How to Scout When You Don’t Have Scouts

I often get messages asking if I could share any ideas or insights into Scouting and Recruitment at Semi-Professional or Amateur level?

To set the scene, the questions came from leagues that weren’t televised, from clubs that didn’t use scouting software and from coaches who didn’t have any scouting staff at their disposal.

My first question was a simple one that can be used at any level of the game when it comes to scouting and recruitment. “Do you know what you are looking for?” The answer might be a striker but, I grew up watching McCoist and Hateley play upfront for Rangers. Both strikers, both different.

So, to be able to scout and recruit effectively, you must have an idea of what position you want to fill and what attributes those players must have.

Compare two different clubs that play the same formation but have different styles. A 4-3-3 with a target man striker who is peppered with crosses from the wingers versus a false 9 who drops into ‘the hole’ creating space for wingers to drive into. Both centre forwards, both very, very different.

Assess what style of football is played by the team you are recruiting for and what boxes need to be ticked for each position to perform effectively.

Consider the wider picture at the club also. Are you recruiting for a club that implements a formation and style of play across all teams and age groups or, are you recruiting for one team under the direction of one coach for a specific purpose?

Most of the questions I received came from levels where the position of scout doesn’t exist; so how do clubs look players?

It can lead to coaches ‘scouting’ players when they are in the middle of a game. In fact, clubs in Italy’s Serie A and B have a player bias for attackers who play well against them.

21st Club research since 2014 shows that clubs are more likely to sign players who have scored and/or assisted against their team rather than a player who has not; meaning the buying club could place extra weight on a strong performance against themselves more than any other club in the league (0.57 goals +assists per 90 minutes vs buying club in previous season / 0.45 goals + assists per 90 minutes versus other teams in the previous season. Source: 21st Club.

I know that during my last season in Australia, I scored 2 goals, both from headers off corners, and both against the same team, one at home and one away.

I wonder if they thought I popped up time and time again that season to nod home against other teams? Have you done that? Have you recruited a player who has played a couple of blinders against your own team only to find them lacking against others?

I believe the easiest way to assist the recruitment process is to put something on paper.

If you could send someone else to watch a game with a checklist of attributes for a specific position, would they come back with the same recommendation as you?

At that point, the person watching doesn’t need to know your shape, your style, your thought process, they only need to look at the player in a set position and see if they match the criteria.

This can also be a good exercise for coaches moving to a new team with a set idea of how they want to play. Can the fullback in your new team overlap like Dani Alves?

If not, maybe you need to change your thoughts on style and implementation. Compare the role of Philip Lahm at Bayern Munich under Guardiola to that of Alves at Barcelona under Guardiola. Both right backs, both very, very different.