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Phil Parkinson believes the old school scouting approach can still work for Wanderers.
Despite a widespread shift in football towards IT, compiling player databases and scrutinising analytics over the last decade, the Whites boss still has empathy for the man in the stand.
Wanderers invested heavily in their scouting systems during the reigns of Gary Megson, Owen Coyle and Dougie Freedman – but those at the club admit cutbacks impacted heavily on Neil Lennon’s ability to bring his own players to the Macron.
Parkinson has placed the task of rebuilding a shattered network into the hands of former West Ham defender Tim Breacker.
“I think the way football is going, there are a lot of people who sit on laptops watching games but, for me, the best people are the ones who go out there and watch in person, pick up things having a cup of tea at half time, network all the time,” Parkinson told The Bolton News. “Judging players with their own eyes is important to me.
“We have got a good team being pieced together now across the country and Tim (Breacker) has been working hard on that to find the right people.
“It isn’t a side of the game that gets out in the newspaper that much but we now have a web of people who are covering the country, geographically.”
Wanderers have not abandoned statistics entirely and still focus heavily on their own performance during games with the technology available.
But the human element is clearly important to Parkinson, who places value on the opinions of his staff. As such, Breacker will play a big part in any business between now and next Wednesday’s deadline.
The 51-year-old worked alongside Ian Holloway at Leicester City and also acted as assistant to Parkinson during his ill-fated spell as manager of Charlton Athletic.
After a spell scouting for Millwall he reunited with Parkinson at Bradford City in recruitment before following his lead over the Pennies this summer.
“We speak probably four or five times a day about what we want to do next but his remit is also to build towards the future, with the chairman, and looking at how younger players are progressing as the club goes forward,” Parkinson explained. “We have got to be aware of all those players who could become available at any time.”
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Despite a widespread shift in football towards IT, compiling player databases and scrutinising analytics over the last decade, the Whites boss still has empathy for the man in the stand.
Wanderers invested heavily in their scouting systems during the reigns of Gary Megson, Owen Coyle and Dougie Freedman – but those at the club admit cutbacks impacted heavily on Neil Lennon’s ability to bring his own players to the Macron.
Parkinson has placed the task of rebuilding a shattered network into the hands of former West Ham defender Tim Breacker.
“I think the way football is going, there are a lot of people who sit on laptops watching games but, for me, the best people are the ones who go out there and watch in person, pick up things having a cup of tea at half time, network all the time,” Parkinson told The Bolton News. “Judging players with their own eyes is important to me.
“We have got a good team being pieced together now across the country and Tim (Breacker) has been working hard on that to find the right people.
“It isn’t a side of the game that gets out in the newspaper that much but we now have a web of people who are covering the country, geographically.”
Wanderers have not abandoned statistics entirely and still focus heavily on their own performance during games with the technology available.
But the human element is clearly important to Parkinson, who places value on the opinions of his staff. As such, Breacker will play a big part in any business between now and next Wednesday’s deadline.
The 51-year-old worked alongside Ian Holloway at Leicester City and also acted as assistant to Parkinson during his ill-fated spell as manager of Charlton Athletic.
After a spell scouting for Millwall he reunited with Parkinson at Bradford City in recruitment before following his lead over the Pennies this summer.
“We speak probably four or five times a day about what we want to do next but his remit is also to build towards the future, with the chairman, and looking at how younger players are progressing as the club goes forward,” Parkinson explained. “We have got to be aware of all those players who could become available at any time.”
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