'Directors of football are just a joke' - Redknapp on Tottenham crisis

[mawspurs]

Harry Redknapp today branded directors of football a “joke” and insisted he could never tolerate such a system at Queens Park Rangers.

Read the full article at Evening Standard

 

[Gb160]

So what exactly is Les Ferdinands role at QPR then?

 

[garryparkerschest]

He's right.

Players signed by DOF have no loyality to the manager and gives them too much power.

If they don't like the manager they just need to underperform and they will get their way.

Players that the manager signs build that relationship which is needed to build a great team.

 

[Archibald&Crooks]

So what exactly is Les Ferdinands role at QPR then?

From QPR's OS……

QUEENS Park Rangers Football Club is delighted to confirm the return of legendary front-man Les Ferdinand to Loftus Road, in the role of Head of Football Operations.

‘Sir Les’ – as he was affectionately known during his time here as a player – will be charged with overseeing the structure of the footballing side of the club, focusing on improving the footballing philosophy at all levels.

As part of the role, Ferdinand will have a coaching presence at all levels, helping nurture young talent from the club’s Academy through to the first team.

He will provide a direct link between the footballing side of the business and the Board of Directors, as well as chairing monthly Technical Control Board meetings.

 

[guiltyparty]

From QPR's OS……

QUEENS Park Rangers Football Club is delighted to confirm the return of legendary front-man Les Ferdinand to Loftus Road, in the role of Head of Football Operations.

‘Sir Les’ – as he was affectionately known during his time here as a player – will be charged with overseeing the structure of the footballing side of the club, focusing on improving the footballing philosophy at all levels.

As part of the role, Ferdinand will have a coaching presence at all levels, helping nurture young talent from the club’s Academy through to the first team.

He will provide a direct link between the footballing side of the business and the Board of Directors, as well as chairing monthly Technical Control Board meetings.

So nothing to do with transfers then

A kind of old Sherwood role at Spurs but with a bit more responsibility whacked on to sound good

 

[JimmyG2]

Director of Football/ Head of Football Operations.
Clearly not the same thing at all.
Anyway he's a mate.

 

[SteveH]

QPR are turning into the Dads Army of football with a pinch of Hi-de-Hi!!

 

[eddiebailey]

So nothing to do with transfers then

A kind of old Sherwood role at Spurs but with a bit more responsibility whacked on to sound good

Agree, but Harry has said that he was not consulted about Les' appointment, so the reason for this story at his time may be Harry drawing lines in the sand.

Anyway the slant of the article is deliberately misleading - Harry does not mention Spurs, let alone comment on the current 'crisis'.

 

[diamondlight]

Well said, Harry.

A winning team is always profitable; a profitable team doesn't always win things.

While Spurs have been putting money first for years, Harry is first and foremost a football man, a builder of teams. No wonder he gets irritated when people call him a wheeler dealer.

 

[guiltyparty]

Agree, but Harry has said that he was not consulted about Les' appointment, so the reason for this story at his time may be Harry drawing lines in the sand.

Anyway the slant of the article is deliberately misleading - Harry does not mention Spurs, let alone comment on the current 'crisis'.

Ah, I didn't know that. That's a strange thing for Fernandes to do, and a stranger thing for Les as a clear pal/long-term mate of Harry. You'd think he'd have had a word?

And yes, rather typically. Harry is talking about it in generalities.

 

[chico]

Whether you agree with 'Arry or not, Baldini has been a disaster for us. It would be difficult to have done a worse job on our incoming players during his time. We, of course, are never party to the whole truth, but it would seem that most of the players he signed when AVB was coach were NOT the players he wanted, Eriksen being the obvious exception. He spent heavily, £24m? on Soldado (not all up front) and £33m? on Lamela, but wouldn't pay up for Schneiderlin. I'm sure that AVB and Poch would of preferred to select the players, and leave the financials to Levy or a director.
Fergie,Jose,Wenger etc all made the decisions on who to sign at their respective clubs,and then a director transacted the deal.
Arnesen, Comolli and Baldini, have not been successful for us, the DOF system seems unpopular with managers, and fans, I'm with 'Arry in this instance.

 

[VegasII]

Arnesen was decent for us. Okay we brought in some unknowns like Atouba and Ziegler (they were fun though) but he did sign us Carrick, Hudd, Lennon, Dawson, Reid, Mido, Naybet, Mendes. All of which were the right signings at the time.

 

[JoeT]

So nothing to do with transfers then

A kind of old Sherwood role at Spurs but with a bit more responsibility whacked on to sound good

Yeah, he's Harry's mate.

 

[guiltyparty]

Arnesen was decent for us. Okay we brought in some unknowns like Atouba and Ziegler (they were fun though) but he did sign us Carrick, Hudd, Lennon, Dawson, Reid, Mido, Naybet, Mendes. All of which were the right signings at the time.

I agree but Reid?

 

[Gaz_Gammon]

Because the DOF has brought such a huge success to Spurs. If i were Levy i'd go buy another one.

 

[VegasII]

I agree but Reid?

True. But we did get a lot of pie jokes out of it...

 

[avonspurs]

A DoF works fine as long as the lines of responsibility are clear. I don't know whether that is the case within Spurs, because I am not part of that hierarchy. A good point that ol' big mouth states is that there is a different culture overseas - fortunately, Poch and Baldini come from that culture so you would think that they would both be okay with the DoF structure.

It's a silly, bordering of pathetic, attempt to try to link the DoF structure to how poorly we are playing at the moment.

Personally, I feel that - given all that is involved with running a football club - some one above a manager is required. Most managers actually take training and don't have time to do everything else like negotiate contracts, write newspaper columns, appear in TV adverts, etc.

 

[Gaz_Gammon]

A DoF works fine as long as the lines of responsibility are clear. I don't know whether that is the case within Spurs, because I am not part of that hierarchy. A good point that ol' big mouth states is that there is a different culture overseas - fortunately, Poch and Baldini come from that culture so you would think that they would both be okay with the DoF structure.

It's a silly, bordering of pathetic, attempt to try to link the DoF structure to how poorly we are playing at the moment.
.

Of course it can be linked!

I mean who brought the players in last season Goldilocks?

We have a DOF who (with the exception of Lloris) blew the Bale money. We have a DOF who brought in players this season who have still to start a PL game!

The link between poor player recruitment and on field success is so bloody obvious to be untrue. Every man and dog can see that, even the coach can see that. You just need to connect the dots back to the DOF to see where the issue really is.

Neither AVB, Sherwood and now Poch can get Lamela or Soldado to score, Pualinho is finished and God knows where Chiriches will end up but he needs to go, so with the exception of Eriksen and Chadli i'd say somewhere, in some dark corner of this Club the DOF should be taken to and shot.

We have been playing piss poor football for two seasons come January and to say it's got bugger all to do with the DOF and the players he is recommending and then buying in bares no logic whatsoever.

 

[dannythomas]

You could of course remember that Harry was the transfer decision maker when his strategy to nail down our Champions League spot was to sign Saha and Nelsen in the January window. Not surprising that didn't work out too well..

 

[diamondlight]

Personally, I feel that - given all that is involved with running a football club - some one above a manager is required.

Yes, a club Director. A Director of Football is simply a club Director's way of dictating player recruitment. All well and good if you want to make a profit above all, but not so good if you want to run a football club above all. We sacked the best football manager we've had in thirty years for non-footballing reasons - go figure.