Motorway miles & Differing styles – 10/11 **Season 11/12 from page 51**

[TheChipPrince]

‘Some kick it long, some pass it short’

As some of you know I work as a football scout for Colchester Utd, this is the 3rd club I have worked for after Carlisle & Cheltenham town (where I started off back in 05/06).  I haven’t kept an exact count, but have probably seen ~180-200 odd games in that time.

I know there’s lots of football fans here so thought I’d keep a blog/diary for this season coming 2010/2011, hopefully it’ll be a decent read for people, some will enjoy it, some may not.  

I’m far from a author, but as much as for people to read I’d like something to look back on over the next few years, and while it is a fun thing to do, (which it is, lets get that straight from the start), there are tedious games to go to, lots of miles covered (I went to Carlisle 5 times last year), and strangely its rather a lonely thing to do on occasions.  90% of the time I’m by myself, which suits me fine, I enjoy the time I get to think in the car, and especially look forward to Sports Report on the way home! (After leaving 5mins early and avoid getting locked in like when Millwall close the gates at 4.45!)

I know there’s an abundance of diaries on here at the mo, but I’d love feedback/questions you have.  I live and breath football, its an easy subject to talk about for me.

I am slightly limited about what I can say on matches I go to for obvious reasons, but its about more than that.  This one incident sticks in mind from a couple of years ago. I was up at Blackpool, the year they won the League play-off final V Yeovil (06/07 without checking) and it was April time, Blackpool were on a storming late run into the play-offs, I was working for Cheltenham at the time and had gone up there to watch  them 10 days/2 weeks or so before we played them.  I think they were playing Tranmere, I remember McAteer getting sent-off and it finished 3-2 to Blackpool.  I was sat in a section of home fans behind the dug-out (usually sat with press etc, but sitting with home fans is not uncommon), was chatting to a guy next to me, and I said something along the lines of ‘so, do you come to all the games?’, he replied ‘no afraid not, I can’t afford it, I try and come to every other’.

WHAT?, I thought, you can’t afford £20 every 10 days to watch your side?  But people can’t, it is a lot of money for people to come by the time they add the fuel/pies/programme etc.  I often think about what he said when I’m driving back from a game of ‘lump ball’ at Hartlepool.  I would gladly pay for him to go every game if I could as he genuinely looked sad/embarrassed when telling me he couldn’t afford it all the time, but I was just as embarrassed in reality

Anyway, pre-season for me starts next Saturday I think, Colchester have Exeter/Sheff Wed/Hereford (CC) & Rochdale 1st 4 games so will be seeing them soon.

Good luck all, enjoy your teams season.    

[kinboshi]

Will be a good read.  Unless I delete it by accident...

[Girgy85]

Cool job mate.

So are you a 'next opponent kind of scout' or do you scout certain players? Who is the biggest player you have scouted that your club has signed?

[TheChipPrince]

Cool job mate.

So are you a 'next opponent kind of scout' or do you scout certain players? Who is the biggest player you have scouted that your club has signed?

Yeah its mainly team assessments I do, teams upcoming etc, each team is usually watched 2/3 times by 2/3 different staff members to get a variety of opinions, and hopefully each report will have the same theme running through it, eg picking out the same strengths/weaknesses.  Not uncommon for reports to totally differ though, some teams play well 1 week, poor the next.

The clubs I've worked for have never really had the money to sign players for £, you hear through the grapevine (for that read agents pestering the club), which players are to become available, which are looking to get out etc.

I would say I do 80% team assessments, 20% players.  For nearly all League 1/2 clubs the target players are Premiership youngsters to get on loan, or players doing well in the League or 2 below.

Players who I saw that did well last season and have made summer moves include:

Grant - Acc Stanley - Scunthorpe
Symes - Acc Stanley - Bournemouth
Dagnall - Rochdale - Scunthorpe
O'Donovan - Hartlepool (loan) - Coventry (DUCY?)

[EvilPie]

I’m far from a author

Tru dat

[Geo the Sarge]

Looking forward to reading this.

My two eldest were with Reedhall? boys club when we were in Colchester, who were like a boys/youth feeder for the "U's." Is this still the case?

Does your scouting take you to the boys/youth level at all?

Geo

[Girgy85]

Cool job mate.

So are you a 'next opponent kind of scout' or do you scout certain players? Who is the biggest player you have scouted that your club has signed?

Yeah its mainly team assessments I do, teams upcoming etc, each team is usually watched 2/3 times by 2/3 different staff members to get a variety of opinions, and hopefully each report will have the same theme running through it, eg picking out the same strengths/weaknesses.  Not uncommon for reports to totally differ though, some teams play well 1 week, poor the next.

The clubs I've worked for have never really had the money to sign players for £, you hear through the grapevine (for that read agents pestering the club), which players are to become available, which are looking to get out etc.

I would say I do 80% team assessments, 20% players.  For nearly all League 1/2 clubs the target players are Premiership youngsters to get on loan, or players doing well in the League or 2 below.

