We need a Director of Football

[Wokingclaret]

Yes I agree its an amazing opportunity

[Blondeclaret]

The club already employ a Sporting Director, his name is Paul Jenkins. The man who was brought in as a consultant when the Americans first took over, he then became Academy Manager and the department was ran so badly that it was downgraded to Category 2. I have no idea at all what he claims to do in that position.

[RVclaret]

It was quite apparent that parachute payments didn't pay off the debts last time - £20m was paid before we received any of them in the accounts for the final Dyche season. The accounts for the 2022/23 season saw a cumulative loss of £36m before tax, where the club voluntarily paid off a further £12.2m of the MSD loan (possibly with a penalty of over £2m) then refinanced the £32.8m residue of the MSD loan twice lifting the debt to first £39.7m then £70m as well as factoring the transfers of Collins and Pope before factoring 3 seasons of Premier League and Parachute Payments.

That £70m loan was subject to a £4.6m repayment during the season - we do not know if that happened before the loan was once again refinanced in January this year or indeed what the agreement on that loan entails

Both Kompany and Dyche have made pronouncements on the finances of the club that were later shown as not being what they purported them to be. Kompany's exit may ease a short term financial headache - short term enforced capital repayment but the theme of the club chasing cash (at high expense) to meet pressing short term requirements is one that has only been consistently getting strong under this ownership.

So when Kompany’s insistent claims are ‘we were not a parachute team last time’ what do you suppose he is meaning?

[Chester Perry]

First point - do we know in what capacity MUD is being used? Did it run the entire recruitment operation? What even is it? Is it a new technology (similar to StatsBomb, which the club also uses) or is it a team? Were they acting on a consultancy type basis? How many team members were there and what are their roles exactly? Why would they uproot, where to? Bayern have their own set up and managers are known not to get any say in transfers.

Second point - fair enough and of course it’s not a given but it’s an amazing opportunity for an ambitious, exciting coach to take on. We have the strongest squad in the league as it stands and there will be budget for new players who they want. Oh and we are still a week away from the end of May… it’s not like this has happened in pre-season, or worse, when the season has started? So much time.

MUD's accounts tell us it doesn't have any full time employee's - yet we know of people connected to MUD operating at and on behalf of the club - so it may be proprietary algorithms and/or that the club has employed the connected individuals (and others they have recommended) directly to it's staff

[Superjohnnyfrancis]

I don’t think we do, we just need an experienced manager.

[Chester Perry]

So when Kompany’s insistent claims are ‘we were not a parachute team last time’ what do you suppose he is meaning?

The player incomings were funded by the player outgoings while conveniently forgetting that the wage bill could only be funded by parachute payments as the rest of our income when added to normal championship solidarity payments clearly shows

[quoonbeatz]

The club already employ a Sporting Director, his name is Paul Jenkins. The man who was brought in as a consultant when the Americans first took over, he then became Academy Manager and the department was ran so badly that it was downgraded to Category 2. I have no idea at all what he claims to do in that position.

Your info is out of date, he's the 7 a side manager now

[Wokingclaret]

Only 2 years of Parachute payments this time!

[Blondeclaret]

Your info is out of date, he's the 7 a side manager now

[ClaretTony]

The club already employ a Sporting Director, his name is Paul Jenkins. The man who was brought in as a consultant when the Americans first took over, he then became Academy Manager and the department was ran so badly that it was downgraded to Category 2. I have no idea at all what he claims to do in that position.

Jenkins took on that role when they brought in the new academy manager last year although I’m not sure exactly what his role is.

[123EasyasBFC]

Jenkins took on that role when they brought in the new academy manager last year although I’m not sure exactly what his role is.

Is he not academy director and the guy from Shrewsbury is academy manager

[ClaretTony]

Is he not academy director and the guy from Shrewsbury is academy manager

I’m sure Jenkins changed role when the guy from Shrewsbury came in.

[ClaretTony]

Is he not academy director and the guy from Shrewsbury is academy manager

Found it - Jenkins is now director of football development (your guess will be as good as mine as to what that entails).

https://www.uptheclarets.com/longwell-t ... he-academy

[Chester Perry]

I’m sure Jenkins changed role when the guy from Shrewsbury came in.

It seems he has a new role every 6 to 8 months - some may think Jenkins has more lives than Russell Ball and both of them more than a cat given how quickly so many others move/are moved on

[123EasyasBFC]

Found it - Jenkins is now director of football development (your guess will be as good as mine as to what that entails).

https://www.uptheclarets.com/longwell-t ... he-academy

Football and their Strange titles for things

[jojomk1]

No manager
No coaching staff
No recruitment team

You would have imagined everything was in place for this window, targets etc. which has now disappeared.

