Birmingham City name new chief scout while Lee Clark allays Jack Butland fears

MALCOLM Crosby has been appointed Birmingham City's new chief scout.

And Lee Clark said he was hopeful of finding a replacement for Dave Watson within the next week.

Crosby, 57, replaces Ewan Chester, who went to Norwich City with Chris Hughton.

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Watson also decided to throw in his lot with the Canaries after the Carrow Road club met the compensation figure to extract the goalkeeper coach from his contract and tempted him with a lucrative offer.

Crosby, said Clark, would perform a vital role at Blues – and was a talented and trusted individual.

“I have known Malcolm for many years from his time in the North East,” said Clark.

“He was manager of Sunderland and he worked closely with Gareth Southgate at Middlesbrough.



“He has good connections in the overseas market and he is a good guy, very hard working, and he will bring good continuity to the club.

“Malcolm is someone I respect a lot and I know he will help us in the recruitment of players, which is vital for any manager at any club.

“You have got to get as many of your signings right as you can, and I believe Malcolm will help me do that.”

Crosby has been an assistant to Denis Smith at York City and Sunderland, where he took over the reins and got them to the 1992 FA Cup final.

He has had spells at Oxford United, West Bromwich Albion, Derby County and was at Middlesbrough for five years from 2004, as reserve coach and assistant.

Most recently, after a stint at Northampton Town, he has been working for Oxford as head of youth development.

“We have got a network of scouts and Malcolm will supervise that,” Clark continued.

“A chief scout is becoming more and more important at football clubs because, as I said, you have to get as many players right as you can because you can’t afford to waste money.

“So the chief scout, who is out there on a regular basis seeing these players, is vital.

“Also, you have got to have that trust between chief scout and manager. Sometimes, with these transfer windows, you might sign a player on his say so.”

The lure of working in the Premier League as a coach was also a factor in Watson’s decision to leave Blues after almost five years.

Clark said: “First of all I am disappointed that Dave has gone.

“But when you have got good members of staff that is always going to be a situation where other clubs will want them.

“I have known Dave for more than 25 years from our time together as England youth players.

“I think highly of him as a lad and certainly as a goalkeeper coach. I wish him well at Norwich. He is going to a fantastic club and will work for great people there.

“So now it’s up to me to identify and bring in a replacement.

“That process has started and we will certainly get the right guy in.

“Whether he comes in before Monday, when the team begins training, I’m not so sure.

“But we will have someone in place by the time we go to Austria (for Blues’ training camp).”

Jack Butland has praised Watson’s work and credited him as a major influence on his fledgling career so far.

But it would be a major surprise if Butland now wanted to quit St Andrew’s just because Watson has left.

“That’s not going to be an issue,” insisted Clark.

“I have had a good chat with Jack over the phone and he was in to meet me yesterday.

“He is, alongside Colin Doyle, a fantastic goalkeeper.

“I have already gone on record saying that in the future I believe he is going to be challenging Joe Hart to be the number one for England.

Blues are close to re-signing Doyle, whose contract expired on June 30.

hootie63 wrote:Yes thanks to Chris Hughton the leech we are having to completely renew all our backroom staff and for that alone would tell him to do one if he comes calling for any players or at least add a few Million since non of the players he will come back for were his signings anyway . He cared about our club so much that he has seen it fit to come back and pick the bones from backroom staff through to rumours about players i say FECK off Hughton i so hope Norwich get relegated next next season.

Right back to story i really cant see Butland going anywhere he seems like a very level headed lad who knows he still as got a lot to learn and going sitting on the bench of a premier league team or even worse being thrown in the deep end and made first choice keeper could prove very damaging for his future career if it all went wrong in his first season.