Ali Crawford

[Frankie 8,136]

what European rules purposes ??

 

To compete in European competition there must be a minimum of eight homegrown players in any 25-man squad. Not necessarily Scottish of course but that is more typical.

[RANGERRAB 3,253]

To compete in European competition there must be a minimum of eight homegrown players in any 25-man squad. Not necessarily Scottish of course but that is more typical.

 

Interesting. Didn't know this.

Out of curiosity where would that leave someone like Jordan Thompson who was at Man U ? would he count as homegrown even though he never played a first team game for them?

[Frankie 8,136]

Interesting. Didn't know this.

Out of curiosity where would that leave someone like Jordan Thompson who was at Man U ? would he count as homegrown even though he never played a first team game for them?

 

He's not currently defined as homegrown for us as he was trained by a club in another association.

 

He will be in two years time though.

[der Berliner 3,219]

While there are sure reasonable debates possible about this, it does get somewhat tiring if with any Scottish or "low-key" English player we are linked to, this "oh we need to do a lot better and that won't be good enough" stuff comes up.

 

When we have seen only this season that there is quite a bit of (unexpected) quality about there. That a decent manager can get quite a bit out of players of assumingly mediocre or sub-Rangers-quality, that these same players can still develop (with the right team about them) and possibly rise to the next challenge. That we do not know what the future will hold or what sort of other players we have in our sights. And finally, we should, Europe aside, still keep in mind where we are and where we will play next season. We should sure look to improve, but likewise keep our feet on the ground accordingly.

[Frankie 8,136]

While there are sure reasonable debates possible about this, it does get somewhat tiring if with any Scottish or "low-key" English player we are linked to, this "oh we need to do a lot better and that won't be good enough" stuff comes up.

 

When we have seen only this season that there is quite a bit of (unexpected) quality about there. That a decent manager can get quite a bit out of players of assumingly mediocre or sub-Rangers-quality, that these same players can still develop (with the right team about them) and possibly rise to the next challenge. That we do not know what the future will hold or what sort of other players we have in our sights. And finally, we should, Europe aside, still keep in mind where we are and where we will play next season. We should sure look to improve, but likewise keep our feet on the ground accordingly.

 

There's also our system to think about.

 

For example, Wes Foderingham will have been signed not just because he appears to be a very competent 'keeper per se but because one of his main strengths is his excellent ability on the ball. There won't be a huge amount of keepers with such a virtue so while Keeper A at club X may be a more obvious target, it may be Keeper B and Club Y is more appropriate to us.

 

The same can be said for defenders and that's why Wilson and Kiernan will have been signed over other players. Similarly, we can't expect us to sign five poachers when we only play with one centre-forward who is expected to play deeper and perhaps not be relied on to score 30 goals a season.

 

Finally it should be a positive that we're able to find bargains - not a criticism - when the resources and reputation of our club and national league are decreasing. Sure not every player will be a success and it's healthy to question any links but, so far at least, the manager and his team have earned the benefit of the doubt.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Frankie

[Ser Barristan Selmy 222]

While there are sure reasonable debates possible about this, it does get somewhat tiring if with any Scottish or "low-key" English player we are linked to, this "oh we need to do a lot better and that won't be good enough" stuff comes up.

 

When we have seen only this season that there is quite a bit of (unexpected) quality about there. That a decent manager can get quite a bit out of players of assumingly mediocre or sub-Rangers-quality, that these same players can still develop (with the right team about them) and possibly rise to the next challenge. That we do not know what the future will hold or what sort of other players we have in our sights. And finally, we should, Europe aside, still keep in mind where we are and where we will play next season. We should sure look to improve, but likewise keep our feet on the ground accordingly.

There's a pretty significant difference in the lower English and Scottish leagues.

[Frankie 8,136]

There's a pretty significant difference in the lower English and Scottish leagues.

 

As a general rule that may be true but the whole point of scouting is to find affordable players who can fit into our team.

 

It may be signing a wonderkid on loan from Arsenal fits best or a former £3m player from a League One outfit who has lost their way needs man-managed better or a Scottish player who has shown up well at a smaller team over 2-3 seasons might be worth the opportunity. Now and again, even a player in their mid 30s might be useful for their overall experience.

