This week St Bangkok concentrates on our new signing from the land of the rising sun Tadanari Lee
This time around my Far East slant really is a slant in regards to matter of the Far East. In particular our new young Japanese Star Tadanari Lee, or Chun as he seems to want to be called…..
My thoughts in this regard are who it is at SFC that is making the signing, finding the talent and so on. Some of Nigel’s previous signings have been shall we be fair and say unconvincing. Forte and N’Guessan are two obvious ones that spring to mind, but there are a few others; loans included who raised doubting brows.
However, in the recent two windows, close season and January we seem to have picked up nothing but bloody good buys that include the much maligned (in his previous life) Jos Hooiveld, Danny (assist King) Fox, the ever promising but seemingly never advancing his career Jack Cork, and now of course the far east fizz himself. Apologies if I have missed some there but these are just meant as examples.
Of course on the other side of the coin some may raise me a Steve De Ridder, but I think the more level headed of us may agree that he could be one for the future who is suffering from lack of a run in the team, confidence and all round experience in the English game. I still think he could come good, but may end up surplus to requirements.
So anyway, who is making these signings? There seems to me to be a quite clear upturn in the selection and their successes. If we were even to accept De Ridder as failed that would still be just one of many in the last 8 months or so, not a bad hit rate at all. So do we conclude from this that signing duties have been more or less taken away from Nige?
I personally believe that he must still retain a big say in who is in and who is out, but I do have a feeling that perhaps Les Reed and a team of scouts are more responsible for the identifying of the talent, perhaps then Nige interviews them to see if the will fit on the bus and in with the psyche of the squad/club and if he agrees then off they trot upstairs to see lord high executioner, Nicola Cortese. The buck of course will then stop with him to thrash out the final remuneration package.
In any case, it seems to be working if the emergence of Lee is anything to go buy. OK, it was one game and one goal, but it was the sort of goal we have all seen him score many times on the youtube links posted on the UI forum, so clearly something he can and does do on a regular basis.
With that in mind, plus his clear twisty turny (a true footie mans expression) abilities, not to mention a bit of pace and a clear eye for goal I have a really good feeling about this lad becoming a new fans favourite, one that could put Billy Sharp on the back foot before he has started.