Doing it the Brentford way

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Bluemike
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Doing it the Brentford way

Post by Bluemike » Thu Apr 01, 2021 10:11 am

Town have announced that they will be taking a “a new data and statistics-led approach to recruitment” next season with adding creative players to the s the main priority.

The summer is expected to see significant changes of personnel at Portman Road with 26 players, many of them senior pros, out of contract.

“We are investing more into the recruitment area of the club because it’s clearly a vital component of any football club,” general manager of football operations Lee O’Neill told the club site.

“We have looked at what clubs like Leicester and Brentford have done for a few years and Rangers over the last year or so as well, with some of the Liverpool staff going up there.

“A lot of the bigger clubs are using data and statistics as a big part of their recruitment. The days of just going off someone’s opinion are going.

“It’s about identifying a player and breaking down the analysis to find out how you get the best out of that player and whether he will fit into the way you want to play. We will be doing a lot more profiling on players than we have ever done before.

“It will mean a lot of investment into the recruitment area of the club for sure. We were going to implement the new structure before this season started but Covid put everything on hold. We are moving forward now though.

“The manager will obviously be part of the recruitment process and improving our goals return at the top end of the pitch is clearly going to be a key area for us.

“That’s not just about the strikers. If you look at James Norwood’s stats, he’s right up there in terms of around the 18-yard box but when you look at Charlie Wyke at Sunderland, he’s got 25 goals or so but he’s had Aiden McGeady playing behind him with 12 assists.

“That’s what we’ve been missing and finding that creative element will be one of our big priorities.”        
Interesting, I think it may be a good thing as our recruitment for years has been dire, we need to try a new approach so fair play, if we get a fraction of the success of Brentford it would be progress, add to which they are one of the best teams to watch in terms of attractive Football.

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by number 9 » Thu Apr 01, 2021 12:59 pm

I’ve been an admirer of Brentford’s analytical approach with recruitment for a while. Also the total football style they attempt to play and the success they’ve had on a shoestring budget makes the club’s structure a perfect fit for ITFC. I was cheering for them to beat Fulham in the playoff final, but they unfortunately came up short. The final allowed them to put Watkins and Benrama in the shop window and they were smart enough to cash in without a huge detriment to their squad. Brentford will be in the Premier League sooner rather than later, and their structure will be one that many clubs attempt to emulate.
Last edited by number 9 on Thu Apr 01, 2021 1:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by hallamblue » Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:52 pm

Bring it on I say. This current squad no they are dead men walking as far as ongoing Town careers. They’ve had their chance, and have blown it. Even under the new manager they show little desire to make i5 happen. Had enough of the lot of of ‘em now .


Not sure I understand fully the “data approach to recruitment”, so if anyone has t8me of inclination to explain to thicko here , please feel free to impart your knowledge 👍 :D

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by number 9 » Thu Apr 01, 2021 5:28 pm

hallamblue wrote:
Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:52 pm
Bring it on I say. This current squad no they are dead men walking as far as ongoing Town careers. They’ve had their chance, and have blown it. Even under the new manager they show little desire to make i5 happen. Had enough of the lot of of ‘em now .


Not sure I understand fully the “data approach to recruitment”, so if anyone has t8me of inclination to explain to thicko here , please feel free to impart your knowledge 👍 :D
https://talksport.com/football/fa-cup/6 ... er-fa-cup/

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by Tangfastic » Fri Apr 02, 2021 9:20 am

number 9 wrote:
Thu Apr 01, 2021 5:28 pm
hallamblue wrote:
Thu Apr 01, 2021 4:52 pm
Bring it on I say. This current squad no they are dead men walking as far as ongoing Town careers. They’ve had their chance, and have blown it. Even under the new manager they show little desire to make i5 happen. Had enough of the lot of of ‘em now .


Not sure I understand fully the “data approach to recruitment”, so if anyone has t8me of inclination to explain to thicko here , please feel free to impart your knowledge 👍 :D
https://talksport.com/football/fa-cup/6 ... er-fa-cup/
A good read. I thought this a very telling comment from the Brentford owner.

Ankersen, Brentford’s charismatic Dane who has written books on developing talent, reckons most companies spend two per cent of their time recruiting and 75 per cent managing their recruitment mistakes.

How much time, money and effort have we wasted on under-performing and injury-prone players? And our strategy seems to be to buy in more under-performing and injury-prone players to solve the problem, but only means our problems get bigger.

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by Ricco » Fri Apr 02, 2021 9:38 am

Good grief, it's 2021 and after years of failure, it's finally clicking that there are modern ways to help recruit which reduce human biases?! And they're announcing this like they've discovered a secret formula and are after adulation for taking a new direction?

This club is a complete joke, a 5 year old watching moneyball 10 years could understand that. What kind of arrogant, bigoted dinosaurs have been pulling the strings behind this club? I at least expected more from the scouting team which has been traditionally a successful setup at the club, clearly they've been resting on their laurels so long that they're completely rotten.

