News

Moyes set to beef up scouting staff

|

Moyes on a scouting mission at Chelsea last season

David Moyes will set up  a new West Ham scouting and data analytical team over the next few weeks.

The sacking of Manuel Pellegrini, Mario Husillos and their team needs to be replaced and first on the new manager’s list of candidates for the chief scout’s job could be his former colleague Robbie Cooke.

Cooke – the former Kettering Town assistant manager and first team coach – became a part-time scout for Preston North End under his former Cambridge United teammate Moyes at Preston North End.

He subsequently followed the Hammers boss to Everton in 2002 and Manchester United in 2013, serving as chief scout at both clubs.

Moyes is also likely to appoint four more scouts and analysts whilst also using Wyscout – an Italian company that supports scouting, match analysis and transfer dynamics.

The company provides video analysis tool and digital databases regarding performances and matches for coaches, teams and players dealing with football business.

The purpose is to allow them have a detailed sight of a large number of athletes about individual performances, patterns of play and tactical strategy.

The Hammers have four scouts at academy level whilst Paul Konchesky is also used to follow the progress of our loaned-out youngsters. All are also available to cover matches on a general scouting mission if required.

Beyond that the club will continue to commission scouts in various European countries to check out particular targets although many games can now also be covered on TV where streams are invariably available.

However, Moyes himself is very hands-on and insists on seeing every player himself before any transfer decisions are made.

Share this article

Hugh Southon is a lifelong Iron and the founding editor of ClaretandHugh. He is a national newspaper journalist of many years experience and was Bobby Moore's 'ghost' writer during the great man's lifetime. He describes ClaretandHugh as "the Hammers daily newspaper!"

Follow on Twitter @hughsouthon

30 comments

  • George says:

    Hugh – Google PL training grounds and then compare to Rush Green and tell me if that’s befitting a club rated as the 18th richest in the world!!
    Even if they managed to spend £15m on that, it’s a darn sight less than the interest they have taken out on their loans.

    • Ok George I’ll trust you. As I understand it they have deferred their interest for the last 10 years according to C House accounts. I really am only trying to be balanced mate but surely u might agree the tranining ground thing should have been sorted years ago. At the very least they have done what no others have – maybe not enough but there’s been improvements

  • HammerHearted says:

    No doubt you will have seen the Upson interview where he was scathing about those upgraded facilities Hugh. They remain sub-standard, that investment, as I understand it, was primarily toward improving the youth facilities. According to Upson, who I do not remember grinding an axe with us before in interview, struck me as an honest assessment, but one that will impact on our reputation within the game and our ability to bring in top players.

  • George says:

    But we should be better than most PL clubs – We’ve been given a new stadium, we’ve spent virtually nothing on training facilities, we have 50,000 ST holders and many more thousands on the waiting list,apparently. I’d say we have had a circa £200m advantage over many PL clubs who have had to build their own new stadia and training facilities.
    I respect and appreciate not everyone feels like me and I would love to just sit back and enjoy the football, but it’s so difficult when you see the same mistakes repeated over and over again,imo.
    I’m old enough to remember the Cearns and desperately wanted them to sell to Sullivan and the Golds rather than hand it over to Terrence Brown.I also thought they were the best option when the icelandics went belly up! We are coming up to the tenth anniversary of their tenure and with no finals,bar a play off final and one sub top ten finish in ten seasons is a pretty poor return for a club rated as 18th richest club in the world!

    • Is this the soul-less bowl stadium 🙂 CH and Rush Green both upgraded at around £15 million. I don’t mind criticising the board for various things but if we are judging the success based on the fee for LS we should be in the Champions League. Life’s not like that

  • George says:

    You can call my fears prejudices and I can call your opposition to my opinion denial -That’s fine, you think everything is fine and dandy and I don’t.
    The real facts are we are in a cyclical mess, which coincides with the second season,if they manage to get that far,of every manager that Sullivan has employed and chosen not to build on the initial success.
    There should be an infrastructure in place regardless of who is the manager or what style of football we want to play,imo.Look at Leicester – they have a female CEO that I doubt very much that many know her name or,even, what she looks like – but she’s certainly doing things right or sorts out quickly if something is not working.

