Berta favourite to be Technical Director

comment by rosso is facking happy (U17054)
posted 23 minutes ago
MM

You realise that final decisions on transfers aren't down to the manager at the moment, don't you?

The same goes for transfers in and out, loan moves and contract renewals.

These weren't the decisions of Moyes, LVG or Mourinho, and aren't the decisions of Solskjaer.
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Yes I do realise that, and I'm taking about an agreed list of targets. For me I don't understand the value of having a DoF in charge (or CEO) that identifies targets buys them, only for the manager not to play them. It's a recipe for disaster. The Manager/HC, needs to have some kind of input. As RR said it's about giving the football part of the business a greater autonomy in those decisions.

I should have also added in my reply to RRs original post, that youth development is key. As well as something that should be engrained within in the club, I think we'll find that there will be greater emphasis on it for all clubs. The current transfer market is not sustainable, even for the big boys and whether it comes through a rule change or necessity teams developing their own players is something that will be huge in the not too distant future

It strikes me that the club really needs to be anchored around a particular idea - a kind of fundamental principle about our footballing objectives and culture that helps define how we go about our youth development, our recruitment, our match-day tactics, etc. Once you have a collective understanding of "this is what we stand for" (and it seems obvious this should relate back to the basics that underpinned the ethos of Busby and Ferguson), it starts to get easier to make the right decisions around who to appoint, what their job description should be, and the common goals that the coach and DoF should work towards.

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Taking all of this into account, I'm wondering would we be better off with somebody who has a previous association with the club, who has an understanding of that ethos and who has a positive relationship with Ole if he gets the job to ensure a smooth running of the process.

The downside to that is it narrows down the candidates, well to Van Der Sar only really if you were looking for somebody who has knowledge of the club and expertise in a similar sort of role to what we're looking for but then again responsibilities will differ from role to role and club to club. Like you say, we first need to be clear of what we want from this.

Van Der Sar seems to be more of a General Manager/CEO though but he was/is in charge of a technical team at Ajax consisting of Overmars who oversaw the management of their transfer policy and player contracts, Bergkamp and Frank de Boer. I'm not sure how involved he is in that still.

Whether this is the appropriate route to go down though I haven't a clue.

Getting this appointment right is an unenviable task.

comment by Dave NotSo (U11711)
posted 42 minutes ago
RR, MM and/or Rosso,

If you were making the appointment who would you choose?
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In short, I don't know.

Based on a superficial look at the candidates listed in the OP: The successful blend of recruitment, player development and attractive style of football at Dortmund looks appealing on the surface. Again it's a role which is really hard to judge the success of an individual's contribution.

Brian McClair?

comment by Dave NotSo (U11711)
posted 29 minutes ago
RR, MM and/or Rosso,

If you were making the appointment who would you choose?
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Sorry, I don't feel remotely qualified to answer that question.

The attributes I'd be looking for would be:
- Experienced but not using that as an excuse not to be forward-looking (they should be studying the latest ideas about tactics, coaching and scouting)
- Sees Manchester United as the biggest job in football (which doesn't necessarily mean they used to play for us: Ferguson brought that vision with him from Aberdeen)
- If effectively the head coach's line manager, someone who subscribes the idea that leadership is about recruiting very able people and giving them the tools and freedom to realise their talent.

comment by The Red Side™ (U11275)
posted 49 minutes ago
It strikes me that the club really needs to be anchored around a particular idea - a kind of fundamental principle about our footballing objectives and culture that helps define how we go about our youth development, our recruitment, our match-day tactics, etc. Once you have a collective understanding of "this is what we stand for" (and it seems obvious this should relate back to the basics that underpinned the ethos of Busby and Ferguson), it starts to get easier to make the right decisions around who to appoint, what their job description should be, and the common goals that the coach and DoF should work towards.

-----------------------------------------------

Taking all of this into account, I'm wondering would we be better off with somebody who has a previous association with the club, who has an understanding of that ethos and who has a positive relationship with Ole if he gets the job to ensure a smooth running of the process.

The downside to that is it narrows down the candidates, well to Van Der Sar only really if you were looking for somebody who has knowledge of the club and expertise in a similar sort of role to what we're looking for but then again responsibilities will differ from role to role and club to club. Like you say, we first need to be clear of what we want from this.

Van Der Sar seems to be more of a General Manager/CEO though but he was/is in charge of a technical team at Ajax consisting of Overmars who oversaw the management of their transfer policy and player contracts, Bergkamp and Frank de Boer. I'm not sure how involved he is in that still.

Whether this is the appropriate route to go down though I haven't a clue.

Getting this appointment right is an unenviable task.
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It still amazes me that the fans aren't up in arms about the fact we don't have a single footballing mind on the executive board. We don't have one decision maker who knows the game. Not one.

You've given the example of Ajax there. Bayern is another one: in fact, the ultimate decision makers there - the CEO *and* chairman - are both ex-players and legends at the club. They live and breathe football. And it has been that way for a long time at Bayern.

Ed Woodward, Richard Arnold and the Glazers shouldn't be making decisions about who we sign, who we sell, what players are worth, and how much they should be paid.

Rosso - I agree, but then the ownership model is different. Bayern's financial operation exists in order to support the football club. Our football club exists to maximise the profitability and value of the business. We'll never be like Bayern unless the club is owned by fans - or by an oligarch who isn't in it for ROI.

comment by The Red Side™ (U11275)
posted 59 minutes ago

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Taking all of this into account, I'm wondering would we be better off with somebody who has a previous association with the club, who has an understanding of that ethos and who has a positive relationship with Ole if he gets the job to ensure a smooth running of the process.

The downside to that is it narrows down the candidates, well to Van Der Sar only really if you were looking for somebody who has knowledge of the club and expertise in a similar sort of role to what we're looking for but then again responsibilities will differ from role to role and club to club. Like you say, we first need to be clear of what we want from this.

Van Der Sar seems to be more of a General Manager/CEO though but he was/is in charge of a technical team at Ajax consisting of Overmars who oversaw the management of their transfer policy and player contracts, Bergkamp and Frank de Boer. I'm not sure how involved he is in that still.

Whether this is the appropriate route to go down though I haven't a clue.

Getting this appointment right is an unenviable task.
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I reckon it should be seen as a bonus rather than a prerequisite that the DoF 'bleeds red'. As I pointed out previously, the traditions of the club have largely been moulded by two Scots with no prior affiliation, who nevertheless saw United as the pinnacle of the sport. If someone emerges who has the right skills and profile and came through the youth team to play for Fergie, that's ideal. If the perfect candidate is merely an outsider who looks at United the way Fergie did in 1989, I'll have no complaints.

I think it would probably be best if the director of football is a man that has experience dealing with big clubs, agents and has had some tangible success in the role.

Primarily due to the fact they’d have something behind them that legitimises their opinion when it comes to dealing with Woodward and the board, and the inevitable battles they’ll have there are conflicts over the direction of the club.

I initially read this as Berba as i scroll down the main page.