Man Utd set to appoint Director of Football (when hell freezes over)

[JPRouve]

Fair point. Monacos way to tax wages also certainly helps when negotiating wages. I do not follow Ligue 1 closely, and will not say that i now how enough on how they operate(d) and who does/did what part of the recruitement/transfers.
What i can say, is that having a background as a manager, coach, scout and as an analyst is helpful when being a DoF.

Do you think that Campos would be a good solution for the club as a DoF? Where he is tasked with rebuilding the squad within a 3 year period ending up with a team able to compete, creating a recruitementstructure that works and creating a strategy for how we should come back to the top.
Or would you rather have the club end up with a transfer/recruitementcommittee consisting of the people rumored to be appointed in the media. And this committee are going to achieve the same?

I don't really like the idea of a transfer committee, is that committee made of people with the same philosophy, is their opinion coherent and relevant? So for me a committee is a bad idea, but what do I know?

As for Campos, I think that he is competent and he has a very large network, I also like the fact that he worked on the french market when he joined and extended his own knowledge to it instead of sticking with Gestifute. But his work relies on a head coach that is good with young players and a patient club, for example Bernardo Silva was inconsistent during the first two years that he spent at Monaco, during the second year he was even pretty bad but due to his own character and the fact that Jardim likes to coach players he became a far better player and was arguably the best player in the league during the 2016/2017 season.

So it depends on the club and the manager, the same is true for Monchi. The question is as much about the club being the right place for the DOF than the DOF being the "best" on the market.

 

[Eckers99]

The sooner it gets really bad, the sooner the increasing value of football and PL are not enough to offset the detoriation the club is experiencing --> Selling the club.

And it will get really bad. Presented with a straight A/B football decision, I'd bank on him making the wrong call 9 times out of 10.

 

[Fosu-Mens]

I don't really like the idea of a transfer committee, is that committee made of people with the same philosophy, is their opinion coherent and relevant? So for me a committee is a bad idea, but what do I know?

As for Campos, I think that he is competent and he has a very large network, I also like the fact that he worked on the french market when he joined and extended his own knowledge to it instead of sticking with Gestifute. But his work relies on a head coach that is good with young players and a patient club, for example Bernardo Silva was inconsistent during the first two years that he spent at Monaco, during the second year he was even pretty bad but due to his own character and the fact that Jardim likes to coach players he became a far better player and was arguably the best player in the league during the 2016/2017 season.

So it depends on the club and the manager, the same is true for Monchi. The question is as much about the club being the right place for the DOF than the DOF being the "best" on the market.

Follow you on the point that he would work best with a patient club and a developing oriented manager. Him being a DoF for JM would be a complete mismatch based on his previous transferhistory. But pairing him with the likes of Pochettino or Jardim would make sense, and could be a viable solution for us when the inevitable happens with our current manager. Not that i think that anything will get any better under the current ownership.

He prefers possessionbased football, at least he prefered it as a coach. And his background from different roles with different clubs is not negative either. And his preference for knowing the players personality is also something that is vital for getting players not constantly asking for transfers or contracts or difficult to motivate/teach.

Regarding your "club is the right place for the DoF" proposition, it is a valid criteria. It could be difficult to come to a hard conclusion if someone is good or bad fit somewhere. The most important factor is that if the goals of the club/owners alignes with what the DoF/Manager/players wants or not. In our case, they do not align.
Then one could talk about strategy, culture, style of play, special preferences etc.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Wish to be run like Ajax with internal directors i.e Overmaars, VdS.

Complain when Solskjaer, Carrick, Butt and now Rio part of running the club.

 

[sglowrider]

Good article

https://www.skysports.com/football/...-sporting-director-but-will-they-get-it-right

"I have got concerns about Manchester United. If anyone else was the custodian of that club, they would have put people around them by now to help them make better decisions on the football side of the business but that hasn't happened. Part of me feels, and we see this with a lot of chief executives, really they would like to be sporting directors themselves.

"Do they focus on the finances, which is often their area of expertise, or do they get the chance to be in the limelight and be associated with the manager and player recruitment? Most chief executives would want nothing to do with any of that and keep their name out of the firing line, but others crave it and want to be part of that sporting director remit."

The decision will indicate the direction and possibly the 'soul' of Manchester United. Are we a money-grabbing organisation first and foremost -- or are we a football-club, with results driving the rest of the club including financial results and marketing in tandem?

 

[Mainoldo]

Good article

https://www.skysports.com/football/...-sporting-director-but-will-they-get-it-right

"I have got concerns about Manchester United. If anyone else was the custodian of that club, they would have put people around them by now to help them make better decisions on the football side of the business but that hasn't happened. Part of me feels, and we see this with a lot of chief executives, really they would like to be sporting directors themselves.

"Do they focus on the finances, which is often their area of expertise, or do they get the chance to be in the limelight and be associated with the manager and player recruitment? Most chief executives would want nothing to do with any of that and keep their name out of the firing line, but others crave it and want to be part of that sporting director remit."

