Comolli: Tottenham’s scouting network is a joke around the world

[dagraham]

What did the amazing scouts Damien had in Spain, Italy and Argentina ever turn up for us?

Fair point, but it's not just about a top scouting network alone. The club hierarchy and management have to work in tandem. Your scouting network could spot dozens of potential signings, but if the club aren't willing to pull the trigger on them or the scouting system is not working in order to benefit the current manager it's all a bit redundant.

To be honest it wouldn't surprise me if its true. I've long wondered how other clubs such as likes of Wigan can bring decent quality players to the PL, but we seem to only go for the obvious signings ( a lot of which we are either priced out of or are totally unsuitable for the squads needs).

 

[Mouse!]

Our youth scouting certainly seems a tad better than our senior scouting.

Coulibaly wasn't a great success but we've brought in the likes of Lazar, Yahaya, Gomelt, Veljkovic, Bentaleb and Azzaoui who could all turn into decent players or turn a tidy profit.

Not to mention our local recruitment which is apparently amongst the best in England.

 

[worcestersauce]

I actually heard the interview and it was a straight forward honest assessment with no hyperbole and no wind up crap, Alan Brazil seemed genuinely disappointed to hear it and my response was much the same.
After a while thinking about it though I did start to wonder what benefit we got from our man in Argentina, Italy, Spain etc etc and much as some people on here I came to the conclusion that it was not much, presumably some of the kids that came over and have one by one gone to inferior clubs abroad.
I think our focus has changed to developing our own youngsters though I'm sure we must have some scouts out there although you do sort of wonder what the point is when chelsea are trawling up all the young talent with their factory ship approach, maybe we are just being secretive, why let them know who we're looking at?

 

[nav007_2000]

I totally agree with him. He did bring in Bale, Berbatov and Modric. All were very successful. However he also bought in Bentley, Bent, Boateng and many more. But to blame him for those failures? I wouldn't. For some reason players with potential always go backwards at Spurs. There is a major problem here.

Remember he also got Suarez to Liverpool. If he was still at Spurs, i'm sure Suarez would have been a Spurs player. I guess he got the sack for Juande Ramos

 

[Ghost Hardware]

Yeah but we use Football Manager and save thousands in the process. Jokes on you bitch.

Problem is we are probably still using a cracked copy of FM 2013, Levy wont fork out for 14 or15 and he sacked poor Doris the tea lady so her son is no longer about to download the new one from Pirate Bay.

 

[TaoistMonkey]

Apart from Ben Davies, I can't remember the last player we signed where i didn't have to look him up on YouTube

 

[Kendall]

Apart from Ben Davies, I can't remember the last player we signed where i didn't have to look him up on YouTube

Surely Loldado?

 

[TaoistMonkey]

Surely Loldado?

I don't watch a lot of Spanish footy so i'd not heard of him.

We need to Sign a few "Edgar Davids" to put some maturity in our side. Too much inexperience.

 

[Kendall]

I don't watch a lot of Spanish footy so i'd not heard of him.

We need to Sign a few "Edgar Davids" to put some maturity in our side. Too much inexperience.

This surprises. I'm mystified as to how you became such a fan last year.

 

[alfiespurs]

Souting Network through to the Boardroom - a Joke of a CLUB !

 

[Kendall]

People asking what benefit we got from Spain, Argentina, Italy etc. Scouting is scouting, you identify players and see whether the manager/committee wants them. We always hear rumours like "Spurs could've signed such and such, 10 years ago", who is to say those guys didn't uncover some players that went on to make it and we just didn't take them up?

Clearly these guys had good CVs if they have moved on to bigger and better things.

 

[WalkerboyUK]

Where did they go and why were they replaced? Was this a Redknapp thing where he basically wanted Bloomfield and that's it? Why was the network disolved? These are the types of questions Levy needs to front up to. He can't keep blaming other people if he oversaw the dismantling of the system that brought us such quality.

Well it's well documented that Redknapp has his favourite players and will sign them wherever he goes - don't need a scouting network to sort that out!

Our scouting methodology is this:

Manager: I need a new CB, preferably player X or Y
Levy: Will I be able to make a profit from this player in 2/3 years time??
Manager: No
Levy: Fuck off then, here's a player who costs less. Alternatively select from the Academy, get them playing well so I can sell them next summer.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

I stuggle to disagree with or go against the man that brought us our best 3 players (bar King) in my lifetime of supporting Spurs.

Exactly. Bale and Modric, however well known they may have already been, were still massive gambles given the price tags at their ages and levels of accomplishment. Commilli correctly identified them above what I assume is many others who would have also been options. Berbatov was slightly different but, as we've seen with Soldado, being great elsewhere isn't a guarantee of being great here. There are others too. Ekotto (preparing myself for multiple neg reps) is by far the best left back I've seen at Spurs, Kaboul despite his decline was superb when at his best but unfortunately had too injury hit a career to really iron out his flaws. Yes, there were huge mistakes too, Zokora, Bent, Giovani and Paclyuchenko were all generally poor but we at least got our money back on all four and three of them were at least first team regulars for us, one of them in a trophy winning side and two of them having respectable goal ratios. Bentley there is no forgiveness for except in that most everyone, bar a few of us, was duped into thinking he was perfect for our needs. At the end of the day, Alex Ferguson spent big on Veron, Kleberson, Djemba Djemba and Anderson. Wenger spent big on Jeffers, Monreal and Ozil. The whole point is to make sure the successes out weigh the mistakes, and I believe Comolli did that.

