The answer to the above would vary according to the situation and structure as well as resources available at any given club. What works for one club would not, necessarily, work for another. I’ve always been a fan of stability. I’ve often used the near sacking of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United as a cautionary tale for club owners taking a ‘hire and fire’ approach.
So the story goes Mark Robins came off the bench to score the goal on the 7th January, 1990, in the 3rd round of the cup at Nottingham Forest, that saved Sir Alex’s job before he went on to dominate the Premier League’s first decade and a half that followed. Manchester United fans can often be heard referring to ‘Robins Day’ in response to fans calling for various manager’s heads. That’s not to say that those wanting to sack the incumbent have always been in the wrong but Manchester United’s Board’s patience and loyalty to Ferguson certainly paid off. If any Manchester United team were labouring in 15th position in January in recent seasons I’m not too sure that same patience and faith would have been shown. In the years since he’s moved on the club are on their third gaffer in what’s become more of a standard ‘you’ve got three years to mould your team and win things’ approach. Perhaps the so called ‘Knee Jerkers’ of the time should have reconsidered their ‘3 years of excuses’ flag hung from the Stretford end despite AF being in to his 4th year managing the club, having finished outside the top 10 the previous season, on a winless run of 8 games which included a League Cup game where they were knocked by Tottenham.
Of course one of those managers, to have succeeded Alex Ferguson, at Old Trafford is the man currently in charge at West Ham. If recent MO is anything to go by then, providing Mr Moyes gets the job this Summer, a three year contract will be offered to DM and his team. Question is – will recent Modus Operandi be used?
Much discussion is now around whether a Director of Football, or a Technical Director, is going to be appointed at West Ham. The clubs who’ve done this most effectively seem to be those clubs who have a team with an ‘identity’. So what’s going to happen at West Ham? Who will set the agenda? Will an ‘identity’ be established by the board – or will that be left to the DOF, or TD, to put in place? If someone does come in to sit between the board and the first team Manager/Head Coach how much will they adapt the ‘identity’ to suit the Manager/Head Coach – if at all?
I’m sure these discussions will be taking place at board level. At least I hope they are. Empire builders are famous for surrounding themselves with several layers of management before the flack starts flying downstream as well as up – meeting at the middle management level. With the amount of flack directed at the board lately I’m sure the owners would welcome that buffer. Although a slightly different situation the bond villain lookalike Daniel Levy is often the one who comes in for most criticism when transfers go wrong at our neighbours in North London despite the fact that Joe Lewis is the major shareholder there. Would a new DOF or TD be put in the firing line at West Ham I wonder?
Getting the structure right is going to be as important as getting the right people for the job. An over-arching strategy is the first port of call to be locked down otherwise it’s simply going to be a case of jumping around from one tactic to another with no real direction. Before the Gao family takeover of Southampton FC the Liebherr family had a clear roadmap, identity and strategy. When you consider what they achieved at the club, balancing their commitments to the fans whilst keeping the club on a sound financial footing, you can but admire them. Katharina especially, in the 8 years following the passing of her father, Markus Liebherr, and her inheritance of the club, she’s run an extremely tight ship (pun not intended). It’s a model to be envied whilst being one that can be improved upon. Imagine if Southampton had have kept hold of many of the top players they’ve replaced over the years. I don’t think there would, currently, be anyone to touch them in challenging the top 6 sides in the Premier League. Since the Chinese took control of 80% of the club’s shares the first team’s fortunes seem to have taken a nosedive. Not that I’m complaining following Saturday’s result against them but which looks the better senior management structure, in terms of a footballing ‘identity’ to you: -
I’ve purposefully not broached the topic of who our manager should be at the start of next season as I don’t believe that to be the right thing to do with David Moyes still in situ. I’m sure everyone will have ideas in their heads, as do I, but I’ll keep my opinions to myself until such a time as a decision has been made, by the board, on his future at the club. The main thing right now is to get behind him and the team and ensure we’re in the top tier come September.
To finish on a high note I’d like to pay tribute to the excellent performance of the team last weekend. In the first half especially the players showed a hunger and desire that has been lacking for much of the season. Great stuff. Although we’re not out of the woods quite yet those 3 points were absolutely huge. Now 5 points clear of Southampton if the team can show more of that same energy and determination we’ve got a very good chance of surviving. The job’s not done yet but things are certainly looking much better than they were a week ago.
COYI!