Academy director leaving?

[dandeclaret]

Seems to be getting mentioned on social media. People hunting it’s in relation to some WhatsApp messages he sent.

Anybody know any more?

[jedi_master]

It was said on here earlier that the academy director (name eludes me) had accidentally sent a message intended for an agency to Michael Mellon, who in turn showed it to Jay and Brownhill.

The message allegedly being a list of our squad with commentary on them and details etc (I.e, a brochure?)… some of it said to be quite critical.

[Sharbtastic]

It doesn’t make sense if it was a brochure though, because if it was the comments wouldn’t be critical would they.

[jedi_master]

It doesn’t make sense if it was a brochure though, because if it was the comments wouldn’t be critical would they.

Without seeing the alleged WhatsApp it’s hard to tell what it was. I agree, seems a bit contradictory to be listing players for sale like a menu but apparently stating criticisms about them. We’re lacking context though.

[ClaretTony]

Seems to be getting mentioned on social media. People hunting it’s in relation to some WhatsApp messages he sent.

Anybody know any more?

He left a week last Friday. I was told last week that he’d resigned but it may well be he’d been given no option. I’d no idea why until today when I was directed to a post on here about it. I checked up and the reason he’s gone is down to a WhatsApp message although I have absolutely no details other than that.

[Hedontplayforyou]

He left a week last Friday. I was told last week that he’d resigned but it may well be he’d been given no option. I’d no idea why until today when I was directed to a post on here about it. I checked up and the reason he’s gone is down to a WhatsApp message although I have absolutely no details other than that.

How pathetic and unprofessional. Clearly has unsettled the squad even more than it already was .

[FeedTheArf]

Nothing would surprise me at the minute, but why would the academy director be contacting agencies about our first team squad?

[dandeclaret]

He left a week last Friday. I was told last week that he’d resigned but it may well be he’d been given no option. I’d no idea why until today when I was directed to a post on here about it. I checked up and the reason he’s gone is down to a WhatsApp message although I have absolutely no details other than that.

What a mess. Seems to be a lack of necessary standards in a number of departments.

[ClaretTony]

What a mess. Seems to be a lack of necessary standards in a number of departments.

You want to try the ticket office

[dandeclaret]

You want to try the ticket office

That could well be something I get the pleasure of this week….

[the_magic_rat]

You want to try the ticket office

Indeed!

[123EasyasBFC]

I hardly think the academy directors comments in a WhatsApp group has had any bearing in first team players wanting to leave, easily if he’s no longer at the club, it’s an easy cop out. Players are leaving because the club are selling them to cover the mess that pace allowed bulb head to create last summer with an expensive unbalanced squad

[wadeswondergoal]

That could well be something I get the pleasure of this week….

Can you return a season ticket?

[Row x]

How pathetic and unprofessional. Clearly has unsettled the squad even more than it already was .

If it was a week last Friday that he left, obviously the message was before that
The squad didn't look that unsettled last Saturday when scoring 5 against Cardiff

[bfcjg]

It's all very amateurish.

[helmclaret]

Can you return a season ticket?

I wouldn’t be able to as I haven’t received mine yet!

[enduroclaret]

He was obviously working for football agents giving them inside information, in other words he was a spy.
We should have used classic WW11 British MI5 tactics. We should have “turned” him, given him a handler, then got him to feed false information back to agents……Berge is disruptive and smelly, Odobert is a kleptomaniac O’Shea watches the BBC.

[Andingle]

He's going to sadly missed ........by the agent

[what_no_pies]

Not the only one to pack their bags this Summer and surely won't be the last.

[johnnyjones]

He left a week last Friday. I was told last week that he’d resigned but it may well be he’d been given no option. I’d no idea why until today when I was directed to a post on here about it. I checked up and the reason he’s gone is down to a WhatsApp message although I have absolutely no details other than that.

Maybe he had done a "Jenas"

[RammyClaret61]

What a mess. Seems to be a lack of necessary standards in a number of departments.

Never mind departments. Just say Burnley Football Club.

