Yep.
I dont like that extra layer of bureaucracy at a club because it just leads to finger pointing and no one taking responsibility, but if you go down that DoF route you have to makes sure the person hired has the skills and the scope to carry out the overseeing of all aspects of the first team apart from coaching.
Steve Walsh either isn't up to that or Moshiri is a backseat driver.
I think you are right to say "another layer of bureaucracy". I understand people's anger at Walsh but there are bits of it I don't get. I was listening to EBM and Roger was saying how we all thought Walsh would come to the club and revatalise it top to bottom and put structures join place etc. I have no idea what could have given anyone this idea, looking at Walsh's background, previous roles and how he embarked on this job very early on. He is not a DOF, certainly not in the sense of what people are looking for him to be.
It's not all his fault, there is meddling at every level. Moshiri is seemingly poking his nose in on an as and when basis, either throwing out links to Koulibaly or Witsel last summer Costa/Cavani this summer or now dropping Simeone in via Jim White. You then have Elstone and Kenwright of the "old guard"who both in their own way operate as DOF types, closing negotiations and penny pinching over fees. Last summer you also had a headstrong manager who had 2 players in mind (Klaasen & Sigurdsson) he wouldn't budge on in areas of the pitch we already had cover (much like you said re Schneiderlin). It is not unreasonable to say Walsh had very little chance, with all that going on of making a success of being a DOF.
That being said, it doesn't say a lot for the guy that he is melting into the background, accepting the status quo and seemingly backing Allardyce. After his first summer any DOF worth is salt would have marched into Moshiri's office and demanded full control, probably with Elstone gone altogether. We got away with that debacle of not adding anyone on deadline day. The fact he's allowed it to go on for a second summer, and not really made any play to try and rectify the situation says an awful lot. If we employed Zorc from Dortmund (A proper DOF) he would not accept the status quo, and he likely go the way of Trevor Birch all those years ago.
I suppose thats why the book ultimately stops with Moshiri. He's agreed to things he should never have agreed too re the old guard and in truth he's probably gone over and above what he contractually had too in putting Elstone onto the board. It teaches everyone, don't rock the boat, blend into the surrounding and enjoy a cushy little job. I have no problems with statements about Simeone but real ambition would be sorting out the board and getting people onto it who can deliver.
As for Walsh, for me he's not a director of football, but I'd happily keep him on as head scout. In amongst the mess of the last 18 months, the few positive things that have emerged have largely been of his doing (signings such as Gueye, Lookman, Vlasic and the attempted signing of Demurai Gray).
