Reply With QuoteI've long felt that we need a Director of Football. Much as I admired Sir Neil, he made some huge **** ups on transfers and wasted millions.
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Interesting piece that adds to recent discussions about the club structure and changing approach:
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/...-city-19719249
The Bluebirds have made big changes to the way their recruitment team is structed over the last 12 months, affecting how players are brought to the club from under-9s all the way to the first team.
Over the last 12 months, Cardiff City have slowly but surely reshaped the way they conduct transfer business behind the scenes.
The Bluebirds have made changes to the way they bring players to the club, starting with the under-9s and working all the way through to the first team.
It is no secret that Cardiff have tried to change their transfer philosophy since the departure of Neil Warnock. The days of multi-million-pound transfers for players hovering either side of 30 are now long gone.
Though Warnock was strident in his views and had a wealth of experience to shoulder much of the transfer burden, when Neil Harris came in he was keen to reinforce the recruitment department and that is exactly what Cardiff did.
Firstly, Harris' desire to revamp the club's academy aligned with the hierarchy's aim of becoming more self-sustaining and producing their own talent.
It is at academy level where we have seen the biggest change.
Previously, all recruitment at under-18s and under-23s level fell in the hands of academy boss James McCarthy and his father, Paul.
Paul, an experienced scout who has been with the club many years, was tasked with bringing players in from under-9s all the way through to under-23s, however his role has now shifted to concentrate on the younger age groups.
The two big coups come at the top end of the club's academy system. On the recruitment side of things, Cardiff managed to prise Kevin Beadell away from Arsenal's under-23s at the start of the season.
Beadell heads the club's recruitment operation now for the under-18s, under-23s and the first team. It is a rather impressive appointment and one which academy insiders have been really impressed with in recent months.
The second coup, of course, is the arrival of former Bluebirds player David Hughes from Southampton as the academy's head of coaching.
This frees up James McCarthy to deal with the every day running and administration of the youth system, while Hughes can then take a more hands-on role with the football side of things below the senior team.
While talk of implementing a director of football is not entirely off the table, per se, this is all part of an internal restructure to give the club more footballing nous within its system.
Beadell has formed a team in the recruitment department, which also includes Patrick Deboys who last January moved to a new role as lead recruitment analyst following his post as first-team performance analyst, to advise the board and the manager.
Beadell is seen as a buffer in between management and the coaching staff to help bring in young, talented players from the under-18s upwards.
That goes hand in hand with the club's new transfer philosophy of finding good young players in an attempt to ramp up the value within the squad.
Since the summer, Cardiff have brought in eight players and only one - Kieffer Moore - has been over the age of 25.
Cardiff feel their academy has a lot of potential and that is why they have overhauled the structure. They like the Brentford model of identifying young talent, progressing them to the first team and having a young team packed with potential transfer value.
Although the B-Team model does not appeal to Cardiff, they believe there are lessons to be learned from the way Brentford in particular structure their recruitment department from the senior team down.
However, Cardiff are not simply going to chop the head off the team and go gung-ho in creating an entire first-team squad of players under the age of 23.
They would ideally like a hybrid squad, with more experienced players still in situ to bring through exciting youngsters, just fewer of them than in recent years. With Cardiff's average age of their squad now at 27.7 years of age, they appear to be driving the age down and striking a better balance.
So, how does a transfer get done?
Players are identified and sourced through the recruitment operation, headed by Beadell, and the manager, now Mick McCarthy.
That recommendation is put through to the transfer committee, which comprises Ken Choo, Steve Borley, the manager and committee chair Mehmet Dalman.
The committee are then tasked with the negotiation side of the deal and finding the funds to complete the transaction.
The club believe the new recruitment department, working in conjunction with the transfer committee, has worked well in the last two transfer windows.
It is widely accepted that, with the group of players which have been assembled over the last two windows, Cardiff have underdelivered this term. It is by no means a reflection on how the club have conducted their transfer business.
It is understood that McCarthy has been extremely receptive of the club's recruitment operation and has been in contact with Beadell's team since his appointment last Friday.
The Bluebirds boss is also very interested in incorporating youth and even on day one he highlighted some players in the club's academy system who could be of use to the first team.
He is also set to recall City academy graduate Ciaron Brown from his loan spell up at Livingston this weekend, having been tipped off by one of his scouts.
Following the draw with Barnsley on Wednesday night, McCarthy said it might be time to trust in youth moving forward, such is the talent currently in the City academy.
