Post by rickyqpr on Jun 6, 2023 10:10:17 GMT
What the Manager Wants, the Manager Gets
I think that it is an interesting debate about how new players are attracted and signed. Ferdinand takes a great deal of stick for his failures as Director of Football – some of the stick is fair enough. We have a strategy, and it is his job to stick to it, and we certainly have strayed at times, and certainly failed to create sellable assets.
In January 2022, the board and the DofF believed we needed another striker with our limited funds. Our manager (Warburton) believed though, that we needed a midfielder (HGendricks), and a central defender (Sanderson) were loaned in instead. That was probably the start of the rift that saw Warburton depart – but the manager did get his way.
When we subsequently needed a new coach, there was clearly no way that Beale would have joined without a remit to bring in his own players. The club pretended that the players were on their shopping list anyway, but Beale made it crystal that he was the one signing players When he was told that funds had run out, he spoke to Stoke, Wolves and Rangers and promptly left. Having left, we had Balogon on our books, who whatever you thought of him, did not fit with our stated strategy at all – especially as we sent Masterson out on loan and then let him leave for free.
By the time Critchley arrived, there was no money, no immediate window, and a squad who did not want to know. It will be interesting to see how he gets on back at Blackpool with many of his old players. Critchley was critical of the players at QPR – they were not his and it showed.
Ainsworth arrived too late to change anything this season. His approach is to not publicly slate his players, but he is now making comments about attitudes, training indiscipline and predicting a major change in personnel. So, should he now get a clear run to bring in his own players?
First up, QPR is not a very attractive proposition right now. We are not paying the wages of the bulk of the division, are living under a big FFP cloud in the next 12 months, just avoided relegation and are selling our bigger names. Players are running their contracts down and the better ones are spoilt for choice. London house prices can be another turn off. We had a bunch last season who enjoyed the London night scene and look how that turned out – I doubt we will repeat that recruitment approach this coming season.
Belik is in charge of recruitment and I have no idea how large or small the support team is behind him. It is hard to point to scouting success in the last few years. Possibly because what the manager wants the manager gets. We do not know who Belik suggested that went on to great success at other clubs. Perhaps he just checks out the managers’ suggestions. But we have had Ferdinand in Asia and South America scouting – we wait to see if anything comes from that.
But as we look to fill in behind our departing ‘heroes’, it is hard to not think that our best options will be to go for players that Ainsworth knows or has seen first-hand and can play to his style. We will presumably be looking for a replacement for Dickie. Furno-Joseph at Wycombe has been rumoured, as has Josh Knight at Peterborough who Ainsworth had on loan at Wycombe. As mentioned before, Wycombe released Lewis Wing this Summer. As soon as we sign even one of those players, the message boards will go into meltdown:
‘We are becoming Wycombe’.
‘Manager gets what manager wants again., what does Ferdinand do, why do we need a DofF?’
‘Buying third tier players’
‘Why do we have a recruitment team?’
The fallback is always that it is a collaborative affair. Manager suggests names, our recruitment team offer their view and Ferdinand makes the decision and negotiates accordingly. I suspect that this is rarely what happens. Instead, the manager taps up who he wants, finds out what he is looking for as a package and Hoos decides if to support the deal. In Ainsworth’s recent interview (the one he says he is scared) he states the average number of calls he takes from agents a day and then how many players they each want to talk about – worth a listen. Perhaps the calls go to Ferdinand, Hoos and Belik as well, but agents clearly think it is worth talking to the head coach!
I don’t know if we are any different to other clubs, although our absent rich owners probably create a greater need for a Director of Football, but so long as managers / coaches will only join if they get to acquire their own players, it does add to the general muddle and lack of accountability that sees us decline rather than rise.
There is so much negativity towards Ainsworth and low expectations for next season, that a poor start will lead to huge pressure to change and start again with another manager, but with potentially Ainsworth’s recruits. It is going to have to be truly awful for me to want a change, because none of this works without stability.
I must admit, I thought Ferdinand would leave this Summer and possibly even Hoos, but that looks less likely.
But I throw it all out there for views.
Is there a correct approach to player recruitment?
Do we allow Ainsworth to bring in his own players and do we have any choice anyway?
Should we stick with Ainsworth for the full season even if we are struggling, in the interest of building the base, stability and consistency?
