This week has got me thinking that we lack real football person in a senior position. I know people will say business is business, but how many successful businessman fail in football? There must be a football administrator around we can employ.
Almost everyone on this board is a proper football person but they have different views, opinions and attitudes, at least we can disagree with one another and come to no conclusions whatso ever and continue to verbal fight for weeks on end. Great isn't it? We also have people who know more than anyone else about football I have read them on here too.
Yes we do. We didn't have one last time round either and he was needed then too. The present owners are oblivious to this need. They don't seem to trust or understand 'football' men, and prefer to place their faith in Hull University specialists or people from outside football. Rightly or wrongly, Assem Allam seems to believe they are better value and more trustworthy.
I think every club needs a proper football man in a senior position apart from just the manager. Everything is rosey with SB now but Allam would think it was reasonable to sack him if we got relegated. With owners like the Allams in particular, you need a rational person who knows what he's on about. Someone with a sense of realism to go alongside the owner's 'reach for the sky' ambition. Or is that expectation in fact?
I wouldn't say they have to be a ex player or manager. Someone who has proven they can do a job in football. We have a chance with Nick Thompson leaving to appoint a MD who has been involved in football. Duffen was great with the PR side of things, but got conned by agents and clubs in transfer dealings.
What we really need is someone who knows about football who's also an accountant or business person that's quite fresh from uni so that the two sides have a go between that understands both views and can explain one to the other in terms they'll fully understand. I'll have a look around on my accounting course and see if there's anyone who knows about football, I'm bound to come across one while I'm researching my dissertation into the cost or running a football club and the FFP rules. (I've intentionally chosen to focus on football, but it's as an example of certain things being applied to an industry and looking at the implications)
In some ways, AA is right to think that, as a successful businessman, his skills are transferable between companies. Debt management, budgetary control, etc are common requirements in all businesses. Between different industries, it's often quite different, and even the laws applicable may differ. (For instance, insurance companies, by law, do their accounting differently to other companies). It's his belief that he can move from a manufacturing and sales environment to a specialist entertainment business that is tripping him up, I think.
The question would be what position this "football person" would hold - director of football, managing director, president (like in German football)? And then the question is are there any "football persons" qualified to hold any of those positions? And thirdly don't the board of directors always change when a new owner takes over at a club?
More to the point, is this "football person" ever going to tell Dr Allam "No."? There can't be many in the club who think the name change is a good idea, yet it's still happening...
Could football people run a marine diesel genny business? Surely they would need to have industry knowledge of agents/ competitors/prices/markets/expertise and would therefore need a 'marine diesel genny' man to guide them?
One of the biggest mistakes Duffen made was getting rid of Adam Pearson so quickly. Allam should never sacked him either.