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by hallamblue » Fri Apr 02, 2021 9:49 am

Oh that was VERY interesting . Thank you number 9 👍 . You can’t argue with continuing success Brentford get can you.

Reading how they’ve gone about things, and that Town now intend to adopt the same approach makes me ask two questions .

1) Is Evans now going to fund the presumable expertise required to implement this data approach?

2) does this signal the end of our Academy, given that Evans is currently funding this to the tune of £2m every year, and as the Brentford owner states, its effectively a waste of money and time because PL steal your talent for minimal return?

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by hallamblue » Fri Apr 02, 2021 9:53 am

Ricco wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 9:38 am
Good grief, it's 2021 and after years of failure, it's finally clicking that there are modern ways to help recruit which reduce human biases?! And they're announcing this like they've discovered a secret formula and are after adulation for taking a new direction?

This club is a complete joke, a 5 year old watching moneyball 10 years could understand that. What kind of arrogant, bigoted dinosaurs have been pulling the strings behind this club? I at least expected more from the scouting team which has been traditionally a successful setup at the club, clearly they've been resting on their laurels so long that they're completely rotten.
I don’t see it as a eureka moment by the Club, Ricco, just that Paul Cook has opened our owners eyes to a different way of doing things. Don’t forget this isn’t Evans primary business concern, and as we all know, he knows buggar all about the game, much to our misfortune over the last 15 years. And ultimately this data approach represents different thing to both parties. For Paul Cook it’s better calibre of player recruitment. To Evans it’s kerching ££££ when some are sold on.

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by Tangfastic » Fri Apr 02, 2021 10:30 am

hallamblue wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 9:49 am
Oh that was VERY interesting . Thank you number 9 👍 . You can’t argue with continuing success Brentford get can you.

Reading how they’ve gone about things, and that Town now intend to adopt the same approach makes me ask two questions .

1) Is Evans now going to fund the presumable expertise required to implement this data approach?

2) does this signal the end of our Academy, given that Evans is currently funding this to the tune of £2m every year, and as the Brentford owner states, its effectively a waste of money and time because PL steal your talent for minimal return?
I can’t see us closing the academy, but I’ve never thought it has been anywhere near productive enough over the last fifteen years. It’s not like we don’t get academy players making the first team - they’re just not good enough to take us forward. With the exception of Downes, which other academy player would we want to recruit if they were with another club? I wouldn’t want to sign Dozzell or Bishop or Kenlock or Woolfenden ( the current form Woolf) or Lankester from another club because they’re not consistently good enough.

And we’re still waiting to see if players like Dobra and El Mizouni are good enough. But they don’t get enough chances because there’s mediocre journeymen and loanees blocking their path.
I’m not sure the academy justifies itself both financially and with the end product at first team level. I do wonder if some of our academy players who’ve made it to the first team level will be given the boot. We need to free up space in the squad and I wouldn’t be too unhappy if, say, Bishop was let go.

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by Ricco » Fri Apr 02, 2021 10:33 am

I think the attraction is more kerching that he hopes to find these miracle players on the cheap and doesn't have to spend!

I don't know, I just think its a sign of how things have been at the club that they're that far behind the times. Who knows how they've been analysing players, but I'm amazed at a statement like that in 2021.

I know it's not Evans' main interest, but that's why you employ people with the experience and knowledge in the relevant areas, I see it more as a failure of that than some new approach that will lead to an exciting rosy future.

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by hallamblue » Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:25 am

Your last paragraph is Evans Achilles heel Ricco. Because yes you are right, you do employ individuals with that expertise , the problem is Evans doesn’t ! He keeps s tight reign on all higher managerial “roles” and insists on the final say. We’ve lost out on players because it need Evans rubber stamp and wasn’t available. I think Lamberts last spat with Evans was about this “ total control” thing.

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by marko69 » Fri Apr 02, 2021 11:27 am

Got to admit, I didn’t post last night due to being speechless after reading the Ankerson report thing posted by No9. Similar reaction to Ricco ——>> what is the big feckin revelation here?

I say sack absolutely everyone except Cook, (he deserves a chance)

And that O’Neill seems like a bletherin erse who’d throw anyone under a bus. Get rid of that wafflin tw*t as well.

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by number 9 » Fri Apr 02, 2021 1:13 pm

I think the execution of the Brentford plan is probably far more complex that it appears. Should ITFC have instituted a better approach to recruitment? Absolutely! Many of us have proclaimed the need of better recruitment for years.

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by ashfordblue » Fri Apr 02, 2021 10:52 pm

hallamblue wrote:
Fri Apr 02, 2021 9:49 am
Oh that was VERY interesting . Thank you number 9 👍 . You can’t argue with continuing success Brentford get can you.

Reading how they’ve gone about things, and that Town now intend to adopt the same approach makes me ask two questions .

1) Is Evans now going to fund the presumable expertise required to implement this data approach?

