https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09j4lt3

Full programme on the link above

 

key thoughts

at a previous club,Viking FC  " Director of football wanted a big head on a stick ( for a centre half)...I wanted one that could play out from the back"

Leaving the EU, has a detrimental effect on Notts County because the source of players becomes that much limited

i dont get the term money ball or the talk of the playing budget being higher than the level we are playing at currently. this has been the case for ages, its always about how its spent and the recruitment. i am not excited about this, more cautious but i do think notts can build. i would personally focus on each league and being good enough to compete at that level. things can improve from that with the right manager, right squad and everything else place.

“Big head on stick!” – Our recruitment has been so bad in past seasons we’ve struggled to even get those in!

Since the Reedtz brothers took over the bar has never been very high – we seemed to do okay when it came to loanee’s but when it came to building a squad of our own there never seemed to be much of plan there. We have improved and now we’ve got some genuinely good players in this squad who wouldn’t look out of place in the league above.

The new brexit rules are a blow for us, luckily we got Ruben (and Sam - I like him) when we did though. They said no players from abroad but what about British players that play abroad, surely these won’t be exempt? Couple of them at Ostersunds... ????????

"I wanted one that could play out from the back"...so from our current squad, who doesn't fit the bill ?

 

I think it's more talk than anything, clubs have been buying players scouts believe will be worth something got years - this includes basics stats. The term moneyball including the a wider range of stats doesn't really do much - you still have to trust scouts to look into a players character etc.

It does sound promising, and I hope the club can turn a profit on players - replacing them appropriately.

What would be nice is if the club can look to developing younger players to come in - I'm not just suggesting from our youth team. If we look to shape future stars, example Ronan Murray (before injuries impacted him) and get them inline as a ready replacement for first team football. It would take the pressure of finding the best thing.

I'm just using Murray as an example, the same thing could be applied to a lot of talent we never used wisely.

I already think Jake Reeves can takeover from Michael Doyle, which would mean the club needs a CM who can use pace and technical ability to get us forward. Imagine having CMs who could attack and switch to being defensive - just as we can switch wingers over.

Or, Sam/Knowles often drifts to support the midfield.

I think the use of stats is helpful in so much as to narrow down the search. I agree, the player needs to be looked at , as to how they perform over 90 minutes

Stats are useful but they don't mean everything, I think @Piethagoram  makes a valid point about using them to narrow down the search. In the past Notts looks to have signed players based on how many goals they score, having a reputation for playing at a higher level etc.

The recruitment needs to be spot on but the moneyball approach should allow Notts to turn into a profitable club when it comes to selling players on.

Adapting to finding adequate cover is a different thing.