Huge playing staff with departing manager having decided which ones he was happy to see leave, either permanently or on loan. New manager will start from scratch to an extent.

It might not to you, but that looks a very concerning mess to me.

Don't panic Mr Mainwaring

Last manager wasn't great
Coaching staff were very questionable
Recruitment team were pretty much abysmal

Any new manager coming in starts from scratch and brings in his own team in most events - and the next one has plenty of time if appointed fairly soon

As for Director of Football - doesn't Alan do that job

[Darnhill Claret]

As long as the newly appointed manager has a big say in who the DOF is. They need to be able to work closely together as to type of player required and the manager/head coach then also needs to have the final say. I would prefer the manager to choose the DOF, as someone in the game that he already knows and respects

[boatshed bill]

I'll do it

[BurnleyPaul]

As long as the newly appointed manager has a big say in who the DOF is. They need to be able to work closely together as to type of player required and the manager/head coach then also needs to have the final say. I would prefer the manager to choose the DOF, as someone in the game that he already knows and respects

Other way around surely? The Director of Football should be integral to the appointment of the manager and coaching staff.

To do it as you suggest means that a manager would have complete control/influence over a club- the very thing that people on here are currently complaining about re: Kompany!

[ClaretTony]

As long as the newly appointed manager has a big say in who the DOF is. They need to be able to work closely together as to type of player required and the manager/head coach then also needs to have the final say. I would prefer the manager to choose the DOF, as someone in the game that he already knows and respects

It should be the other way round in that the DOF has the responsibility for selecting the manager.

[helmclaret]

CT - is Jenkins still there?

[Darnhill Claret]

If it is the other way round, then you can't give him the title of manager. First team coach maybe.
In that casethe DOF will outrank the first team coach and should be sacked when results are poor.
You would then require a new DOF who can get a better tune out of the coach.
If not, you'll have an untouchable DOF and regularly changing coaches.
We'll become another Watford/Chelsea.

[ClaretTony]

CT - is Jenkins still there?

He is - he’s been mentioned on the thread.

[helmclaret]

Sorry missed that

[Darnhill Claret]

I prefer how we have had it up to this point. For the size of club that we are, we have punched above our weight since 2009.

I don't think we need to reinvent the wheel here.

[ClaretTony]

If it is the other way round, then you can't give him the title of manager. First team coach maybe.
In that casethe DOF will outrank the first team coach and should be sacked when results are poor.
You would then require a new DOF who can get a better tune out of the coach.
If not, you'll have an untouchable DOF and regularly changing coaches.
We'll become another Watford/Chelsea.

It has to be the other way round with the manager or head coach reporting to him.

[Darnhill Claret]

Then I'm with Stan, we don't need a DOF.

[Darnhill Claret]

What exactly does reporting to him mean or should I say entail?

[helmclaret]

Jenkins is another who gets slagged off from those who have never met him, worked with him or know his day to day responsibilities.

[Goliath]

It's important to continue to maintain our status as a club that keeps managers long term and not another basket case club.
We are at that crossroads at the minute, if we get this appointment wrong and have to sack him then suddenly it starts to look like we are a club that goes through managers quickly. Whether it's thr DOF or chairman who does the actual appointment is less important to me than getting the right man.

[CoolClaret]

If it is the other way round, then you can't give him the title of manager. First team coach maybe.
In that casethe DOF will outrank the first team coach and should be sacked when results are poor.
You would then require a new DOF who can get a better tune out of the coach.
If not, you'll have an untouchable DOF and regularly changing coaches.
We'll become another Watford/Chelsea.

Why would a D.O.F. approach instantly mean Watford/Chelsea?

We are competing in a vastly different market now than what we were 10 years ago. The recruitment side of it in football is absolutely massive - not really the modern managers job per say, they have enough to deal with it.

I think VK in an attempt to be 'the hardest worker' tried to do too much and in doing so actually made poor decisions at both ends.

He'd never own up to it but decision fatigue and burnout is a real thing. He lost his edge i believe this season...

Anyway, quite literally most top European teams use a D.O.F. type approach now - not just basket case teams like Watford/Chelsea.

[Darnhill Claret]

OK, hypothetical.
Coach says to DOF I need a left back and a dominant centre back.
DOF says, nah I think you should be able to get by with the players you've got.

