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Director of Football


Mr. Slugworth

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Quotes attributed to Sir John in the Chronicle this afternoon:

 

"We have also got to look at ourselves and may appoint a director of football to take some pressure off the manager and make sure we take advantage of modern technology."

 

I have to say, it's about time.  This would be a major step forward for this football club and would free up Glenn to do what he does best and coach the first team.  I would personally favour a continental style D of F like Comolli although I expect Fred would prefer and Englishman (Geordie).  Your thoughts please.

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"Modern technology" eh ?

Should'nt we already be doing that? why does that take a director of football to sort it out ? Big Sam has broguth all the latest stuff like that to Bolton without a director of football, and I also do not see where a director of football going to help our in game form.

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Guest Darth Toon

Ironically, I think Roeder would make a decent DoF

 

Is there still some compromise available that sees him move upstairs and a more experienced manager come in? Probably not under the current regime.

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one big problem though, the director of football still has to be appointed by SHepherd. he'll end up getting someone like david pleat or howard wilkinson or frank clark in.

 

'Zactamundo. Someone useless he can shove around or overrule.

 

The problem is still Shepherd.

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Newcastle's main problem is that Roeder/FFS between them left the squad thin numerically and lacking quality in critical areas.  There was a transfer kitty of at least £15m (Duff and Martins), perhaps there was more money available but not an acceptable player.

 

A DoF could have let Roeder get on with coaching the players and get the players in to strengthen the areas of the squad that need improving.  Mr Slugworth in his opening post said someone like Comolli.  It is exactly that sort of person that Newcastle needs, not Roeder to be moved sideways to take the job because, quite frankly, what experience does he have to do the job? 

 

There was thread yesterday asking which players had come through the Academy, Gazza was the only one in the recent past.  Dorian Dervite (French) and Tomas Pekhart (Czech), both now 17, were signed by Comolli and both have been added to the squad for the Carling Cup match against MK Dons tomorrow.  They may not start, they may not even make the bench, but they are getting closer to the first team squad every day.  Dag Alexander Olsen, a young Norwegian, joins Spurs in January after competition from Dortmund, Bayern and Liverpool for his signature.  It may seem that Spurs look more and more like Arsenal in their outlook regarding youngsters for the Academy, but I am 100% convinced that this is the only way to go in the future and it is easier to accomplish with a DoF overseeing it.

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Guest Gemmill

Good long term idea.  Not really interested in seeing it happen now though, as it'll just buy Shepherd more time to fuck things up.

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Coming as this idea does from the Halls, it may be an attempt to belatedly get Shepherd away from meddling on the football side. It's a possible sign of a rift between the club's joint owners.

 

It may be too little too late though.

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Coming as this idea does from the Halls, it may be an attempt to belatedly get Shepherd away from meddling on the football side. It's a possible sign of a rift between the club's joint owners.

 

It may be too little too late though.

 

.............. and to get someone in who would be qualified for that role?  Possible I suppose.  I don't believe for a moment that it would be too little too late though.  More a case of better late than never imho.

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I totally agree with Martin Jol.  Like it or not, Robert Huth had a point when he said that the smoggies are more 'progressive' than us and the likes of Spurs and Liverpool have certainly benefitted immeasurably from a more holistic, progressive and modern leadership.  We have on our hands here an international brand, a PLC seeking to compete in the international marketplace and so this insular 'gotta be a geordie' bullshit simply won't do...  Why the f*ck did we let Martin O'Neill get away from us??? MO'N and a quality D of F and we'd be fucking laughing!

 

Comolli, or someone like Frank Arnesen or Houllier (or even a f*cking Sir Bobby at this stage) would afford us a chance to set up some progressive scouting and recruitment drives a la Spurs and be at the races when it comes to signing up young foreign talent (a few more N'Zogbia's and a few less Luque's PLEASE!!!).  Who do we have scouting for us at present? Terry Mac and David Mills plus a few other goons.  When it came to buying a new striker (ffs, we'd known we'd need one for long enough) why the f*ck did Roeder feel he had to check on Kuyt so many times and so last minute.  I look at the likes of Arsenal (Toure for £200k for f*ck sake) and Spurs and weep.  We're supposed to be a top club, surely we have an extensive dossier of info on potential targets in each position???  Why the hell not??  The relative success of Bolton (Big Sam has 21 full time assistant technical staff i.e video analysts, masseurs etc.) and Wigan should make us all really pissed off.

 

Don't forget though that we had a D of F under Sir Bobby by the name of Gordon Milne and the success of that was debatable (one of Bob's old mates, did the paperwork etc.) and we shouldn't even entertain the idea of some twat like Howard Wilkinson or David Pleat bleeding us dry.  This is obviously a commercial decision and Fred want's someone in who won't "rock the boat".  I think we can all agree that that's exectly what NUFC needs!!!

 

Fred, f*ck off, or make some major changes to how you run OUR club.  The fans will NOT accept this shite for much longer!

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Guest afternoonfix

Newcastle United life president Sir John Hall has come out in full support of Glenn Roeder, but the former Magpies chairman says the club are now considering bringing in a director of football to assist their current manager.

 

The North East side are just two points above the Premiership relegation zone having lost six of their last eight games, with a 1-0 derby day to defeat to Middlesbrough at the weekend fully compounding their woes.

 

Their form this season is in marked contrast to the improvement Roeder instigated when taking over from Graeme Souness last season, initially in a caretaker capacity, but the pressure is now on the former West Ham boss to deliver and drag The Magpies up the table.

 

Hall has now thrown his backing firmly behind Roeder but, whilst doing so, also revealed that the club are considering the appointment of a director of football in order to help relieve the pressure on the man in the top job.

