Grimsby Town: Jason Stockwood shares three-fold approach to avoid repeat of recruitment shortcomings | OneFootball

Grimsby Town have had a tough season, and one of the key reasons for that was a somewhat mixed success with player recruitment. Club Chair Jason Stockwood is confident that the methods they're implementing will lead to an improvement with this moving forward.

It's been a long season for fans of Grimsby Town.

While the club secured their EFL status with a game to spare, all connected with the Mariners will be keen to forget the campaign and strive for better things next time around.

The reason(s) for their struggle need to be remembered and learned from, though, and it's no surprise co-owner Jason Stockwood is on the front foot with that already, outlining the methods of how he and all at Blundell Park will look to make those improvements a reality.

There are numerous factors and variables that go into a team's success on the pitch from season to season and era to era. One of the most crucial of these is a club's player recruitment. Not all transfers work out, for many different reasons, particularly in the lower leagues. But a combination of judgement and luck in getting the vast majority right often becomes those small margins that separate a successful side from one that struggles.

Getting the right blend of characteristics, quality and depth to sustain performance levels over a minimum 51-game (including cup competitions) season is crucial, and I think it's fair to say that's an area that the Mariners didn't get quite right last summer, and goes someway to explaining the difficult nine months that has followed.

Owners' plans for structured, consistent progress

Earlier this week, Chair Jason Stockwood used social media platform X to explain how the Mariners will look to approach putting things right in the current tough economic climate. Initially talking about revenue streams before commenting on strategic changes at Blundell Park, the club's co-owner stated "Costs have gone up massively, and commercial opportunities are limited. We will improve by working smarter and using data. The aim - be smarter and embed principles that improve your odds for (the) longer term."

Stockwood used his programme notes (see embedded tweet above) for the final home match of the campaign to expand on this, addressing what he feels went wrong this season and what has already been put in place to achieve better next term and beyond."For the season as a whole, the main mistakes I believe we made was, whilst we debated this with leadership, in reality we began the season without a 'game model', which in turn impacted our recruitment strategy.

Although our squad has arguably improved in individual quality, it's crucial to recruit players who align to a specific plan. Additionally, we need to place greater trust in the recruitment data to refine our shortlist, a process we didn't fully commit to last year."

The Mariners facilities, backroom team and recruitment staff have all been significantly upgraded since Stockwood and fellow co-owner Andrew Pettit's 2021 takeover, but the locally-born businessman is eager for all the parts of the puzzle to work in a more streamlined manner from this point."In hindsight, these are both mistakes we will not repeat in the future. We now have a 'game model' and we started to use data better this January with early signs of improvement (perhaps referring to the additions of Curtis Thompson and Doug Tharme, who have both impressed since their arrival) and there should be exciting step changes in this during the next window.

Although financial resources are influential, we are committed to a long-term plan and data-driven approach underpinned by strong leadership from our Head Coach and incoming CEO. While success can never be guaranteed, we believe these elements are crucial for giving us a competitive edge."

Mariners fans will appreciate transparency and planning

Most fans of Grimsby Town will continue to see the leadership style of Stockwood and Pettit as a breath of fresh air.

Their open, inclusive, modern approach is a far cry from that of previous custodians, as is their eloquent communication with both fans and media alike - on various topics surrounding the club and the game as a whole.

Supporters understand things won't always go to plan, but the admission of such and methods put in place in an attempt to eradicate previous errors goes a long way. It's easier for all to pull in the same direction when those at the top continue to strive for improvement with a clear, defined strategy.

The Mariners have a strong, loyal fan base that would love nothing more than to see their side succeed on the pitch with regularity, and with owners that continuously demonstrate their desire to sensibly and sustainably push on through evaluation and implementation, there's every chance of brighter times ahead for the Blundell Park faithful.