Possible Director of Football

[orly]

The model I would deploy for a Director of Football would be a senior footballing person, sitting at board level whose tasks would include the following:

• Represent the club's footballing interests at board level
• Responsibility for all football related strategic planning
• Responsibility for all player transfers and contract negotiations
• Control over player research and non playing staff recruitment
• Advisory capacity over all non first team divisions within club
  
• Control over all sports science related matters
• Responsibility for all football related facilities
• Responsibility for all football related PR and media strategies

The relationship between DoF would be very close, each being aware that all the club does must be centred on the ability to perform and compete on the pitch.

The role of the football manager would be very much that of a head coach, meaning responsibility for and sole focus on:

• Team selection
• Team preparation
• Training & maintenance of fitness levels
• Technical development of first team members
• Tactics
• Injury prevention & management with sports scientists

Interestingly this model then allows the club to recruit a CEO who does not necessarily have a football background. The club can then recruit from a much wider talent pool focusing on commercial acumen, and operational and management excellence.

Hmm.

Looking at your DoF criteria I feel my current skills and experience match closely to the role.

 

[ToffeeDoug]

Sounds to me that finding the ideal DoF is where the headhunter agency, mentioned some weeks ago, would come in, finding the most successful candidates who aren't famous names from having been players or managers.

 

[everton2004]

this model then allows the club to recruit a CEO who does not necessarily have a football background. The club can then recruit from a much wider talent pool focusing on commercial acumen, and operational and management excellence.

I would guess this is where Dein comes in?

 

[The Esk]

Hmm.

Looking at your DoF criteria I feel my current skills and experience match closely to the role.

It's an honorary position, done for the love of football, is this OK?

 

[The Esk]

I would guess this is where Dein comes in?

No mate, I see Dein as Chairman, providing the strategic direction and leadership as well as representing the club at PL and UEFA levels.

 

[TheAlmightyFloater]

The model I would deploy for a Director of Football would be a senior footballing person, sitting at board level whose tasks would include the following:

• Represent the club's footballing interests at board level
• Responsibility for all football related strategic planning
• Responsibility for all player transfers and contract negotiations
• Control over player research and non playing staff recruitment
• Advisory capacity over all non first team divisions within club
  
• Control over all sports science related matters
• Responsibility for all football related facilities
• Responsibility for all football related PR and media strategies

The relationship between DoF would be very close, each being aware that all the club does must be centred on the ability to perform and compete on the pitch.

The role of the football manager would be very much that of a head coach, meaning responsibility for and sole focus on:

• Team selection
• Team preparation
• Training & maintenance of fitness levels
• Technical development of first team members
• Tactics
• Injury prevention & management with sports scientists

Interestingly this model then allows the club to recruit a CEO who does not necessarily have a football background. The club can then recruit from a much wider talent pool focusing on commercial acumen, and operational and management excellence.

This would be a practically perfect scenario, although I would perhaps amend it to say that the manager and DoF should share the responsibility of identifying & selecting potential transfer targets, while the actual act of acquiring them should be the sole responsibility of the DoF.

 

[orly]

It's an honorary position, done for the love of football, is this OK?

Absolutely fine, I'll be one of those chaps who looks like he never leaves the office for career climbing reasons but in truth I'm using the washing machine and showers after dark and sleeping on the desk

 

[orly]

No mate, I see Dein as Chairman, providing the strategic direction and leadership as well as representing the club at PL and UEFA levels.

He will know most of his counterparts at the CL draw next season too so that is sound

 

[BNJ1878]

Absolutely fine, I'll be one of those chaps who looks like he never leaves the office for career climbing reasons but in truth I'm using the washing machine and showers after dark and sleeping on the desk

Off topic but did similar many years ago during tough times.
Mixed use office/residential tower. Used to use the Gym for shower and kip in stationary room.
Heady days.

 

[orly]

Off topic but did similar many years ago during tough times.
Mixed use office/residential tower. Used to use the Gym for shower and kip in stationary room.
Heady days.

Yep, likewise lol for a week or something similar.

I know a lad who is now a SME at a major bank who came down to London a decade ago and was living in a seriously manky King's Cross bedsit, had to take all his worldly possessions (one suitcase) into work with him every day

 

[bluerobert]

The model I would deploy for a Director of Football would be a senior footballing person, sitting at board level whose tasks would include the following:

• Represent the club's footballing interests at board level
• Responsibility for all football related strategic planning
• Responsibility for all player transfers and contract negotiations
• Control over player research and non playing staff recruitment
• Advisory capacity over all non first team divisions within club
  
• Control over all sports science related matters
• Responsibility for all football related facilities
• Responsibility for all football related PR and media strategies

The relationship between DoF would be very close, each being aware that all the club does must be centred on the ability to perform and compete on the pitch.

The role of the football manager would be very much that of a head coach, meaning responsibility for and sole focus on:

• Team selection
• Team preparation
• Training & maintenance of fitness levels
• Technical development of first team members
• Tactics
• Injury prevention & management with sports scientists

Interestingly this model then allows the club to recruit a CEO who does not necessarily have a football background. The club can then recruit from a much wider talent pool focusing on commercial acumen, and operational and management excellence.

Just a quick question mate, wouldn't it make sense for the manager to have at least joint control over the sport science stuff as I would have thought it went hand in hand with the training and maintenance of fitness? Or am I completely missing something here haha?

 

[Goat]

It's an honorary position, done for the love of football, is this OK?

I would conduct all my transfers in motorway service stations.

 

[The Esk]

Just a quick question mate, wouldn't it make sense for the manager to have at least joint control over the sport science stuff as I would have thought it went hand in hand with the training and maintenance of fitness? Or am I completely missing something here haha?

I think that's a fair point and clearly there needs to be overlaps between the DoF and manager/CC role - will add that later, thanks

 

[The Esk]

Yep, likewise lol for a week or something similar.

I know a lad who is now a SME at a major bank who came down to London a decade ago and was living in a seriously manky King's Cross bedsit, had to take all his worldly possessions (one suitcase) into work with him every day

We had a lad working for us many years ago, very talented but a real loose cannon. We knew things were not great in his home life (he was married and had a couple of young kids).

Anyway one time HR had to get hold of him and tried to contact him during the day but couldn't so phoned him at "home" (he was a regional sales director so had a home office). His wife answered and said he'd not been living at home for several weeks.

Cutting a long story short it turned out he'd been living in his company car for 6 weeks, when we found his car it had all his earthly possessions in it, bizarrely including an ironing board but no iron.

 

[Huyton Layne]

Surely this forum should be given the job. We'll have a thread and Koeman can pop on and leave his suggestions then we have a poll to sort out targets and price/wages. Esk can deal with the actual negotiations and what not.