The Structure of a 'Top Club'

[Mr. Slugworth]

There's talk of us appointing a Director of Football but imo that's just the tip of the iceberg.  If we are to really shake this club down we need to see a complete reorganisation of the structure from the top down.  It won't happen, but we can dream...

 

How a top 'international' football club should be structured / managed imo:

To manage the business side:

 

Club President:  i.e. Sir John Hall

Chairman: Someone other than Fat Fred i.e someone with a bit of vision (money), foreward thinking etc. like Daniel Levy at Spurs;

Chief Executive: Someone to actually run the club i.e. with business experience like Peter Kenyon, David Gill etc.;

Vice Chairman: Anyone but Dougie ffs;

Chief Operating Officer / Company Secretary: i.e. Russell Cushing;

Finance Director: Someone with City experience, understanding of economics etc.;

Commercial Director: Someone with marketing experience to increase revenue / build brand;

Board of 6-8 Non-Executive Directors with specialist knowledge i.e. lawyer etc.

 

To manage the playing side:

 

Director of Football: As detailed in previous posts i.e. Gerard Houllier, Frank Arnesen etc.;

First Team Manager: Glenn Roeder??  Would have preferred a M'ON but he wouldn't have worked well with above;

Assistant Manager: Someone good at coaching - there's plenty about (abroad?? i.e. Quieroz) or even John Carver;

First Team Coach: Not Clarky please, someone with a bit of experience, track record etc.

Assistant Coach: Lee Clark maybe?

Goalkeeping Coach: Terry Gennoe

Conditioning / Fitness Coach: Paul Winsper

Assistant Conditioning / Fitness Coach:

 

Ambassador / Striking Coach: Alan Shearer (why not? he was good you know...);

Defensive Coach: We fucking need someone...

 

Video Analysts / Prozone Experts;

Charity Case: Terry Mac;

 

Reserve Team Coach: What was wrong with Tommy Craig??;

Assistant Reserve Team Coach: Young up-and-coming coach (wouldn't cost much, surely?);

 

Academy Director: To link up with D of F - Brian Klug or someone, the guy we have (can't remember name);

U19 Manager: Kenny Wharton or someone like that?;

U17 Manager:

Academy Coach: Peter Beardsley;

Academy Coach:

Academy Goalkeeping Coach: Adam Smith;

Education Manager: responsible for academy, reporting to academy director;

 

Chief Medical Officer: Dr. Roddy MacDonald;

Reserve Team Doctor:

Rehabilitation Doctor: To work with the Crocks (full time job!!);

Physios: At least 3 to go round + Derek Wright (for amusement value);

Masseurs: Again, at least 3 to go round, preferably 4 like Chelsea;

 

Chief Scout: to report to D of F, liase with first team manager;

European Scout: Someone like Comolli from his time at Arsenal;

Scouts: An entire, integrated network, not Terry fucking Mac;

Youth Scouts: to search for the N'Zogbia's and Rossi's (£200k = steal);

 

Video Analysts / Prozone Experts.

 

Might seem like a lot of people, but i've looked at the structure of the top clubs i.e. Chelsea, Man Utd, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich etc. and that's how it looks...  I really think that if we'd invested a little bit of the money from the fabled £200m that Sir John was bitchin' about into the non-playing side, we'd be seeing the benefits today...  Any thoughts?

[Tooj]

Gemmill for finance director.  blueyes.gif

[thomas]

Gemmill for finance director.  blueyes.gif

macbeth surely  bluedead.gif

[Colos Short and Curlies]

Gemmill for finance director.  blueyes.gif

 

You want to replace one podgy ginger (Fred) with another?

 

Are you mad!!??

 

[Guest Gemmill]

It would depend on the package they were offering tbh.  I'm hot property.

[johnnypd]

agree. Spurs also have a dedicated "skills coach" who works solely on improving the technique of players, named Moniz. man utd had one too who also doubled up in another role but he left to manage Brondby. might help us if a single player in our team had good first touch.

 

i think roeder is fairly clued up about how a club should be structured. he recently poached two of Wham's youth scouts (their domestic youth scouting network is possibly the best in the country) and he continues to add to the academy, appointing joe joyce and michael carrick's brother recently. he also bought the new prozone type system, same one as rafa benitez uses.  i think he might do well in a DofF role as he would know what is best for the Academy, and as long as he signs the right scouts, it doesnt matter that his book of networks is not bulging at the seams. His chief scout at Wham was Paul Montgomery, and found Malouda, Drogba and Mpenza for him, though they never signed. it would also remove him from managing the day to day affairs of the first-team, something he doesn't seem up to.

 

but he's not going to be able to overhaul the entire system, which is what is needed, with Shepherd in charge. he's not even allowed to have some of the most basic and essential backroom staff - ie for the first team - cos shepherd's had his hands burnt with Souness' entourage and Kevin Bond. And Shepherd himself wants to be DofF, chief scout and chairman all at the same time, so will probably not tolerate any position that takes power away from him.

[Mr. Slugworth]

Yeah, i agree with that.  A specialist skills / technique coach sounds like a progressive idea.  A Dutch or French coach would be good imo as they have a background of highly technical training.

 

As for Fat Fred having his fingers burnt, he should get over it.  If you sack someone from your business you still have to replace them.  It should even teach you a bit more about what type of person you're looking for...  Alan Murray and Phil Boersma had no pedigree.  Souness was obviously (painfully so, to everyone apart from Fred) not the man for the job, so letting him spend money and choose his mates as his backroom staff was throwing good money after bad. 

