John Mousinho?

[Pompey1984+1]

He talked about it one of his interviews.

[Blue Walter]

I'd like to know more about recuitment and how much say Mousinho has when choosing the players. Is it a case of Hughes suggesting players and JM having the final say or not?

I’m getting the impression that Moushino has been pretty much told that what we have got at present is what he has to work with them until the next window
His comments today regarding strikers is that’s it we have Bishop, Pigott and Scarlett and that’s it for now
I tend to think that JM will be reliant upon players he has very little input on
He says what he needs for the team and gets what he’s given that’s our new model like it or lump it
He’s a coach not a manager he will get given players who fit his plans no matter if he rates them or not
Welcome to our new reality

I think the first part of that is probably true, although I do think we might bring one or two new faces in before the deadline. However I tend to disagree on the second part, while I don't necessarily think he will be making all the final decisions, he absolutely will have some input into the players we sign.

How I'd expect it to work in a model where there is a DoF is that Mousinho, Hughes and our recruitment/scouting team would all work together to identify targets.

At most clubs, when an urgent need for a player in a particular position is identified, there will be a combination of existing targets that the club has, looking at the data to identify other targets and players who are identified by the coach (or DoF) that he would like.

As an example, sometimes the coach might say he wants a centre back and the recruitment team would provide a shortlist of 3-5 suitable players who are realistic targets and fit the club's model. The coach might suggest another candidate (perhaps one that he's worked with at another club, or someone he feels he might be able to get on loan through his contacts). What varies from club to club is what percentage input the coach or director of football has and who makes the final decisions, but I'd be confident that both will have some input.

I'd say it's a lot more nuanced than "he will get given players who fit his plans no matter if he rates them or not", because I'd imagine if the coach really doesn't rate them then the club wouldn't sign them - it would be pretty stupid to sign a player who you know the coach isn't going to give game time to. If there's a good working relationship between the coach and the DoF and they have a similar vision for where the club's heading, these situations tend not to arise anyway.

I would think that the head coach would need to have the final say on what players are brought in to the club, or at least a casting vote. If it is the head coach who dictates the way the team plays I would have thought he must have the greatest imput into what he considers are the best suited players brought in. I wonder whether the system the team plays, or how it plays, is a joint decision by a committee of the DoF, head coach and other members of the training team. If this is the case it is not a particularly new or revolutionary step. A hundred years ago Football, Rugby & Cricket teams were all governed by a committee, I think Rugby & Cricket still are. So I would think the Head Coach is the main man when it comes to the playing side. I don't know, of course, but I can't see it working any other way. The ability to sign players has always been dictated to a manager or head coach by the people who control the purse strings so nothing has changed there.

I agree with Simon Jordan to a certain extent that it is unfair to expect a manager to deliver promotion without being given a promotion budget. If a club is competing with other clubs for promotion places who have been provided with a promotion budget it is not a level playing field. I am not saying it can't be done as that has very much to do with the talent of the manager in question. I do believe this was beyond Danny Cowley and he was given enough scope to show improvement on recent seasons.

[Pompey55]

I think that the 4-3-3 playing format is very much Moushino as I understood that the team were working with 4-4-2 in preparation for Exeter until he changed it
What i have found very interesting is that certain players who consistently started under Cowley have not appeared since the change Hackett Scarlett and Hume in particular so JM is very much his own man when he picks the team for matches it’s just I wonder about how much that freedom extends to recruiting new players

[NSRailings]

I think that the 4-3-3 playing format is very much Moushino as I understood that the team were working with 4-4-2 in preparation for Exeter until he changed it
What i have found very interesting is that certain players who consistently started under Cowley have not appeared since the change Hackett Scarlett and Hume in particular so JM is very much his own man when he picks the team for matches it’s just I wonder about how much that freedom extends to recruiting new players

That's right. It'll be interesting to know how it works. I get the impression Moushino wants a little more experienced players starting. I guess the club has a style of football it wants to play so coach and players are chosen to fit into it. Seems to be the case going by things said in recent interviews.

