Sporting Director / Director of Football

[r0cafella]

1 minute ago, 80 said:

Tend to agree. Wouldn't throw my toys out of the pram, but I want us to hire the best in class, and what are the chances that person once again works at Bournemouth?

Aye, won’t be throwing toys will just be bitterly disappointed and it will give another clear indication (to me at least) just how much power Eddie holds. (Before I get ripped in to I’m a massive fan and I’m fully behind him). 
 

To me, it’s absolutely crucial the sporting director is a long term appointment as he’s the continuity guy, his job is to basically stop you becoming current day man united. 
 

I don’t see anything in Richard Hughes record or his signings which scream to me, he’s the man for the job, that being said if we do go for him boy do I hope he proves me wrong. 

[SteV]

11 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

Because we need best in class, with experience of European competition. I think it’s a question of ambition at this stage and Hughes would be classed as a step down on what we had. 

Ashworth is widely considered to be the best, yet until this season didn’t have any experience of European competition.

 

The fact is we know very little of how each individual in this kind of role operates, and it’s very difficult to judge who is ‘better’ than who.

[r0cafella]

1 minute ago, SteV said:

Ashworth is widely considered to be the best, yet until this season didn’t have any experience of European competition.

 

The fact is we know very little of how each individual in this kind of role operates, and it’s very difficult to judge who is ‘better’ than who.

That is indeed true, but that is mainly based off misplaced credit from his time at Brighton, and him putting together or being credited for the elite performance program for England, now where is Richard Hughes equivalent? And I don’t want to be dunking on Richard Hughes, but appointing him would be most convenient and a red flag to me. If he’s the best candidate we can attract we have a lot of work to do and are someway behind where I thought we were. 

[lovejoy]

37 minutes ago, Danh1 said:

Said it before but would be depressed by Richard Hughes.

 

Bournemouth United. 

They’ll appoint the best person for the job as they have with every other appointment they’ve made, simple as that.

 

If he happens to come from Bournemouth, so be it.

[lovejoy]

4 minutes ago, SteV said:

Ashworth is widely considered to be the best, yet until this season didn’t have any experience of European competition.

 

The fact is we know very little of how each individual in this kind of role operates, and it’s very difficult to judge who is ‘better’ than who.

Correct.

 

Ashworth is widely reported to be the number one as you say, but he’s never been in a role where the team has won anything. Which is usually what it would take to be judged the best, so clearly this is different.

 

The managerial appointments made while he’s been in jobs are very much a mixed bag (Di Matteo, Hodgson, Allardyce, Southgate, Potter).

 

Dougie Freedman is another who’s supposed to be well thought of but they’ve been shite for years, so I’ve no idea how this role is judged, nobody does really.

 

They’ll get it right. They always do.

 

 

[SUPERTOON]

29 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

That is indeed true, but that is mainly based off misplaced credit from his time at Brighton, and him putting together or being credited for the elite performance program for England, now where is Richard Hughes equivalent? And I don’t want to be dunking on Richard Hughes, but appointing him would be most convenient and a red flag to me. If he’s the best candidate we can attract we have a lot of work to do and are someway behind where I thought we were. 

Who would you consider best in class? 

[r0cafella]

2 minutes ago, SUPERTOON said:

Who would you consider best in class? 

Best in class would Michael Edwards imo. Anyone who can wrestle a league title from City is creme de la creme imo. 
 

and the reasoning is clear, the level of achievement is so high, it’s exactly what we need. We need extraordinary performers. 

 

 

Edited February 20 by r0cafella

[SUPERTOON]

3 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

Best in class would Michael Edwards imo. Anyone who can wrestle a league title from City is creme de la creme imo. 
 

and the reasoning is clear, the level of achievement is so high, it’s exactly what we need. We need extraordinary performers. 

 

 

 

He’s supposedly not interested in this type of role anymore. I just think it’s hard to know what and who is to be considered best in class when so few teams win the big trophies regularly and we are unlikely to poach anyone from the so called elite clubs.

[TBG]

I think the one thing most of us can agree on, is no matter who it is, it'll be the wrong choice.

 

The club should have instead went for [INSERT NAME] who was my personal choice, and even though the club didn't want [INSERT NAME] or [INSERT NAME] turned us down, the fact we didn't get [INSERT NAME] isn't acceptable. 

[r0cafella]

Just now, SUPERTOON said:

He’s supposedly not interested in this type of role anymore. I just think it’s hard to know what and who is to be considered best in class when so few teams win the big trophies regularly and we are unlikely to poach anyone from the so called elite clubs.

Which is fine, you move on to the next target, but the consistent theme should be; has this person performed to an elite level in his current/previous role? If our ambition is to the best this has to be the measuring stick. 

[WinstonFC]

Whats Michael Zorc at these days????

[Ikon]

4 minutes ago, WinstonFC said:

Whats Michael Zorc at these days????

Retired I think. Was a massive success at Dortmund. Wouldn’t mind him like. 

