Pompey boss: Ex-Wolves man can be key to recruitment

Yet you will never see him patrolling the Fratton Park turf.

Instead the 30-year-old occupies the role of head of recruitment, having been snapped up from Wolves during the summer.

Boardman was head of performance analysis at the Championship club – previously working with Jackett during his time as Molineux boss.

However, Jackett’s desire to overhaul the Pompey set-up he inherited ensured a reunion on the south coast.

And the Blues boss believes the former Loughborough University student can be a crucial asset in the club’s progression.

Jackett said: ‘Phil’s remit is to improve the squad, squad planning and identifying talent to bring to the club.

‘His background is match analysis. He’s had quite a number of years at Wolves and, in terms of analysis and recruitment, has good experience in a short space of time.

‘I haven’t gone with somebody because he has an analysis background, though, it’s about being right for the club more than anything.

‘It’s to do with the person and the individual.

‘I do feel Phil is an impressive individual and that is important.

‘Recruitment is key to any club and they have called it different things over the years, whether it is chief scout, director of football, whatever.

‘There are many different titles and roles for it, but in the end it is about good people.

‘People from the outside ask about the use of statistics, well it’s using technology which has been developed – and you have to do.

‘Technology has developed fantastically, so why shouldn’t football use it like everybody else?

‘That’s all it’s doing, it’s not replacing, it’s not instead of, it’s just enhancing.

‘WyScout can get you any game in this country and Scout7 will give you data on people as well as a template where you can easily work online.

‘In terms of identifying players, why shouldn’t you watch three games on DVD before watching them live?

‘If you have 10 possibilities, you can watch them in an office or at home first – and you might cut that down to seven.

‘Analysis is part of the process, it’s not a replacement, and there is much more common sense than you think.

‘In the end, you still need good people, good judges, and if you’re going down the wrong avenue you are going to struggle.’

Boardman was involved in last month’s hectic transfer deadline day, with four new players arriving at Fratton Park.

Working in tandem with Jackett and assistant boss Joe Gallen, it’s a partnership Pompey’s manager believes can be highly effective.

He added: ‘Phil has been involved with recruiting players in the latter stages of the window.

‘O’Keefe, Kennedy, Hawkins and McCrory came in and that was through a combination of myself, Joe Gallen and Phil.

‘Now he’s looking for other targets further down the line.’