"You wanted to speak to me boss?" A gleam of sweat appeared on Stockton's brow as he stood nervously by my side. I'd called him over during a particularly robust post-match training session. The boys were looking great, slick passing, solid defending... but something wasn't quite right.
"Yes Cole. Your form has been declining recently." Stockton's head fell as he nodded in agreement. It was impossible to deny - after a solid start to our first season in the Championship, 6 goals in 8 games, our main scoring option had totally dried up. It was now five games since Stockton had hit the back of the net, and some particularly poor performances have left the rest of the team in the lurch. Something needs to change, and he knows it.
I pondered the right course of action. Stockton remains our best striker, and really the only viable option in the current lineup. I'd signed Ivan Calero as a backup option but he was far from ready for the first team, and hadnt exactly set the world alight in the reserves either. I settled on a softer course of action.
"I need you to pick yourself up in the next few matches". The implications were clear enough - I'd let him know I was starting to think of him as a problem to be solved, and giving him a chance to improve before we had a tougher chat about his position in the team.
The subtlety got through ok, but he still looked to lack some confidence. "I can't argue with that", he said, still looking at his boots. "But I'm certain I can improve" he added, lifting his head to give me a defiant glare. Hmm. Well, at least he's showing some self belief. I'm worried though. My long term plan for this position was to use Stockton as our main strike force in the Championship while developing a leading Premiership level striker under him. So far I'd failed in my attempts to bring such a prospect into the club, and now Stockton was showing signs of stalling in his development. This is a critical time to ensure he continues to build towards his potential as a good Premiership level striker.
I pondered the best course of action as I let him jog back to his teammates. I'll give Stockton a few games to turn it around before giving him something to think about in the reserve. Time for an overdue chat with my head scout though I think.
I invited him in to my office. "Lyndon, we really need to identify a long term option for striker." He nodded. Now that we are in the Championship the board has given us a free reign to scout across Europe, giving us a much greater chance to find the real hot prospect we need. "Let's start with the best - I think we should look for a Complete Forward. A kid with great goal scoring skills, a good head for football and the vision to create options for others. A star for the future - real Premier League quality"
"That's a big ask boss. Do we have the budget to bring them in? Most of the kids we've identified so far in that category have been valued by their clubs at 100 times their book value. What about more affordable options? Last time we talked I suggested Rekeil Pyke from Rochdale. He could be a star in the Championship, and at 19 is already placed to get some game time."
"Pyke is not an option. I want someone for 3 years time, when we are in the Premier League. I want a kid that will challenge for their national team. We have Stockton, he's good enough to get us into the EPL. I want someone that will take us to the next level again."
"But the cost boss. Remember Mark Rose? He fits the bill, just 17 years old, equally adept at creating goals and scoring them. He could be the star you want, and I sent you that report back in March. You told me that they asked for 40 million pounds! He's only valued at 500k. The top clubs just won't let these kids go."
"Leave the cost to me Lyndon. I just want to know who these kids are. If we can't get them at 17, we'll pinch them younger. Or we'll loan them - once they've played with the boys here they usually want to stay - look at Donacien and Daniels, we got them for nothing after a couple of loans."
"With due respect boss, neither of those guys are in the same bracket as you're asking for now. They're great for now, but they are not up to the Premier League!"
"I agree Lyndon. We've got good backups for those guys though. And remember we signed them on loans way back in division 2. We're Championship now, and on top no less. Start thinking big Lyndon. We'll get there sooner than you think, and I want to be prepared for it. Find me the next star for our front line."
"I'll get the scouts onto it now boss. I don't know how you're going to do it, but we're all keen to do our part to build this team into a powerhouse."
Well, time to see if he can deliver. Where is that kid going to come from? Tomlinson's totally right - we are out of the bidding before it begins for players with real top potential. We've managed to bring a couple of great kids through the system, but we need more. I've been haranguing our board to upgrade our youth network but they can't see past the current season - they only want to focus on first team players. I had to threaten walking out to get the youth facilities upgraded last year... maybe it's time to put it on the line again.