[Blue Walter]

I think that the 4-3-3 playing format is very much Moushino as I understood that the team were working with 4-4-2 in preparation for Exeter until he changed it
What i have found very interesting is that certain players who consistently started under Cowley have not appeared since the change Hackett Scarlett and Hume in particular so JM is very much his own man when he picks the team for matches it’s just I wonder about how much that freedom extends to recruiting new players

I think you are right. I am sure it was an unintended swipe at at Cowley when he said that the team had had too many personnel and tactical changes recently. He then is reported to have said that the 4-3-3 formation is the way the team is going to play for the foreseeable future, with flexibility when needed. These comments seem to indicate that the head coach is very much in charge of this particular area.

What I would find interesting is who was responsible for the identifying & signing of both Towley & Swanson. It is early days but so far these two players seem to be very astute signings so whoever unearthed these two seem to know their job. Swanson was signed very much in the Cowley era so if he was responsible it is very much a feather in his cap. Towler seemed to arrive in the period between Cowley and Mousinho eras so I wonder who was the driver was for his recruitment. Macey too seems to be an inspired piece of business and appears to have come in in the period between head coaches so someone else seems to be behind these moves.

[Betelgeuse]

Anyone seen the doors and wheels clip on youtube with Towler....very funny

[Portchesterblue2]

I am still confused as to why people think that any club that have a DOF / Sporting Director believe that the manager is a puppet that has no say over who comes and goes.
the manager gives a list of players he would like, the DOF goes off and tries to get them, leaving manager / coach to prepare the team

Is that my simplistic view that is totally incorrect???
I have never heard of a manager / coach saying they had no control on who came in or out

[Sam_Brown]

I do find on other forums the narrative seems to flit between:

A) "The manager makes recommendations and the club then seek out to bring those targets in."

and

B) "The club (dof?) make recommendations and the manager then gives his approval on which ones to bring in."

Maybe I'm being cynical but the narrative seems to change depending on who said poster is looking to slag off at any one particular point in time. I suspect the truth is probably a little or A and a little of B.

[Pompey55]

Think it’s maybe a little disingenuous to think that an opinion on how recruitment is being done is “slagging” anyone of it’s just a case either way that none of us really understand how the system works at Fratton

[Blue Walter]

I am still confused as to why people think that any club that have a DOF / Sporting Director believe that the manager is a puppet that has no say over who comes and goes.
the manager gives a list of players he would like, the DOF goes off and tries to get them, leaving manager / coach to prepare the team

Is that my simplistic view that is totally incorrect???
I have never heard of a manager / coach saying they had no control on who came in or out

No, that is not a totally simplistic veiw and I would have said quite reasonable. What I raised was who was responsible for the recruitment of Towler & Macey as both these players arrived in between regimes. It could be that they were earmarked by Cowley before his dismissal and they just carried on with the initial deal. If not I would assume that the DoF decided that both these players would be good additions. I seem to remember reading an article concerning the signing of Swanson that gave the impression it wasn't a Cowley inspired move and it was someone else who initiated it, I could be wrong of course.

[Pompey1984+1]

There is an entire recruitment team and coaching team - they work together. The football club are never going to tell us their inner workings.

In one of the head coaches first interviews he said as much I don't remember his exact words but he is part of the conversation about players.

[Sam_Brown]

Think it’s maybe a little disingenuous to think that an opinion on how recruitment is being done is “slagging” anyone of it’s just a case either way that none of us really understand how the system works at Fratton

I don't have an issue if it's an opinion. On other forums I've seen it posted as fact. Sometimes both sides, by the same user, in the same threads!

[Portchesterblue2]

didnt Jose say he had an input into Macey coming in?

[Pompey1984+1]

didnt Jose say he had an input into Macey coming in?

Yep - gave the impression he said yep happy with that. Get it done.

[Blue Walter]

What I also thought was interesting concerning an interview featuring Bishop. You would expect players to say good things about a new manager coming in and give a positive spin on things but it was interesting to hear what Bishop said. He was saying that the new man was giving the players their confidence back by 'simplifying' things. He said training was made simpler and the players are given simple descriptions of what is expected of them. I often wondered after listening to a Cowley post match interview just what he was trying to convey. I thought that the players must have wondered in much the same way.