Players From Smaller Eu Nations?

[numbeast]

Having heard that teams don't want to part with players unless stupid money is offered and bigger clubs asking huge loan fees for reserves without very much, if any, league experiance should we not cast our net further afield in search of the players we need? We as a club should be developing a scouting network in Eastern Europe where talent can still be had for much less than here in the UK. I know people will say "look at Styvar" and I agree he was a poor buy but given the fact we've had quality in the form of "Jackie" and Ivan Tistitimanu could we not utilise their knowledge whilst we develop a network of scouts covering places like Slovakia Romania Bulgaria and Poland. There must be some rough diamonds to be found there. With a couple of good scouts covering those areas these we could unearth talent not just for our first team but to sell on at a profit thus cutting the annual loss and therefore the amount SL has to shell out of his own pocket. I'd be interested in your views.

[Phileas Fogg]

Totally agree! Lots of good players to be found there

[fka dagest]

It's normally about now that I make my let's get back in contact with Tistimetanu suggestion. Apparently he's involved in the Moldovan national team and I bet he gets to see young loads of young talent. He might like to help us out. I mean, for God's sake even Geoff Twentyman is evidently more effective than our current scouting network.

Ah but of course, we're not bothering with foreign players any more.

The worst thing is that a few clubs, like Barnsley, have done very well out of scouting overseas and haven't spent half the money we have.

[Slave to the rhythm]

It's normally about now that I make my let's get back in contact with Tistimetanu suggestion. Apparently he's involved in the Moldovan national team and I bet he gets to see young loads of young talent. He might like to help us out. I mean, for God's sake even Geoff Twentyman is evidently more effective then our current scouting network.

Ah but of course, we're not bothering with foreign players any more.

The worst thing is that a few clubs, like Barnsley, have done very well out of scouting overseas and haven't spent half the money we have.

Our experiences with Styvar, Saborio and Maierhoffer have clearly put us off buying any non-UK players (apart from the roaring success known as Kalifa Cisse).

[Lita For Congo]

Our scouting network is shocking, we dont get out the south west! if even we gave Jacki and/or Ivan a bell and said could point us in the right direction of some decent players in that part of the world we could take it further. Styvar was signed on the back of the Villa game and youtube videos, as was Saborio. We need a few people out their going to games having a look at them and looking for cheap bargains. What with Jackis position in the polish set-up, surely there are some young gems he could point out for us. Latvia, Poland, Slovenia ect. have some cracking players but we are contempt with signing players like Hunt and Stewart on long expensive contracts.

[fka dagest]

Our experiences with Styvar, Saborio and Maierhoffer have clearly put us off buying any non-UK players (apart from the roaring success known as Kalifa Cisse).

I'm a great believer that you get out of something what you put in. It seems to me that we don't put much into scouting. Some foreign players will be duds just like some UK players.

I get the impression (from what I've read) that the ones you listed weren't exactly scouted properly, although I always thought Saborio wasn't bad and let's be honest if he was here now, he'd probably start on the weekend.

[bristolcitysweden]

There are a lot of alternatives if you got an opinion you can stand for at an early stage and don't have to wait til the big elephants confirm your judgement to an increased price.

It's all about skill.

Forget the passport.

[Esmond Million's Bung]

Just a thought some of these players arrived with good cv's, could the problem be coaching, I for one think the coaching at AG is poor and has been poor for a long time.

[bristolcitysweden]

Just a thought some of these players arrived with good cv's, could the problem be coaching, I for one think the coaching at AG is poor and has been poor for a long time.

Do you care about your head of sections opinion when you are about to make a decison in a rush?

Coaches and managers are there just to be sacked when it goes totally wrong.

I would like a doctors degree at any university around the globe telling me what makes a game changing it's outcome.

I'll kiss your ass Ms/Mrs/Mr Doctor.

[Lita For Congo]

Funny thing about the polish players, i've just stumbled upon this site, its a good read if nothing else.

http://polishscout.blogspot.com/p/2010-polish-scout-ranking.html

[bristolcitysweden]

Maybee more championship teams should adopt to the game? We are all able to watch Barcelona and surely they set the standard, at least for people not going to games today being the ones we are trying to attract to the new stadium. Don't run around like a bunch a headless chickens - play FOOTBALL.

[GrahamC]

We've had good foreign players (Basso, Testimitanu) and we've had bad ones.

Problem with us is with our scouting, I'm not sure what is going on anymore and it shows in what has happened this month.

