[Hull Baggie]

Set to be named Chief Scout.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6341593/West-Brom-set-ex-Blackburn-West-Ham-defender-Ian-Pearce-new-head-recruitment.html

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/west-brom-set-make-key-15357103

[Mister AT]

Hopefully we start to see some rewards from having a scouting system again.

Cant remember the last gem we found.

[Powelly]

Confirmed

https://www.wba.co.uk/news/2018/november/albion-appoint-new-head-of-recruitment/

ALBION today welcome Ian Pearce to the Club as our new Head of Recruitment.

Ian, a former Premier League title winner with Blackburn Rovers, is joining the Baggies from Brighton where he has been working as Head of UK Recruitment.

His arrival represents the first major appointment from Albion’s new Sporting and Technical Director Luke Dowling and marks the start of an overhaul of the Club’s recruitment team.

“Ian has got a good background,” says Luke, “and he brings good experience and ideas to the role.

“With his work ethic, I also believe what he looks for and sees in players will work for us. He was very keen to join us - this is a really, really well-liked Club and he understands the way we need to operate.

“He has rejected offers to go to other clubs but this challenge really appeals to him. He’s very forward thinking and has a keen understanding of how management of a football club works and where we want to go.”

[Oldbury24]

“The scouting network we’re slowly rebuilding will give him our choices and options and ultimately we’ll sign the best player we think for the club, age, potential, whatever that may be.”

A real indictment on the previous regime(s) is the fact we are having to REBUILD our scouting network.  How is a club like the Albion going to compete at the top tables if we don't utilise a scouting network...that was a key component our recent success's which came from picking up players and selling for a profit when needed, so we could rebuild and go again.   

[Signor_Maresca]

Pulis decimated our brilliant scouting network.

Can't remember exactly who it was but it was an executive of note at a big European club who said when we think we have an unearthed a talent before anyone else we usually find out West Brom have  been keeping tabs on him for some time.

That's what we used to be like before Pulis, our scouting is in the bin now.  Hopefully this will be rectified but will probably take some time.

[BalisPen]

It is interesting that Ashworth goes to the fake Albion and now the surplus to requirements Pearce joins the real one.

Hopefully, he'll unearth some quality players like Gross.

I remember seeing our manager at the time Ray Harford on the Halfords Lane and suggesting he sign Ian Pearce and he laughed.

I think that was because we were skint he left soon after for QPR.

[Dexy]

Pulis decimated our brilliant scouting network.

Can't remember exactly who it was but it was an executive of note at a big European club who said when we think we have an unearthed a talent before anyone else we usually find out West Brom have  been keeping tabs on him for some time.

That's what we used to be like before Pulis, our scouting is in the bin now.  Hopefully this will be rectified but will probably take some time.

Pulis finished it off but the system was already falling apart. The previous Summer spree from Irvine and more to the point Burton was a shambles , too many poor names to list !

[Adder]

Yes, enough about Pulis who was probably no more than 40% to blame for any decisions on our scouting network.

Welcome and good luck Ian Pearce.

[chipperclark]

  Is Sir Bobby Hope still scouting or has he retired from these duties?

[SmethDan]

Is Sir Bobby Hope still scouting or has he retired from these duties?

Retired due to ill health in 2014 I believe.

[graka]

Hopefully with a proper scouting network we can sign a few gems whilst I accept not every signing works out at least we won't be signing has beens who work ard players our head coach knew.

[Standaman]

Our descent from being one of the smarter operators in the Premier League to possibly one of the dumbest started as soon as Ashworth left the building. Several opportunities were missed to reboot the operation but ultimately the twin calamities of Hammond and Pulis nailed the coffin lid shut.

To my mind the summer was merely an extension of the crisis management mode that the club had slipped into when we appointed Pulis it was very obvious that the cupboard was bare and we weren't operating to anything other than what Darren knew or what little had been left by the old regime.

We are crying out for a stronger coherent strategy for recruitment and retention but that can only be built on solid scouting network and this appointment seems to be at least a step in the right direction. Frankly Pearce has come in from a club that has gone past us in terms of recruitment.
 

 

[baggie82]

Hopefully he find us a whole new team!

[OldburyWBA]

Need to find a quality central midfielder asap, someone who can control a game, pass a ball, make a tackle. As for the defence 

[Signor_Maresca]

Need to find a quality central midfielder asap, someone who can control a game, pass a ball, make a tackle. As for the defence 

Wasn't Livermore meant to do that?

[OldburyWBA]

Wasn't Livermore meant to do that?

I have no idea what Livermore was or is supposed to do. Stupid thing is we missed him against Derby and I have no idea why. Huddlestone was the one we should have taken from Hull.