Sadly, when we sold Bale we had a huge opportunity to buy real class to push on with. We didn't need 7 players, one of whom was proven and 6 of which were potential. We needed 2 or 3 class players. Now, only Chadli is producing. Chiriches, Paulinho, Capoue, none look like they'll ever be what we need. Eriksen may come good on the basis of last season but right now looks so far away from that. Likewise Lamela, you can see the ability and the attitude, but for all the will in the world he's yet to give a real indication that he'll get to where he needs. Soldado, the only one who was proven at a high level, has scored 6 goals, barely plays now and looks devoid of confidence. Only Chadli looks like he's fitting in to what we need and want, and even he's not ideal but at least he does the job he's paid for. Now, we can blame three managers but as we know, they're handed a group rather than actually assembling the group. We can blame the chairman, but he's not a football man, so he hires a football man ensure we sign the right players to fit in with our requirements. So, to me, we look at the man he hires. If we suggest that Comolli should have done better, what do we suggest about a man who has brought in ten players over two summers at a cost of £123m and failed to improve us, in fact taken us backwards, with only 3 currently in the side regularly and 1 doing the business?

Unfortunately, we've invested in Pochettino, we have to give him time to get it right and that means giving Baldini time to get it right. So long as we aren't fighting relegation, I'm patient until summer 2016. If at that point the football is still atrocious, the results still not coming and the players and fans still have no connection to speak of, the club will be in need of a lot of upheaval from top to bottom.

 

[danielneeds]

Very sad if true, although it's seemed for a while that Levy just has a little scrunched up list of European players with 12 months on their contract remaining, and that is what dictates our transfer policy - not seeking out the best talent or what the team needs.

 

[Dirty Ewok]

Pretty sure this is actually true....

There was a "story" in the Mail 2 weeks ago about how Levy & Co. were looking to "revamp" the scouting of the club, one of the other rags mentioned that we were looking to get more people that could put "eyes on" the players we were targeting. The papers made it sound like we were using spreadsheets and data analysis as the only way to identify players. I though the story was probably a situation where there was a shred of truth wrapped in a candy coating of bullshit.....and it looks like that is the case.

We really may have horrible scouting and it sounds like we may actually be trying to address it but how long will it take to actually kick in?

 

[Kendall]

Exactly. Bale and Modric, however well known they may have already been, were still massive gambles given the price tags at their ages and levels of accomplishment. Commilli correctly identified them above what I assume is many others who would have also been options. Berbatov was slightly different but, as we've seen with Soldado, being great elsewhere isn't a guarantee of being great here. There are others too. Ekotto (preparing myself for multiple neg reps) is by far the best left back I've seen at Spurs, Kaboul despite his decline was superb when at his best but unfortunately had too injury hit a career to really iron out his flaws. Yes, there were huge mistakes too, Zokora, Bent, Giovani and Paclyuchenko were all generally poor but we at least got our money back on all four and three of them were at least first team regulars for us, one of them in a trophy winning side and two of them having respectable goal ratios. Bentley there is no forgiveness for except in that most everyone, bar a few of us, was duped into thinking he was perfect for our needs. At the end of the day, Alex Ferguson spent big on Veron, Kleberson, Djemba Djemba and Anderson. Wenger spent big on Jeffers, Monreal and Ozil. The whole point is to make sure the successes out weigh the mistakes, and I believe Comolli did that.
.

On Bentley, he had been a very productive winger in the previous two seasons and people were talking about him being a Beckham successor (although never being as good). The guy gave up, he got comfortable and gave up. You can't legislate for that, there wasn't any indication that he would do that before he signed, so whilst it was a mistake, I just feel that he is one of those rotten eggs that really didn't care enough. When we signed him, his stock was high.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

On Bentley, he had been a very productive winger in the previous two seasons and people were talking about him being a Beckham successor (although never being as good). The guy gave up, he got comfortable and gave up. You can't legislate for that, there wasn't any indication that he would do that before he signed, so whilst it was a mistake, I just feel that he is one of those rotten eggs that really didn't care enough. When we signed him, his stock was high.

I accept that. But when we signed him, we had Lennon who had played three seasons and done far more good than bad.

 

[Martinhotspur]

I am just reading a book called the nowhere men on football scouts there is a chapter about comolli and scout called Mel Johnson who was working for spurs and got the sack when Harry came. He followed Comolli to Liverpool scouted Sterling for them in a game in Tim Sherwoods back garden.

 

[wlhatwhl]

Fair point, but it's not just about a top scouting network alone. The club hierarchy and management have to work in tandem. Your scouting network could spot dozens of potential signings, but if the club aren't willing to pull the trigger on them or the scouting system is not working in order to benefit the current manager it's all a bit redundant.

To be honest it wouldn't surprise me if its true. I've long wondered how other clubs such as likes of Wigan can bring decent quality players to the PL, but we seem to only go for the obvious signings ( a lot of which we are either priced out of or are totally unsuitable for the squads needs).

A very valid point - I have often wondered why we never unearth these hidden gems.

 

[yiddotilidie]

Anything to save a few £££'s Mr Levy!

Stop cutting corners and do it the right way!