[bristolcitysweden]

We've had good foreign players (Basso, Testimitanu) and we've had bad ones.

Problem with us is with our scouting, I'm not sure what is going on anymore and it shows in what has happened this month.

There are good young English players around as well. Swedish prem. clubs are scouting in England! (League 1 & 2).

Trust your own judgement and go for it!

[bristolcitysweden]

We have achieved absolutely nothing for more than one hundred years so exactly what are we risking??

[spudski]

We have achieved absolutely nothing for more than one hundred years so exactly what are we risking??

Exactly... we are a noddy Club and have been pretty much for all our existance. I still love 'em though.

[Olé]

So who is our chief scout now? No one was put in place by Coppell because if you remember Pete Johnson was still sticking around at that time (and we never imagined he'd go and join his brother, obviously...) and I don't remember Millen appointing anyone after that either besides a spate of references to Wigley's visibility of the Under-21 game.

Perhaps Pete Johnson is free to come back now, so that we can all watch that "must see" 14 minute interview at the end of January's transfer window. Although on this occasion if whoever has been scout was to go on camera we'd be lucky to get 14 seconds and "dib dib dib not seen anything mister but I did help Danny Haynes over the road to Barnsley"*

*obligatory crap scout pun

[Donald]

I'm a great believer that you get out of something what you put in. It seems to me that we don't put much into scouting. Some foreign players will be duds just like some UK players.

I get the impression (from what I've read) that the ones you listed weren't exactly scouted properly, although I always thought Saborio wasn't bad and let's be honest if he was here now, he'd probably start on the weekend.

damn right, he was a fantastic footballer, but it was just never going to happen under Gary, seems to have kept up his good scoring in MLS, beat Henry to newcomer of the year too, like many south/central americas though, just never settled in on a personal level, didn't help that he was constantly flying home for internationals either.

But yes, he'd be in the team above clarky without doubt

[Donald]

So who is our chief scout now? No one was put in place by Coppell because if you remember Pete Johnson was still sticking around at that time (and we never imagined he'd go and join his brother, obviously...) and I don't remember Millen appointing anyone after that either besides a spate of references to Wigley's visibility of the Under-21 game.

Perhaps Pete Johnson is free to come back now, so that we can all watch that "must see" 14 minute interview at the end of January's transfer window. Although on this occasion if whoever has been scout was to go on camera we'd be lucky to get 14 seconds and "dib dib dib not seen anything mister but I did help Danny Haynes over the road to Barnsley"*

*obligatory crap scout pun

Dave Lee is chief (well only) scout now,

[chipdawg]

I think part of the problem with us and foreign players is not buying the right type. Testimitanu seems to be being remembered fondly on here, but i remember him as being a limited player who gave his all- a commendable attribute, and one that was necessary that season, but doesn't exactly put him in the jacki category. Then you have players like seebok, saborio and soren anderson who were clearly more talented but just never hit their straps on a regular basis. I think we need to look more at the role the player is going to fill before we buy them and at where they're coming from. A cultured midfielder from hungary is unlikely to be able to sign for us tomorrow and boss the park, where as a polish target man can probably come straight in and have balls fired at his head from day one. What role was saborio expected to fill? It was quite clear he wasn't an english-style target man, but is that the role he was signed to fill?

[Donald]

That was part of the problem with Gary, with sabrorio was a goal scorer, very much a classy Brett pitman, but Gary wanted him to win the ball of lay it off for Maynard, he could do that and at Cov on his debut, he looked like having the potential to be one of the best signings Gary had made, unfortunately he wasn't that sort of player so it was never going to work trying to get him to play like that

Did the same with Enoch and Maihofer, signed players for thier physical attributes and aerial ability despite both saying that wasn't good parts of thier game

It's not just Gary that did it. A number of our managers having been doing it for years and think that if Wenger can do it, so can they.

Personally I'm not a fan of foreign players in general but if your looking at players from Scandaniva or German you know your going to get someone with a good football mentality and solid professionalism, unfortunately these are things that all clubs know so whenever we do find a good player, top flight German, French and Italian clubs are also watching and we just can't compete.

