Ash shines in a winning formula
Taylor fits right in at Dons side assembled with equal degree of skill and luck
EVEN the most refined recruitment system, assembled with the benefits of good scouts, sound sabermetrics and in- depth soccernomics, must leave room for happy coincidence. Just ask the manager who has put together the most successful defensive unit on Planet Football.
Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes has people he trusts, stats to study and a head for mathematics that gives the Dons a chance of spotting some of the best bargains out there.
When it came to the brilliant piece of talent identification that saw the SPFL Premiership l eaders l and towering central defender Ash Taylor, though, he admits that a bit of good fortune came into play.
The fleet-footed 6ft 4in stopper is now a key part of the Dons back four responsible for seven straight clean sheets, an achievement unmatched in the world’s major leagues this season.
Yet McInnes, who had the smarts to recognise raw talent and the persistence to pursue it, revealed: ‘I saw him at Tranmere. I had seen him play — but we were actually looking at another player. It was about 18 months ago and Ash was somebody brought to our attention.
‘The other player wasn’t a central defender. But we were looking to bring in a centre-half and Ash was somebody we monitored from January onwards last year.
‘He was also one we felt we could take advantage of cross-border with him being free, whereas in England he would still have commanded a fee.
‘When Tranmere got relegated it became clear he wasn’t going to be an option for them and, although he had other options, when I spoke to him I knew he felt this could be a good move for him.
‘Thankfully, that has been the case. I am delighted to get him because he is only going to get better. He is a boy who is going to have a decent career.’
After a slightly wobbly start to life in the North East, Taylor’s size, pace and reading of the game have added something valuable to a Dons side now on a seven-game winning run — that sequence of victories at least 50-per-cent attributable to their defensive meanness.
In an age of short-term loan signings and risky punts, he looks like an example of a more sound methodology.
Explaining exactly what goes into unearthing the good ’uns out there, McInnes admitted: ‘First impressions are normally right. When I go to see a player, the staff have usually already scouted him. These days, with the technology, you can look at a player at the click of a button, but it’s always better to see someone in the flesh.
‘It helps form your opinion seeing them with your own eyes.
‘These days you use all sorts of things, you look at age, stats, past injuries, has he been good in a strong team, or what about a struggling team? There are loads of factors. You have an idea of what you want, what type of player suits your club and your team.
‘After narrowing that down, you look for the best player your club can afford. Stats are a big part of it — but you wouldn’t base it all on that. ‘You’d be foolish to base everything on it. But, when you form an opinion on someone, it’s everything coming together. ‘Recruitment is a big part of things. You won’t get everything right, no manager ever has, but getting the right players keeps you moving forward. ‘Our chief scout recommends players but it’s when you see them in the flesh and meet them you get a feeling. ‘ Once you meet them, you get an idea of their hunger and desire to do well. We keep an eye on things i n the Scottish market but our chief scout, Russ Richardson, is based in England. He watches five or six games a week, first-team ones and academy games.
‘It’s important to be looking as much as you can because we have a lot going for us as a club.
‘We have a strong support and coming here is an opportunity to be successful, we hope.
‘We have a lot in our favour and sometimes the profile of the SPFL can be good for young players. Guys like Shay Logan, Ash Taylor and Scott Brown have found that.
‘ Yo u want to create an environment for players to come to work and it encourages them to work hard. Players are always desperate to be part of a club that’s moving forward.
‘Ash is a player who is going to get better and better. He has certainly grown f or us. His performances have got better and he is one, along with a few others, whose confidence is high at the minute. That also helps to bring out better performances.
‘The ability we felt he had shown was the reason why we signed him. He has good size — we are not the biggest team in the league by any stretch of the imagination but he gives us a presence and authority.
‘He has a good use of the ball, good pace and that helps us play the way he wants to play in terms of our pressing and, alongside Mark Reynolds, he has formed a good partnership.’
Every manager in football will testify to being ‘just one or two players’ short of his ideal squad; McInnes is no different, arguing that the success enjoyed so far this season is no reason to shy away from the proverbial knock on the chairman’s door.
‘I don’t think it’s harder to ask the board because of the position we’re in,’ he said. ‘As happy as we are with the squad, it would still be nice to bring in one or two.
‘Last year we brought in Shay Logan and Adam Rooney at this time of the season and that helped us at the right time. We wouldn’t be against that again — but they would have to be the right signings who can help us move forward.
‘January isn’t always the best time to get players but, if there is someone we think would help us, then we’ll ask. The chairman has always been very supportive.’
That stack of clean sheets and series of victories are testament to what can be achieved when a good manager and a supportive chairman get it right. Backed, of course, by the kind of scouting nous — and odd slice of good fortune — that leads to being in the right place, at the right time, to recognise talent.