DOF says I've drawn up a list of 5 players that I think would strengthen the squad. If we can get them signed which 2 do you prefer, or place them in order of preference.
Coach says, two of them I don't rate at all, there are two troublemakers and the other one would struggle to get in the team over players that are already here. Get me another 5 names. I could give you 5 names. Anyway who is picking the team, you or me?

[ClaretTony]

Jenkins is another who gets slagged off from those who have never met him, worked with him or know his day to day responsibilities.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything about him other than running the academy when it list Cat 1 status.

[Darnhill Claret]

I don't need the coach to be involved in transfers as far as contracts go, but most players would like to know that the coach at least rates them and wants them and has chosen them.

[CoolClaret]

OK, hypothetical.
Coach says to DOF I need a left back and a dominant centre back.
DOF says, nah I think you should be able to get by with the players you've got.

DOF says I've drawn up a list of 5 players that I think would strengthen the squad. If we can get them signed which 2 do you prefer, or place them in order of preference.
Coach says, two of them I don't rate at all, there are two troublemakers and the other one would struggle to get in the team over players that are already here. Get me another 5 names. I could give you 5 names. Anyway who is picking the team, you or me?

Managers usually have a veto on incomings - I know that Dyche does right now at Everton, for example.

On to hypotheticals, I mean, we can quite literally go back and forth on them all night.

Here's one for you:

We have a manager, he quite literally stockpiles wingers leading to us having 11 wingers on the books yet just one left back, a young center half ends up playing right back, our right back plays left back, but eventually our backup right back ends up playing on the wing and a bloke that started the season out of favour ends up at left back.... Then he leaves without a succession plan!...

... Sound familiar?

[Darnhill Claret]

If you aren't careful your DOF becomes the manager in all but title.

[CoolClaret]

If you aren't careful your DOF becomes the manager in all but title.

& if you aren't careful your manager signs a load of mediocre players for big money, underperforms and leaves anyway!

There's elements of risk with every approach - I just want one to mitigate change and upheaval as much as possible.

I'd love to appoint another gaffer and them last 5+ years, I'd love another period like Dyche's... We all thought we had at least 3 years out of Vinnie but he's swannied off which seems like the way in which it's going at top level professional football with managers anyway.

Pick your poison; for me it's to alleviate as much risk on the club as possible.

[ClaretTony]

If you aren't careful your DOF becomes the manager in all but title.

I don’t think you understand how it works or how it should work but if it works successfully the manager (or head coach) will get on with running the team which includes him making decisions on which players he wants to bring in and which players he no longer wants to keep.

[claretspice]

If you aren't careful your DOF becomes the manager in all but title.

That doesn't happen anywhere in the top 30 clubs. And ourselves apart they all have someone in that role. Brighton have David Weir - he's completely unobtrusive. Bournemouth until very recently had Richard Hughes. Same. It is a standard role and in only very few cases does it create instability with the manager. As I say, like a Chairman/chief executive relationship in any big corporate.

[ClaretTony]

That doesn't happen anywhere in the top 30 clubs. And ourselves apart they all have someone in that role. Brighton have David Weir - he's completely unobtrusive. Bournemouth until very recently had Richard Hughes. Same. It is a standard role and in only very few cases does it create instability with the manager. As I say, like a Chairman/chief executive relationship in any big corporate.

Bournemouth have Simon Francis as technical director while Richard Hughes was replaced this week with the appointment of Tiago Pinto as president of football operations.

[claretspice]

Bournemouth have Simon Francis as technical director while Richard Hughes was replaced this week with the appointment of Tiago Pinto as president of football operations.

Yes Francis largely replaced Hughes- he is new in post. Pinto is presumably a new appointment and I don't know much about it. It does demonstrate though that the days of the manager controlling everything and a change of manager leading to a total regime change are gone. We're an outlier.

It seems to me especially necessary at Burnley now. We ceded so much to Kompany that there is an awful lot of infrastructure to rebuild. Big ask for the manager to oversee that whilst also sorting out the first team squad.

I've said elsewhere that Steve Cooper has a relationship with Brian Flynn. I daresay Flynnis semi retired now but if he's still willing and able, we could do worse than appointing him to work alongside Cooper to rebuild that infrastructure as a quasi DoF, with a remit to appoint someone to that role long term. Whether ALK will think in those terms is another matter.

[Darnhill Claret]

I am totally conversant with how the DOF/Head Coach system works. It was late coming to these shores, compared to many other European countries.
I just feel that it is such an important relationship that the manager needs to be able to have a fully functioning, work relationship with the DOF. If we have a DOF in place prior to the appointment of the manager/Head coach, then all well and good. However it looks likely to me that at the moment, our chairman may be leading in that role or maybe we already have someone at the club, acting as DOF whilst employed under another title.
If that is the case then ge will be involved with the appointment of the next manager. I see problems ahead in the relationship if they do not see eye to eye on type of player, ability of player, temperament and character of intended targets.

