Backroom & executive staff

[SEMTEX]

On 06/07/2025 at 15:18, gbandit said:

Martin Mark? Can we trust someone with two first names? This is very disturbing 

Two of em now. Very unsettling. 

[madras]

Just now, SEMTEX said:

Two of em now. Very unsettling. 

Got them on the playing side a well so its OK. Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and if you wanted to stretch things Nick Pope.

[Mag3.14]

31 minutes ago, madras said:

Got them on the playing side a well so its OK. Alexander Isak, Anthony Gordon and if you wanted to stretch things Nick Pope.

 

Would be a lot more unsettling if we'd kept that Steve Bruce bloke...

[Yorkie]

Like to see us appointing people to roles which are associated with ambition and being proactive, but you do feel like - theoretically - you fill these positions after the SD is in place.

 

My takeaway from this is; I wonder (not for the first time) what the whole point is of a SD. If you have faith in the individuals at the coal-face, just leave them to it and replace them if they're not up to scratch.

 

Do wonder if the whole SD thing is a bit of a phase, and they won't be commonplace in 10/20 years time. The concept feels flawed to me.

[Dokko]

3 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

Like to see us appointing people to roles which are associated with ambition and being proactive, but you do feel like - theoretically - you fill these positions after the SD is in place.

 

My takeaway from this is; I wonder (not for the first time) what the whole point is of a SD. If you have faith in the individuals at the coal-face, just leave them to it and replace them if they're not up to scratch.

 

Do wonder if the whole SD thing is a bit of a phase, and they won't be commonplace in 10/20 years time. The concept feels flawed to me.

 

Sounds more like the club is aligning to the manager rather than making a model for a head coach. They probably always were HC inclined, but Howe has done such a fantastic job, while showing up roles above him as spare parts, that at this point it's sbout giving him the people he can trust and be an extension of him, not a model he fits into.

 

It's the biggest backing of a manager you'll see in recent times if we don't bring in a dof or sd. I'm all for it. No power struggle or games. All staff working towards the managers direction and strategy. Only problem is, you cannot afford to lose him. 

[Yorkie]

Just now, Dokko said:

 

Sounds more like the club is aligning to the manager rather than making a model for a head coach. They probably always were HC inclined, but Howe has done such a fantastic job, while showing up roles above him as spare parts, that at this point it's sbout giving him the people he can trust and be an extension of him, not a model he fits into.

 

It's the biggest backing of a manager you'll see in recent times if we don't bring in a dof or sd. I'm all for it. No power struggle or games. All staff working towards the managers direction and strategy. Only problem is, you cannot afford to lose him. 

 

Ross will report to a new SD; it's in the announcement.

[Abacus]

19 minutes ago, Yorkie said:

Like to see us appointing people to roles which are associated with ambition and being proactive, but you do feel like - theoretically - you fill these positions after the SD is in place.

 

My takeaway from this is; I wonder (not for the first time) what the whole point is of a SD. If you have faith in the individuals at the coal-face, just leave them to it and replace them if they're not up to scratch.

 

Do wonder if the whole SD thing is a bit of a phase, and they won't be commonplace in 10/20 years time. The concept feels flawed to me.

 

Agree. The idea usually is that a SD sets the vision for the club but they rarely seem to stay around that long. They are also kind of unaccountable because they aren't directly responsible for what happens on the pitch.

 

What you need is someone with a vision for the club who is directly accountable. I feel we have that already and it's not like we're going backwards 

[Dr Venkman]

2 hours ago, pinkeye said:

just once we identify the player we want we should just get the deal done.  That should be pretty simple, it is for most other clubs it would seem.

 

James Trafford deal as a prime example...  I think we are up to 12 months now.  I realise that some of that is us and some of that is Burnley but, if we want him..  Just bloody buy him.

 

[toontownman]

More from the bbc. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cy7n2030rx8o

 

Ross has a great reputation in the game and at the club. I assume (dangerous) he is aligned with Eddie and they share the same club vision.

 

I understand the strange backwards approach not getting DOF in to hire his people etc. But it depends how we have set up our hiring process. If we already have a united vision and identity/pathway then we are really looking for someone to actualize the plan and build upon it. Different from Ashworth who was kind of starting at ground zero.

 

Might point towards more reasons why Mitchell didnt stick. He might well have wanted more changes to fit his vision while we were essentially happy with the one we had that Howe liked. 

 

I'd expect this whole search for DOF is to continue work and compliment the plan not recreate the wheel. If that's the case they should fit with who we have at the club, and the hiring process built around that idea. 

