At first sight, this is an easy one. No, we don’t, it’s a pointless position and anyway we don’t have the money. Unless, of course, the full sentence is: “Do we need a Director of Football and, if so, do you want the job?” In which case, the answer is: Yes, definitely.
However, on further reflection, there’s something to be said for a Director of Football taking charge of the transfer and youth development strategy, allowing the manager to coach the players who are actually at the club, pick the team from his available resources and choose the formation and tactics which gets the best out of them. The events of the last week have led me to question David Moyes’s managerial focus.
About 90% of people on ToffeeWeb were keen for us to bring in new players in the last window. It has to be said that I was as excited as the next Blue at the prospect of getting in Leroy ‘You can take a horse to water but you can’t make it drink’ Fer, and disappointed that John Stones was the only addition. (A decent player, by all accounts, but hardly a priority in terms of his position, and unlikely to positively influence the team in the near future.) But when the dust settled I found myself convinced that we have enough players as it is.
As I said on another thread, we’ve actually brought in nine players in the last 12 months (including Thomas Hitzlsperger and Francisco Junior, who it’s probably too soon to write off). FFS, how many new players can we actually fit in a team! OK, I know we’re talking squads here, but how many people do you need in a squad that is not competing in Europe? I’d say 22 to 25, maximum. If you look at our squad list, that’s about what we have.
Putting aside the vagaries of form, our first team picks itself... ish. So here are the subs: Mucha, Hibbert, Heitinga, Duffy, Neville, Oviedo, Stone, Hitz, Barkely, Naismith, Velios, Anichebe. That’s 23 in all – and you can add Bidwell, Garbutt, McAleny and Kennedy to bulk it up to 27. (Lads with a little experience, who would do a job if push came to shove). The interesting thing is that if you look at that list you see a lot of defenders, a few midfielders and hardly any strikers. It’s very unbalanced. Maybe it needs a Director of Football to look at it objectively and come up with a bit of a plan?
There have even been people saying we should have followed Newcastle’s example and bought five players in the last window! Madness. It’s probably fair to say that Moyes wanted to make two or three additions in January – which would have meant a total of 11, a whole new team of players in a single year. Harry Redknapp is generally despised on TW, yet what people are asking for is exactly the kind of philosophy that ‘Arry subscribes to – a massive turnover of players, at great expense, in the hope that it will bring eye-catching results. It’s a ’philosophy’ unknown to Plato and his pals, which goes under the title “Suck it and see”. Not for me, thanks.
Moyes’ recent demeanour suggests that he is fingering his ‘Get out of jail free card’ – the one that says ‘I’d be a winner if I had more money’. Well, Davey, we could all say that, couldn’t we? In fact, sometimes we do say that, but it doesn’t get us anywhere. The fact is that he has a good squad at his disposal and it’s precisely up to him to maximise their potential by coaching! That’s his tricky but highly-paid JOB. No excuses.
His mistakes on Saturday – picking Heitinga and then, when it was clear he was having a mare, not substituting him until we were 3 - 1 down – are nothing whatsoever to do with a shortage of money.
They are to do with his managerial ability, and it is that which is under scrutiny at the moment. I could add that his ability to successfully communicate with the fans is also under question: his dumb amazement that recent substitutions received anti-applause shows a man seemingly out of touch with his “consumer base” (ie, us!).
Put the "Football World’s Got Talent" circus of the transfer window behind you, Mr Moyes, and focus on getting the team – which you assembled – to play at their best. We are in with a shout of the Champions League, and our rivals are struggling just as much as we are so it’s all to play for. Just get on with “managing” the team and keeping in touch with the supporters in a way which suggests that we are all the same side. You can leave the transfer strategy to the Director of Football.
So... when do I start?
Reader Comments (73)
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2 Posted 04/02/2013 at 18:56:09
We certainly won't see one in Moyes' time at Everton but if he does get to manage in Germany eventually he will likely be operating under one.
We have plenty of good players already (bar strikers maybe), a stable core to the squad and good youth prospects at the club. Moyes needs to refocus on blooding the younger ones and develop more from within as well as getting in transfers where he can. Duffy is a good example as mentioned on another thread.
3 Posted 04/02/2013 at 19:37:13
The issue is, out of all those subs you named, how many are good enough?
The reason we needed signings is because, beyond 14 players, we lack decent squad depth. This is the reason we will not sustain a challenge for Champions League.