If the DOF is not in place and the manager is appointed first, I personally would prefer the manager to be in the consultation process when choosing the DOF as I believe them seeing eye to eye is paramount to getting the maximum from that working relationship. I know it isn't necessary, but to me it is preferable.

Just my opinion.

[ClaretTony]

Yes Francis largely replaced Hughes- he is new in post. Pinto is presumably a new appointment and I don't know much about it. It does demonstrate though that the days of the manager controlling everything and a change of manager leading to a total regime change are gone. We're an outlier.

It seems to me especially necessary at Burnley now. We ceded so much to Kompany that there is an awful lot of infrastructure to rebuild. Big ask for the manager to oversee that whilst also sorting out the first team squad.

I've said elsewhere that Steve Cooper has a relationship with Brian Flynn. I daresay Flynnis semi retired now but if he's still willing and able, we could do worse than appointing him to work alongside Cooper to rebuild that infrastructure as a quasi DoF, with a remit to appoint someone to that role long term. Whether ALK will think in those terms is another matter.

Flynn isn’t retired, he’s still working for a league club on the recruitment side.

[ClaretTony]

Our last in this role was Mike Rigg. He’s just been appointed as Birmingham’s academy technical director.

And Frank McParland is also at Birmingham as head of recruitment.

Lee Darnbrough has been at Hull for seven years but reported today that he’s moving to Stoke.

Those are the three we’ve had in this kind of role.

[Blondeclaret]

Yes Francis largely replaced Hughes- he is new in post. Pinto is presumably a new appointment and I don't know much about it. It does demonstrate though that the days of the manager controlling everything and a change of manager leading to a total regime change are gone. We're an outlier.

It seems to me especially necessary at Burnley now. We ceded so much to Kompany that there is an awful lot of infrastructure to rebuild. Big ask for the manager to oversee that whilst also sorting out the first team squad.

I've said elsewhere that Steve Cooper has a relationship with Brian Flynn. I daresay Flynnis semi retired now but if he's still willing and able, we could do worse than appointing him to work alongside Cooper to rebuild that infrastructure as a quasi DoF, with a remit to appoint someone to that role long term. Whether ALK will think in those terms is another matter.

Brian Flynn scouts for Colchester has done for a while now.

[CoolClaret]

I am totally conversant with how the DOF/Head Coach system works. It was late coming to these shores, compared to many other European countries.
I just feel that it is such an important relationship that the manager needs to be able to have a fully functioning, work relationship with the DOF. If we have a DOF in place prior to the appointment of the manager/Head coach, then all well and good. However it looks likely to me that at the moment, our chairman may be leading in that role or maybe we already have someone at the club, acting as DOF whilst employed under another title.
If that is the case then ge will be involved with the appointment of the next manager. I see problems ahead in the relationship if they do not see eye to eye on type of player, ability of player, temperament and character of intended targets.

If the DOF is not in place and the manager is appointed first, I personally would prefer the manager to be in the consultation process when choosing the DOF as I believe them seeing eye to eye is paramount to getting the maximum from that working relationship. I know it isn't necessary, but to me it is preferable.

Just my opinion.

Good post -

When I start these threads I deliberately try and post it to engage in debate and to get other poster's viewpoints either way and see the strength/weaknesses of each differing viewpoint.

If it's an avenue that the club went down then it's something that we'd absolutely have to get right - hiring a poor DOF would have dire consequences.

[Devils_Advocate]

If it's an avenue that the club went down then it's something that we'd absolutely have to get right - hiring a poor DOF would have dire consequences.

One option to guard against this would be to appoint a DotDOF

[ClaretTony]

Brian Flynn scouts for Colchester has done for a while now.

He works with a player he once signed for Wrexham.

[Jakubclaret]

We need a lot of things I'm not sure spending money unnecessarily is 1 of them. A better relationship cultivated & harnessed between the manager & owner you wouldn't need a DOF.

[KRBFC]

Loyalty and football only belong together when referring to fans.

Everything and everybody else are just ships that pass in the night.

The sooner this message gets through their thick skulls, the better it will be
and we can move forward together as a much more cohesive and potent force.

Here's hoping.

Oh yeah and who are these fans loyal to?

Quite clearly isn’t the manager or the team for some. 5 games after promotion and the whining criticism began. The badge?