A Time to Modernise Talent Identification?

A new era for scouting seems to be on the rise. Does this mean a better future for English football?

It would appear that some of England’s top Academies are actively on the lookout for talented youngsters. This is nothing new of course, and with the changes in the Academy system Category 1 clubs are now free (U12+) to recruit from all over the nation. The previous 90 minute rule has been replaced. Why? Because the long term strategy of the EPPP is to have the best talent at the best academies in order to create a pyramid structure which contains the best at the tip. The best facilities, the best coaching for the...best players?!

The previous decade in their opinion has seen talent become too fragmented between 70+ centres of excellences/academies. The new rules seek to change and address this. But what is talent? Who is the best? As this article will discuss, the world of talent identification still lacks the kind of structure which should lead to a greater development of young players.

Scouts of the big academies appear to have been given a ‘new’ remit. Instead of looking for ‘athletes’, or ‘physical’ players, it appears scouts have been told to seek a ‘different’ type of player, one who is smaller, more dynamic, skilful and creative. Are we seeing a new approach to ‘talent identification’ in English football?

If we name the best players in world football we come up with names such as Messi, Ronaldo, Iniesta, Aguero, David Silva, Suarez, Neymar, Fabregas, Hazard, Alexis. Except one on this list, Cristiano, all these players are under 6ft. Most are under 5ft 10. Now It has always fascinated me why English clubs have been so obsessed with wanting players over 6ft when it seems the majority of the best players are small and slight.

Of course it is not surprising, the culture of the game in England warranted giants who could head and tackle strong, the style of play required it almost. It left many ‘smaller’ players behind, as they simply couldn’t deal with the demands of that type of game. But that game was joke, an embarrassment even. It neglected skill, poise and creativity over power, strength and physicality. Our national game has been ruined for decades through this cultural approach. 

In the past decade there have been small changes in the approach and philosophy of youth development; a new generation of coaches, fans and thinkers who have questioned English football’s approach has led to something of a culture shift. However, it seems that in the place which requires the most modern and progressive thinking, the game has not evolved enough. I am talking about Academies. 

In the past decade Academies have been led by, on the whole, old school men with old school philosophies. Their remit on the ‘type’ of player they desire to ‘develop’ has often been big, strong and physical. In the most part Academy football has become a place for the athletes and giants and has neglected the small, slight, skilful talent. Those who say they don't neglect them need to answer for their reasons of letting players go at 16 because they are not tall enough. 

The short termism which has pervaded both the grassroots and academy game has focused on results and success over long term development. It has been sad to see on the whole. Of course there are clubs who see a different way of developing players. However my belief is that what you recruit is fundamental to what you ultimately develop. Which is why talent identification and scouting is essential for an Academy’s long term success. 

Why scouting is fundamental to good development

Now what is scouting? From my experience it is a man aged between 20-80 years old going out to the local park on a Saturday and Sunday and watching local grassroots games. They observe the game, look for any standout performers and then approach them and the coach to invite them to the Academy they represent. It is what can be regarded as a ‘scattergun’ approach. 

What often happens in these instances is that the biggest or most dominant player on the pitch is selected due to their overall dominance in the game. Perhaps they are an exceptional talent, yet often I have found it is their size, not their talent, or certainly potential, which has helped their chance of being scouted. 

When you look at the statistics of players in Academies becoming professionals there is certainly a sense that it is a development model which doesn’t seem to work. 1% of 10,000 players? 0.01% of these playing in the Premier League? Now granted the levels and standards are high and rightly so, but the question is, are these players really the best being scouted? Of all the millions of kids out there, have we really scouted the best? 

In my opinion scouting young players is one of the hardest tasks in football, can you really know by watching a player once, or twice, if he has the attributes required to succeed in football? Now a scout will tell you “yes, I know a player when I see one”. Perhaps he has spotted a player before, yet this the self-fulfilling prophecy dilemma where a person makes an often ‘subjective’ opinion on a player who he then recommends to be signed and thus puts them on the ladder of opportunity. My point here is, how many players are being denied this opportunity and simply stagnating at grassroots level? Is a one-off scouting opportunity really the best and most, dare I say it, ‘scientific’ approach to recruitment? I would argue not. 

