Let me give you an example of what a DOF is like and why is he needed.
Del Piero was heading towards the end of his career at Juventus and he needed replacing. The DOF thought that he was earning silly money for what he was contributed and therefore decided not to renew his contract. The player was livid and he went to the manager for support. The manager backed him but there was little he could do as contract handling is not part of his job. Ultimately they came to a consensus were Del Piero would accept a huge pay cut and he'll accept a lesser role in exchange of a new contract. Del Piero was happy that his manager backed him and no love was lost with the manager when his last contract ended and he left the club.
Now let's imagine that the DOF didn't existed. The manager would either have to suck it up and stay without the new player he needs or else kick Del Piero out which would have caused a revolt at the dressing room level. The manager is totally dependent on his players so he'll probably opt for the former. That means that the team would have ended up weaker with funds being spent on a player whose clearly not good enough anymore. The manager might decide to play a kid instead but he needed to be careful as he risked humiliating the club legend by keeping him on the bench too much.
DOFs sit a board level. They are protected from team politics and that something players have to accept. Also being out of politics mean that the DOF own nothing to no one. Which means when the manager comes knocking at his door asking for matey Fellaini, matey Matic, matey Josh King or matey Bastian then the DOF will be quick to show him the finger.
Thanks for that, I must admit I'm confused by the whole DOF thing and I dont fully understand it, the above does help to a point, but it still doesnt sit right with me.
In the Del Piero story it worked out, but i'm assuming there must be a number of alternative's where the stories ending wasnt as positive. In this example, had Del Piero decided to leave, that would have potentially been a massive issue for the manager and his style of play - fundamentally, the DOF wouldnt know the detail and potentially the value a player brings, to the manager, the team and other players.
I dont understand how a DOF at Board level as you say, and in their ivory tower can really understand the intricacies of the team. I do appreciate the point around team politics, but in a sense, is that not part of running a team? Is it not the same as an Operations Director of a manufacturer, sitting at Board level but not having a grip on personnel within the production line?