Foreign Players: Question

When was the last time we signed a foreign player who did well for us??

Struggling to think of one this millenium, correct me if I'm wrong

Also ended the game with 4 austrians on the pitch. Nowt against Austrians but its hardly known as a power house of world football.

It shows me the scouting must be pretty one dimensional.

We've signed two this window and wouldn't be surprised if we signed more. Including Knausmullner they most be accounting for nearly 50% of recent signings. I appreciate the manager is Austrian but somebody spotted him at some point too. Somebody must just like eating veal schnitzel or have a relative there or someat.

 

Hugo Colace

 

It just shows to me that the spreadsheet system doesn't work.

All our successful signings have been ones that any scout worth his salt could have identified, as soon as we rely on a spreadsheet to find players from abroad it fails.

 

Think the motive for buying Austrian is most likely the transfer fees being cheap. Ridiculous if we add more this window....

 

I don't understand this loan signing at all.

 

Steady away, didnt kick on from us and that was over a decade ago but granted an effective championshipship player for a couple of seasons. The Hungarians at the same sort of time were moderately effective (and likeable) but that was again a decade ago

 

Bogdanovic, ferenczi, muller.... none in recent times tho

 

Tend to agree. Perhaps a combination of spreadsheet AND good scouting network would deliver some gems. However, with both how far geographically does one scout or use statistical analysis? Peru? Mongolia? Kendray?

 

I think they just type red and white into the spreadsheet therefore only Austrian and English national flags come up? I’ve no other logical explanation to the spreadsheet nonsense.

And to answer your question, maybe Vaz Te?

 

Ahhh for the good old days when instead of signing guys with zero experience of English football we went and brought in guys like Hourihane, Winnall, Scowen, Mawson, Mcdonald, Roberts and the list goes on and on.

 

Signings from abroad are alot more of a gamble

Our foreign recruits

Anderson - so out of his depth its embarrasing
Radlinger - doesnt save much cant command his 6 year box never catches anything, distribution terrible
Bahre- 1 good game every 20
New right back- hard to judge when struber puts him out of postions

 

Keiffer Moore - Welsh
Tom Bradshaw - Welsh
Conor H - Irish
M Watkins - Scottish
Adam Davies - Welsh
Liam Lyndsey - Scottish.

In all seriousness, Cavare did well last season - at his level. Thiam did in bits - at his level.

It’s not the nationality, it’s the quality and/or relevant experience.

 

Heinz Muller was excellent and Bogdanovic did well. Few and far between. The thing is at the level of the market we're shopping in, most players are gambles in the first place and for them to have to start settling into a new country and new football league as well, we're making it even harder to develop at the required speed to stay up.

 

Yes he was a good foreign player but just looked at Wiki, he was at Bolton for seven years prior to coming to us, so had acclimatised to the english game, hair splitting maybe but he wasnt recruited raw into the UK

 

So, what will work is ... I’ll leave Suppertyke to fill that one inl

 

Hourihane was the last non Brit. I thought he was quite good.

 

Problem is, any Austrians who are going to be pretty good have probably already been picked up by German teams, we’re picking up 2nd tier or really young lads, so are really going to have to strike it lucky.

 

Ok I mean other than UK/Eire players, but I think they were all signed from other UK clubs. I agree with your last line dubtyke. Premier league clubs can pull it off but they are signing top league players from major leagues so quality is reasonably assured.

As someone else has said, we have a combination of low league punts exacerbated by dragging them to a new country and throwing them in at the deep end

 

Signed frm plymouth (if memory serves) so already settled and proving himself here when we got him

 

(Sorry to be pedantic, but the three below are technically English):
Keiffer Moore - Born in Torquay
Tom Bradshaw - Born in Shrewsbury
M Watkins - Born in Lewisham

I agree with you on quality/relevant experience though, and clearly we're paying the price of not having enough of either.