Transfer policy has worked – Warburton
Brentford manager Mark Warburton has warned the club that they would struggle to find players like Chris Long based on statistics alone.
Long, on loan from Everton, scored twice on his full debut as the Bees beat Huddersfield 4-1 and returned to the top six of the Championship.
Warburton is set to leave Brentford at the end of the season after a disagreement with the board over the club’s long-term vision for player recruitment, with club owner Matthew Benham said to be keen on a more stats-based approach
“I first saw Chris Long when I took a Watford squad up to Everton at Under-13s level. We lost 4-0 and he scored all four goals,” Warburton said.
“We’ve tracked him all the way through. You’ve got to look where players like Adam Forshaw, Jake Bidwell, George Saville, Harry Forrester, Conor McAleny, James Tarkowski and Harlee Dean have come from.
“They’ve come from contacts and relationships, trust, and because of an environment we’ve created for them.
“The game is going towards including the statistical side more but you’d struggle to find any stats on a Chris Long, for example. It’s about how many games you’ve watched.
“If you’re looking at a more senior player then more of the stats come into play. It’s a combination.
“But the young players have come in and made a real impact on us and that’s been our model – to get young, hungry players who are keen to develop.
“Why is the loan model good? Because we look at them and they look at us. It’s like buying a car and having the first few months free. If you like the car then you buy it.”
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04/03/2015 @ 11:34 am
couldn’t agree more but the heading of this article is relating to life in the championship only..is Warbs suggesting that Chris Long is here on approval , if we like him we can sign him ? I doubt it ….It has to be remembered that Matthew Benhams policy is driven by the fact that he believes , as we all hope , that the Bees will be great again and be a force in the premiership , therefore our recruitment policy may have to reflect our new found status . I wish Benham all the best of course but it is a shame that Warbs philosophy means that he will not be the one to share in our greatness