world cup performance doesnt really mean much??

[dwn]

Now watching the premiership preview on FSC and they were interviewing Ferguson.  They asked him about scouting at the World Cup and his response was (in my own words)-

its hard to accurately assess players talent and abilities through their WC performance. he says the occasion is so large that adrenaline could get the better of young players and they might actually be a far better or worse than their performance indicated. so at the end of the day scouting at the WC is not THAT important or accurate for that matter. -

I thought that was interesting, since many players prob look at the WC as their chance to shine while ferguson, through that answer, seems to down play the significance.

maybe is just his opinion ....

[NYtriniwhiteboy..]

well i think it is a time for unknown players who probably would not have been seen by the big club coaches to get noticed. For our young players it would be good for them to get noticed and then coaches may keep tabs on them in the near future and keep scouting them to make sure the WC wasnt jus the occasion that had them playing so well

[andre samuel]

This is an excellent topic and one that every body should be giving their 2cents in.

Alex is totally right in my opinion, because although the world cup is a nice window for players to showcase their talents, it is equally important for them to be at that level at a consistant basis in order to really get someone's attention.

It is equally for the players who are seeking bigger contracts (like birchall and whiltey) to play well for their clubs than just having a good world cup.

The perfect example is theodore whitmore.  He had an excellent game against japan where he scored 2 goals for jamaica to win that game but at the end he was not snapped up by any big club!!

ah love it!

[Arazi]

to a point, it had many players who shone brightly at d world cup and thereafter barely do anything like a el hadji diouf, truth be told i didn't find he was all dat for senegal but he get rate for his performance and to date has done nothing significant in epl, however, to shine at world cup, the biggest stage should say alot about your mettle so i not completely in agreement

[g]

I think its more of an opportunity for a virtual unknown to get seen by a lot of scouts. I agree that the wold cup just doesnt provide the right platform to assess talent and ability on a consistent basis but to be even monitored on a consistent basis you have to be seen somewhere first, where better an opportunity than on the greatest stage of them all.

[Filho]

Fergie has a point, but I feel he playing it down a bit to make that point. Different coaches have different philosophies so some will value a great WC performance more than others. I think the WC has biggest upside for young up and coming or relatively unknown players. Also, I think many of the purchasing decisions are made by football directors who are just as interested in buying the next hot thing for marketing reasons as much as for football reasons ("Selling shirts...etc").

At the end of the day...purchasing any player has some element of risk. A great club player in one country could flop in a different league or even at a different club in the same league. I think if you are a talented well-known player...then a poor WC performance does not hurt your career that much. If you are an average or sub-par club player and have a great WC, some coaches may think it was a flash in the pan and still may not take the risk, but it certainly does not hurt...you are now on the radar and the increased confidence could propel your game to the next level.  

'Unknown' players may seem to get snapped up based on great WC performances, but in many cases, clubs already had an eye on them and if they did not, will then proceed to do a bit of a background check. However if you are unkown and crash at the WC..you will probably not attract any attention. So a good WC performance could only help...someone will always be willing to take the risk on you...or at the very least, they will all be watching to see what you do next