 

 

[JigsawGoesToPieces]

Head of Football Strategy sounds like one of those made up jobs for the boys type roles, hardly screams out an elite appointment.

 

Basically he has gone from Head of Academy Coach Development to Head of Strategic Technical Football Partnerships to Head of Football Strategy.

[relámpago blanco]

On 14/07/2025 at 16:53, toontownman said:

More from the bbc. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/cy7n2030rx8o

 

Ross has a great reputation in the game and at the club. I assume (dangerous) he is aligned with Eddie and they share the same club vision.

 

I understand the strange backwards approach not getting DOF in to hire his people etc. But it depends how we have set up our hiring process. If we already have a united vision and identity/pathway then we are really looking for someone to actualize the plan and build upon it. Different from Ashworth who was kind of starting at ground zero.

 

Might point towards more reasons why Mitchell didnt stick. He might well have wanted more changes to fit his vision while we were essentially happy with the one we had that Howe liked. 

 

I'd expect this whole search for DOF is to continue work and compliment the plan not recreate the wheel. If that's the case they should fit with who we have at the club, and the hiring process built around that idea. 

 

 

Outside of not signing anyone for the last 3 windows our business has been incredible.  Hard to pick a real failure other than Targett but that's more injury and system change than anything

 

 

Edited July 15, 2025 by relámpago blanco

[Skeletor]

Jack Ross?

 

[Kanj]

I’d much rather we would the football club around the style of play Eddie has successfully implemented here with Ross charged with that than a sporting director who often has a speciality that isn’t the deep defined philosophy of a style of play. 

[Coffee_Johnny]

Just thinking, perhaps the strategy brief he’s been given is make sure we sign all the world’s best forwards. Canny. 

[Ben]

15 hours ago, Kanj said:

I’d much rather we would the football club around the style of play Eddie has successfully implemented here with Ross charged with that than a sporting director who often has a speciality that isn’t the deep defined philosophy of a style of play. 

 

I think the idea that Ross is in charge of the football development side using Eddies plans and a new fella is brought in that is a PSR nerd charged with providing Howe with as much money as possible, using any means possible, is the way to go. 

[midds]

Can anyone clarify who's doing what this summer? Because right now it seems like fuck all is happening, nothing is organised and there's a real risk we lose our best ever CF and we've got nothing there to indicate we have a plan to replace him. If the alarm bells aren't ringing right now then they fucking should be

[JT24]

34 minutes ago, midds said:

Can anyone clarify who's doing what this summer? Because right now it seems like fuck all is happening, nothing is organised and there's a real risk we lose our best ever CF and we've got nothing there to indicate we have a plan to replace him. If the alarm bells aren't ringing right now then they fucking should be

I’ll ask Chris Waugh at his next Athletic Q&A. 
 

I won’t get an answer but I can at least say I tried. 

[Weezertron]

37 minutes ago, midds said:

Can anyone clarify who's doing what this summer? Because right now it seems like fuck all is happening, nothing is organised and there's a real risk we lose our best ever CF and we've got nothing there to indicate we have a plan to replace him. If the alarm bells aren't ringing right now then they fucking should be

 

How do you know nothing is happening? 

 

/s 

[nufc123]

3 minutes ago, JT24 said:

I’ll ask Chris Waugh at his next Athletic Q&A. 
 

I won’t get an answer but I can at least say I tried. 

Ask Douglas. He will tell you what is going on next week.

[midds]

5 minutes ago, Weezertron said:

 

How do you know nothing is happening? 

 

/s 

'seems like'

 

I don't know but I do know how much has actually been achieved this summer and it's not fucking much tbh

[Weezertron]

Just now, midds said:

'seems like'

 

I don't know but I do know how much has actually been achieved this summer and it's not fucking much tbh

Sorry, I was being sarcastic in an attempt to mock the superfans on the board.

 

Didn't work 

 

I feel the same. 

[TBG]

Clubs gone to shit since that set piece coach in.

[Andy84]

4 minutes ago, TBG said:

Clubs gone to shit since that set piece coach in.

I blame Mitchell 

[El Prontonise]

Can they hire a graphic designer please to fix this awful mess

 

 

 

 

[JT24]

4 minutes ago, El Prontonise said:

Can they hire a graphic designer please to fix this awful mess

 

 

 

 

It wouldn’t be so bad if the club crests were next to the score but this is just shocking. Another example of background amateur hour.