 

"Glenn is one of the most honest and sincere men I have met in football and I have the highest regard for him," said Hall.

 

"He has got Newcastle United in his heart and he feels the anguish the same as the supporters when results are not going our way.

 

"I am sure Glenn will get it right, but he needs the strength of the fans to get him through.

 

"We have also got to look at ourselves and may appoint a director of football to take some pressure off the manager and make sure we take advantage of modern technology.

 

 

 

http://home.skysports.com/list.aspx?hlid=424204&CPID=8&clid=4&lid=2&title=Magpies+consider+Roeder+help

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Guest Knightrider

A real club would go out and look at someone like Cuper...we'll get Keegan or Cox.

 

Aye becaue he's a brilliant DOF isn't he.

 

Anyway we'd have no chance of prising him away from, err...???

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A real club would go out and look at someone like Cuper...we'll get Keegan or Cox.

 

Aye becaue he's a brilliant DOF isn't he.

 

Anyway we'd have no chance of prising him away from, err...???

 

I just gave Cuper as an example because I remember when Roeder first took over as Caretaker, he was praising how he goes about signing a player...ie, he finds out about the player as a person before he even considers buying him.

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Coming as this idea does from the Halls, it may be an attempt to belatedly get Shepherd away from meddling on the football side. It's a possible sign of a rift between the club's joint owners.

 

It may be too little too late though.

 

.............. and to get someone in who would be qualified for that role? Possible I suppose. I don't believe for a moment that it would be too little too late though. More a case of better late than never imho.

 

I don't have strong feelings either way about the Director of Football role. But I think the Manager should still be in charge, with the Director acting as a help to him. Two bosses wouldn't work.

 

It's also important that any appointment like that is made for the right reasons ie as a genuine help to the manager. If it's some roundabout way of restricting the Chairman's room for manoevre then I think you'll end up with problems. Likewise if it's a way of disempowering the manager.

 

As for too little too late, who knows. An appointment like that is a long-term strategy, not a short-term fix. We've had minor relegation scares over the last two seasons, and this time luck might be against us.

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Ironically, I think Roeder would make a decent DoF

 

Is there still some compromise available that sees him move upstairs and a more experienced manager come in? Probably not under the current regime.

 

What has Roeder ever done to indicate hed make a good Director of Football? His organisational skills seem to be non existent - just look at the farce that was last summer.

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Someone who has good contacts and can set up a world class scouting and recruitment network i.e. Arsenal, Spurs; someone who can (in conjuntion with academy director) manage the academy and coordinate integration with first team; someone who can restructure the coaching staff in-line with current practice i.e. video analysis, specialist coaches etc. as favoured by Mourinho, Benitez etc.; someone who can liase with the manager as to potential targets and research their background so that we don't fuck up as per Luque (how difficult can it be ffs) but bring in the N'Zogbia's.  We are sooo far behind the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and even Spurs in this regard (let alone the first team!!!) that it makes me very fucking angry.  Fred, you're a businessman ffs, it's called 'benchmarking' i.e. following examples of good practice. Basic fucking stuff.  It makes good business sense to invest in the future.  How much are Spurs worth now compared to when Glenn Hoddle was in charge?

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Someone who has good contacts and can set up a world class scouting and recruitment network i.e. Arsenal, Spurs; someone who can (in conjuntion with academy director) manage the academy and coordinate integration with first team; someone who can restructure the coaching staff in-line with current practice i.e. video analysis, specialist coaches etc. as favoured by Mourinho, Benitez etc.; someone who can liase with the manager as to potential targets and research their background so that we don't **** up as per Luque (how difficult can it be ffs) but bring in the N'Zogbia's.  We are sooo far behind the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and even Spurs in this regard (let alone the first team!!!) that it makes me very ****ing angry.  Fred, you're a businessman ffs, it's called 'benchmarking' i.e. following examples of good practice. Basic ****ing stuff.  It makes good business sense to invest in the future.  How much are Spurs worth now compared to when Glenn Hoddle was in charge?

 

The difference is like chalk and cheese, Hoddle's first choice midfield was Poyet, Redknapp, Anderton  and (Rohan) Ricketts!! Nuff said! :lol: :lol:  I'm not saying that all managers would be able to work with a DoF, MON certainly wouldn't and Big Sam would probably be the same.  But if there is a DoF in place, all the coaches, accepting that they have to be good at their job,  also have to know what their responsibilities are in relation to the DoF.  It's well known that when Spurs took Alex Inglethorpe from Exeter to be the Head Coach at the Academy, the interview with Comolli lasted almost 6 hours.  At the end of it Inglethorpe knew exactly what was required and Comolli knew exactly what he was getting.  Unbeaten in his first 7 games suggests the right man is in the right job.

 

The important thing though is for the DoF to have contacts and network to get done the things that need to be done, even if that needs to be changed fairly soon afterwards.  Of the 23 signings that Arnesen made only 5 remain, but that doesn't mean they were bad signings.  They simply provided the stepping stones to the next level.  Comolli is just taking that progress onwards.

 

From what I've said above, it should be obvious that imho Roeder is nowhere near qualified to take on a DoF job and do it properly, nor are the vast majority of manager/coaches who operate in the premiership at the present time.

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But we already have a director of football...That role is taken by Fat Bastard...Why on earth would he give up that role to someone else and pay him money as well...

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It would be an inprovement over what is in place at this time. However things will not change or get any better until Shepherd goes. So getting a DoF with fatty at the helm will make no difference at all, it will be just another worthless title for a puppet to be used to take the blame.

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