Director of football operations

It's the modern way to run a club, you appoint a DOF with a vision and mandate.

Then appoint a manager much in the way you sign players. Manager moves on but the vision and infrastructure stays the same.

Provides much more stability when the likes of Rodgers moves on.

And its better than PL acting like a Psudeo DOF.

Hopefully see this kind of change after the 10, maybe a risk to change infrastructure before then.

 

Agree with Anton, in terms of succession management it's much better than being cyclical and having the upheaval of a manager changing the scouting, medical and coaching staff every time we change managers.

To do that you need to have a medium to long-term vision and Lawwell would need to relinquish his power over certain areas which I think he's unlikely to do unless forced.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/48299387

If so many élite clubs and managers believe that a director of football is essential, perhaps we should take note.

 

If we had even a semi competent DOF the squad wouldn’t be in the state that it’s in.

The idea that every time we get a new manager we give them 100% control with no regard to the long term is baffling to me.

 

Football operations.

We could wear uniforms as well and kick the soccer ball into the goal net during an offence.

 

Surely if the DoF is good at his job he will get poached as well?

Too many cooks spoil the broth.

 

Spot on.

Create a plan and a vision on how we should play football. Then appoint managers and sign players that fit the mould. Makes perfect sense.

 

Surely we want to be employing people in every capacity that are so good at their job other clubs are after them?

Seems to work for 99% of modern clubs. Only in Scotland does it seem to be some sort of bad idea.

 

That wasn’t the point he was making. He’s saying it’s the same thing with a different name

 

Same thing as what?

 

“The idea that everytime we get a new DoF we give them 100% control with no regard to the long term is baffling to me”

 

The whole point of getting a DOF is to have a plan for the long term.

If we get a DOF who’s so good he gets poached then we employ another who has similar ideas and fits into the structure.

It’s really not some sort of out there thinking. Basically every top league club in Europe does it.

 

There is absolutely no difference between that and a manager then is there?

The only way your plan works is if the coach * off every 3 years but the DoF stays for 10.

What if they both * off after 3 years?

 

Indeed.

If we want a blueprint, then we need to look at Ajax.

 

There is.

No it doesn’t.

Then you go and get other people with a similar vision who fit into it and employ them.



There’s a reason every modern club does it. It’s really not that hard to understand.

 

Yes. I said on another thread recently that I feel the reason a lot of our transfer dealings are so slow is it has to wait on Lawwell and he has a load of other things on his plate to deal with. A director of football that takes on that role, deals directly with the manager and the scouts could speed things up enormously. And it lets Lawwell get on with other important things, like campaiging to make sure we are part of whatever the next CL variant is.

 

I actually don't disagree with the premise but you seem to think it creates more stability when in actual fact you could be trying to find two new "bosses" if you will every 2/3 years

 

Better tell all the other clubs they’re getting it wrong then.

 

Will do. Give me 10 minutes

 

It’s really not that hard to understand.

Using your dilemma, in those 3 years the DOF would be looking at getting the best scouts, physios, analysts, coaches, sport scientists we can get. Making sure the whole football side was all going in the same direction instead of the mess Congerton left the recruitment in. All the while building contacts all over the world trying to unearth the next best players and coaches.

If the DOF gets ‘poached’. Then we’ve got a structure in place already and we go and get someone who’s worked in something similar and been successful or employ from within who’s ready to make the step up.

Then if all going well long, long term we can hopefully be something like Ajax, Bayern etc. Where we’ve players who’ve came through the club and understand the structure and we start getting them involved in it.