As the patience has declined over the tenure of managers, so has the willingness to develop players. There's a moaninho school of management, that requires a ready made player of skillset 'a' to fit into slot 'a'. What was so brilliant about the Clough/Taylor model was to identify players with skillset 'a', that could be modified to fit slot 'b'.
What makes up a player? Well, it's how do they run, and how can they kick. What sort of athlete they are, which determines the level that they can play at...and what can they do with and without the ball - that's how you can deploy them to fit with your shape and attacking plan.
In the last year or so the calibre of athlete that we have signed has gone up. The kicking skillset that we look for is 'can move the ball on quickly'. It's why MGW suits us better than, say, a Maddison might. MGW moves the ball quickly, with a degree of risk, but when it comes off it plays to the pace that we have around him. Maddison diddles around on the ball, drawing defenders in, and popping it into the spaces. Which in our case would mean that defences are now set around him, but is the skillset you need in a 'bigger' club, more dominant on the ball, with a heavier requirement to break down set defences.
It is entirely possible that a player can be a 'failure' at one club, because their skillset doesn't match the pattern of play, but be successful under a different plan (See angry Serge).
So I will be looking at what the fella can do. Look at what sort of athlete he is, how well he defends one on one, what his strengths are on the ball - does he need to slow up and pump a pass, can he play it accurately on the move, how quickly does he see a pass, what sort of risk profile does he employ with the balls that he plays. But also not go overboard until he's had a bit of time - Lodi I wasn't exactly overly enamoured with, when he started with us, by the time he finished I was more than happy.
Stat's can be hugely misleading, because they are very largely a function of who a player is playing with, and who against. For me it's what can he do, and how does that work for us. The trick with recruitment is finding a good candidate to fill the requirements of the role. Coaching/management is to make that happen. Sports science and treatment is to get them on the pitch regularly in the sort of shape to get them to perform their role. Fans play a role in creating a supportive environment for the player to settle and give their best.
I'll be watching him, not boing him (though he probably wouldn't hear from cotgrave anyway), and see what he can do.
