Mladens transfers

That is a truly awful hit rate!

 

Exactly this. Been saying it all season. Get a proper football man who knows the game inside out to run recruitment.
If Mladen keeps his job ahead of this summer window we may as well pack in. Bloke is useless.

 

Agree mate he his useless. But it helps when you are James Cryne’s bestie. Massive case of “jobs for the boys” and it’s foooking our club up. Get rid off him nar!

 

Mark Kennedy really?
Don’t disagree with the principal but Mark Kennedy!!

 

I never knew this until recently, shocking

 

Would never happen and probably too late but imagine a warnock or McCarthy in that role, connections to the club and know the game inside out, if only.

 

TBH, I think an ex Manager is the wrong appointment, if you look at most DoF they are either more corporate or ex players.
I’d rather see an ex player given a chance, oddly enough someone like Conor (not now)who was a fan favourite.

 

Not heard this before, what’s the connection?

 

He was an old Uni mate if I remember correctly. It was said in media at the time of his appointment, it’s no false rumour.

 

There is no point in sacking Clarke if this bloke is still in charge of recruitment.

 

James Cryne supposedly has no involvement in the club these days. I’d suggest he does when he’s set his best mate on playing Football Manager with our club.

 

I hardly know anyone personally on BBS, and don’t always agree with their opinions on our games/players etc. But I do reckon that 99.99% of folk on here would be better at spotting a decent footballer than good old Sormaz!

 

I know the club wanted to split the commercial operation from the footballing side, but he was employed because he could interpretate data we couldn't, just think about that for a second, we've employed someone to potentially carry us further forward and we've got massively worse, then there's the playing model implemented throughout the club, I couldn't even tell you what our identity or plan even is.

*edit that was the official line BTW, not questioning the James Cryne thing mate, as heard it the other week for first time

 

They must have been pen pals as one went to University of Birmingham and Imperial College London and the other the University of York.

They did share a platform over 3 years ago at the Statsbomb conference.

 

That must be where they got to be mates then

 

I'm worried unsubstantiated rumour is going to turn into folklore here.

James Cryne isn't involved in recruitment anymore. If you look at who we are recruiting compared to pre Sormaz, it's evidently changed. The style of football has changed. The head coach profile has changed.

If, and it's a big old if, Cryne had crossed paths with Sormaz, it doesn't make them friends, and it doesn't make it that Cryne was involved in his appointment. It's a small world in certain business industries and you often bump into the same person at different events.

Finally, if they were mates, I'm not sure it would endure after the point Cryne was pushed out and his algorithms changed or binned for another system that Sormaz is now 'interpreting'.

 

For me this summer and how we go next season has always been the one which will shape how I view the manager and Mladen. After a season in charge Clarke will know who he wants to keep and what he needs and it will be up to Mladen to deliver that. A top 6 finish is looking very difficult with the injury list but that could provide an opportunity. Last season all three promoted clubs missed out on the top 6 the season before and of the current top 6 in league 1 Charlton finished 16th and Wycombe 10th last season. For the first time in many years we will have a settled management and recruitment team going into the summer. It’s a great opportunity but we need to get our recruitment right otherwise serious questions will be asked.

 

Just out of interest on what basis taking into account 2 failed Windows, a poor playing style implemented would you trust to completely overhaul the squad to turn us into a promotion chasing side?

 

The jury is still very much out, especially after the poor forward recruitment in Jan, but I don’t think chopping and changing every 9-12 months is the way forwards so I’m willing to see how we go in the summer after having a season to build into it. On the recruitment that we did do I don’t think last summer was an atrocious window, clearly not perfect but Roberts, Gent, Nwakali, DKD have all offered something and/or will get better with time. I think we can add Farrugia to that list from Jan too and maybe Humphries. On the style of football I think it’s alright, our current position is probably a realistic reflection of the squad so not sure I could justify changing managers. The summer should provide an opportunity to hit the ground running, if we fail to do that and the recruitment is poor then I think it’ll be obvious change is needed. I think it could go either way.

 

Eyup mate, I didn’t dream this up, it was in the media about a connection between young Cryne and Sormaz. Now how close they are I obviously don’t know. But it is a fair bet that he got a recommendation from Cryne imo. Whether James Cryne isn’t involved anymore is immaterial as Sormaz is now in place running recruitment (badly in my eyes)