Town have announced that they will be taking a “a new data and statistics-led approach to recruitment” next season with adding creative players to the s the main priority.

The summer is expected to see significant changes of personnel at Portman Road with 26 players, many of them senior pros, out of contract.

“We are investing more into the recruitment area of the club because it’s clearly a vital component of any football club,” general manager of football operations Lee O’Neill told the club site.

“We have looked at what clubs like Leicester and Brentford have done for a few years and Rangers over the last year or so as well, with some of the Liverpool staff going up there.

“A lot of the bigger clubs are using data and statistics as a big part of their recruitment. The days of just going off someone’s opinion are going.

“It’s about identifying a player and breaking down the analysis to find out how you get the best out of that player and whether he will fit into the way you want to play. We will be doing a lot more profiling on players than we have ever done before.

“It will mean a lot of investment into the recruitment area of the club for sure. We were going to implement the new structure before this season started but Covid put everything on hold. We are moving forward now though.

“The manager will obviously be part of the recruitment process and improving our goals return at the top end of the pitch is clearly going to be a key area for us.

“That’s not just about the strikers. If you look at James Norwood’s stats, he’s right up there in terms of around the 18-yard box but when you look at Charlie Wyke at Sunderland, he’s got 25 goals or so but he’s had Aiden McGeady playing behind him with 12 assists.

“That’s what we’ve been missing and finding that creative element will be one of our big priorities.”

Photo: TWTD

midastouch added 20:15 - Apr 1 Why not send some scouts to South America? Although after Paz we might want to try somewhere other than Uruguay! Would be nice to see some Suffolk Samba football, that would get some bums back on seats!
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midastouch added 20:20 - Apr 1 We should reach out to some of the old legends (while we still can as they aren't getting any younger) who still have good contacts in the game and ask for help. They would want to help us. They still hold Ipswich dear to their hearts and I expect it pains them as much as it pains us to see how far we've fallen. I'd be on the phone to the likes of Thijssen tomorrow morning if I was Lee O'Neill asking him for some advice on recruiting in Holland. I would also be ringing Frank Yallop as I bet he would have some great ideas on how to help Ipswich break their demise. These guys know the game inside out, it seems crazy not to at least put in a call!

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istanblue added 21:16 - Apr 1 Sounds good, but anything with O'Neill and Evans involved will likely end up being a sh!tshow.
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billys_boots added 21:45 - Apr 1 This would be a great, new innovative strategy if it was 1991 rather than 2021.
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billys_boots added 21:52 - Apr 1 ME just watched Moneyball?
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Help added 07:51 - Apr 2 C'mon lets face it whatever the club say we are only going to buy out of contract players so we dont pay a fee.
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philpott2 added 09:14 - Apr 2 Good one Midasblue.... Adrian Paz. I thought he was a brilliant little player, skillful, brave, ran rings around the Man Utd defence...... But after 30 minutes of looking the business Steve Bruce nailed him, he went flying off the pitch and we never saw the same player again. 3-2 at home, having been 2 up through Paul Mason. I remember Paul Ince sat on his bum in our penalty box, in front of us in the South stand, thinking how wonderful he was and what a brilliant effort of his it was when the Town scored in front of the North! TWTD!! Like Ulrich Le Pen, lol, think that was about ten minutes of skills he impressed us with after his 7 figure signing. In all seriousness, didn't Burley and Sheepshanks review players extensively before signing them, ensure they'd fit in to the style of play, that their personalities fitted in with the squad and work ethic etc. etc. all came in to consideration, and was how we kept building and improving the team and squad. A big sale and 2 or 3 good players in, until the next big sale and so it went on through those years of nearly making the top division.

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wilnisfan added 01:10 - Apr 3 Hasn't this been an industry standard already for the past two seasons? The people are the differentiator when it comes to signings, no computer can tell you if the player is a good character or setting up the groundwork to convince them to join. Hope this won't lead to cost cutting exercises
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