| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? 19:40 - Jun 22 with 1624 views | FrimleyBlue |
Oneil at bournemourth inherited the squad he managed
At wolves he didnt fair as well over time when he was involved in player signings ( or was that a director of football involved?
At strasborg he interited the side from rosenoir and made it more tactful.
As a manager i dont see how hes done enough to warrant the gig
But maybe if we go down the sporting director route then it may work better?
[Post edited 22 Jun 19:41]
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| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:44 - Jun 22 with 1554 views | MK1 |
He will be here as manager. We don't need a director of football meddling in first team matters. |  |
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| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:46 - Jun 22 with 1541 views | FrimleyBlue |
| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:44 - Jun 22 by MK1 |
He will be here as manager. We don't need a director of football meddling in first team matters. |
But isnt that what most prem sides have now? | |
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| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:49 - Jun 22 with 1519 views | MK1 |
| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:46 - Jun 22 by FrimleyBlue |
But isnt that what most prem sides have now? |
We are not Man Utd. A manager has a scouting network hand picking potential signings. He doesn't need someone above him insisting he signs X, Y & Z and they must start. I am sure Mr O'Neil is capable of sorting that out for himself. | |
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| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:51 - Jun 22 with 1478 views | FrimleyBlue |
| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:49 - Jun 22 by MK1 |
We are not Man Utd. A manager has a scouting network hand picking potential signings. He doesn't need someone above him insisting he signs X, Y & Z and they must start. I am sure Mr O'Neil is capable of sorting that out for himself. |
I didnt mentiom utd
But according to online searches it says every prem club now has a sporting/director of football in some form. | |
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| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:52 - Jun 22 with 1467 views | Reuser_is_God |
No, I think Ashton would’ve already communicated that if it was the way we were going to go.
Also the sporting director would’ve needed to be in place during this managerial recruitment process. |  |
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| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:53 - Jun 22 with 1458 views | MK1 |
| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:51 - Jun 22 by FrimleyBlue |
I didnt mentiom utd
But according to online searches it says every prem club now has a sporting/director of football in some form. |
We have a sporting director already. | |
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| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:55 - Jun 22 with 1447 views | StochesStotasBlewe |
| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:44 - Jun 22 by MK1 |
He will be here as manager. We don't need a director of football meddling in first team matters. |
Indeed. A manager is employed to do just that, manage team affairs.
A director of football just muddies the waters.
It’s probably more the case that Mark Ashton could do with some assistance and let Gary O’Neil get on with the job in hand.
The more I think about it objectively I’m a lot more hopeful about him doing the job in hand and implementing the more pragmatic approach needed next season.
Uppa Town |  |
| We have no village green, or a shop.
It's very, very quiet.
I can walk to the pub. |
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| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:56 - Jun 22 with 1443 views | SheffordBlue |
| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:53 - Jun 22 by MK1 |
We have a sporting director already. |
Yup - both Hlajko and Court have roles that are called Technical/Sporting Directors at other clubs. It's what the responsibilities are and who they sit with there are really important - it would be nice to have a bit more clarity on that. |  |
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| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:56 - Jun 22 with 1435 views | FrimleyBlue |
| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:53 - Jun 22 by MK1 |
We have a sporting director already. |
Ah do we. Apologies. I just thought he looked after academy side of things. | |
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| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:59 - Jun 22 with 1412 views | itfc2021 |
I think you're looking at it slightly backwards TBH.
At Bournemouth he inherited a very decent group, agreed. But then again so do MOST managers that get their first Premier League opportunity. Nobody hands you a basket case and says "good luck". The question is what you do with it really .
At Wolves he inherited a side that had finished 13th and 10th under Lopetegui and had lost a ridiculous amount of talent. Neves, Collins, Nunes, Coady, Jimenez, Traore etc. The expectation was genuinely relegation from most people outside the club and yet he still finished 14th with 46 points and reached a FA Cup quarter final . That's often COMPLETELY ignored when people discuss him.
People say "well it went wrong after that" but the reality is Wolves were operating under PSR pressure and selling players constantly. How much was O'Neil? How much was recruitment? How much was ownership? That's a MUCH harder question than people make out , and I don't think anyone can honestly separate those things completely.
As for Strasbourg, I actually think that's one of the better arguments FOR him. He inherited a good side, yes. But football isn't Football Manager. Plenty of coaches inherit good teams and make them worse. He took a young squad, improved the structure, improved the organisation and got results . That's still COACHING at the end of the day.
The bigger point for me is this obsession with managers needing some magical CV before they arrive. EVERY time a younger coach gets linked somewhere people immediately start comparing Wikipedia pages rather than actually looking at what they've done.
McKenna didn't have ONE.
Maresca didn't have ONE.
Carrick didn't have ONE.
The list goes on and on REALLY , and if we're being honestt people only remember the success stories afterwards.
At some point you're appointing the COACH, not the Wikipedia page.
Would he have been my first choice? Probably NOT , but that's not really the same argument.
Has he done enough to make me think he deseaves a chance? YES.
Particularly if Ashton is genuinely moving further towards a sporting director MODEL . That's the bit that keeps getting overlooked.
Because if recruitment, squad planning and long-term strategy are being driven above the head coach level..., then suddenly GON's strengths become much more relevant. Whether people like that or not is a DIFFERENT discussion.
