One could argue that Torquay to Newton Abbot is hardly scouting…. This would indicate that last year’s management / coaching staff didn’t ever bother looking very locally!
How did we discover Archer miles in Sussex….? A recommendation rather than us actually spotting him one assumes?
The Australian lad who was playing at Newton had already been tentatively offered deals at top clubs a year ago. That is why the family suddenly moved back to the UK after his game against West Ham. In OZ he had been been playing for Perth FC in the A League which is a higher level than Torquay. Not a failure of scouting, just one of those things.