Quote: Red John "Not necessarily. In each case, the people involved (the scout on the one hand and the representatives of the club on the other) are trying to assess the [ipotential[/i of a young player. Sometimes you get it right, sometimes you get it wrong, but to suggest this particular set of events is symptomatic of the club as a whole in that period is a bit of a stretch. In Charnley's case, for example, it would appear that Wigan didn't rate him too highly at that time either, given that they were paying him such a pittance. You can also cite the cases of young players like Scott Naylor and Matty Smith who weren't considered up to scratch by their respective clubs, but who Salford, under the same management, saw the potential in.'"
I don't doubt the difficulty in identifying young players. I remember Alan Hunte saying at Forever Reds how we had the option on Sam Tomkins but passed on him. These things happen but I'm happy to view the MEN article in light of everything we know about the club in that era and say, with confidence, that whatever good practice in this area is, we weren't doing it.
It would be more of a stretch to draw the conclusion that this area of the club was functioning well while the rest of the club was clearly not fit for purpose.