4 Posted 04/02/2013 at 19:33:19
I think the reality is that we actually have a first team squad of about 14-15 players, that is players who have good premiership experience and on any given day might be considered starters or subs who can make an impact. That is uncompetitively short to compete at the highest levels in this league - it's fine if all are available and fit, but that's only about 50% of the time given injures, suspensions, etc. The rest of the time it leaves us tottering on the edge of a bottom half team.
The remaining players in the "squad" are either a) young, inexperienced, ones for the future or b) experienced, but not quite at the level required to be first team players day in and out at a top 6 premier league club. They get used when the 14-15 players are whittled down to <11 or subs are required late in games when those other player absolutely positively must come off.
I don't think we need a director of football. We need another 3 quality first team players to boost numbers.
5 Posted 04/02/2013 at 19:41:30
Hot diggety dog!
6 Posted 04/02/2013 at 19:53:21
Director of football has never worked in this country, and arsenal have never been the same since he checked out.
7 Posted 04/02/2013 at 19:56:42
Young-ish, total will to win, alert to both the strengths and weaknesses of those around him. Pace, a decent shot. good engine.
In fact somebody like a 1966 Alan Ball.
8 Posted 04/02/2013 at 20:09:49
9 Posted 04/02/2013 at 20:09:15
10 Posted 04/02/2013 at 20:20:20
I am not a fan of seeing the likes of Stubbs,Weir and Ferguson back at the club. It's only repeating a cycle of failure.
11 Posted 04/02/2013 at 20:34:04
12 Posted 04/02/2013 at 20:57:45
I don't think you'd pass the first interview as Director of football if you think that squad has enough quality compared to the other teams vying for top 5 spots.
Far from having insufficient focus it is a credit to Moyes that he manages to get the results he does with the monkey on his back that is the board of EFC.
Now I would change them for anyone let alone a director of football.
However generally speaking the only success that directors of football have had is causing managers to get the sack and spending bundles of money so for me NO we do not need a director of football.
13 Posted 04/02/2013 at 21:08:08
Do you think Lpool's squad is stronger than ours? I don't think so. They have a few exceptional players but I think their squad is appreciably weaker than ours. Henderson, Allen, Downing - nothing to write home about. Players like Wisdom, Kelly and Sterling are the equivalent of our Duffy, Velios and Barkely, except they are actually getting a game, whereas our lads rot on the bench. We DO already have the quality to compete for Europe, if properly utilised.
14 Posted 04/02/2013 at 21:31:15
I'm not involved in that industry, so I don't know for sure, but I can hardly believe that Moyes and kenwright/elstone didn't sit down until the last few days to discuss who Moyes wants, just because they were busy.
Anyway, I think Moyes does a decent job of identifying targets, or at least he has in the past. If anything I'd like to see moyes move to director of football and another coach move in who might be able to put out a more balanced first team.
Moyes team selection and habit of playing players out of position is hurting us....as it did again on saturday.
15 Posted 04/02/2013 at 21:43:03
I wasnt really including the RS in the equation and I do think Arsenals squad is stronger than ours but I think Wenger has taken on some duff strikers since he let Henry and RVP go. Adebayor,Shamack and Giroud hardly set the pulse racing but I do think Podolski and Santi Cozola are top drawer plus they just spent 30 million Euros on a supposed world class LB while we spent 3 million on the never never for an 18 year old lad as "one for the future".
I also have to say Arshavin was top class when they got him but seems to have gone the way of most Russians in the UK over the last year or so.
Maybe its too warm for them.
16 Posted 04/02/2013 at 21:54:15
Don't know why you rule Lpool out. Third to seventh is totally up for grabs and it's between us, Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs and Lpool.
Chelsea have loads of skill in midfield but hardly anything in attack. (God knows why they loaned out Lakaku to WBA) Their defense is well dodgy these days. Spurs have a good squad but are paper thin in attack and are over-reliant on Bale pulling a rabbit out of the hat, as he has done in the last two matches. Superb play from the monkey-man, but he won't keep it up for the rest of the season.
17 Posted 04/02/2013 at 22:28:40
I believe our first 11 while not as much class as the others can stand comparison to them but our squad pales alongside any of the current top 7.
The only way we can better them is the synergy created by Moyes IMO.