[numbeast]

For Bristol City to succeed in unearthing talent on the cheap in either this country or abroad we need to invest in good quality scouts, three or four full time scouts and several "casuals" who identify raw talent and recommend them to the club so that the employed scouts can check them out. If we paid these casual people on results it would in fact pay for itself. For example Boris Avitov unearths the next Jack Wilshire who the full time scouts and management decide is worth a contract then Boris gets paid a finders fee, 3 years later this player is sold on for an inflated fee Boris picks up 2% of the profit, everyones a winner. We have an Academy to bring young players through (wether it's staffed with the correct coaches is a debate for another tread) but to bring them through they have to have the ability which, as far as I can see, only Riberio has had that ability and the rest of the students are the best availible to us but just haven't enough ability to make it at Championship level. They way I see it the Academy is like an expensive car, only useful if you put the correct fuel (or talent) into it and until you do you only own something that looks good. We need to bolster our scouting network to survive and prosper rather than just buying other teams successes (or expensive failures like we have at the moment). Ultimately this will sustain our growth as a club as well as saving our Chairman millions and this could be achieve for less than the loan fee of a Premier League reserve.

[Mr Popodopolous]

Wigan may be a good blueprint to follow. Under Bruce and once under Jewell they picked up many (to the football media in this country at least) hidden gems- Valencia, Palacios and so on. It seems to have dried up a bit now but scouting in Latin America may be worth a look. Zaki was another they found, but he tailed off profesisonally speaking. In fact it seems to be a common pattern with Egyptians who move to Europe- Mido, Ghaly and of course who can forget our very own Meteb being just 3 examples!

Eastern Europe though? Yeah, would definitely advocate a look there. In fact there are some who play in UK. Koren was released by WBA in the summer, why on earth did the club not go for him!?

[Mr Mosquito]

Why waste time with the EU? Latin America produces the very best and most affordable football talent - Uruguay and Brazil being the best examples.

[Mr Mosquito]

.....also Argentina. Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay have won the World Cup 9 times between them. Even the Argentinian rugby players are good - I remember 2 Argentinians playing for Bristol Rugby when they were in the top flight circa the late 1990s. There's probably another budding Carlos Tevez to be found there if our scouts would only look. Stuff the EU, we're best off out of it.

[Donald]

Why waste time with the EU? Latin America produces the very best and most affordable football talent - Uruguay and Brazil being the best examples.

EU is easy because of no work permit issues and players are close to home

I wouldnt touch a south/central American with a barge pole, firstly work permit issues they will generally need to be a full international or have a dodgy relative from Europe, plus then how many of them actually settle. Tevez himself has complained of being home sick and constantly flies back home.

The last one we gad Saborio was constantly flying back and forth for international games and just never settled.

I'd avoid personally

[Mr Mosquito]

EU is easy because of no work permit issues and players are close to home

I wouldnt touch a south/central American with a barge pole, firstly work permit issues they will generally need to be a full international or have a dodgy relative from Europe, plus then how many of them actually settle. Tevez himself has complained of being home sick and constantly flies back home.

The last one we gad Saborio was constantly flying back and forth for international games and just never settled.

I'd avoid personally

The 2 Argentinians playing for Bristol Rugby seemed to enjoy life in Bristol. Any half decent Eastern EU players would have already been snapped up by big clubs in Germany, France and Italy - the players that are left will not be any better than what we already have.

[yate super reds]

if city did look at players overseas it would have to be france germany and holland as they settle quick or a up and coming league such as poland and not all good players get snapped up fast some stay and wait to see if they can get offers from england as its a attractive league

[Pickle Rick]

There are loads of good players about the 'smaller' European Leagues ie Poland, Serbia etc...

However, have the City backroom been over there to find these players?

If not then it is useless to suggest we should sign someone from these other countries.

[spudski]

Why waste time with the EU? Latin America produces the very best and most affordable football talent - Uruguay and Brazil being the best examples.

Shutting the door on any Nationality is suicide in this footballing climate. If they are good enough, it doesn't matter where they come from imho.

There are many South American players plying their trade abroad. Take Russia for example, there are at least 20 Brazilians playing in their Premier League. Culture and climate couldn't be further apart, so i agree with you re the America's.

Personally, having in my eye's failed in the Academy department, for many years, I would be spending that money on a good worldwide Scouting network.

Through Rose Tinted glasses we would all love to have local grown talent, but in todays football, it very rarely happens.

[havanatopia]

Why waste time with the EU? Latin America produces the very best and most affordable football talent - Uruguay and Brazil being the best examples.

Are u avin a larf Red?!!!.....;... Millen cannot even multi task with looking for a defender and creative midfielder when a striker need comes along, again, when he naively let's haynes go. How on earth do you expect him to recruit away from UK shores??!!

And talk about cut backs at the Gate; next thing and Millie will be driving the bus and making the tea and cleaning the boots and painting the White lines and locking up.... Bla blah blah.