 

Writing someone off just because they're a certain age or from a certain club/league just seems counter-productive and I'd be disappointed if our scouting team did that.

 

Of course a Crawford or a Windass won't have us excited in the same way a Gazza or Laudrup did but writing them off before they've even had the chance to show what they can do seems very impatient at best and an inability to grasp the bigger picture.

[Ser Barristan Selmy 222]

As a general rule that may be true but the whole point of scouting is to find affordable players who can fit into our team.

 

It may be signing a wonderkid on loan from Arsenal fits best or a former £3m player from a League One outfit who has lost their way needs man-managed better or a Scottish player who has shown up well at a smaller team over 2-3 seasons might be worth the opportunity. Now and again, even a player in their mid 30s might be useful for their overall experience.

 

Writing someone off just because they're a certain age or from a certain club/league just seems counter-productive and I'd be disappointed if our scouting team did that.

 

Of course a Crawford or a Windass won't have us excited in the same way a Gazza or Laudrup did but writing them off before they've even had the chance to show what they can do seems very impatient at best and an inability to grasp the bigger picture.

I would like to see our scouting network covering all levels globally where possible. In this instance though as I said a nigh on 25 year old midfielder plying his trade near the bottom of the SPL doesn't fill me with much optimism. From what I can see he hasn't been capped at any level internationally either. The Scottish leagues in general aren't something I would be focusing on much; we consistently see players playing well for other Scottish clubs only to be way below the required standard with us. Sone Aluko would be a recent notable exception, though he had shown in Europe against Bayern Munich that he had considerable potential, not to mention he played for England at youth levels.

 

If Ali Crawford was that good I doubt he would be playing for Hamilton at 24, but we shall see.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Ser Barristan Selmy

[Frankie 8,136]

I would like to see our scouting network covering all levels globally where possible. In this instance though as I said a nigh on 25 year old midfielder plying his trade in the Scottish second tier doesn't fill me with much optimism. From what I can see he hasn't been capped at any level internationally either. The Scottish leagues in general aren't something I would be focusing on much; we consistently see players playing well for other Scottish clubs only to be way below the required standard with us. Sone Aluko would be a recent notable exception, though he had shown in Europe against Bayern Munich that he had considerable potential, not to mention he played for England at youth levels.

 

If Ali Crawford was that good I doubt he would be playing for Hamilton at 24, but we shall see.

 

Global scouting is expensive but is certainly something we should aspire to but, again, doesn't necessarily mean any player we sign will be known to us or any better than anyone else.

 

A more recent example of a similar signing to Crawford is O'Halloran who doesn't have many caps and is slightly older but looks reasonable enough so far. Are any of these players better or worse (or more of a risk) than a Mladenovic or a Peralta who were internationalists?

 

There's also the argument that a domestic player will adapt easier than a foreign one but that's also a responsibility of the scout.

 

It's all about finding balance and value. So far I'm hopeful we're achieving both.

[Ser Barristan Selmy 222]

Global scouting is expensive but is certainly something we should aspire to but, again, doesn't necessarily mean any player we sign will be known to us or any better than anyone else.

 

A more recent example of a similar signing to Crawford is O'Halloran who doesn't have many caps and is slightly older but looks reasonable enough so far. Are any of these players better or worse (or more of a risk) than a Mladenovic or a Peralta who were internationalists?

 

There's also the argument that a domestic player will adapt easier than a foreign one but that's also a responsibility of the scout.

 

It's all about finding balance and value. So far I'm hopeful we're achieving both.

By wanting a global scouting network - even if it's a pipe dream - I'm including covering the Scottish leagues. It's important we bring through and sign some decent domestic players but I want us to be casting our net wider too: the performances in recent European trophies shows where the best talent and coaching methods are. I should add that I had a brain fart and said Hamilton were in the second tier . I should perhaps clarify my position and say that I don't think you would find many decent approaching 25 year olds at a club like Hamilton, particularly more offensive players like Crawford who tend to peak earlier, but we shall see.