Txiki Begiristain, City’s director of football, works closely with Pep Guardiola and the owners made the appointments knowing their compatibility. All the signings bear Guardiola’s hallmark, similarly at Anfield, where Jürgen Klopp shapes recruitment strategy with Michael Edwards, the sporting director.
Significantly, all of these heavyweight conduits possess a footballing background; Begiristain most eye-catchingly with Real Sociedad, Barcelona and Spain and even Edwards as a reserve at Peterborough United before excelling at scouting with Portsmouth, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool. Mike Gordon, the Fenway Sports Group president, plays an important role in negotiating and closing deals at Liverpool. “We like working together — Mike Gordon, Michael Edwards and myself,” Klopp told the Liverpool Echo. “It’s a really healthy relationship.” United lack that.
I think Woodward is not as powerful as people think, he is a Glazer employee but he has good strategic intentions. I think overally we all underestimated the damage done to the side between the Fergie end days, the Moyes and Van Gaal disasters and it has taken a brutally honest Mourinho and an all conquering City side to awaken us as to how far we actually are. So steps are being taken because we have seen that relying on just two men - the football man and the money man is not enough because for all the money we have spent since 2014 we have seen little in the way of results and stability. Purely speculating this could be the reason why all the big money moves were vetoed in the summer in a 'lets first get our house in order before throwing good money after bad' kind of situation.Gary Neville urges Ed Woodward to adopt modern boardroom strategy at Man Utd
Neville historically has been very fond of the role of the manager and him having full control but even he now realises the reason clubs have adopted the strategy because the long term manager vision just doesn't work anymore.
I'm surprised in 5 years this hasn't already started happening the only reasons I can think for it are Woodward's ego won't allow him to let go of that or the club are trying to do it on the cheap as adding an expensive recruitment department is another running cost my argument for that would be if done correctly they'll save us money of transfer fees, agent fees and wages in the long run.
I think Woodward is not as powerful as people think, he is a Glazer employee but he has good strategic intentions. I think overally we all underestimated the damage done to the side between the Fergie end days, the Moyes and Van Gaal disasters and it has taken a brutally honest Mourinho and an all conquering City side to awaken us as to how far we actually are. So steps are being taken because we have seen that relying on just two men - the football man and the money man is not enough because for all the money we have spent since 2014 we have seen little in the way of results and stability. Purely speculating this could be the reason why all the big money moves were vetoed in the summer in a 'lets first get our house in order before throwing good money after bad' kind of situation.
Director of football, Sporting/Technical Director whatever it’s going to be. I think it’s something that is needed but it sounds as though Woodward will still be heavily involved and the person appointed will serve as a go between rather than take charge of the football side of things completely while Woodward can just be the businessman he is and stop pretending he’s playing football manager. The addition might improve things but I think Woodward needs to go more than anyone. In the 5 years he’s been in the job, he’s done some good but it’s mostly been eclipsed by bad and I think that’s proven by how much he is spoken about. His constant briefing to the media is a big issue. The way he sacked Van Gaal was totally disrespectful as was the way he told some players they were no longer wanted at the club.
The club is a laughing stock right now and as much as I think it’s time for Mourinho to move on, that isn’t down to him, the bigger issue is what is above him. We’ll continue going around in circles until that top level changes I feel.
Is the correct director of football requirement now more important than the appointment of the manager?
I’m not really that clue’d up about football clubs structures but they seem to have more control than the manager with the manager only running things on the pitch?
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