18 Posted 04/02/2013 at 22:44:37
19 Posted 04/02/2013 at 22:55:53
20 Posted 04/02/2013 at 23:04:40
21 Posted 05/02/2013 at 00:11:27
I don't see much of a development strategy at all (ie, bringing youngsters through) and our squad is not that well balanced. Too many defenders, not enough attackers - quite possibly because DM's advisory backroom team is jam-packed with defenders! If we were buying for the future, why a promising young RB instead of a promising CF? Are there no good young strikers in the lower divisions? I suspect DM thinks he can train up an 18 year old defender but not an 18 year old attacker. (That's pure speculation, admittedly. I can't see inside his head - which I'm quite glad about, to be honest!)
22 Posted 05/02/2013 at 00:47:48
23 Posted 05/02/2013 at 00:42:34
24 Posted 05/02/2013 at 01:23:49
Maybe a Director of Football would have snagged the deal. But with hindsight are we better off with Arshavin on our books ?
25 Posted 05/02/2013 at 01:47:57
26 Posted 05/02/2013 at 02:08:36
27 Posted 05/02/2013 at 02:05:34
• Moyes has a good eye for signings
• he has strange (quite often ineffective) line-ups and subs
• He seems to be too busy to do business until the last minute
So, maybe we should get a new manager/coach to train and pick teams, while Moyes should move to this new Director of Football position then...
28 Posted 05/02/2013 at 02:07:53
The way RS are starting to play we need to get some more regular wins or we'll find them overtaking us. Now, that would make me throw up!
29 Posted 05/02/2013 at 06:39:10
It's what fraudsters use as greed tactics to catch unsuspected victims.
30 Posted 05/02/2013 at 08:37:03
(1) Moyes is too much of a control freak to allow somebody else make the "game" related decisions (team selection, substitutions, tactical adjustments, etc)
(2) We don't have the money to pay Moyes AND a top-notch manager.
I always wonder how it would be if somebody with the tactical nous (like Roberto Martinez, for example) were to work under Moyes. Moyes would be front man for the club (honesty, dependability, good reputation among peers and players, careful with the money, etc) and Roberto could get along with the 'day-to-day' matters - coaching, selections, etc, etc.
In fact, the more I think of it, maybe one day Moyes could take over Chairmanship of the club (he would be rich enough by that time to do it!)
31 Posted 05/02/2013 at 08:57:01
Of course, we will never learn the truth of the Fer balls-up and whoever was negotiating the deal could only do so within the parameters set for them by the Chairman. Were that to have been a DoF, the same situation would apply.
I always used to laugh at the situation at Crystal Palace and Coventry where one manager — the same one — always had his brother as DoF!
Now there`s an idea, Davey!
32 Posted 05/02/2013 at 09:20:31
He has said previously, all he does is hand in his list of prospective players and lets the board try and get them for him.
I know he gets paid too much but he doesn't do the accounts, the legal work and the contract stuff.
He has his faults but not getting the players in early is not one of them, look to where the blame lies....the stingy board.
"tactical nous (like Roberto Martinez" - Results this season in total, out of 25 games, he has won 5, drew 6 and lost 14. He has won one game in his last 12......fucking magical tactician him!!
33 Posted 05/02/2013 at 08:06:07
Ian Allaker, what about Bilyaletdinov or Krøldrup? I'm not a member of the "MOB" nor do I think the sun shines out his arse like some people do but it's a bit silly to point out the success of Fellaini and use it as big shiny pedestal to put Moyes on and knock his detractors, just like it would silly to pick out Bily etc and say his signings are shite.
He's good at some things, not so good at others.
34 Posted 05/02/2013 at 09:18:58
In other countries, they tend to talk about the coach whereas here we talk about the manager – which implies he generally runs the club as well as the team. I know Moyes enjoys controlling the whole caboodle, but is this a good thing? I wonder.
I would be 100% against DM as DoF! The man has some fine qualities (honesty and integrity are two that spring to mind) but his communication and presentation skills are absolutely awful. He could never be the "front man" for that reason.
The whole point of a DoF is that he would look at the situation objectively, would be able to see the forest not just the trees. So, objectively, it doesn't matter whether DM would happily hand over a degree of control. I know he wouldn't, but if you take a step back then it doesn't matter what the personal preferences of the current manager are. That's fine detail – I'm talking about the big picture. We don't have the money, true. But hold on – what are we paying Steve Round for? I haven't got the foggiest. If the coach had less to do then perhaps he could manage without an assistant?
Is there a way we can work smarter, that's my real question. Frankly, I am bored to tears by all this TW talk of us needing a sympathetic millionaire to fix all our problems, allowing us to splash the cash in the transfer window. I wasn't born yesterday, I know finance is important in football, as in life – mine and yours – but it's not the be-all and end-all. It will be a sad day for the game when it is...