Organisation is clearly a STRENGTH of his.
Coaching is clearly a STRENGTH of his.
Structure is clearly a STRENGTH of his.
That's literally how MOST modern clubs are trying to operate now . Head coach, recruitment department, sporting director..., all doing different jobs.
I don't think he's some ELITE appointment.
I don't think he's some DISASTER either.
He's somewhere in the middle..., and if people are being honest that's probably where Ipswich are too right now HONESTLY. People seem desperate to make him either the best appointment ever or the worst . He's probably neither.
The idea he's NOT good enough for Ipswich Town? I don't see IT.
There are managers with FAR worse records at this level who've walked into Premier League jobs without half the scrutiny . That's just objectively true.
I'd also add this..., people seem obsessed with proving why he SHOULDN'T be here rather than asking whether there's a coherent plan behind the appointment. The conversation always seems to start from the conclusion and work backwards.
If Ashton is genuinely taking more RESPONSIBILILITYfor recruitment and squad building, then perhaps they're deliberately looking for a COACH rather than a manager. They're very different things , despite people constantly using the terms interchangeably.
That doesn't guarantee success obviously. But it does make a lot more SENSE than some people are willing to admit . Whether it works or not we'll find out soon enough. [Post edited 22 Jun 20:03]
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| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 20:01 - Jun 22 with 1393 views | MK1 |
| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:56 - Jun 22 by FrimleyBlue |
Ah do we. Apologies. I just thought he looked after academy side of things. |
No worries. Think we just need to get behind Gary O'Neil and make him feel welcome. | |
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| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 20:02 - Jun 22 with 1380 views | SheffordBlue |
| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:56 - Jun 22 by FrimleyBlue |
Ah do we. Apologies. I just thought he looked after academy side of things. |
At some point we might see someone else sit above the 3 footballing Directors (some of the bigger clubs add another level here) but I think at the senior levels we seem to have the same sort of roles/responsibilities as top end Championship/bottom half Prem clubs. | |
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| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 20:14 - Jun 22 with 1310 views | SuffolkPunchFC |
| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 19:56 - Jun 22 by FrimleyBlue |
Ah do we. Apologies. I just thought he looked after academy side of things. |
We have 3 footballing directors in total.
Director of Football Operations: Dmitri Halajko
Director of Performance: Andy Rolls
Director of Recruitment: Mick Court
I like the structure. When you have a coach/manager and a single DoF, it risks too much conflict with 2 people having a large (potential) range of overlapping responsibility. We have a clear ‘leader’ of all things to do with the squad, with 3 roles supporting him. | | | |
| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 23:38 - Jun 22 with 1072 views | tetchris |
We already have one unless Arsene Wenger is desperate for a job!
What I would like to see is someone in the UK who is above Ashton. He has too much free reign in making decisions without accountability. The Americans just appear to let him get on with it. Ashton can be CEO but we need a separate Chairman with football experience. | | | |
| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 00:08 - Jun 23 with 1038 views | TRUE_BLUE123 |
I would like to see someone in a Sporting Director role come in who has good connections across Europe to keep moving us on further but that may be something that happens further down the line if we can establish in the Prem.
Wont be happening now. |  |
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| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 06:19 - Jun 23 with 920 views | ernie |
It’s no mean feat to make the side more tactful. Always nice to see players’ personalities and inner character express themselves on the pitch. | | | |
| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 10:20 - Jun 23 with 743 views | darkhorse28 |
Mark is CEO, Chairman and sporting director. Head of football operations, performance director AND head of refreshment and entertainment.
You don’t spend 35 year career with a god complex, to finally become the ONLY football voice at an elite club, to ever cede any control. EVER.
That no other elite club operates like this, and that the last two years (at this level) it’s been a huge failure, and that no club has had success like this for about 30 years, won’t stop Mark.
This that blindly clapped the power grab.., should have offered scrutiny.
He’s good at many things, poor at some crucial things. That’s why EVERY club at this level has a c suite of talent.
Football is a team game off the pitch too…, you need huge talent and small egos to make it work.
Mark is talented but he was never the right profile once we got to this level…, too much about him, his ego, his need to control.
That’s not on Mark. It’s been obvious to anyone that understands football and team dynamics that he’s our limiting factor - it will kill our progress dead.
The owners don’t seem to have worked it out, that’s staggering. It’s 35 years he’s operated exactly like this, his control needs above the clubs need to be successful, it’s how he’s been sacked every single time.
Mark makes it about Mark.
Elite clubs make it about success. Results, and mostly a structure that survives any individual.
Mark has been very successful at building a Moat…, now he needs to deliver at this level, we are Ashton FC and I can’t imagine that ends well.., I listen to Benham and Bloom and they’re not just better than Mark .., they get it, they’re in another planet compared to him.
Mark should have stood on the shoulders of more talent. He could have had more success that way.., but he’s too small and too insecure to allow that.
We’re never getting an elite coach under Ashton…, should be thankful the easy to control McKenna was as talented a coach as he was.., papered over the cracks, until he worked it out.
Not daft is he McKenna - he sees where we are and what limits us. | | | |
| Could we maybe see a sporting director coming in? on 10:22 - Jun 23 with 744 views | PhilTWTD |
I don't think there are any plans for that role at present, although I suspect one will ultimately be appointed as the club puts in place a more solid structure. |  | | |
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