[Bullabill]

If it was a week last Friday that he left, obviously the message was before that
The squad didn't look that unsettled last Saturday when scoring 5 against Cardiff

It would have taken some time for Michael to decide what to do, and then for Jay and Josh to pass the info. on.
Some players could have taken the view that derogatory comments sent to agents would work to their disadvantage.

[Goliath]

It would have taken some time for Michael to decide what to do, and then for Jay and Josh to pass the info. on.
Some players could have taken the view that derogatory comments sent to agents would work to their disadvantage.

It's a mess but it seems like we are clearing the decks of anyone who isn't committed which is probably the right thing to do. The problem is how late we've left it and not bringing in replacements beforehand.

This is always the issue when a club like ours gets a huge name as a manager. They attract players from all over the world but when said manager goes you end up with a load of disillusioned players.

[Blondeclaret]

He left a week last Friday. I was told last week that he’d resigned but it may well be he’d been given no option. I’d no idea why until today when I was directed to a post on here about it. I checked up and the reason he’s gone is down to a WhatsApp message although I have absolutely no details other than that.

Seems you can’t get the staff these days Tony

[gawthorpe_view]

I hardly think the academy directors comments in a WhatsApp group has had any bearing in first team players wanting to leave, easily if he’s no longer at the club, it’s an easy cop out. Players are leaving because the club are selling them to cover the mess that pace allowed bulb head to create last summer with an expensive unbalanced squad

Could it be that the document was produced by our recruitment team as an appraisal of the players and not meant for external circulation?
Cash values, attributes both positive and negative would be included to assist in any decision to keep or sell a player.
Just a thought.

[123EasyasBFC]

Could it be that the document was produced by our recruitment team as an appraisal of the players and not meant for external circulation?
Cash values, attributes both positive and negative would be included to assist in any decision to keep or sell a player.
Just a thought.

Would that not be the recruitment team leaving then to, would a document produced by a recruitment team be being sent via WhatsApp

[gawthorpe_view]

Would that not be the recruitment team leaving then to, would a document produced by a recruitment team be being sent via WhatsApp

Not if the 'leak' came from an individual.
The appraisal could have been circulated amongst the directors and senior coaching staff for comments and observations.

[Longsider]

You have to really hope that it wasn't a private critique document put together by SP and his team in terms of strengths and weaknesses and plans for the future short term and long term.
What a numpty the said WhatsApp leak person was.

[gawthorpe_view]

You have to really hope that it wasn't a private critique document put together by SP and his team in terms of strengths and weaknesses and plans for the future short term and long term.
What a numpty the said WhatsApp leak person was.

Quite.

[Andingle]

I would think it highly unlikely that the Academy Manager would have access to such information on first team players.

[NewClaret]

I would think it highly unlikely that the Academy Manager would have access to such information on first team players.

Me too.

Even less likely that we’d be critical of our own players in a message to an agent.

There’s obviously some truth in the story for Tony to confirm it, but I’m not sure the detail of the message is correct.

What an embarrassment, although one I don’t think we can pin on other leadership for a change.

[Blondeclaret]

I would think it highly unlikely that the Academy Manager would have access to such information on first team players.

Yes, highly unlikely to be forwarded to him. This must be his personal opinion of players that he listed and sent.

[Burnley1989]

Me too.

Even less likely that we’d be critical of our own players in a message to an agent.

There’s obviously some truth in the story for Tony to confirm it, but I’m not sure the detail of the message is correct.

What an embarrassment, although one I don’t think we can pin on other leadership for a change.

I can assure you it's 100% correct, comments on players attitudes and work rates, the likes of Benson etc, my mates seen it. He doesn't know who it was meant for but assumed an agency

[NewClaret]

I can assure you it's 100% correct, comments on players attitudes and work rates, the likes of Benson etc, my mates seen it. He doesn't know who it was meant for but assumed an agency

Why would we criticise our own players we’re presumably looking to sell to an agency?

Or are we suggesting this guy was a mole of some sort?