35 Posted 05/02/2013 at 09:46:10
Traditionally British managers have had more control outside of just training and preparing the first eleven. Imagine SAF trying to work somebody like Arenesen or Commoli, and we saw a breakdown of that relationship with Dalglish too.
I am in favour of the role in theory, just not sure how it would work in practice at Everton right now.
36 Posted 05/02/2013 at 09:53:36
I know Liverpool appointed Camolli who had previously been sacked from other Premier League clubs, so he was hardly a roaring success. Other than David Pleat, I can't think of another — and, let's face it, if Pleat is your Director of Football, you must be desperate.
37 Posted 05/02/2013 at 10:05:01
38 Posted 05/02/2013 at 10:10:16
Of course, if we were in Man Utd's position then we wouldn't be having this discussion in the first place. SAF delivers trophies, so he is pretty much beyond criticism. Moyes doesn't, so he isn't.
39 Posted 05/02/2013 at 10:37:41
Somebody mentioned the CEO role, but surely he is there to negotiate once the manager has identified the targets, the DoF is there more to take the some of the weight off the manager and work a little bit closer to the CEO on the financials.
Maybe if Everton had somebody a bit more like a Colin Harvey, Peter Taylor or Done Howe type of Assistant Manager rather than a coach/call centre operator like Round backing up Moyes, the manager's role could morph a little bit more towards the DoF.
If SAF hadn't had the success he has had, do you think he would be the sort of manager to welcome a DoF into his environment?
40 Posted 05/02/2013 at 10:32:18
So what you really need is a partnership and over 40-odd years there haven't been too many good ones about.
Mercer and Allison, Clough and Taylor... Shankly and Paisley, Paisley and whoever.
Is the best foil the invisible one, did Busby have a partner, Catterick, Revie, Stein, Nicholson, Docherty?? We don't know.
Using the invisible rule, Roundy must be a 'kin genius!
41 Posted 05/02/2013 at 10:51:45
Personally, I find the annual accounts a bit of a turn off. What I really want to know is what Steve Round does every single minute of the day!
10:30 – Arrived at FF. Made coffee for DM and told him he was completely right in going for the decaf and substituting saccharine for sugar. That bloke is a genius at substitutions! Spun out the conversation for half an hour...
11:00 – Scratched arse.
11:05 – Training ground. Told Jelavic to try and put the ball in the net... he just looked at me.
11:06 – Took Baines and Pienaar to one side and asked them to try and link up as much as possible down the left. "Yeah, good one Steve, we never thought of that," Bainesy said. All in good fun!
11:10 – In the practice match, Pienaar scored with a header and lifted up his training bib to reveal the slogan "Steve Round is not great". All in good fun!
11:11 – The Boss asked me to supervise the academy training. Not sure why. The young lads never seem to take any notice of me. Inexperience, that's what it is. There were a few "square peg, Round's hole" jokes flying about. All in good fun!
1:00 – Training over. Cheese on toast and then home for a kip. I'm exhausted!
42 Posted 05/02/2013 at 11:20:44
43 Posted 05/02/2013 at 11:26:05
44 Posted 05/02/2013 at 11:28:14
45 Posted 05/02/2013 at 11:46:28
46 Posted 05/02/2013 at 11:34:11
47 Posted 05/02/2013 at 11:38:51
48 Posted 05/02/2013 at 11:59:42
What we really need is the BU to organise a protest so the Club can tell us how many potential investors have approached the Club recently, and how many are almost signed up.
We could possibly meet up with any potential Manchester flat dwelling investors when we go through at the weekend...
49 Posted 05/02/2013 at 12:02:13
Director of football... fuck off!
Day One – Show football to players, tell them to become friendly with it.
Day Two – point at the goal and tell them to send the ball to its home, go home ball... go home.
Day Three – sit on arse and get paid for doing fuck all until club realise this and get rid of me.
50 Posted 05/02/2013 at 12:07:34
Soz lads for going off on something completely different. Just to add my two-penneth I don't think we need a DoF at all, I just think Round needs to be a little more active in his day-to-day coaching role as I get the impression he just waltzes around the training ground like DM's little dog asking how high he should jump.
51 Posted 05/02/2013 at 12:15:27
If you take a close look at our tactics, formations and the way games pan out, it's not any different to how it always is under Moyes. Regardless of the quality and quantity of players at the club, things never change. We do the same now in matches as we did 10 years ago... 5 years ago... and even last season. We grind out results or we don't. It's never any better or worse to watch – it's just a question of luck holding up or not. It's a joke to be honest and I don't know why so many can't see it.
