Moneyball

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Originally Posted by Big Bob

What players have we sold for a profit?

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Recently, we ‘sold’ Jack Bearne, Kion Etete and Dongda He. None of them sold through choice, and nothing to do with Football Radar.

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Originally Posted by bule1

If we sold rob and Rod for a big profit we would need to have the next ones lined up. That may already be the case but we need to have replacements in line.

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Presumably Rodders will be on his way soon, as he is out of contract next summer and will go for free.

True, but we need radar to get the next one.

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Originally Posted by Woodypie

Presumably Rodders will be on his way soon, as he is out of contract next summer and will go for free.

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Good point, sense says if he is to go it will probably be January at a potentially crucial point of the season.

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Originally Posted by nw6pie

Good point re the NLN/S. Also worth remembering that two-thirds of our signings this summer came from our own league.

I don't follow the Scottish leagues these days (to the extent that there are teams there that sound totally fictitious to me - who the hell are Kelty Hearts?), but I wonder if Football Radar's stats cover those leagues too. God knows what the standard's like, though I see Jimmy Knowles made a rare start for Championship side Morton yesterday in a Challenge Cup game and scored in the penalty shootout.

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I would be surprised if FR covers NLN/S although I could be wrong.

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Originally Posted by Hoppie

I think I like ‘money ball’ and when I say that I draw a large distinction between the recruitment approach and the playing style.

Aside the fact the current team now has multiple players that could play at a higher level and command a transfer fee (when was the last time someone departed Notts mid contract for a fee? not including youth players), the focus on financial returns also draws you to the right type of signing IMO.

To mind there’s broadly three categories of player that you’d think should improve your team:
1. Players that have played at a higher level.
2. Players still capable of playing at higher level.
3. Players that have the potential to play at a higher level.

Notts don’t have the kind of money needed do favour option 2 (a la Wrexham, although I’d argue Marty Palmer fits that description), so do you a) pack your team full of guys that this year aren’t good enough to play in the league above and next year not enough to play at your level either? or b) go for younger players that may not be quite there right now but could develop and take the club with them? Too many teams, Notts included, have pursued option a) in search of immediate success but when I stop and think about it, it stands to reason that the clubs league position is going to follow the trajectory of the playing staff? And then we wonder how 25 years of option A) leads you from the championship to the national league?

So In summary 1 doesn’t work, 2 is unaffordable to what the hell let’s try 3. If I was being critical mind, a bit of 1 and 2 along with 3 wouldn’t go a miss - who knows you could end up with the ability to see a game out 😉

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For twenty years prior to the current owners we had too many players that would fit into your category one. There are plenty that were on their way down and were has been's and looking for a last pay day or Notts being the retirement home. Likewise we also had our fair share of 'never going to be's' as well. Ultimately over a period of time and with such a vast quantity of player and manager turnover it resulted in us finding ourselves in the National League. It was no formula for success as was proven to lead to failure.

The day's of us having youth players that come through our system to which we can sell on for a profit are becoming more and more scarce with every passing season. Add to that we are currently a tier five club and there are many clubs in our region two or three levels above us with academies such as Derby, Forest and Leicester that will hoover up any talent around here.

Our youth players in recent times have either been so good that they have been snapped up before they can establish themselves in our team, or not been good enough and have been released. The football world is different to when we had the likes of Tommy Johnson and Mark Draper come through and the club is in a different place so it makes it hard for clubs like ours to grow players of such quality and keep them. Plus we are not a tier 1 or tier 2 club either like we were back in the early 90's.

So clubs like ours have to adapt to survive and I would much prefer us to have players in your option 3. However I do think you do need some experience players in the team to provide a balance. So where talent is hoovered up all around the country by premier league and championship club academies it makes sense to turn to those academies to look for players who get released who have had a good footballing education as an option as a foundation on which to build.

Another avenue is cherry picking the best non-league players. There are some good players in non-league and clubs like Peterborough have had a reputation going back many years of picking up talent from this league and below and developing them where they have become first team players and then they've sold them to bigger clubs. Our own league and the league below can be a good pool to scout as being the biggest club in non-league we can be an attractive prospect.

I'd much prefer Notts to get players from your category 3 rather than 1 or pay the expense of 2 if it means the club can be as self sustainable as possible going forward. It might take longer and require fans patience but it's worth giving it a go.

So then, all things considered, Moneyball is a load of old tosh, there is no point in having our own academy and apart from a sprinkling of stats, nothings changed, we are picking up the pieces wherever we can. Good, I understand that. Next topic, is there any value in tier 5 tippy tappy football.

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Originally Posted by Woodypie

So then, all things considered, Moneyball is a load of old tosh, there is no point in having our own academy and apart from a sprinkling of stats, nothings changed, we are picking up the pieces wherever we can. Good, I understand that. Next topic, is there any value in tier 5 tippy tappy football.

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You are as cynical as I am.

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Originally Posted by Woodypie

Presumably Rodders will be on his way soon, as he is out of contract next summer and will go for free.

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Or might sign a new contract.?

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Originally Posted by PedroTheFisherman66

Or might sign a new contract.?

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Would you play in this league for a few more seasons if a league team came in for you