    • You obviously don’t understand. I do not believe everything is fine and dandy – that’s ********. They made a decision on MP and backed him which is what the majority it seems wanted. Didn’t work but whilst the board is guilty of stuff that in my view was not their fault. We are no better or worse than many other PL clubs. Sadly we have an inflated opinion of ourselves. He needed to step back as DOF, he needs to allow the managers to manage and he needs signing urgently like a right back which I have just written about. I loathe the stadium and wanted to stay where we were so please do me the courtesy at least trying to understand before coming to another simplistic conclusion

  • Peter Elliott says:

    Prejudices ? The club are a shambles from top to bottom no progress in ten years lack of investment in the squad a small squad because they sold off players who weren’t replaced and a home which will ever be fit for football while they still make money on their loans milking the interest payments the quicker they sell up the better

    • Yes prejudices. Not all share the same view believe it or not and many thousands don’t use social media at all so how about thinking a little more before sharing YOUR prejudices. Most other clubs can be included in your prejudice.

  • George says:

    This all appears to be a reaction to the upcoming fan protest and the media picking up on and agreeing with a lot of the fans’ ire,imo.
    Enter Brady and her defensive interview and,now, a big new plan to upgrade the scouting infrastructure.
    It’s not really about how much money they spend on transfers, it’s about this “winging it” reactive approach to running the club that is the real catalyst and it’s around win,lose or draw,imo.

    • No it’s not – it’s a reaction to a piece I read elsewhere and decided to check out. Nor is it a big new plan. It’s totally normal in 2020. Every club does it – new technology and TV changes the landscape. Unfortunately it doesn’t change the minds of those carrying prejudices

  • HammerHearted says:

    Hugh, seriously mate? What else are comments based on? The Allen rumour is a bad smell that just refuses to go away. Most of us out here are dreading his arrival.. if only because it means the dildo brothers will call it job done with a no pace wrong end of career midfielder and a goalkeeper they said was too old 4 years ago.
    We are a joke. 7th in terms of income in the Prem and spending less than several championship clubs, and buying elderly championship players to boot. I’d like to beat the pair of them about the head using Brady as a club.

    • I’m reporting what I have discovered HammerHearted. Allen is past his best and I wouldn’t want to see him arrive. We need younger players. I’m not sure what that has to do with what Moyes does with his scouring staff over the net few weeks. I se a vague link but this isn’t a comment but a report

      • Twitter – it seems to me – is the same sort of goldfish bowl where people go to moan. Those that are happy just don’t get involved and there are millions who don’t use social media at all so I can’t really accept that we, it or FB is a decent rule of thumb to feelings

  • mark wiggins says:

    If he’s hands on it’s worrying if the rumours are true that he wants Allen. We need some pace and we have players that can provide similar if needs be.. Would be a poor signing if that hapoens se yes we need scouts.

  • Robert Bass says:

    Another site said sons of Pellegrini and Husillos used as scouts.

  • The Cat says:

    Going forward, we need structure and a LONG TERM strategy as this seems a little ad-hoc and cobbled together. I can understand the problems caused by a change of manager but the scouting network and strategy should be at the CORE of this club not to be affected by the change of a manager.
    THIS may be the reason why we Always seem behind the game in the transfer market and why it’s so EASY for agents to do a bit of kite flying with our name attached.
    What players have Mr Cooke uncovered? What is his reputation within the game?
    Anyone linked with this club NEVER seems to be a top draw or cutting edge appointment. IF we intend to move forward, there needs to be joined-up thinking and a long term strategy.
    Also, whilst it is admirable that Mr Moyes wants to see every player FIRST HAND, it is also IMPOSSIBLE as the First Team manager to do so…….. Which means, he HAS to trust his scouts and network implicitly as it is the Early Bird which catches the worm….. The Board ALSO have to be part of this trusted system for it to work and propel this club forward. This club needs to back up the ACADEMY Boast, with action and production!