A need for greater detail and understanding

Scouts on the most part guess and gamble on players they observe. On the most part there is very little detail or understanding of the player themselves. And what may be the most important detail? Well, how about their date of birth? It is most likely that the player the scout has been impressed by is the probably the, or one of the, oldest on the pitch. His ‘talent’ is most likely a result of being older than the others, more developed; physically and mentally and thus advanced of the rest. 

The players born April-August don’t impress a scout watching the game, they look weak and struggle to impact the match. He ignores them and focuses on the dominant players. But what if there is a a genuine talent there? It is possible. But those words, “luck” and “opportunity” arise once more. If we rely on scouts to recruit the future talent of English football, are we simply making perhaps the most important job based solely on an enthusiastic volunteer who likes to watch local football? Again, I generalise, but there is a feeling that talent id and scouting is random, lacking focus, detail and insight. In order to improve the quality of what we do as Academies, and thus developing the next generation of footballers, then surely we need to address the issues with ‘scouting’. 

Let me return back to the point about the top clubs searching for smaller technical players. There seems to be a belief now of actively seeking ‘hidden gems’ or players with potential, who are perhaps in grassroots football or at lower level academies. These clubs don’t want their biggest, they want their best. And this is the point for me. From what I gather they are asking more questions and trying to find a player who maybe isn’t dominating games, but is shows signs of genuine great potential. There is a big difference here. But simply watching a game doesn’t show you this. Which is why building relationships with local teams and schools is fundamental to finding ‘hidden gems’.

Creating a greater structure to enhance recruitment

For instance, if a club was to build a link with 10-15 grassroots team in the local area, provide their excellent facillties to use and have their coaches help work with the coaches and players at these clubs (perhaps even have a grassroots technical director who supports these clubs on a daily basis with training ideas, philosophies and coaching clinics) then would this help improve the level of the players in these clubs, as the coaching as well as give this person a deeper insight into the players at these clubs? Of course it would. 

He/she could observe training sessions, work with the players and get a greater sense of the individuals. In 1v1/2v2 type practices they may see a smaller type player, perhaps a late birth, express themselves with real quality, something they find harder on weekends due to the size of pitch and opposition. But this is a player with potential. Without a more detailed look you wouldn’t have found him and he may have coasted for years at this level. Give him the opportunity to come in and get the coaching, hours and challenge which an Academy provides and he may well excel to become a special talent. 

And what about teachers and schools? This is important to get a sense of the ‘person’ as well as how well they do in PE. A school knows their pupils better than anyone but their parents. They know how they react to disappointment, what kind of character someone is and of course, they know about relative age effect. A school can give a great insight into a young players mindset and mentality. Because it is these elements which can define the future player. 

There are a lot of talented players at lower levels in England, semi-pro level etc who tick the boxes of a good player, but there always is a story of not having the right mentality, not being disciplined enough. Is it possible that we have recruited young players on the ‘wrong’ things for too long? We have looked at their playing attributes over their mental attributes. And because of this have often recruited the wrong type of individuals. Some can’t deal with the demands and standards required for elite level football, others have proven to lack the mindset to improve and react badly to challenges and times of difficulties. If we knew the individual more effectively before they were scouted would we not be making a more rational choice on the player? 

For me technical skills can be learnt through practice, and a person who is enthusiastic to learn will embrace the challenge to improve. An intelligent person will understand the tactical side of the game more, will take on board the responsibilities of their role. Should we not be finding out more about a person’s personality and character during the recruitment process? And should we not be embracing those who work closely with these individuals, who can give a greater insight into their personalities?