The decision will indicate the direction and possibly the 'soul' of Manchester United. Are we a money-grabbing organisation first and foremost -- or are we a football-club, with results driving the rest of the club including financial results and marketing in tandem?

You’d think we were tight like Spurs based on the majority of conversations on here.

 

[sglowrider]

You’d think we were tight like Spurs based on the majority of conversations on here.

we have just spent money badly like a drunken sailor in some foreign land.

 

[Brophs]

Given his patent lack of experience in comparable roles and the fact he current holds an ambassadorial and mentorship role in a football agency which leads to him wildly overstating the ability of any player represented by them, he seems the obvious candidate for the job.

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Rio Ferdinand has recommended Norwich City's talented young centre-back Ben Godfrey to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer....

Ferdinand mentors Godfrey in his New Era agency

All seems legit.

 

[Xaviesta]

Erm, Paul Scholes isn't keen on a DOF at United.

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[Tyrion]

Erm, Paul Scholes isn't keen on a DOF at United.

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Scholes is similar to Keane imo in that both get very angry about problems but are pretty crap about coming up with solutions because they look at things from a players POV and are too old fashioned.

 

[maverickjesus]

Looking forward to the imminent announcement of Mark Bosnich as our Director of Football.

 

[MAME DIOUF 32]

Ugh. Appointing a DoF as a panic measure is even worse than rushing a managerial appointment or signing Sanchez. You can't do this as a tokenistic gesture. It needs to be someone who has a plan.

Clearly there is no list of targets, no serious consideration of how to approach this. I wouldn't be surprised if Sir Alex got a phone call about some kind of interim role, and I sincerely hope he'd tell Woody where to go.

 

[United_We_Stand]

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"....A source close to Ferdinand has told the MEN the thought of relocating back to Manchester from his family home in London does not appeal to the United great since his children - aged 12, 10 and eight - are settled and their happiness remains his prime concern. Ferdinand's fiancee, Kate Wright, is from Essex and based near her family in the south...."

 

[clarkydaz]

Vidic it is then

 

[Suedesi]

We don't need a director of football now, after all the transfer season starts in June.

City getting Bruno Fernandes, Bayern getting Pavard, Lucas Herndandez, Barca getting De Jong and possibly de Ligt, we are getting Phil Jones on a longer contract.

 

[ti vu]

Ugh. Appointing a DoF as a panic measure is even worse than rushing a managerial appointment or signing Sanchez. You can't do this as a tokenistic gesture. It needs to be someone who has a plan.

Clearly there is no list of targets, no serious consideration of how to approach this. I wouldn't be surprised if Sir Alex got a phone call about some kind of interim role, and I sincerely hope he'd tell Woody where to go.

While DOF or whoever is just a name, the underlining point is the structure which our had failed since SAF left. OGS is now under pressure as head coach, let alone the pressure to oversee everything from grassroots level at the club. Without the structure to keep every going, we're looking for quick fix again and all those long term plan is anything but empty word. Someone like De Ligt or even the new Messi may go under the radar of our recruitment team since the manager is having too much to deal with at first team level.

 

[Adnan]

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[Adnan]

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[Zoo]

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Former United player John O’Kane. Says it’s not a wind up.

 

[pogs]

Whoever comes as DOF, he should run the club. If he reports to Ed then it will be all the same again.

 

[dove]

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Former United player John O’Kane. Says it’s not a wind up.

Surely not...

 

[Chairman Steve]

Liverpool’s version of sporting director was a performance analyst who didn’t make the cut at senior playing level. He seems to be doing just fine. A DoF/sporting director doesn’t always have to be some already established person in that position at another club or a very esteemed ex player.

Fletch could work just fine. He comes across as studious and well spoken and undoubtedly he’s found time to research the game during his unfortunate bouts of illness.

 

[Kush]

Fletch

Jesus Christ, we are in for some more years of hell lads and lasses

 

[Art]

I don't know why Fletch is getting laughed at. Maybe let's give him a chance if it is him ? Abidal seems to be doing ok for Barca at a similar role.

 

[Moriarty]

Fletch


Jesus Christ, we are in for some more years of hell lads and lasses

I can hear the cries of 'nepotism' directed at Fergie already.

 

[Zoo]

I don't know why Fletch is getting laughed at. Maybe let's give him a chance if it is him ? Abidal seems to be doing ok for Barca at a similar role.

Of course but he has no experience and is coming into a complete mess, if this is true.

 

[Kush]

I don't know why Fletch is getting laughed at. Maybe let's give him a chance if it is him ? Abidal seems to be doing ok for Barca at a similar role.

Because we are appointing first DoF in our history, the task at hand is gigantic. We are at our absolute lowest since Fergie retired, and we're handing the reign to a person who has absolutely no experience to this kind of thing.

Abidal isn’t the first DoF at Barca, he’s following the footsteps of his successor and there’s already a footballing culture that’s imbibed at different levels over there. You cannot compared the situation at two clubs.

