Scouts are some of the most undervalued people in football. The Sports Column caught up with one of the best, professional scout Marvin Shortman.
Football (soccer), they say, is a game that brings immense joy and pride to humanity–if only to forget reality’s forlorn monotony.
Courtesy: Active for Life
If kicking the ball around the sacred pitch is art, then artists constitute everyone who busies their lives in loving this immortal, gorgeous game. Platonically and immaculately understood, it brings to an eternal halt the life and space of humanity and time.
Yet seldom do we recognize true souls who sacrifice their lives for our enjoyment. I’m talking about scouts who constitute the backbone of the sport by replenishing its participants. It is my belief that scouts are the most underrated and undervalued people in football.
To get a better understanding of what it takes to be a scout, The Sports Column caught up recently with a great one, professional scout Marvin Shortman.
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Ravi: Marvin, could you take us through what motivated you to take up scouting?
Marvin: I have a passion for all things non-league. I fell across the opportunity through the Physio after doing some voluntary work (I was doing a degree in massage therapy). I started with a youth team and then moved on to non-league with Partick Thistle and Hibs.
Ravi: Define scouting in one word. How would you put it? Art? Science?
Marvin: Frustrating!!!!
Ravi: Do you think scouting is one unappreciated profession in football?
Marvin: Yes. And the game is now going more down the analyst and agent route.
The crowd at a non-league game, Hemel Hempstead vs Chesham (photo, @NonLeagueCrowd)
Ravi: Modern-day football is rich, unfortunately, and often monotonous in top-tier games. We’ve had enough of ‘at. Could you tell more about Non-League Football and the state of affairs back home in England?
Marvin: A non-league system is a great place for players who haven’t made it at professional clubs. They are now being scouted more and more. Jamey Vardy’s V9 is a great showcase for non-league players and I support it fully.
Ravi: My non-League team is Salford City FC. What’s your team? What made you support and love it?
Marvin: I don’t really have a non-league team, but the club I’ve most enjoyed going out to scout is Matlock Town in Derbyshire. They have good fans, good food, and it’s picturesque.
Ravi: Take us through your style of scouting? How many times do you watch a player before picking him?
Marvin Shortman (photo, ContactOut)
Marvin: It can be a long process. I may watch three-time max, but this has to be relayed back to the head of recruitment, perhaps a scouting colleague. Then it may go as high up as the first-team manager. I know he watched Alex Reid Fleetwood Town on a few occasions.
Ravi: A player’s mental strength accounts for everything and speaks volumes about how an individual leads himself onto the pitch. How do you judge that? And what’s your style of motivating–to keep a player on the song?
Marvin: I judge a player by how he reacts to situations associated with a managers’ involvement. I mean instruction and how the opposition treats a player and how players then react.
Ravi: Apart from Shrewsbury Town FC, what other clubs would you scout for and/or prefer watching?
Marvin: I would love to get a position at Birmingham City (I’m a fan) but, footballing wise, I like Tottenham.
Ravi: Football in England has changed a lot in recent times. What do you see as the impact of technology on Non-League Football?
Marvin: Technology has started to have an impact. Scout 7 and WY scout have become a massive part of scouting. Personally, I like going out and watching, but I also use YouTube to help provide footage to out Head of Recruitment.
Ravi: Apart from Cohen Bramall, Alex Reid, and Dan Newton, who are your marquee signings?
Courtesy: Football Education Center
Marvin: Non-League wise, that’s it. But I have plenty of irons in the fire this season. Cohen Bramall is a big one. He went from non-league to Premiership.
Ravi: What is–and will be–your contribution to popularizing Non-League Football?
Marvin: I think it’s now massive. More clubs are scouting after Jamey Vardy. I was reading last week that Raphael Benitez (Newcastle United Manager) is going to scout non-league massively next season.
Ravi: Lastly, what’s the advice you’d give to those who might be interested in taking up scouting as a profession?
Marvin: Be patient. Be prepared to be a volunteer. Keep your players’ names and reports to back up the players you recommend.
