainly under Clough we had the feeling that we were floundering a bit in this regard and being outflanked in the busy areas of the market.

I think that with some exceptions at the top end, the days when individual players are targeted are going, to be replaced by lists of potential targets, of first, second and third choices. Having the necessary contacts to be able to work through these quickly and to know the details of each player's situation are key.

The proof of the pudding we will need to wait for, but the theory is good. It will be interesting to see how it compares with Forest, whose structure is less modern, comprising as it does of just the two Al-Hasawis on the board of directors (all oothers having been sacked), then the suspended solicitor with no previous employment in a football club (but a family connection), and then His Weeness himself. There aren't many other clubs presently seeking to "do it the Forest way" but maybe they are ahead of their time.