 

There needs to be a degree of trust between the Chairman, D of F and First Team manager as there is with Spurs or Chelsea.  It's a waste of fucking time otherwise...  It seems to me that Glenn is on the ball and is trying to force Fred's hand on a few points but the fat fucker is so short-sighted that he's resisting.  Glenn can't believe his luck at landing the job so won't argue but a top manager wouldn't put up with that shite.  They're hired as the experts on what's needed on the playing / coaching / technical side and for some reason, Fred thinks he knows better.  In business, you wouldn't hire an 'expert' on something and then tell them how to do their job.  Thats why you fucking hired them!!

[Martin Lol]

Yeah, i agree with that.  A specialist skills / technique coach sounds like a progressive idea.  A Dutch or French coach would be good imo as they have a background of highly technical training.

 

As for Fat Fred having his fingers burnt, he should get over it.  If you sack someone from your business you still have to replace them.  It should even teach you a bit more about what type of person you're looking for...  Alan Murray and Phil Boersma had no pedigree.  Souness was obviously (painfully so, to everyone apart from Fred) not the man for the job, so letting him spend money and choose his mates as his backroom staff was throwing good money after bad. 

 

There needs to be a degree of trust between the Chairman, D of F and First Team manager as there is with Spurs or Chelsea.  It's a waste of ****ing time otherwise...  It seems to me that Glenn is on the ball and is trying to force Fred's hand on a few points but the fat fucker is so short-sighted that he's resisting.  Glenn can't believe his luck at landing the job so won't argue but a top manager wouldn't put up with that shite.  They're hired as the experts on what's needed on the playing / coaching / technical side and for some reason, Fred thinks he knows better.  In business, you wouldn't hire an 'expert' on something and then tell them how to do their job.  Thats why you ****ing hired them!!

 

The effect that Moniz has had on the Academy kids has been amazing, works a lot with Lennon and Ghaly a lot too.  Although the 90 odd different skills were identified by a Dutchman, Wiel Coerver, the first high profile coach to use his skills techniques as part of coaching was Houllier at Clairefontaine, another good reason to have him as a DoF!  As at the start of this season there were 4 skills coaches in the premiership, at Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea and Bolton, whether that has changed since then I don't know.

 

This article gives a bit more information and a clearer reason why continental kids are technically far ahead of the English counterparts.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/teams/england/5148730.stm

[johnnypd]

coerver is the guy who used to have those "turn yourself into pele in 100 days" videos back in the early 90s 

[Mr. Slugworth]

Good shout, excellent post Martin Jol!

[macbeth]

Gemmill for finance director.  blueyes.gif

macbeth surely  bluedead.gif

 

I am perfectly qualified for one of the roles suggested, but it isn't that one  :winking:

[NE5]

Gemmill for finance director.  blueyes.gif

macbeth surely   bluedead.gif

 

I am perfectly qualified for one of the roles suggested, but it isn't that one  :winking:

 

charity case ?

 

 

[Syrette]

Cheap shot.

[NE5]

Cheap shot.

 

don't mention money and cheap or he'll be agreeing with you

 

 

[Syrette]

[NE5]

 

?

 

 

[Mr. Slugworth]

Does anyone know if NUFC actually has any of the staff that i've left blank? If not, any value in sending a letter to PR department and asking why not?? 

[Rob W]

Too many Board members FFS

 

Don't need a President or a Vice Chairman and a COO - the Finance guy can double as Company Secretary

 

Only need three non execs - but geniune non execs , not mates of thr Chairman

[Guest Rushian]

Surely the only need for a Director of Football is if you don't trust your manager to do his job properly?

[Rob W]

well it works in Yurop but here the record is terrible - the problem is that they are two seperate jobs really - the Director of Football is in charge of the  all the non commercial stuff, the transfers, scouting, the youth team etc etc and the COACH just runs the first team, tactics etc etc

 

Over here we appoint two managers both of whom want to run it all so all you get is conflict......................

 

 

[Martin Lol]

Surely the only need for a Director of Football is if you don't trust your manager to do his job properly?

 

The DoF enables the manager/coach to concentrate on getting right what really matters to the fans............... results for the first team.  All the periferal matters, signings, academy, buying nets for goalposts, making sure there's enough footballs etc is the responsibility of the DoF.

[Guest Rushian]

Surely the only need for a Director of Football is if you don't trust your manager to do his job properly?

 

The DoF enables the manager/coach to concentrate on getting right what really matters to the fans............... results for the first team.  All the periferal matters, signings, academy, buying nets for goalposts, making sure there's enough footballs etc is the responsibility of the DoF.

 

If the manager you pay £3 million a year to is worrying about enough footballs and buying nets for goalposts then there's something seriously wrong with your club. These things are a given at any professionally run outfit.

 

The academy is normally run with a great degree of autonomy, feeding players into the reserve and then first team systems. You have an academy director for this who liases with his coaches, scouts and the person/people in charge of youth recruitment.

 

Which leaves buying players - and this has to be the preserve of the manager and it's his decisions and his head on the line. A director of football is just an unnecessary body between a manager and chairman/chief exec having a good working relationship.

 

 

[Sparks]

Most certainly a psychologist who could work full time on Bramble alone.

[Mr. Slugworth]

Don't agree with Rushian at all, just look at the spurs / chelsea models to see how it should work...  Glenn is the coach and i'd suggest he needs help with transfers / scouting etc.  Look what happened this summer...

[indi]

On the business side there's a massive need for a Marketing Director, seeing as that's where most of our income comes from, but I agree with Rob there's a bit of dead wood in the structure you've outlined.