52 Posted 05/02/2013 at 12:23:04
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/video/2013/feb/04/milan-henty-goal-length-of-pitch-video
53 Posted 05/02/2013 at 12:13:52
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/3cec5312-156e-11e2-8d17-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2K0MJx32Q
54 Posted 05/02/2013 at 12:15:39
Craig - I think you're being kind to Round. I am seeing nothing from him at all. When Irvine was Assistant Manager, at least he would give intelligent post-match interviews and you got the feeling he was on the ball. Round just trots out a few cliches and tries to look knowing.
Maybe I should change the title of this thread to "Do we really need a Director of Football or an Assistant Manager?"
55 Posted 05/02/2013 at 12:34:58
I seriously wonder what Round does. Probably pumps the balls up prior to the warm up and sits behind DM wearing his Madonna style headset echoing everything that DM shouts.
Part of the reason we were successful in the 80s was that Kendall had Harvey doing the coaching. What could Steve Round teach anyone and how much does he get paid?
56 Posted 05/02/2013 at 12:49:27
"We need a mole in the Everton camp... "
Tony Marsh said last week that he had contacts at Everton. Ask him, he'll know someone who knows what Round does..
57 Posted 05/02/2013 at 12:29:31
I agree with pretty much everything else you've said in you're article particularly that some of the reserves would do a job if push came to shove. I think Moyes has got it completely wrong with the youth development at our club. Barkely and Duffy should be playing regularly in the team by now and I would give McAleny a chance. The poor lad looked like a natural striker when he came on in that Arsenal game and what was his reward for nearly scoring with his first touch, like most other young players, he was dropped and hardly seen again.
58 Posted 05/02/2013 at 12:56:30
59 Posted 05/02/2013 at 12:56:20
While I'm waiting for Tony to get back to me, can I share a bit of gossip? No, hold on, not gossip - that's for girls. Rumour, that's what I meant. Manly rumour...
The rumour is that Round is on his way out. There's going to be an EFC Assistant Manager vacancy. We've already been linked with this guy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nmf07ZMwYdE
60 Posted 05/02/2013 at 12:51:38
My money's on Penry... the mild-mannered janitor!
61 Posted 05/02/2013 at 13:04:01
62 Posted 05/02/2013 at 13:12:20
63 Posted 05/02/2013 at 13:38:09
64 Posted 05/02/2013 at 13:38:07
Also I hate any manager who makes notes during a game, or takes ten minutes showing the sub a "power point" presentation before he goes on.
What happened with "Vellios, go up front and get us a goal, lad" (but said in Greek)?
65 Posted 05/02/2013 at 13:42:38
66 Posted 05/02/2013 at 13:44:57
67 Posted 05/02/2013 at 15:31:10
If we had dropped the white shorts and gone with the big man up front...I'm guessing even the MOB might have been stuck for words
68 Posted 05/02/2013 at 17:53:53
Thanks, Tony, I think you...or your mate...has got it right!
69 Posted 05/02/2013 at 18:28:46
As spurs are already ahead of us and the other 2 are getting their act together you're counting your chickens there.
70 Posted 05/02/2013 at 22:03:08
It's largely down to the fact we didn't change manager. Lets learn from that....
71 Posted 06/02/2013 at 02:57:50
This is actually a full time job these days, with 44 players required in the squad. The list manager monitors the players' appearances in correlation with their fitness levels (managed by a fitness coach), and advises the coach who needs a rest. They also are the ones at the end of the season who works out who can be delisted and who the club needs to bring in during the draft each season to replace the outgoing players.
The list manager is beginning to become the most important part of the game, as if you can put together a good list of balanced players that come in at the salary cap, you can almost bank on doing well.
In a nutshell, none of that needs full time attention in football, so why bother?
72 Posted 06/02/2013 at 03:43:35
73 Posted 08/02/2013 at 16:38:22
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1 Posted 04/02/2013 at 18:55:31
Where did you get 90% from?
Is the quality of squad important to be able to reach Europe, not just compete?
Why more strikers when we only play with one up front?
Did not the funds last January put us on the 3rd best form for the calendar year?
How does he not maximise the team?
Didn't his 'consumer base' get to see the subs bring back the deficit against Villa - and Bolton?
Is Moyes just getting on with managing the team not the reason they are competing for the champions league?
How would you compare his transfer strategy with the funds for implementation?