Chief executive Liam Dooley revealed last week that Salop were beginning to use ‘AI-supported tools’ as they move towards a ‘data-driven approach’.
It follows the departure of director of football Micky Moore earlier this year – and Appleton knows the club have a lot of work to do to identify the correct signings.
“I think it’s a useful tool,” said the head coach. “I think we’re probably right at the start of it in terms of a club. There’s so many strides that we need to do from a recruitment point of view to get anywhere near where we should be.
“But having tools like that gives us that sort of almost bit of a quick start really to get where we need to be. Like most clubs up and down the country, you can use it to the best of your abilities.
“But at the same time, I’m a little bit old school as well, watching players, being there live, because I like to see what the body language is like.
“Stats are great and numbers are great, but I do like seeing people and watching people myself, so it’s like anything, if it’s used correctly, I think it can be really, really positive.
“It’s just getting the balance right.”
Dooley pointed towards some early successes with the new model – Ismael Kabia, Chuks Aneke, Brad Ihionvien and Josh Ruffels – though two of those also had previously worked with Appleton.
And the head coach stressed he will still be watching players so he has the final say on signings.
“If I get the opportunity to watch, that’s key,” he said. “It’s difficult these days, so I get why the technology side of it is so prevalent, because a lot of the time, the type of players that you want to watch and see, you’re playing on the same night as them, so you don’t get the opportunity to physically see them.
“In those moments, you want scouts who watch the game through your eyes.
“If a full-back becomes available, as an example, there’s no point just signing a player because he’s a good full-back. Will he fit in? Does he fit the attributes that we need because of how we’re playing and how we’re set up? Yeah, I think it’s one of them where if anybody’s identified, I’d like to think that I would get the final say on it.”
Subscribe to Shropshire Star Plus now for just £1 a month for 12 months for exclusive content and an ad-free website. Visit shropshirestar.com/subscribe for our Black Friday offer