WHAT’S OCCURRING
IAN HOLLOWAY
As clubs prepare to be afflicted by transfer fever, FFT’s columnist regales tales of his greatest hits and misses – and one or two big ’uns who got away. It’s all about trust, time and the powers of persuasion, says ‘Ollie’...
If you’ve had a good year, you’re basking in its glory that summer. But a bad one? Well, you’re just working your socks off to get your chairman to provide you with some better players. It’s such a busy time – but it’s also the one where you can make a difference.
Now, the big clubs are looking at players 24/7, with a giant scouting network across the world. Most of us have to rely on agents who we like, but definitely the eyes of people we trust. For me that was Gary Penrice, my team-mate at QPR and Bristol Rovers. ‘Penny’ had a network of people attached to him – because you just don’t have time to do that as a manager. The skill is in telling your scouts what you’re looking for, then trusting them to go out there and find it. That might be a part-time bloke in Portugal you’re paying travelling expenses to, or someone else.