Players who I saw that did well last season and have made summer moves include:

Grant - Acc Stanley - Scunthorpe
Symes - Acc Stanley - Bournemouth
Dagnall - Rochdale - Scunthorpe
O'Donovan - Hartlepool (loan) - Coventry (DUCY?)

We had Symes at Bradford but he never really got a chance/was still too young.

Who do you see as the main contenders for League 2 this season? What chances do you think Bradford have of promotion? And what do you think of Bradfords signings?

[boldie]

Looking forward to this one....should be good

[TheChipPrince]

Looking forward to reading this.

My two eldest were with Reedhall? boys club when we were in Colchester, who were like a boys/youth feeder for the "U's." Is this still the case?

Does your scouting take you to the boys/youth level at all?

Geo

Hi Geo, to be honest I have no idea.  I don't do anything with youth football/youngsters, its all done by the academy.  I'm not fully up to sctratch with the situation as to who youngsters can sign for, but I'm sure they have to live within a 60/90 minute drive of the club that wants to sign them.  I think Tighty might know better than me.

I live in Chester so cover the North for them, basically, as far as League 1 teams go its Tranmere/Rochdale/Oldham/Sheff Wed/Carlisle/Hartlepool/Walsall etc this season.  Fixtures work in funny ways though, so there is always the odd trip down south every few weeks.

[Graham C]

Looking forward to this one....should be good

Definately, going to be an interesting read

[Geo the Sarge]

Looking forward to reading this.

My two eldest were with Reedhall? boys club when we were in Colchester, who were like a boys/youth feeder for the "U's." Is this still the case?

Does your scouting take you to the boys/youth level at all?

Geo

Hi Geo, to be honest I have no idea.  I don't do anything with youth football/youngsters, its all done by the academy.  I'm not fully up to sctratch with the situation as to who youngsters can sign for, but I'm sure they have to live within a 60/90 minute drive of the club that wants to sign them.  I think Tighty might know better than me.

I live in Chester so cover the North for them, basically, as far as League 1 teams go its Tranmere/Rochdale/Oldham/Sheff Wed/Carlisle/Hartlepool/Walsall etc this season.  Fixtures work in funny ways though, so there is always the odd trip down south every few weeks.

Tks mate, my bad as I had assumed you were working from Colchester now.

Good luck with this

Geo

[Josedinho]

Looking forward to this one....should be good

[TheChipPrince]

Looking forward to reading this.

My two eldest were with Reedhall? boys club when we were in Colchester, who were like a boys/youth feeder for the "U's." Is this still the case?

Does your scouting take you to the boys/youth level at all?

Geo

Hi Geo, to be honest I have no idea.  I don't do anything with youth football/youngsters, its all done by the academy.  I'm not fully up to sctratch with the situation as to who youngsters can sign for, but I'm sure they have to live within a 60/90 minute drive of the club that wants to sign them.  I think Tighty might know better than me.

I live in Chester so cover the North for them, basically, as far as League 1 teams go its Tranmere/Rochdale/Oldham/Sheff Wed/Carlisle/Hartlepool/Walsall etc this season.  Fixtures work in funny ways though, so there is always the odd trip down south every few weeks.

Tks mate, my bad as I had assumed you were working from Colchester now.

Good luck with this

Geo

Strangely enough I have never been to Colchester, and only saw them once last season, at Oldham!

[DaveShoelace]

Fantastic stuff, I always always always love hearing about people who have cool jobs and this is a cool job, many questions:

How do you get into a job like this? There is clearly an element of footy skill/technical knowledge involved, did you play much?
How old are you? I always assumed you were really young.
Does it pay well? Or at least, does it pay well at the highest level?
Where does a job like this lead? Does it open the doors to other big footy jobs?
What sort of cool perks do you get?
Do you ever do any work for champ manager? I had a mate who was a footy scout for champ manager (the game) but it was more of a hobby.
Which Wednesday match you going to? (can you wrangle mates tickets lol?)

If I were you I would use the job as an excuse to visit blondes up and down the countries and then play poker in their locals.

[TheChipPrince]

Fantastic stuff, I always always always love hearing about people who have cool jobs and this is a cool job, many questions:

How do you get into a job like this? There is clearly an element of footy skill/technical knowledge involved, did you play much?
How old are you? I always assumed you were really young.
Does it pay well? Or at least, does it pay well at the highest level?
Where does a job like this lead? Does it open the doors to other big footy jobs?
What sort of cool perks do you get?
Do you ever do any work for champ manager? I had a mate who was a footy scout for champ manager (the game) but it was more of a hobby.
Which Wednesday match you going to? (can you wrangle mates tickets lol?)

If I were you I would use the job as an excuse to visit blondes up and down the countries and then play poker in their locals.

I have to go out for an hour or 2, but will answer as best I can when I get back.

To Girgy's Bradford questions too.