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Director of Football - Printable Version

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Director of Football - slayer - 03-03-2021

Never thought I would say this but I think we need to get someone who understands football in the board room.


RE: Director of Football - TBP - 03-03-2021

Unfortunately, nobody has ever managed to make this concept work.


RE: Director of Football - Hammie - 03-03-2021

probably have to get a foreign coach used to working under the system.


RE: Director of Football - slayer - 04-03-2021

System proven to succeed at top clubs in Germany, Italy, France and Spain.

Also succeeding at Man City, Leicester, Liverpool and West Ham.

Bonus fun fact: Bournemouth's Director of Football is former blue Richard Hughes.


RE: Director of Football - Rick Pumpkin - 04-03-2021

(03-03-2021, 08:30 PM)scumslayer Wrote: Never thought I would say this but I think we need to get someone who understands football in the board room.

Couldn't agree more - with the Trust it was a group of (by their own admission) enthusiastic amateurs running the club for all the right reasons, then the shareholders sold out to what are best described as businessmen, nothing more nothing less.

With the lot at the helm now I think it's just about balance sheets and other than a few shiny images on the ME work, that I bet never happens, there doesn't seem to have ever been a coherent plan or strategy for the future.  Just quoting 'brick by brick' and 'eat what we kill' ain't a strategy by the way...

There's never been any sign that they want a football person involved on the board and I'll say now for any Catlin fan boys and girls, he is not a football person.


RE: Director of Football - Wightblue - 04-03-2021

I am not a Catlin fan, his ‘cheeky chappie’ persona leaves me cold. I understand he has a very successful private business but I never see any positives out of his spell with Pompey.

He will always responsible for appointing Awford, Barker and Jackett (I wasn’t a particular fan of Cook but he did secure promotion from Div 2), those appointments alone show he is not a football man.

I could also point to Stevens, Burgess et al being allowed to leave on ‘frees’ and his endorsement of the duff players he has agreed that his managers should recruit- and some on too high fees to boot (I will give him Curtis but the way that Ronan’s performances have so visibly declined suggests of a greater malaise within PFC on Carlin’s watch).

Some on this Board think he will get offers to move to bigger things, we can only hope, if it’s to a Championship club he will almost certainly take Close with him !


RE: Director of Football - DeepBlue - 04-03-2021

I bet you could name the number of 'football people' on boards in the this country on the fingers of one hand. It is very rare, and directors of football are not members of the board generally.

What is important is that the board are getting good football advice, both from someone with lots of football administration experience (e.g Catlin) but also from someone with knowledge of the game itself, which ideally is something the manager should be doing.

Harry was never on the board when he was our DoF but he was advising Mandaric, a role he carried on performing just as effectively when he became manager, until they fell out. 

IMO having a DoF splits the proper job of the manager into half, and undermines the manager's job by its very existence, relegating the manager to the role of head coach with reduced strategic influence. It can work but I don't think it can ever be better than having a good manager.


RE: Director of Football - Cressers - 04-03-2021

Bring back Harry!


RE: Director of Football - Rick Pumpkin - 04-03-2021

(04-03-2021, 10:47 AM)DeepBlue Wrote: I bet you could name the number of 'football people' on boards in the this country on the fingers of one hand. It is very rare, and directors of football are not members of the board generally.

What is important is that the board are getting good football advice, both from someone with lots of football administration experience (e.g Catlin) but also from someone with knowledge of the game itself, which ideally is something the manager should be doing.

Harry was never on the board when he was our DoF but he was advising Mandaric, a role he carried on performing just as effectively when he became manager, until they fell out. 

IMO having a DoF splits the proper job of the manager into half, and undermines the manager's job by its very existence, relegating the manager to the role of head coach with reduced strategic influence. It can work but I don't think it can ever be better than having a good manager.
OK Deep, in light of your pedantry let's say 'Senior Management Team' - that's where you'll find your DoFs at most clubs.

Nicky Hammond is a good example of someone who fits the position perfectly and is what I'd like to see at Pompey, although I hear that some guy called Velimir Zajec is looking for a new role at present.


RE: Director of Football - slayer - 04-03-2021

Deep actually reinforces the point with "getting good football advice". They're not at the moment, are they?

I think you need a DoF if you employ a coach into the manager's position.

You didn't need a DoF for Harry, Cook.

You definitely did for Rix, Hart, Awford, Barker and now Jackett.

Three of those being Catlin appointments.

Deep is otherwise at risk of being a traditionalist stick in the mud - much like Jackett - with this view.

Go and treat yourself this weekend and watch the film "Moneyball" (currently free on Prime or Netflix, I can't remember which) and then go and look at what clubs like Brentford (particularly with their xG analysis), Spurs, Liverpool, Man City and Leicester have been doing in recent years.

Three of those have won the Premier League in recent years.