    • Manager’s appoint their own coaches, backroom team scouts analysts mate

      • The Cat says:

        They may do ALL of that, but if the club is going to hire and fire coaches as often as we have been in recent years without continuity…….. It spells ONE thing….. and that isn’t Success!

      • James Gunn says:

        Do they? Southampton have 30 scouts – are you telling me that Hassenhuttl appointed every single one? And no, they don’t appoint scouts, because they have a DOF/Head of Recruitment which hires the scouts – they set the style of play, the long-term philosophy and the scouts find players to match that philosophy. That’s how clubs are supposed to be run.

        • There’s absolutely no need for 30 paid scouts as explained. The MP/MH thing didn’t work for which you will naturally blame to board. I’ve reported what’s happening. There’s no need for 30 bloody scouts on full pay – the days of blokes going to matches in flat caps to scout every player are gone. If that’s how Saints waster their money I’m not surprised this properly run club isn’t higher than 12th

        • I’ll assume you have that comment as a template. I think it’s the fourth time I’ve read it

          • James Gunn says:

            Hi Hugh, it was more in reference to the fact that they seem to make big profits on players signed for little (Van Dijk, Lallana, Clyne etc), so seems like a good model to follow. Perhaps Brentford is a better example, seeing as they have a much more professional scouting system than we do.

            Also, in reference to your argument about managers appointing the coaches/staff, what happened to Stuart Pearce? Oh yeah, he dared to criticise the board, their ego’s couldn’t handle it so they’re not allowing Moyes to appoint the people he wants – great way to run a club👍🏻

            Oh and fyi, you take the mick out of Southampton for being in 12th – have you checked the table recently? Over the last decade they’ve finished much higher than us on average, qualified for Europe 3 times, reached an FA Cup/League Cup Final etc whilst spending far less – if that’s them ‘wasting their money’ as you put it, I’d hate to see what you think of our current model 😂😂😂

            • Right

              1 James: If Brentford’s way is right why are they Championship and it’s not what I was told by Terry Westley anyway.

              2/ Moyes would not have accepted the job on the basis of not being able to pick his own staff and said himself anyway that SP was strongly considered but he decided against it. WE believe who we wanna believe.

              Yes I’ve checked the table and for such a properly run club I see them six points and four places above us.

              Maybe you didn’t ready about the scenarios that are now available on scouting in the 21st century and I know for a fact we had scouts at 3 matches abroad last week and will again this.

              I’d like to see where u glean your info from although the outcomes of at least 2 clubs you mention are margianlly superior in one case and inferior in the other.

              Maybe you should also check West Ham for the last 50 years rather than your chosen 10. I note too u select Saints and ignore the likes of Leeds, Sunderland, Villa, Norwich, Stoke, Swansea, Hull, Blackburn, QPR, Middlebrough, Derby County and many many others.

              I have too much to do to conduct these Brexit type convos now. Catch yer later

              Please don’t repeat the promises on leaving the Boleyn cos they were aspirations and I agree it was wrong. I don’t like the stadium and believe it was a wrong move.

          • James Gunn says:

            Hi Hugh, it was more in reference to the fact that they seem to make big profits on players signed for little (Van Dijk, Lallana, Clyne etc), so seems like a good model to follow. Perhaps Brentford is a better example, seeing as they have a much better scouting system than we do.
            Also, in reference to your argument about managers appointing coaches/staff, what happened to Stuart Pearce? Oh yeah, he dared to criticise the board, their ego’s couldn’t handle it so they’re not allowing Moyes to appoint the people he wants – a complete contradiction to what you said.
            Oh and fyi, you take the mick out of Southampton for being 12th – have you seen the table recently? Over the last decade they’ve finished higher than us on average, qualified fo Europe 3 times and reached a League Cup Final, whilst spending far less than us – if that’s them ‘wasting their money’ as you put it, I’d hate to see what you think of our current model : )

  • bradyliar says:

    Just in time when the window closes. Sully must be pleased.

Comments are closed.