Behind The Scenes: The Life Of A Superliga Scout
A lot of football happens outside of what we see for 90 minutes on the pitch. This is one of a series of ‘Behind The Scenes’ articles where I attempt to uncover some of the lesser known parts of the Danish game.
The role of the scout is one all football fans are aware of, but few know the inner workings of, such is the secrecy with which they have to operate. So when I had the opportunity to speak to Ryan Winson, a first team scout at Superliga club Odense Boldklub (OB), I jumped at the opportunity to find out more about the life of a scout in Denmark.
Can you tell us a bit about how you got into scouting in the first place?
The very first club I officially scouted for was Boston United, for a good friend of mine called Richard Boryszczuk who was the Chief Scout. Richard is a brilliant person and a fantastic scout. I know a few managers within the English Non-League community and I had done little bits here and there for them such as the odd opposition report, or going to watch a player but when I worked for Richard I was getting work every week and really built up my knowledge and experience to the point where I was able to take on more work and grow from there.
How much time do you spend in Denmark? And what do you most like about Danish culture?
I’m in Denmark quite regularly (although of course not so much during Covid restrictions), most recently for the DBU Cup final (OB vs FC Midtjylland).
I have friends in Denmark so being able to see them is always brilliant. People who know me laugh as they say that I was born in the wrong country…I’m a little obsessed with Denmark. If you see my bookcase, it’s full of a mixture of books about football, architecture and Denmark. I’ve recently read and really enjoyed ‘The Year of Living Danishly’, ‘How To Be Danish’ and ‘The Almost Nearly Perfect People’. I’m a little obsessed with architecture too so I’m currently reading books about Danish architecture and interior design.
In your opinion how does the Danish Superliga compare to say the English or Scottish leagues in terms of quality?
I always find it difficult to give a straight answer on this one, because the difference in quality between the top of the Superliga and the bottom is so pronounced. If I had to give an answer though, I would say that the Superliga is very similar in quality to the English Championship.
Why have so few British players come to the Superliga? It feels like for many players at say the English Championship level it would be an amazing experience…
When it comes to players at Championship level, I think in lots of cases, it simply comes down to money. Some of the better funded Championship teams pay big money for that level of football and players will, more often than not, go where the money is, especially in the case of British players if they are already playing at that level. I do agree though that the Superliga offers a level of football which would be a great experience for a player. There are definitely a lot more people watching Danish football lately though!
How does a season as a scout look in terms of planning? Are you looking for players year round and are you given a brief on positional needs or a broader quality/value remit?
Scouting never stops, it’s very much year-round. Of course there are busier times and quieter times but even when the season has ended, the scouting continues. Regarding the positional needs or broader quality, it’s a little bit of both. We know our positional needs and we focus on those areas., however if a player is spotted who looks promising but doesn’t fall within our positional needs at that time, we will still make sure to get as much information on that player and have everything to hand should that we have that positional need in the future.
How much do you interface with other areas of the club eg management, playing staff, etc?
Myself, not so much. I work for the Chief Scout, Ole Nielsen (who is a brilliant scout and a great person to work for) so my communication is almost entirely with Ole. Ole takes up the job of communication with other areas of the club and he does it fantastically well.
It feels like there is still a huge amount of value for teams in the top 5 European leagues prepared to take a slight gamble and miss out the middleman of Belgium/Netherlands. Is that accurate?
If you look at transfers from Denmark over the last year or two, you see that clubs from the top leagues or very big clubs outside of those leagues are watching Danish football closely. Jesper Lindström to Eintracht Frankfurt, Mohamed Daramy to Ajax, Oliver Christensen to Hertha Berlin, Jonas Wind to Wolfsburg, Kamaldeen Sulemana to Stade Rennais, Wahid Faghir to Stuttgart, Jens Cajuste to Stade Reims and Frank Onyeka to Brentford for example. These are a handful of examples of players who have recently gone from Denmark, into big European leagues or to a huge club in the case of Daramy. There are lots of good players in Denmark, and I know from speaking to scouts elsewhere in the world that they actively watch Danish football.
How do players like Mihajlo Ivancevic show up on your radar? Is it simply a case of watching a lot of football or something more scientific?
It’s a little bit of both, ultimately everything comes down to watching lots of football but there is also work that goes on other than just watching football such as looking at data, speaking to agents and so many other things. With Ivancevic I think we have signed a player who will be one of the best defenders in the Superliga and the signing is a testament to Ole Nielsen and the scouting department.
How many times do you need to see a player in person to make up your mind on?
Sometimes you watch one match, and you know straight away, sometimes it can take a little longer. Although, even when you think that you know after one match, it’s always good to watch more and get a broader view.
I’ve got to ask this…have you ever looked up a player you’ve been scouting on Football Manager?
I haven’t personally, I know that some scouts do, but it’s not something I would. I think you have to be careful not to be too influenced when reporting players, I always find it’s best to report on a player as I see them. I think if you start paying too much attention to how Football Manager rates a player then you could start being influenced by the opinion of someone else.
A slightly broader question but in a world that is by its nature quite secretive how do you as a scout get credit outside of the club for an amazing talent you’ve unearthed?
I regularly speak to people at other clubs as well as connections I have built through my work and it’s these people who’s praise and opinions on our recruitment I listen to. However, it’s not something that happens too much as, like you say, it’s quite secretive and we keep things in-house. I do have some connections who work in football though who I speak to regularly and I really value their opinions and honesty. I won’t start naming names but I’m very lucky to know some excellent people who are kind enough to give me the time of day. I’m also very lucky that I work for Ole Nielsen who is one of the best scouts out there and a fantastic person.
It certainly sounds like you've got a great connection with Ole Nielsen. What's the biggest thing you've learned from him in your time working together?
I have so much time for Ole. He is a good person, and he is absolutely fantastic at his job. Something that really impresses me about him is his work ethic, this isn’t just a job for him, it’s a way of life. That’s something which became clear to me very quickly from working together.
Finally, who do you think is the most underrated player in the league?
It really depends on what you define as underrated of course, one player who’s underrated to me, may not be to the next person. However, whilst I appreciate that I am biased due to my connection with OB, I do believe that Jeppe Tverskov at times doesn’t get the recognition that he deserves. He’s an excellent player.