[baggie82]

I have no idea what Livermore was or is supposed to do. Stupid thing is we missed him against Derby and I have no idea why. Huddlestone was the one we should have taken from Hull.

To be fair Huddlestone is another very average player. Livermore has a physicality about him but not much else. Not a natural footballer who can dictate.

[BalisPen]

I have no idea what Livermore was or is supposed to do. Stupid thing is we missed him against Derby and I have no idea why. Huddlestone was the one we should have taken from Hull.

I used to rate Livermore when was at spurs, but he has been hit and miss for us. It maybe that is because he has been overrun and is being asked to do the running of whoever less mobile is next to him. Huddlestone did a very good job protecting the Derby back 4 when they played us, but he is in his mid 30's now too.

The one we should have paid the fee for imo, was McCarthy at everton when we were supposed to be in for him, and where once we would have taken surplus players at the vile like KP, Shorey and Ridgewell, we overlooked the dynamic Idissa Gueye who would have given us youth and energy in the mf.

Our recruitment and decision making has been shocking for a number of years now, since the scatter gun purchasing frenzy that brought in Blanco, Davidson and Samaras and co.

The rumour was that Shakespeare bid £25m for Livermore, and we rejected that offer too. I like what Dowling is saying regarding not being afraid to sell and being confident of finding a good replacement.

It is shocking the once in a lifetime bids we have rejected for Rondon and co.

There was no leadership there to accept the bids despite the noises made from pulis to reject the bids.

[darbolina]

Strategy is all well and good but it takes time to implement. Ashworth was successful at implementing a strategy whilst he also took care of the present.

This is what Pearce and especially Dowling will need to do in January first then beyond!

This squad needs a few faces,in midfield, RB and up front especially

[zippyandbungle]

I used to rate Livermore when was at spurs, but he has been hit and miss for us. It maybe that is because he has been overrun and is being asked to do the running of whoever less mobile is next to him. Huddlestone did a very good job protecting the Derby back 4 when they played us, but he is in his mid 30's now too.

The one we should have paid the fee for imo, was McCarthy at everton when we were supposed to be in for him, and where once we would have taken surplus players at the vile like KP, Shorey and Ridgewell, we overlooked the dynamic Idissa Gueye who would have given us youth and energy in the mf.

Our recruitment and decision making has been shocking for a number of years now, since the scatter gun purchasing frenzy that brought in Blanco, Davidson and Samaras and co.

The rumour was that Shakespeare bid £25m for Livermore, and we rejected that offer too. I like what Dowling is saying regarding not being afraid to sell and being confident of finding a good replacement.

It is shocking the once in a lifetime bids we have rejected for Rondon and co.

There was no leadership there to accept the bids despite the noises made from pulis to reject the bids.

Could it be that the capped one had certain "clauses" in his contract?, maybe a payoff if he left having been undermined..
Camacho was in the air and on his way ...that was stopped strangely, Burkes transfer at the very least looks odd

[GrGr]

Could it be that the capped one had certain "clauses" in his contract?, maybe a payoff if he left having been undermined..
Camacho was in the air and on his way ...that was stopped strangely, Burkes transfer at the very least looks odd

Yeah, something fishy with that one imo, and other happenings as you point out.

[costa blanca baggie]

Could it be that the capped one had certain "clauses" in his contract?, maybe a payoff if he left having been undermined..
Camacho was in the air and on his way ...that was stopped strangely, Burkes transfer at the very least looks odd

Phew! I thought I was the only one who sensed something was awry.

[Dan]

If our recruitment can after a summer of searching only resort to Martin Kelly to fill holes in central defence......at what point is this guy going to come under scrutiny for his job? Seemingly our recruitment team turns up the kind of names you would turn up in an hour of browsing wikipedia squad lists.

At what point is it going to be addressed? It's getting comically bad now.

And maybe this is aiming at the wrong person, maybe he's really good at his job and the club is merely ignoring all the recruitment teams suggestions - but then the question has to be asked why that would be the case either?

How hard is it for Gourlay to look around, see the clubs on our kind of resources doing well - Brighton and Brentford - and at least attempt to emulate that? Even if he failed it'd be something. How can anyone think our 1980's approach to transfers is a good idea? Either the recruitment team is not fit for purpose, or for some reason we only sign based on players Steve Bruce happens to be familiar with, which judging by our targets is not a long list.

[gazberg]

As Dan said. Another one on easy street during Lai's absenteeism.

Needs to be got rid of ASAP.  A useless wage drain

[Groovephil]

Pressure on him after today should be huge.

No centre forward coming in and I’d be saying goodbye Ian.