Chamberlain gets the call to aid City’s push for the Premier
FOR many years, Cardiff City’s transfer policy has appeared — from the outside at least — a little haphazard.
So, it’s no surprise to see Neil Warnock stress attention to detail and value for money will be cornerstones of his summer transfer blueprint.
The Bluebirds boss wants to bolster his squad, both in terms of depth and quality, for a tilt at promotion next term. Cardiff have been threadbare at times this season, even if the current first XI – judging on the weekend’s display against Ipswich Town – seems strong.
The man charged with finding the perfect players to ignite the promotion push is Glyn Chamberlain, an old friend of Warnock’s and a former manager and assistant in his own right.
But what is Chamberlain’s background? And does he have the right credentials to seek out players capable of bolstering the Bluebirds?
At 58, the chief scout is very much part of the old guard in footballing terms. He was a professional in the English top tiers during the 1970s and 80s and later carved out a career in non-league football.
After coming through the youth ranks at Burnley, Chamberlain played for Chesterfield, Kettering Town, Hyde United and Macclesfield Town as a defender.
Chamberlain also had a spell with Gainsborough Trinity – the first club Warnock managed back in the early 1980s.
He hung up his boots in 1987 and has since become a manager, coach and (very successful) scout.
The 58-year-old has had only brief dalliances with management, primarily in non-league, but has certainly been around the block.
He led Northern Premier side Newcastle Town from 1994 to 1999, before moving into the North West Counties Premier Division with Cheshire-based Congleton Town.
Chamberlain would return to management very briefly after two years as assistant boss at (then) League Two Macclesfield Town. He was Gary Simpson’s No.2, but got a fleeting shot at the No.1 job – just as the Silkmen had plummeted into the National League, ending a 15-year stay in the Football League.
Chamberlain left Macclesfield just as Steve King – the man who masterminded that shock FA Cup 3rd round win over Cardiff in January 2013 – arrived as the new boss.
It triggered a return to scouting for Chamberlain; a field in which he had previously excelled during his nineyear absence from coaching.
Back in 2000, alongside his job as Congleton boss, Chamberlain worked as a scout at Fulham, eventually becoming full-time and working for six years at Craven Cottage alongside Jean Tigana and now-Wales manager Chris Coleman.
During Chamberlain’s time with the Cottagers, a high proportion of French players were brought to the club – mainly because of Tigana’s influence and the work of chief scout John Marshall. Steed Malbranque, Sylvain Legwinski and Papa Bouba Diop were among the more successful signings from the French market in Chamberlain’s time in west London.
Chamberlain then moved to Crewe and his tenure saw a high turnaround in playing staff at Gresty Road: Wales internationals Simon Church and Owain Fon Williams were among those to join the Railwaymen. Whether Chamberlain continues Paul Trollope’s policy of seeking out Welsh talent at Cardiff remains to be seen.
One thing Crewe were able to do with Chamberlain as chief scout was negotiate loan moves with Premier League clubs. Tottenham’s Jake Livermore and Lee Barnard arrived on short-term deals, as did Manchester United’s David Gray.
Another hallmark of Crewe’s transfer policy during that period was free signings – an area of the market Warnock has already successfully exploited with Junior Hoilett and Sol Bamba coming to the Bluebirds. He may look to do the same again.
Chamberlain left Crewe to become a scout at Burton Albion in 2009 during the club’s staggering rise from nonleague to the Championship. The club
were competing in the National League in 2009-10, but have been alongside Cardiff City this season.
A year after Chamberlain’s intermittent spell at Macclesfield came to an end, he returned to scouting with Doncaster Rovers in 2012 before moving to Burnley – his most recent job until this current role with Cardiff – and spent three years with the Clarets.
Warnock has revealed he will hold regular talks with Chamberlain, as well as Vincent Tan, Ken Choo and Mehmet Dalman, as Cardiff assemble their transfer strategy.
So what type of players might Chamberlain target?
Burnley achieved two promotions in three seasons from 2013 to 2016 and the Clarets’ transfer policy in their Championship days focused on acquiring previously unfancied players and developing them.
Players like Scott Arfield and former Bluebird Tom Heaton – who formed the fulcrum of Burnley’s promotion-winning side — were signed on free transfers, while others such as Ben Mee and Michael Keane joined after falling short at Premier League giants Manchester City and Manchester United.
All arrived on modest wages and would attract significant fees if Burnley wanted to sell them.
It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Warnock, with the guiding hand of Chamberlain, pursued a similar transfer policy in the summer.
Chamberlain’s track record as a scout is excellent and anybody who gains Warnock’s trust is clearly no slouch.
Bluebirds fans will now wait with bated breath to see who comes through the door in what promises to be a very exciting summer at Cardiff City Stadium.