And what about the issue of social opportunity?! How many young players, with lots of potential, are being neglected because they cannot attend these 'great' facilities due to not being able to afford to travel or get to training or games? Some Academies now look like place for the middle class only. Range Rovers cover the car parks. But is this where our future talent is to be found? Proper recruitment means scouring every area and every part of a city and town to find the best talent, regardless of social background. It seems that those who come from prosperous families have a greater chance of progress, is this fair, or right? When we look at South American players who have fought for their chance to become footballers do we see this kind of hunger and drive in our young players? 

Time for the FA to step up and make a difference

What I like about these academies recruiting the smaller type player is that they are clearly seeing a type of footballer who has been neglected for too long. There does now appear a growing appreciation that these types of players can deal with modern game and in fact thrive in it. The key however is to nurture this talent, because just leaving them in grassroots will not be enough. 

So what are the solutions? Well, firstly take them into your Academy and find the best place for them. For some that may mean pushing them up a group to challenge them, for the smaller player it may mean pushing them down an age group. A player born 31st August is a day off being in the group below, long term development should mean finding the best place for them and not neglecting them solely for being a day older. The key for these decisions is the appreciation of their long term development over the short term. Find a place to cater and nurture these players. 

Another idea is to create a genuine development centre, not like the ones many clubs now which are fee paying, and which focus more on business interests but rather they should be providing an elite environment, which resembles the Academy system, but which caters for late developers and late births who need something to help them the bridge the gap between grassroots and academy football. Personally I do not feel we cater well enough in this country for players who straddle the gap between the two levels. And this results in the pool of talent being reduced as we cannot provide a suitable place for these players to develop further. 

I have my doubts about development centres in their current form and this is where the FA really need to step up and create their own development schools across the country. In a similar way to a gifted and talented programme players who aren’t in academies should have the opportunity to be selected for these centres. Perhaps they target the late births/developers? 

What these will do is provide the quality development these players need to push on. The FA has a responsibility for me to cater for these players and do something to help the pool of talent rise. If they set up 5-10 centres across each region then they could bring in local talent and help push them on. They may even set up a regional league similar to the Midland Junior Premier League which is excellently structured and which can embrace the philosophies of the FA in their coaching and playing style. This was we see something similar to the Academy system. Now you’re not telling me there won’t be players who will thrive and excel through this system? 

Pleasingly there are clubs who are doing something similar already, West Brom have built a fantastic ‘second tier’ development type group with their West Brom Colts programme which recruits U12-14’s as their development tool for their Academy. It is in one way a selfish way to monitor local talent and hoard a large number of potential players yet in fairness it is structured and ran very professionally and is a great model for others to look at and adopt. West Brom have also been carrying out late birth trials this past year, another sign that they are ahead of the rest when it comes to modern ideas on talent identification.

Philosophy is key to succeed 

Ultimately, what you wish to recruit is what you get. If you decide as an Academy that you will seek smaller players who possess the skills and attributes you desire, or perhaps want more late births, then you will mould your recruitment accordingly. In a sense that Academy football is an elite school to develop future professionals the problem appears to be there is a serious lack of pro’s being produced, which points to an issue with development, and thus recruitment. Are we recruiting the right type of individuals? Do they have the necessary mental skills and attributes? From there are we coaching them right? Do we have the right type of coaches working these young players in order to produce elite, world class talent? 

And finally are clubs giving them the pathway required to become professionals? The best and most obvious example of a club doing it ‘right’ is Southampton who as a club believe in what they are doing, embrace it fully and evidently do a great job in all their areas. These ‘top’ clubs wish to recruit smaller, technical players, this is great, however are they clubs who seriously wish to embrace youth? It is a good debate to have, are world class facilities always a recipe for success? Not always. It is often the environment, the people and philosophies in that environment and ultimately the opportunities afforded which leads to ‘success’. Fancy facilities aren't always the key to greatness. 

Finding the best talent, those with the best potential, has not been valued highly enough in English football. It has been random and somewhat amateur on the most part. For us to excel further in the coming years it is clear that the old school way of scouting and recruiting needs to be thrown out and a new more modern approach to understanding the individual in more detail is required. 

The Whitehouse Address @The_W_Address

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