As we enter another summer with half a team it got me thinking about our scouting system.

Do we employ, or should that be deploy scouts?

Where are they located?

Who are they?

Who have they brought to the club in the past few years?

Do we have people watching teams who are involved in some of our forthcoming matches?

Would Butcher listen to any advice given him if he was briefed?

Steve Marsella is the scout, and covers England, but as you may have noticed we dont have much in the way of scouts in Scotland.

Looks like we are becoming little England down at TCS.

Bigger talent pool in England it only makes sense to deploy more scouts there than in Scotland.

Finding players in Scotland is also harder as if they are any good, they will end up at an OF team or a hearts, Motherwell or Dundee utd.

Steve Marsella is the scout, and covers England, but as you may have noticed we dont have much in the way of scouts in Scotland.

Looks like we are becoming little England down at TCS.

To be fair, that is where Butcher still has the bigger name and will attract players who wouldn't, given their druthers, come to Scotland, at all. This new bloke who is meant to be on the way is up because of the lure of the management of legendary England centre half Terry Butcher at the Tulloch Caledonian Stadium. You can agree with it or not, but that appears to be the perception, plus, of course the chance to play in the SPL...and to further their careers as a few have done.

The fact is that if Butcher and Malpas et al make a decent fist of improving them, but not in enthusing them with life in Inverness and the area, means that they move on earlier than we'd like to bigger, as in more lucrative though not necessarily better, things, is that the fault of Butcher or just the way that the me, me , me world is now....or the fact that Inverness can't compare with playing for a team in a country where decent entertainment facilities, shopping etc is a relatively short car journey away? Not saying Inverness doesn't have decent facilities, so don't get on your high horses....but heck, I'm looking at them from the level of Forres and Lybster, not from the level of people who live in a country where there are abundant motorways taking you where you want to be at a fraction of the time it takes me to get to Inverness to shop.

The Rangers connection, up here, won't produce the same eagerness to be managed by a Rangers legend by players from other teams!

Thing I don't understand, isn't Marsella the Goal-keeping coach for ICT or am I way out of date? or is he the club scout? If he is both, who points him in the direction of the people to look at? Way back when, about forty + years ago, a few Premier Division teams, like Rangers and Dundee United had local scouts who had once played to a decent level. Seem to remember one of them was the manager of the Bradford and Bingley in them days, but my memory may very well be faulty.

If that is the way it works in England, why the hell is that not happening in Scotland? I'm sure that every member of this forum with an opinion as to how well players perform or how crap they are could more than adequately identify a player with possibilities to do a job for ICT.......so get out there...attend Highland League, under 20 and lower division matches and flag up absolute gems to be checked out by Marsella or somebody. I'm sure somebody could tell you where to send your suggestions.

Butcher has an impressive amount of contacts in the UK hence his "gem" finding abilities! Scouts are an extra drain on the wage budget, so im happy with the current situation of Butcher/Malpas & Marsella

Bigger talent pool in England it only makes sense to deploy more scouts there than in Scotland.

Finding players in Scotland is also harder as if they are any good, they will end up at an OF team or a hearts, Motherwell or Dundee utd.

I agree.

In Scotland they will end up in a team which gives them the money they think they are worth.........or the only one who wants them whatever the wages the eventually get. Pragmatism rules in the end.

Let's be honest here, ICT doesn't have the money to give players what they think they are worth, because that worth is not really within the realms of reality, just the result of their inflated sense of their own importance to the entertainment industry. ICT only has the money to give players what they think they are worth to ICT, given they have a limited budget and a lot of players to sign.

And if that means signing under-20s from anywhere on a year's contract in the likelihood that we are going to have to do the same year after year because we can't afford cost of living, or "we are entitled" increases to a full team of longer serving players..then that is the fact of ICT life in the SPL until attendances improve dramatically.

There is a young guy over here playing with the local PDL U23 division. He is from Sheffield i think and has come over here the last 2 years. he is certainly worth a look. Name is Ash Burbeary. Played for Worksop last season. He is one of the over age players allowed.