I can hear the cries of 'nepotism' directed at Fergie already.

I doubt Fergie has a say in this. It has that clueless Woodward’s fingerprints all over it.

 

[Art]

Because we are appointing first DoF in our history, the task at hand is gigantic. We are at our absolute lowest since Fergie retired, and we're handing the reign to a person who has absolutely no experience to this kind of thing.

Abidal isn’t the first DoF at Barca, he’s following the footsteps of his successor and there’s already a footballing culture that’s imbibed at different levels over there. You cannot compared the situation at two clubs.



I doubt Fergie has a say in this. It has that clueless Woodward’s fingerprints all over it.

Fair enough. Just hoping for the best here myself.

 

[GDaly95]

I read an article earlier that suggested a DOF was someone on the same level as Woodward and will have as much authority, whereas a Technical Director works under Woodward, Woodward still makes the final decisions and it could basically be a token appointment to make it look like changes will occur while Woodward retains all power.

So that worries me.

 

[ti vu]

Liverpool’s version of sporting director was a performance analyst who didn’t make the cut at senior playing level. He seems to be doing just fine. A DoF/sporting director doesn’t always have to be some already established person in that position at another club or a very esteemed ex player.

Fletch could work just fine. He comes across as studious and well spoken and undoubtedly he’s found time to research the game during his unfortunate bouts of illness.

It's not the same. It's moving up the ladder. Accurate analyzing is a gift on its own. A performance analyst can have a better understanding of team tactic than pro players. A performance analyst then went through trial for seasons at their job before getting promotion may be more proven to a player moving to management/ administration. I don't know how West Brom works, but Fletch learnt nothing as pro player from this club which had no DOF role. So somehow he has to have knowledge to do this new role where as he had no exposure to learning it at this club! Mind boggling writing it myself.

I am not writing Fletch off here, but he can be deemed as inexperienced in this role as it gets.

 

[mariachi-19]

Of course but he has no experience and is coming into a complete mess, if this is true.

The difference here is that, I dont think Darren Fletcher is an idiot. Listen to him talk when he offers opinions and you find quite an articulate and generally intelligent human being and personally, from a logic and reasoning perspective, shits all over Gary Neville as a pundit.

 

[Zoo]

The difference here is that, I dont think Darren Fletcher is an idiot. Listen to him talk when he offers opinions and you find quite an articulate and generally intelligent human being and personally, from a logic and reasoning perspective, shits all over Gary Neville as a pundit.

Yep he’s interesting to listen to and clearly a sharp thinker.

 

[Amir]

I read an article earlier that suggested a DOF was someone on the same level as Woodward and will have as much authority, whereas a Technical Director works under Woodward, Woodward still makes the final decisions and it could basically be a token appointment to make it look like changes will occur while Woodward retains all power.

So that worries me.

At the end of the day everything has to be rubberstamped financially. As long as Woodward is in charge, he will have the final say. But that doesn't really worry me.

 

[Relevated]

Its very weird and random

 

[Josep Dowling]

The difference here is that, I dont think Darren Fletcher is an idiot. Listen to him talk when he offers opinions and you find quite an articulate and generally intelligent human being and personally, from a logic and reasoning perspective, shits all over Gary Neville as a pundit.

I tend to agree on that point. However if you listen to that Scholes interview he mentioned VDS got the business education to make the role he has now at Ajax, has Fletcher done the same?

At this point we have a real lack of seniority and experience at management level.

 

[GDaly95]

Let's not assume that this is true anyway. Very unreliable source.

Ole said there'll probably be an announcement soon. Hopefully just after the final game of the season.

Do we reckon a DOF / Technical Director announcement will come with any actual information on what the role entails? Or will it be a vague announcement leaving us all wondering what on earth it means?

 

[RuudTom83]

We don’t know what the brief is, maybe Fletch is perfect for the job. We just don’t know...

Until Gary opened his mouth non of knew 3-4 past managers scouts were still at the club. So the way the club is run is a mystery to us all.

But if nothing else, it is nice to know Ole has someone he can talk too who isn’t Woody.

 

[Zoo]

Just a reminder of what Ducker said last week.

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[mariachi-19]

I tend to agree on that point. However if you listen to that Scholes interview he mentioned VDS got the business education to make the role he has now at Ajax, has Fletcher done the same?

At this point we have a real lack of seniority and experience at management level.

Well we don’t know, but he had a lot of time when recovering from his illness to do something. You’d imagine that there was a time when he didn’t think he’d play again so life after football might have been a real consideration and taken steps to future proof himself.

I think people on this forum are too quick to take the words of Gary Neville as gospel when his entire job is to create a story and drama. He may have the clubs best intentions at heart but by his own admission “I’m not qualified”.... so what In that circumstances gives him the right to then say Woodward or whoever is not doing their job correctly and the club should he setup in a certain way?

 

[roseguy64]

Whoever comes as DOF, he should run the club. If he reports to Ed then it will be all the same again.

What?