The DoF role is surely to think of the long-term. If the manager needs a particular style of player then a loan is often appropriate. You can directly measure a DoFs success by the value of his signings when they are sold on. The last time I looked both Arnesen and Comolli did well for us under that measure whereas signings in the no DoF era under Harry pretty much broke even.
You could make the same sort of comment about any two members of the senior management team in any other organisation. Only in football is such a relationship somehow considered to be difficult. Why? because football managers are generally conceited overblown self-important idiots.The DoF+Coach set-up can work only if there is a complete homogeneity of goals and ambition between them. If there isn't, the relationship is doomed to failure.
There is no point in a DoF recommending players that the coach either doesn't need or is very unlikely to play; and, likewise, there is little to be gained by a coach working with a DoF who either does not know what the coach is trying to achieve, or who simply doesn't care and who acts regardless of his wishes.
He writes for the official website as well but does his own thing too (www.tomkinstimes.com). He normally has some good stuff to say but wants you to pay to hear it, so I rarely bother.
His most useful contribution is the Transfer Price Index which is a big project he does to compare past transfer players to what they would be worth in today's money, so almost calculating inflation in the football world. Ie he says Ferdinand's transfer to United would be equivalent to a £53million signing in today's money and shearer would be £45m
http://tomkinstimes.com/debate/transfer-price-index-the-complete-guide/
Your slipping Hoddle is a God, surely you have heard of the recently published book on Liverpool's feat of the century in coming second?
If not, will supply you with the link,. You wont find it on the YSB board, they are too ashamed of it.
Happy to enlighten you if so required
Transfer fee between Barca and L'pool finally agreed, according to SSN. so, it's bye- bye Suarez....

I wonder what spiteful bullshit he'll come out with in the next few weeks?
Barca's appeal against his ban should be interesting...![]()
Got a long weekend off work so been watching SSN for a bit today, can't believe some of the Pool fans who were writing in saying Suarez is better than Bale and that the fee was too little.
Suarez is World Class but Bale has already shown he's a proven winner, scoring the all important goals in Real's Copa Del Rey and Champions League victories on top of adjusting very well to a league with a completely different language. Bale is a complete footballer, he's a true athlete who not only scores and creates goals but can also be an asset when defending due to his early years at LB plus his immense aerial ability which many don't recognise. Suarez will score you goals, that's a fact and he terrorises defences something rotten but to suggest he's better than Bale - who's still improving! - is madness.
As for the fee, I mentioned before that Suarez isn't a marketable brand, he's already been dropped by a number of his sponsors due to his antics and his reputation in the game will forever prevent him from being truly recognised as one of the game's greats despite ability-wise, he actually is. £65m-£70 is a fantastic price for Liverpool, take into account what I've already said plus his current 4 month ban, they should be very happy with the deal.
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Really needs a knife and fork photoshopped into his hands, doesn't he?
Suarez is a flat track bully. 1 goal in 9 against the previous season's top 4, none against the top 4 of last season. The season before was similar as he smashed goals against the weaker defences like Wigan and Norwich buit failed to deliver against the top sides.
He'll probably do better for Barcelona though, better team and all that.
#Defoe
It was the link to Carla Lane that had me in hysterics. I've often referred to the series "Bread" (a docu-soap from the 70s, which exposed how a free-loading Liverpudlian family managed to used loopholes to defraud the tax-payer of literally tens of pounds in benefits).