[PCW1983]

If there’s any substance to the reports of Ashworth not having the control he expected then I hope we are clear with the model we intend to use before we appoint anyone, it’s hard to imagine why we would recruit someone with Ashworth’s reputation and then not go through with the organisational model that he works with (appreciating he arrived after Eddie). 
 

 

[James]

Let’s just dust off those brochures and bring in Ottmar Hitzfeld

[Conjo]

"Best in class" sporting directors and "Oven ready" players mentioned a lot lately. wtf

 

Coulnd't care less who comes in as long as the club is confident the person is good enough to make us better on and off the field.

[lovejoy]

1 hour ago, r0cafella said:

Which is fine, you move on to the next target, but the consistent theme should be; has this person performed to an elite level in his current/previous role? If our ambition is to the best this has to be the measuring stick. 

 

We have no idea what elite level means in this role though, none whatsoever.

[lovejoy]

37 minutes ago, Conjo said:

"Best in class" sporting directors and "Oven ready" players mentioned a lot lately. wtf

 

Coulnd't care less who comes in as long as the club is confident the person is good enough to make us better on and off the field.

 

Precisely.

[r0cafella]

Just now, lovejoy said:

 

We have no idea what elite level means in this role though, none whatsoever.

Why don’t we? I listed one. 

[lovejoy]

4 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

Why don’t we? I listed one. 

 

Because with all due respect, you're not the authority on this ?

 

Ashworth is widely considered 'elite level' and he hasn't 'wrestled a title' from anyone.

 

Paul Mitchell the same.

 

We've no idea what role they play and/or what role the manager plays.

 

Do Liverpool win the title with Edwards but not Klopp ? Who knows.

 

We've genuinely no idea on any of it and it isn't the same as an opinion of a manager based on playing style or trophies won etc.

 

What we do know is we seem to get appointments right, so all we can do is trust them to do the right thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 20 by lovejoy

[r0cafella]

1 minute ago, lovejoy said:

 

Because with all due respect, you're not the authority on this ?

 

Ashworth is widely considered 'elite level' and he hasn't 'wrestled a title' from anyone.

 

Paul Mitchell the same.

 

We've no idea what role they play and/or what role the manager plays.

 

Do Liverpool win the title with Edwards but not Klopp ? Who knows.

 

We've genuinely no idea.

 

What we do know is we seem to get appointments right, so all we can do is trust them to do the right thing.

 

 

 

 

I don’t claim to be, I’m just giving my 2 cents on a forum which is in place to discuss NUFC related matters. 
 

Either way, I’m not sure what you’re actually debating here. 

[lovejoy]

1 minute ago, r0cafella said:

I don’t claim to be, I’m just giving my 2 cents on a forum which is in place to discuss NUFC related matters. 
 

Either way, I’m not sure what you’re actually debating here. 

 

I think it started with you saying Hughes would be a step down, I asked why, and you basically said because he isn't Michael Edwards.

 

I've no idea what a DOF does, or what the yardstick is to be measured by, but it clearly isn't as simple as 'he's at Bournemouth, step down, he was at Liverpool, step up'.

 

 

[lovejoy]

3 minutes ago, r0cafella said:

I don’t claim to be, I’m just giving my 2 cents on a forum which is in place to discuss NUFC related matters. 
 

Either way, I’m not sure what you’re actually debating here. 

 

I'm not debating anything btw, just putting my two cents in the same way.

 

They'll get it right, they generally do.

[r0cafella]

Just now, lovejoy said:

 

I think it started with you saying Hughes would be a step down, I asked why, and you basically said because he isn't Michael Edwards.

 

I've no idea what a DOF does, or what the yardstick is to be measured by, but it clearly isn't as simple as 'he's at Bournemouth, step down, he was at Liverpool, step up'.

 

 

If hughes was a step up why didn’t we appoint him when we appointed Ashworth? 
 

My point is this, Ashworth is gone we need the best possible replacement and someone who is elite/achieved elite things. In this case that for me wouldn’t be Richard Hughes. 
 

But again, this is me spitballing, I’m not the authority or the decision maker, I’m just one guy giving his opinion on an Internet forum. 

[lovejoy]

Just now, r0cafella said:

If hughes was a step up why didn’t we appoint him when we appointed Ashworth? 
 

My point is this, Ashworth is gone we need the best possible replacement and someone who is elite/achieved elite things. In this case that for me wouldn’t be Richard Hughes. 
 

But again, this is me spitballing, I’m not the authority or the decision maker, I’m just one guy giving his opinion on an Internet forum. 

 

Judging by that metric then whoever we get, why didn't we appoint him before Ashworth? Could be a hundred reasons, same for anyone.

 

If they deem Hughes the best replacement possible, then that'll do for me. Equally, if thats Edwards, all good too.

 

We're all different though. ??

 

 

[Guest reefatoon]

1 hour ago, TBG said:

I think the one thing most of us can agree on, is no matter who it is, it'll be the wrong choice.

 

The club should have instead went for [INSERT NAME] who was my personal choice, and even though the club didn't want [INSERT NAME] or [INSERT NAME] turned us down, the fact we didn't get [INSERT NAME] isn't acceptable. 

You sound just like TCD