So the answer is that we don't have a decent scouting system in place. If that's true then it's a pathetic situation. There must be lots of talent out there who would jump at a chance of playing full time football for an SPL club.

Sounds to me that Butcher doesn't trust anyone to recommend players to him as he wants to do everything himself. We don't even need to pay for this service. I'm sure an official approach from the club to the likes of Pele would see him identify possibilities in the Highland League and be very happy to help the club out.

We are a shambles and I am bricking it about the forthcoming season.

Didn't TB run his own scouting company a few years back before it folded? This was when he was out of management, he would compile a list of players for managers who required his services. I might be wrong but it sounds familiar.

We are a 3000 fan club struggling to compete in this league. How the hell are we supposed to finance a scouting network?

Do any clubs run extensive scouting networks these days? I would have thought that with TV and DVD then it would be pretty much a dying trade.

Do any clubs run extensive scouting networks these days? I would have thought that with TV and DVD then it would be pretty much a dying trade.

Well at Newcastle, their chief scout and the guy who found the gems (Cabaye and Tiote etc) that helped them to 5th in the EPL has just been rewarded with an 8 year contract for his success last season.

I think its the case that big clubs in Europe can afford a pool of scouts or have scouting networks that can identify future signings however this costs money and basically is not feasible for small clubs.

That said i'm sure there must be some way we can identify potential signings without having to rely solely on DVDs or agents

If it is the case that Steve Marsella is doing all of our scouting for us then why does it appear that it is only England he appears to be hunting?

Given that most players have agents, and agents are out to make themselves a few bucks, wouldn't you expect that they fire off CVs to every manager who can read at every opportunity?

Re the lower leagues in Scotland where players are less sophisticated I wasn't really kidding when I said I'm sure that every member of this forum with an opinion as to how well players perform or how crap they are could more than adequately identify a player with possibilities to do a job for ICT.......so get out there...attend Highland League, under 20 and lower division matches and flag up absolute gems to be checked out by Marsella or somebody. I'm sure somebody could tell you where to send your suggestions. I was maybe in irritated mode when I put it like that (can't remember which thread I'd been reading before I posted that in this one), but why not? Why does identifying a good prospect for the team you support require that you be paid to do it?

Do any clubs run extensive scouting networks these days? I would have thought that with TV and DVD then it would be pretty much a dying trade.

Good point and that is how we ended up signing the wrong feckin Niculae :lol:

Now that has given me an idea and a way in which fans actually can actually voluntarily support ICT. We have a fan base which spreads across the UK and Europe. I go to quite a few games around the North West and I often think to myself that a certain player may do a job at ICT. I realise that wages, agents etc. also come in to play.

What if ICT came up with a proforma / template for information on recommendations for fans and make it as detailed and professional as possible. Then you open up a postal box to receive nominations - stamp paid by the nominee. You then just have a peek at the content, bin it if felt appropriate with no responsibility to provide any response.

If there was a degree of interest shown then Marsella could be sent to have a peek or video footage sought from abroad. Of course there would probably be an initial deluge of dross but the detail in the completion should then highlight who is trustworthy and who isnt.

The other "idea" which I am surprised has not been followed up is a "link" with a Championship club in England where we pick up the potentials to come through. At different stages I though that this was going to be Sheffield Utd, Ipswich, Wolves and Wigan. The positive "results" in the improvements in Golobart and Davis must have been taken aboard by Wolves and Wigan - perhaps it has - as my brother in law says that there is rumours that at least two more of their first team peripherary are heading to Scotland on loan deals. The manner in which Wigan is run and the football ethic would make them the perfect foil for a "union".

Now that is the type of "news" that we really need to give us all a booster injection of the "Hope" drug.

Difficult one Johndo......our fans cant even agree on who plays well or who plays badly in a given match.

It could be construed as "ownership" - "giving the fans a say" - "communication" etc., etc.

Id be into that IHE, but imagine the amount they would get regards going to watch players at a certain caravan park. I also think we should look at players from Iceland and Scandanavia.