What do you all think?
I think that it is an interesting debate about how new players are attracted and signed. Ferdinand takes a great deal of stick for his failures as Director of Football – some of the stick is fair enough. We have a strategy, and it is his job to stick to it, and we certainly have strayed at times, and certainly failed to create sellable assets.
In January 2022, the board and the DofF believed we needed another striker with our limited funds. Our manager (Warburton) believed though, that we needed a midfielder (HGendricks), and a central defender (Sanderson) were loaned in instead. That was probably the start of the rift that saw Warburton depart – but the manager did get his way.
When we subsequently needed a new coach, there was clearly no way that Beale would have joined without a remit to bring in his own players. The club pretended that the players were on their shopping list anyway, but Beale made it crystal that he was the one signing players When he was told that funds had run out, he spoke to Stoke, Wolves and Rangers and promptly left. Having left, we had Balogon on our books, who whatever you thought of him, did not fit with our stated strategy at all – especially as we sent Masterson out on loan and then let him leave for free.
By the time Critchley arrived, there was no money, no immediate window, and a squad who did not want to know. It will be interesting to see how he gets on back at Blackpool with many of his old players. Critchley was critical of the players at QPR – they were not his and it showed.
Ainsworth arrived too late to change anything this season. His approach is to not publicly slate his players, but he is now making comments about attitudes, training indiscipline and predicting a major change in personnel. So, should he now get a clear run to bring in his own players?
First up, QPR is not a very attractive proposition right now. We are not paying the wages of the bulk of the division, are living under a big FFP cloud in the next 12 months, just avoided relegation and are selling our bigger names. Players are running their contracts down and the better ones are spoilt for choice. London house prices can be another turn off. We had a bunch last season who enjoyed the London night scene and look how that turned out – I doubt we will repeat that recruitment approach this coming season.
Belik is in charge of recruitment and I have no idea how large or small the support team is behind him. It is hard to point to scouting success in the last few years. Possibly because what the manager wants the manager gets. We do not know who Belik suggested that went on to great success at other clubs. Perhaps he just checks out the managers’ suggestions. But we have had Ferdinand in Asia and South America scouting – we wait to see if anything comes from that.
But as we look to fill in behind our departing ‘heroes’, it is hard to not think that our best options will be to go for players that Ainsworth knows or has seen first-hand and can play to his style. We will presumably be looking for a replacement for Dickie. Furno-Joseph at Wycombe has been rumoured, as has Josh Knight at Peterborough who Ainsworth had on loan at Wycombe. As mentioned before, Wycombe released Lewis Wing this Summer. As soon as we sign even one of those players, the message boards will go into meltdown:
‘We are becoming Wycombe’.
‘Manager gets what manager wants again., what does Ferdinand do, why do we need a DofF?’
‘Buying third tier players’
‘Why do we have a recruitment team?’
The fallback is always that it is a collaborative affair. Manager suggests names, our recruitment team offer their view and Ferdinand makes the decision and negotiates accordingly. I suspect that this is rarely what happens. Instead, the manager taps up who he wants, finds out what he is looking for as a package and Hoos decides if to support the deal. In Ainsworth’s recent interview (the one he says he is scared) he states the average number of calls he takes from agents a day and then how many players they each want to talk about – worth a listen. Perhaps the calls go to Ferdinand, Hoos and Belik as well, but agents clearly think it is worth talking to the head coach!
I don’t know if we are any different to other clubs, although our absent rich owners probably create a greater need for a Director of Football, but so long as managers / coaches will only join if they get to acquire their own players, it does add to the general muddle and lack of accountability that sees us decline rather than rise.
There is so much negativity towards Ainsworth and low expectations for next season, that a poor start will lead to huge pressure to change and start again with another manager, but with potentially Ainsworth’s recruits. It is going to have to be truly awful for me to want a change, because none of this works without stability.
I must admit, I thought Ferdinand would leave this Summer and possibly even Hoos, but that looks less likely.
But I throw it all out there for views.
Is there a correct approach to player recruitment?
Do we allow Ainsworth to bring in his own players and do we have any choice anyway?
Should we stick with Ainsworth for the full season even if we are struggling, in the interest of building the base, stability and consistency?
What do you all think?
