Director of football

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Director of Football" is a term describing a senior management figure at a football club, most commonly used in Europe.

The exact nature of the role is often unclear and causes much debate in the sports media. Dave Bassett described the role as

" ... a buffer. The director of football is answerable to the board but there to assist the manager. He's experienced in football and there to help the board members who don't have that experience."

In theory it means that the manager is left to concern himself with the day to day running of the club, the picking of the team, and the decisions about tactics and training. The director meanwhile looks after the budget, and allocates money for transfers and the youth academy.

The director is often involved in the selection of the manager, so that the manager knows he has full support from his superiors. The plus side is that there is an experienced football head watching the scouts, the budget and the academy, allowing the manager to get on with the team. The down side is that the experienced football head often cannot help giving their opinion of the manager's actions. Most directors of football are ex-managers, given a more "senior" role at the club because the board do not want to lose his experience, despite the fact he has not been getting the results.

The director of football's job is sometimes compared to that of a general manager in a North American professional sports organization.

[edit] Notable Directors of Football

People associated with football who have held the role as Director of Football or Sporting Director include:

• Txiki Beguiristáin: Currently serving in the position at Barcelona.
• David Pleat: Having formely performed the role at Totteham Hotspur, he is now in a similar role at Nottingham Forest.
• Brian Kerr: Took the role at St Patrick's Athletic FC in 2007.
• Frank Arnesen: Took the role at Chelsea in 2005 at leaving the same position at Tottenham Hotspur.
• Damien Comolli: Took over at Tottenham from Frank Arnesen who departed to Chelsea in 2005.
• Anatoly Korobochka: Stepped into the role at Hearts in November 2006. In February 2007 he began filling a dual role after he was appointed interim Head Coach.
• Nick Hammond: Performed the role at Reading since 2003.
• Craig Brown: Currently serving in a similar role at Fulham.
• John Deehan: Former Norwich manager, previously performed the role at Northampton and now serving at Lincoln City.
• Barry Fry: Currently serving at Peterborough.
• Ron Atkinson: The former Manchester United, Sheffield Wednesday and Nottingham Forest manager is currently serving in the role at Kettering Town. He was manager from 1971-74.
• Alexi Lalas: Currently serving in the similar role of general manager at MLS club LA Galaxy.
• Alessio Secco: Currently serving in the position at Juventus.

[edit] Past Directors of Football

• Kenny Dalglish: Held the position at Blackburn Rovers from 1995-1996 and then at Celtic from 1999-2000.
• David Pleat: Performed the role at Tottenham from 1998 to 2004, as well as performing three separate periods as caretaker manager.
• Steve Coppell: Took the role at Crystal Palace in 1995-1996 and then in 1998-1999 after two separate stints as manager.
• Sir Clive Woodward: Accepted the role at Southampton in 2005 when George Burley was appointed Head Coach. He left in 2006.
• Murdo Mackay: Held the position at Derby County from 2003-2006. He played huge part in the appointment and removal of George Burley.
• Dave Bassett: Took the role at Leicester City in 2002 after serving as manager the previous season. He left the job in 2004.
• Bob Dowie: Held the position at Crystal Palace from 2004-2006 working alongside his brother Iain.
• Eduard Malofeyev: Held the position for four months at Hearts in 2006. He had a brief spell as interim Head Coach, before leaving in November to join MTZ-RIPO.
• Dick Advocaat: Held this position at Rangers FC for 3 months, after leaving his job as manager, but quickly resigned.
• Valdas Ivanauskas: After serving as Head Coach at Hearts for eight months, Ivanauskas was rumoured to be moving into the position in February 2007. This was never made official and he left the club in March 2007.