2) does this signal the end of our Academy, given that Evans is currently funding this to the tune of £2m every year, and as the Brentford owner states, its effectively a waste of money and time because PL steal your talent for minimal return?
You've got it in a nutshell Liz, Brentford done away with their youth development because as we know you bring through a few talented kids and the premiership clubs get them for next to nothing. But that doesn't mean we should ignore local talent, just make sure they go to non league for onward development, the days of senior players getting a free ride to retirement are going.

Are our scouts and youth development personnel like Klug, Dyer, Butcher, etc are they going to be gone or retrained ???? What will help is the New Owners not Marcus Evans

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by marko69 » Sat Apr 03, 2021 5:01 pm

What about the Forfar way, Mike?

Beautiful finish from Nditi to set up extra time. And Edinburgh Citys goal to go 2-1 up :shock: That was special.

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by Bluemike » Sat Apr 03, 2021 5:11 pm

You watching it Marko ? I am as we speak, God knows how we took it to ET as been poor, pleased for Nditi, our best player by far. 15 mins left

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by marko69 » Sat Apr 03, 2021 5:24 pm

Not watching it Mike, its a Scottish Cup round-up showing goals. Overhead kick by the lad Hamilton was pretty good. A bit like John McGinn for Scotland v Austria last week.
But yep, the lassie reporting from Station Park did say Forfar weren't great but ramping up the pressure last 10 minutes.

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by marko69 » Sat Apr 03, 2021 5:44 pm

And it pays off! Well done, Forfar......, into the hat for last 16.

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by Bluemike » Sat Apr 03, 2021 6:49 pm

Great result for us, when's the draw ?

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by marko69 » Sat Apr 03, 2021 10:09 pm

Tomorrow at 2pm I think. The cabbage not playing until Monday night in the actual banana skin v QOS. Hibs will make hard work of it.

Hopefully the Loons can land themselves a decent draw.

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by Bluemike » Sun Apr 04, 2021 8:56 pm

The Arabs are doomed

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by marko69 » Sun Apr 04, 2021 9:24 pm

Nice home tie there. And winnable. Although Jim Weir should be armed with boxing gloves. Apparently it was the Melon & McCall show at Tannadice yesterday. :lol:

Probably going to jinx things but a lot of "ifs" with the Hibs tie. Brora famously defeat the Jambos. But lose in extra time to Stranraer. And Stranraer get QOS or Hibs in the next round. Should've been an Edinburgh derby @ Shitecastle if things went (and go) how they should.

But, banana skin tomorrow. I text a very Covid 19 depressed cousin this afternoon re the QOS game.
"Could go either way eh Graham?"
"Am no really givin' a fk, mate!"

Probably like the forumites reading this! :lol:

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by number 9 » Sat May 29, 2021 3:36 pm

Brentford 2-0 up against Swansea! Will Brentford finally make it to the promised land?

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by arana peligrosa » Sat May 29, 2021 5:26 pm

Wanted the Welsh to win it. Swansea's a more vibrant and atmospheric place than Hounslow. Can't imagine Dylan Thomas writing up on a sky full of airplanes but what's done is done.

Game ended a short time ago, London team won by two goals and feature again in the top division for first time since what must be pre World War II. In fairness they've had a number of disappointments in play-off events over recent years and finally their time is now. I don't get or often care to see what they get up to but every now and again you read stories or hear something about how well they are doing or progressed in a short time.

Took a moment to realize that all promoted teams from this years Championship are flying variants, i.e. Bees Hornets and Canaries. Suppose that's something.

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by Charnwood » Mon May 31, 2021 8:38 pm

Really pleased to see Brentford take their place in the Premier League. The real challenge now begins, just hope they can survive and have an extended run which won’t be easy, they only have to look 5 miles down the road at neighbours Fulham if they need any reminding.

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by hallamblue » Mon May 31, 2021 11:11 pm

I agree Andy.

I think most genuine football fans are really pleased that The Bees have made it to the PL. They deserve it don’t they , and I hope the many Town fans as who are impractically demanding instant success, are mindful that it’s taken Brentford many years for their “model” to culminate in this prize .

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by arana peligrosa » Tue Jun 01, 2021 1:50 pm

They got to be thrilled. What is it 70 years since their last top league involvement. Going to be tough for them to remain in the EPL for more than one season but they'll get a substantial promotion bonus for making it and with (maybe) crowds back at (wherever they play, can't recall right now) I'd expect as many at their stadium as possible to witness each and every game they're involved with at top level.

An as aside Morecambe will join us in League One from August as they had a League Two play-off win a day or two back. I'm thinking we'll take six points from both fixtures, no disrespect to them but on paper (at least) just seems logical we can take maximum points off them both home and away.

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Re: Doing it the Brentford way

Post by number 9 » Tue Jun 01, 2021 3:32 pm

It really is quite an accomplishment especially considering they sold two of their best players last season. Look where we ended up when we sold two of our best players. :roll:

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