CONFIMRED - Paolo Hurtado to Vitória de Guimarães

[maffff]

Get the impression Sa and Hurtado weren't Clarke signings anyway, more likely Pieroj's influence alongside the Thais.....

[Winston Smith]

You would think the club/manager would put some work in on assessing what a player is like off the pitch and whether he's likely to settle and be an active participant in the squad. Doesn't matter how good you are on the pitch if your performance is adversely affected by off pitch things/failing to settle/terrible attitude etc.

I'm sure Brian does this assiduously, it would appear Clarke, less so.

God knows how much our net expense on Sa and Hurtado has been, a cost that could probably have been avoided with some due diligence

I have read before about how much work some top clubs put in on finding out about a players personality, his social life, his intelligence etc etc. I think it was Alex Ferguson who I heard speak about it, said there have been players he was keen on but having learned about their personality decided not to proceed.

No idea about clubs of our standing though. Would be interesting to learn how much work goes on there


related - this beauty from Roy Keane on Robbie Savage:

'I rang Mark Hughes. Robbie [Savage] wasn’t in the Blackburn team and I asked Mark if we could try to arrange a deal.

'Sparky said, "Yeah, yeah he's lost his way here but he could still do a job for you."

'Robbie's legs were going a bit but I thought he might come up to us [at Sunderland] with his long hair, and give us a lift – the way Yorkie [Dwight Yorke] had, a big personality in the dressing room.

'Sparky gave me permission to give him a call. So I got Robbie's mobile number and rang him.

'It went to his voicemail, "Hi it’s Robbie – whazzup!" like the Budweiser ad.

'I never called him back. I thought: "I can’t be f***ing signing that.”’

[paddy20]

I'm guessing we didn't spend too much on English lessons for Hurtado.

I think this is where a lot of clubs miss out when signing foreign players. There appears to be little effort to help them settle. Think its time to appoint a settlement contact that helps the family buy/rent a house, take them around all the areas, help them with schooling etc. Its what some corporates do for new employees. If you consider the other costs involved in the transfer this would cost peanuts and having to move the player on later if they don't settle. Think I might apply!!

[Schards#2]

I'm guessing we didn't spend too much on English lessons for Hurtado.

I think this is where a lot of clubs miss out when signing foreign players. There appears to be little effort to help them settle. Think its time to appoint a settlement contact that helps the family buy/rent a house, take them around all the areas, help them with schooling etc. Its what some corporates do for new employees. If you consider the other costs involved in the transfer this would cost peanuts and having to move the player on later if they don't settle. Think I might apply!!

This seems eminently sensible if it's not being done already. Salary would be a small percentage of the players wages/transfer fee/agent's bung etc

[CountryRoyal]

Like Sa and to a lesser extent Blackman I couldn't really care that much.

We move on.

[Winston Smith]

I'm guessing we didn't spend too much on English lessons for Hurtado.

I think this is where a lot of clubs miss out when signing foreign players. There appears to be little effort to help them settle. Think its time to appoint a settlement contact that helps the family buy/rent a house, take them around all the areas, help them with schooling etc. Its what some corporates do for new employees. If you consider the other costs involved in the transfer this would cost peanuts and having to move the player on later if they don't settle. Think I might apply!!

I believe this is a pretty standard thing for most clubs already, though I guess the limits of the role are what could cause a problem.

[Nameless]

Imagine the sort of calls you'd get from Royston or Leroy at 4am !

[Handsome Man]

Getting rid and yet we allow HRK to put in poor performance after poor performance every week.

Talk about players getting too comfortable due to lack of competition.

MOTM performance on Saturday.

And he has really taken to heart the criticism about being lightweight.

[loyalroyal4life]

Getting rid and yet we allow HRK to put in poor performance after poor performance every week.

Talk about players getting too comfortable due to lack of competition.

MOTM performance on Saturday.

And he has really taken to heart the criticism about being lightweight.

Don't blame in, overweight would be more appropriate!

[The Royal Forester]

I'm guessing we didn't spend too much on English lessons for Hurtado.

The players earn enough in wages to pay for their own lessons, don't they? If a player really wants to make a go of it in another country surely they would do all they could to make their stay a bit more comfortable for themselves. After all, a new language can be an advantage for the rest of his life, not just for a year or two.

[Lenny The Tramp]

They sure do Forester, and I'm sure RFC probably do try and help players settle in. I know when Gylfi came over, he was billeted with a Reading-based family. For one reason or another, it's not worked out with Hurtado. Shame, as it looks like he has ability. But wingers are enigmatic things.

[Terminal Boardom]

Two managers have decided he's not good/ fit/strong/intelligent/motivated enough though. So why throw in a player who isn't up to it just to 'give him a chance'. It must say a lot about Hurtado that two managers opted to play people out of position rather than pick him. As I said, players have to earn a chance, not expect to be handed one on a plate.

So why sign him?

[Maneki Neko]

You would think the club/manager would put some work in on assessing what a player is like off the pitch and whether he's likely to settle and be an active participant in the squad. Doesn't matter how good you are on the pitch if your performance is adversely affected by off pitch things/failing to settle/terrible attitude etc.

I'm sure Brian does this assiduously, it would appear Clarke, less so.

God knows how much our net expense on Sa and Hurtado has been, a cost that could probably have been avoided with some due diligence

it seems there was something to all that DNA nonsense the club used to put out,

[Maneki Neko]

Getting rid and yet we allow HRK to put in poor performance after poor performance every week.

Talk about players getting too comfortable due to lack of competition.

im no gr8 HRK fan, but his work rate, and levels of attainment have been much better this season, and especially under brian imo

[Coppelled_Streets]

Another big wage going, HRK to follow this summer (finally). Clearly the focus is cutting the wage bill. Williams also posting pics of him and his agent.

[Nameless]

Two managers have decided he's not good/ fit/strong/intelligent/motivated enough though. So why throw in a player who isn't up to it just to 'give him a chance'. It must say a lot about Hurtado that two managers opted to play people out of position rather than pick him. As I said, players have to earn a chance, not expect to be handed one on a plate.

So why sign him?

I would guess because you can't always take a player on a six month trial and see how he gets on.
Especially with a young foreign player there's going to be a risk, and sometimes it won't work out as you hope.
Would be great to get it right every time but I suspect most clubs have a longish list of players who they sign but end up moving on without making an impact.

[bracksroyal10]

Getting rid and yet we allow HRK to put in poor performance after poor performance every week.

Talk about players getting too comfortable due to lack of competition.

im no gr8 HRK fan, but his work rate, and levels of attainment have been much better this season, and especially under brian imo

Agreed, although going forward there have been a lot of misplaced passes/poor first touches by his standards. OJ should be getting far more of a look in to that first eleven than what he has.

[Longhorn1970]

Get the impression Sa and Hurtado weren't Clarke signings anyway, more likely Pieroj's influence alongside the Thais.....

Goodness knows

[howser]

Complete and utter waste of money, who the hell is lumbering us with these guys ??

[CholseyRoyal]

I am sure the owners and in particular Pieroj are having a lot of influence on whom we buy and sell. I am certain I read somewhere that Brian had no say in the sale of Blackman, it was forced on him. That was a quote from Brian himself!