Blues CEO Mark Ashton has spoken about how the club goes about identifying and assessing potential new recruits.

Much has been made of the strong team spirit and close-knit nature of the squad over the last couple of years and Ashton, speaking to Life’s a Pitch TV, says it’s vital to bring in the right individuals.

“I think character is a huge part of it,” he said. “You guys [Life’s a Pitch TV’s legends-in-residence Terry Butcher and Russell Osman] will have played in dressing rooms where one bad egg will cause carnage, and we haven’t got that, we genuinely haven’t.

“We do a lot of research, we do a lot of media research. We look at a lot of social media, who they follow, who follows them, who their friends are, what their movements are, what type of lifestyle they live.

“And then we talk to people who have played with them, people who have coached them, clubs they’ve been at, teams they’ve been in. That grows more and more so you almost have a dossier on them.

“It’s a growing part. With social media now, you can do much more due diligence. The character assessment of the player coming in is absolutely key.

“[Manager] Kieran [McKenna] obviously leads on the technical, tactical side and there’s report after report after report.

“There’s more and more data that can be viewed now. But with data, for me, it’s always a balance. It’s a balance between the objective and the subjective. Data’s only part of it.

“We’d never sign a player just on data. The data will lead you to a player, or a lot of the time the data will tell you who not to sign rather than who to sign. It’s only very small part of it is the data. A lot of it is still on the eye.”

Photo: TWTD

Cloddyseedbed added 10:49 - Dec 12 Our club is now being run superbly. Well done to all involved. I never thought I would witness the success I was so lucky to witness in the glory years, again. Sheer class all through the club, thank you.
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VanDusen added 13:10 - Dec 12 How did Bristol City let this man go? He must have gone under some sort of total brain transformation compared to the picture their fans I spoke to were painting of him at Bristol?! Anyway - long may the sense continue...
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ButchersBrokenNose added 14:30 - Dec 12 I guess this is why he forced Norwood out? I always liked Norwood: a natural goal scorer, not afraid to mix it up with opposition defenders, and always gave 100% for the team. He gave an interview towards the end of his time here in which he said Ashton ordered McKenna to stop playing him, and that was that. I never heard any of the players complain about him, though. It's a shame, because I think he could still do a job for us, especially against the teams who try to bully our front line.

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Bazza8564 added 14:50 - Dec 12 BBN, Norwood had a 2nd drink driving offence and the club is owned by US First Responders, those guys are there to see the carnage drink causes on the roads. No question Norwood's banishment for a period and their refusal to discuss new terms was 100% based on that fact primarily.
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Reality_2021 added 14:57 - Dec 12 I think it’s great that they go into that much detail to get the right sort of player. What is a little surprising though is Brandon Williams, if the search is that rigorous.
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Billericay12 added 15:24 - Dec 12 MA is a top businessman. Norwood would never have been prolific in the Championship. He wasn’t in League One and his work rate, energy and hold up play a country mile behind George Hirst. No pace and got booked far too often for committing silly fouls. Good decision to move him on in my opinion.
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N2_Blue added 16:43 - Dec 12 Anyone still wanting or thinking Norwood could do a job at our club is crazy. These types were half the problem and Ashton is outlining exactly why we have moved on from that and look at the difference it’s making. No one is going to say on ability alone we should be storming the Champ after being in L1 last year but the character and closeness of this squad is such a crucial factor. I don’t understand some or our fans sometimes. Norwood would be the worse thing you could do in this squad currently added to the fact he is nowhere near good enough for this level. We need an upgrade on striker to cover Hirst but it certainly won’t be anyone of the character of Norwood.

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ButchersBrokenNose added 17:14 - Dec 12 N2 Blue: Are Ladapo and Jackson any better than Norwood? Do they belong at this level? What options does McKenna have when an opposition defence bullies our three forwards into silence, e.g. West Brom? I agree that Norwood's drunk-driving offences made it easy for Ashton to get rid of him, but there was no evidence whatsoever that he was disruptive in the dressing room. So, I fail to see how his presence would upset the current team dynamic. Also, it's OK to disagree with someone else's opinion, but you don't have to question their sanity.

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coolhand added 17:18 - Dec 12 So what is the news about Brandon Williams, Reality 2021?
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gosblue added 17:26 - Dec 12 We may not be the best side in the division but we are right up there. We’re definitely one of the fittest and that has earned us a lot of points. Character in football is about teamwork and a willingness to learn and to work very hard, we’ve got that in bucket loads. Mark Ashton’s F’in magic He wears a magic hat And when he saw our history He said I fancy that He brought us a few dollars, from our friends across the sea And now he won’t be happy til we’ve won the premier league There’s only one Mark Ashton, one Mark Ashton, walking along, singing a song, walking in an Ashton wonderland

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Gforce added 18:53 - Dec 12 I believe Norwood is now playing his football with Oldham in the Conference, no doubt he has found his level !
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cantona11 added 14:32 - Dec 15 You don't hear much from me now since Chambers finally left and what a big difference that has made in terms of no one is influenced by the great club man that has finally been found out for the bloke he really is!! didn't even find his level at Col U you could question what influence the man had on the club not a very good one i dont think. in contrast we have in Sam Morsy a real captain and leader in every rging he does who would have any of the old lot back Chambers,Dozzell,Downes,Skuse

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