"Maybe we have got to give some of our younger players a chance," McCarthy said. "Let's see what they've got."
With just four days left in the transfer window, it remains to be seen whether McCarthy will trust what he has or whether he makes a last-ditch dip into the market.
Those conversations are doubtless going on as we speak.
I've long felt that we need a Director of Football. Much as I admired Sir Neil, he made some huge **** ups on transfers and wasted millions.
Just an off the cuff thought... What if we stopped big transfer fees and instead tried to be amongst the top salary payers with the best conditions and facilities ?
We pay a fair whack anyway don't we wage wise?Originally Posted by RonnieBird
It is in all likelihood the reason we have quite a few players stuck on our books who can't find another club willing to take a punt on them for the wage they expect, or at least coming close to what we pay them.
Some tweets under the article from the journalist, Glen Williams: https://twitter.com/GlenWilliams12/s...02361530859525
Club/journalists putting out this sort of article before the recent meeting may have made it a less prickly affair. Though I think we picked up Beadell when Arsenal moved him on rather than prised him away, according to the rerports when you search engine his name.(Very welcome news, Glen.)
Definitely mate. I like the look of it, anyway. Think the last 2 windows have been telling
(For sure. I think I'd still like someone at board level to join up this and managerial appointments etc. But it's a big step forward.)
Think a lot of people think the same. And it is definitely not off the table as things stand.
But club understood it was key to have more football nous in key positions throughout the structure and fair play to them for recognising that and making two very good appointments.
(Good article Glen. Reinforces the point that although Harris lost his way at first team level he was instrumental in making some key appointments within our youth development structure which should have a lasting legacy for the club.)
100% mate. Was key in helping with some big appointments. Also vital to be ‘plugged in’ to big Prem clubs with good academies such as Arsenal and Southampton for poaching youngsters/loaning in young first teamers. I’m heartened by it all, anyway!
Is Steve Morison still involved with U23’s?
Wasn't that the plan under Dave Jones?
Interesting stuff. Let's hope it all works. But Ciaron Brown didn't come through the Academy though, he's 23 now and came from Weladstone a couple of years ago. But we did raid other clubs Under 23 teams last summer and brought in Denham from Man U and Zimba from Blackburn plus a few others too.
All good intentions but Talk is cheap, actions speak louder.
We’ve only signed 4 permanent players this season, one is 28 the others are 25, 24 respectively and Waters is 21 so forgive me for not 100% believing this focus on signing talented youngsters
Yes, every story I could find about him online was along these lines
https://dailycannon.com/2019/11/stev...leave-arsenal/
so it wasn't a case of City being able to "prise" him away from Arsenal.
Not seen anything to say he's gone, but you would have thought he would given his connection with Neil Harris - the under 23s have a home game Tuesday lunchtime and you can usually watch them live online, so we'll see what happens then.
that in itself seems an improvement on the warnock way i.e. offering a 34 year old another year's contract while they were recovering from a cruciate ligament injury.
Weird industry is football, as much as we got swept up in the Warnock roller coaster ride, it crippled the club in the long run. He has no conscience over his huge f*ck ups, he got paid well, perhaps pocketed a few sweeteners, rode off into the sunset leaving a shitstorm behind. Would he be employed again in any other industry? Yet in a short while he’s picked up by Middlesbrough and repeat (I’d imagine). Never a Slade fan but in reality he came in as a nobody, steadied the ship, sorted a few finances out with players out and in and got us to a top half spot in the division. Yet it seems as though the game has dropped him like a shit house seat. I must stress that I wouldn’t want him back but I know which manager left us in slightly better state.
Well this is better
The club seem to think that a conversation around having a Director of Football is solely about transfers, when that’s just part of it.
If we had stayed in the Premier for more than one season after Warnock's promotion, it would all have been worth it, financially.
The goal isn't necessarily to sign youth players but younger players which is exactly what the club has done. The likes of Perry and Watters could develop nicely over the coming years and then could be sold for good money.
Morrison is scheduled to be part of the commentary team on City TV tomorrow so presumably he is still at the club.
A positive announcement tonight would be that Flint & Glatzel were doing the commentary.
It’s got to be an improvement on Warnock’s recruitment, he’s a super lad! Notice that he hasn’t taken any of his star signings to Middlesbrough? funny that they’re all available!
Nice to see that you are feeling better
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