[Andingle]

I can assure you it's 100% correct, comments on players attitudes and work rates, the likes of Benson etc, my mates seen it. He doesn't know who it was meant for but assumed an agency

It must have been aimed for somebody externally as his opinion on First team players at the club wouldn't be required internally

[Andingle]

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/30108123 ... 1724789222

[Spike]

Wasn’t he at Shrewsbury with Matt Williams

[mybloodisclaret]

Is this the catalyst for cycle of absolute madness?

[jedi_master]

I reckon it’s linked.

[RHansburyEsq]

Never take everything you read as gospel, particularly the Sun, but it does seem to provide credence to what a lot of people have been saying.

It does read like his own opinions rather than SP or the board which if correct perhaps not (quite) as bad as it first sounded. Still pretty disastrous though. A player unsure about how things are going to pan out might well see that and think enough is enough.

[Guller Bull]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/footb ... group.html

[Anonymous Claret]

After reading this thread I think this could be a possible scenario. If Matt Williams knew the director from his Shrewsbury days, he may have asked him to compile a report on the current squad for potential sales.
The director writes the report and decides to send it to Williams by WhatsApp.
Matt Williams is next to Michael Mellon in his contacts list and instead of sending it to Williams he sends it to Mellon instead.
I have done something similar many years ago and I know quite a few other people who have sent texts to the wrong people by mistake.
It sounds a little far fetched but anything is possible at the moment

[ClaretTony]

Wasn’t he at Shrewsbury with Matt Williams

Both have been at Shrewsbury but not at the same time. Matt WIlliams moved from Shrewsbury to Burnley in early 2016 while Longwell joined Shrewsbury in 2019 having been working in the USA.

[Row x]

Never take everything you read as gospel, particularly the Sun, but it does seem to provide credence to what a lot of people have been saying.

It does read like his own opinions rather than SP or the board which if correct perhaps not (quite) as bad as it first sounded. Still pretty disastrous though. A player unsure about how things are going to pan out might well see that and think enough is enough.

Probably put out there by a certain rovers supporting Scottish journalist, timings everything.

[ClaretTony]

After reading this thread I think this could be a possible scenario. If Matt Williams knew the director from his Shrewsbury days, he may have asked him to compile a report on the current squad for potential sales.
The director writes the report and decides to send it to Williams by WhatsApp.
Matt Williams is next to Michael Mellon in his contacts list and instead of sending it to Williams he sends it to Mellon instead.
I have done something similar many years ago and I know quite a few other people who have sent texts to the wrong people by mistake.
It sounds a little far fetched but anything is possible at the moment

I've just posted that Matt Williams and David Longwell don't know each other from Shrewsbury. And he's sent it to the U21 WhatsApp group, not Michael Mellon.

[Anonymous Claret]

Fair enough. It appears my theory was plausible but untrue.

We may never know who the intended recipients were but it seems more logical to me that the report was written for Williams and the board rather than agents.

I suppose we will have to wait for the next season of the soap opera MTB to find out.
The option of the academy manager being a spy for the SMT at BFC is just as plausible as him being a spy for player agents.

[Bordeauxclaret]

'Big issue they can’t get players out for the finance they spent and it’s been left a mess with that many players and Vinny who signed them left.'

Quite the turnaround on the first bit.

[Burnley Ace]

'Big issue they can’t get players out for the finance they spent and it’s been left a mess with that many players and Vinny who signed them left.'

Quite the turnaround on the first bit.

Which player, sold this window, have we lost money on? Bastien and Twine?

[Rileybobs]

Which player, sold this window, have we lost money on? Bastien and Twine?

The reference may be that we can't sell the players we want to sell for what we paid for them.

Also, it's not as simple as buy a player for £X and sell a player for £X+1 = a profit - because the owners have borrowed money at significant interest rates to fund those purchases. And the headline figure for the sales won't usually be an up-front payment, so interest will continue to be accrued on the original debt.

[BurnleyFC]

He’ll always be a Claret.

Thanks for everything, Dave.