A great read this, about a man we don't often get to hear that much about. Chief Scout McParland's worldwide search for quality May 26 2006 By Chris Bascombe, Liverpool Echo THE eternal quest for 'the final piece of the jigsaw' increases in urgency when the transfer window, and chequebook, opens. For some at Anfield, the close season offers an opportunity for months, or years, of hard work to come to fruition. When Rafa Benitez parades his recruits at a Press conference in July, he'll be the first to acknowledge the contribution of those behind the scenes who, in some cases, identified the targets, or gave the thumbs up to splash the cash. Chief Scout Frank McParland is among the key lieutenants entrusted with identifying Liverpool players of the future. Over the last 11 years, McParland has risen through the ranks in typical Anfield style, without seeking acclaim or publicity, moving from community coach to Academy scout and eventually a senior position at Melwood. This year, McParland was hugely influential in the return of Robbie Fowler. Alongside the departing Paco Herrera, he also oversaw the signing of five of Liverpool's FA Youth Cup-winning side. Many of those who arrive this summer will have started their journey with a fax, letter or phone call to McParland's office. While Benitez is currently in the process of recruiting those who will make the Reds stronger next season, McParland's job is to ensure the manager has numerous options to choose from for years to come. "On the day after the FA Cup Final, the manager gave me three jobs to do," said McParland, whose mentor during his time at The Academy was the late Jim Aspinall, the scout who brought Fowler and Steve McManaman to the club as schoolboys. "It shows you how much he's thinking about the future and the importance he gives to this department. It's always going to be an ongoing process. "It doesn't end when we sign players in the summer. The fact the transfer window is open makes no difference. We'll still be looking at different positions and new players. There will always be work to do, information to find and names to check out." With football coverage hitting new levels, every fan fancies themselves as a scout nowadays, urging Benitez to sign the latest flavour of the month from the Premiership, La Liga or Serie A. McParland has more influence than most, and beyond the compulsory requirement of world class ability, he says there's one quality needed above others to catch his eye. "What separates the greatest players from the rest is their desire," says McParland. "If you look at players like Steven Gerrard or Jamie Carragher, beyond their ability, that's the extra they've got. "Xabi Alonso is similar. There's a determination to win which not all players have. That's one of the biggest things for me when assessing if this manager will like them or not. "He wants players who are desperate to play for Liverpool, so when you're ticking boxes, desire is right at the top. "When you come to this club, it's got to get into your blood, and for the most successful players it has. We've had a lot of lads sign here who were Evertonians as kids, but now they're all Liverpool through and through. "There's something special about this club which means once you're a part of it, there's no-one else." Fowler is one of the most famous recent examples of this, and McParland can't disguise his pleasure that particular 'gamble' paid off. "The scouting department was obviously fully aware of Robbie Fowler, because we've known him since he was a kid," explains McParland. "Ultimately, it was the boss' decision. He had to take a lot of positive and negative things into account, mainly the number of injuries Robbie's had. "Now you've got to say it's proved a success, because when you bring someone in and he earns a new contract, it shows it's worked. "Apart from that, we knew Robbie would be a fantastic player to have around the place because he loves it here. "It comes back to what I said earlier about desire. You put a Liverpool shirt on Robbie Fowler, and you know you're never going to get less than 100 per cent. "But with scouting, when you sign a player that works, it's very easy to start shouting about it. And then when you get one which isn't a success, it's even easier to say 'he wasn't one of mine'. "I'd never try and take credit for signing someone, because we're all doing a job for the club. No-one wants to buy adud player, and we've bought some in the past who haven't done as well as expected, and others who've done better than expected. "It's our job to give the manager the right information and then completely back him." As expected, there's more chance of locating the holy grail than one of Benitez's staff giving away the identity of this summer's targets. Suffice to say the leading candidates will be exhaustively hand-picked from acast of thousands. "If you're spending £1 or £1m it's the same process," McParland explains. "You never want to waste apenny. Maybe we'll know aplayer from television, agood scout report or because we've been approached by an agent. "Then we'll investigate and do our own homework. If the player looks good enough, the manager gets involved immediately. He's very much hands on. "There are an unbelievable amount of players recommended to us. Every day we'll be sent faxes by agents or letters. Sometimes you can disregard them because you know the player already, but there are some cases where you just don't know, so you have to take a look at everything that comes in. "You have the scouts you trust. If certain people come to us and say 'you've got to sign this player quickly' we'll know we have to move quickly. "There are good and bad agents, too. There are those who'll come on and tell us they've got a real player and we'll investigate it, and others we'd be more sceptical about. You have to prioritise." With Herrera leaving the club next month, McParland says his working partner will leave behind a legacy which will continue to benefit the Reds as they strive to maintain what is agolden era. "On a personal level, Sammy Lee was my best mate in football and when he left it was a big blow to me," says McParland. "Then Paco arrived and brought in a wealth of experience and taught me a hell of a lot about the job. He'll be abig loss. "He's got an energy for work. We've both worked on the same level with regards the scouting. I don't think there will be great changes, but the boss is always looking to improve the scouting side of things. "He's also a really nice fella, so he'll also be missed by everyone." http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/0500liv...-name_page.html
