Aston Villa News 24/7Sporting director, technical director, director of football, general manager. Take your pick, all the same thing. I elected to avoid the director of football tag in the headline as it’s frequently been used in England and without success enough that just the mention of the term leads to assumptions of unavoidable failure.
It’s a system that’s been used in Europe for many years though and in places is regarded as the norm. Quite why it hasn’t taken hold in the UK, I’m not sure, but it possibly comes down to egos and tradition. I mooted the idea as being about the only way I could see Bob Bradley being able to step into the void MON left behind.
If I’m honest, I haven’t been overly convinced by KMac in terms of confidence and authority in relation to taking on the biggest of jobs at Villa, but like Bradley, maybe assuming a head coach role alongside a more experienced man acting as a sporting director could be the solution.
A handful of the interviewees have become semi-public knowledge this week and most, if not all, have failed to excite. It has to be said, in normal circumstances, I’d like to think that Alan Curbishley and Sven Goran Eriksson would be highly unlikely to get an interview, but given the timing and the amount of available talent, I can see why they’ve been given the opportunity to talk about their ideas.
Another name that emerged earlier this week was ex-Liverpool manager, Gerard Houllier, the man I will always remember agreed to a Milan Baros/John Carew straight swap with MON. I think we all know who got the better side of that bargain.
In the last couple of hours, Houllier has become the latest next Villa manager, following on from Bradley, Eriksson, Moyes, Curbishley and anyone else I forgot to mention. I can’t speak for the likelihood of Houllier being appointed in any role at Villa Park, but it does present a good opportunity to give some thought to the prospect of adopting the sporting director/head coach set up.
The most important factor for me during this whole process has been to see the need for continuity addressed and I was encouraged to find that tone in the last official announcement. David Moyes is a manager I think could do that, but he’s never really been likely to be in the frame for the job. Among the actual candidates we know about, I’m not so sure.
Under the circumstances, maybe someone like Gerard Houllier and possibly Kevin MacDonald as head coach would be the perfect solution. Houllier could get on with the task of repairing the coaching structure that’s left with a large MON shaped hole after he took his team with him, while also building a proper scouting system to put Villa in a stronger position to bring quality youngsters through the academy. KMac, or whoever is head coach, could do just that, coach.
As I said in the Bob Bradley piece, the success, or otherwise, of this style of management, I believe, comes down to the pairing. If the chemistry is right and they work together, it can be ideal, but if they don’t, well, it can be a disaster.
Whatever the solution, it looks almost certain to be in place before the Stoke game. Let’s hope Randy gets it right.
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8 Comments to “Could A Sporting Director Be The Solution To Our Situation?”
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Hey, I could be happy with that. It makes a lot of sense given that MacDonald definitely seems to prefer the coaching thing. Houllier could even then be the public face of the Villa coaching staff in press conferences etc.
I’m still not convinced that Houllier would want to leave his current job at the French FA though – do we have any quotes or firm evidence of interest from him?
good question, his name has been persistent, but low key this week which lead me to give it a little more credence than the bookie driven hype surrounding the others.
that said, the mail’s story which drove this, is all headline and no real content, so i’m treating it with as much caution as all the rest, it’s just a good catalyst for considering the technical director angle.
As an American, I fortunately don’t have to “get used to” the idea of a sporting director/head coach idea. It’s how American sports are set up.
My only concern is that you have to have the right mix of ego (or lack thereof) to get it done if you’re in an area that has never done it before.
right. there’s numerous reasons why it frequently hasn’t worked in the UK and it usually comes down to ego, but specifically a director being brought in above an existing manager or a manager “moving upstairs” and someone else taking his old job.
either way, you’re more likely to get friction than not. we’re in the situation of practically being able to start from a clean slate, so if there was a time to do it, it’s now.
I think the “Sporting Director” arrangement could work but it would likely depend on the manager selected. I would say that Villa are more likely than most to go this direction. First, Lerner is an American and is used that system with his Cleveland Browns. Second, for good or bad, there is a real focus on salaries and the business side of football right now. I can’t see Lerner selecting a manager who wanted full control of the purse-strings to remake the team in his image.
I suspect the “pair” thing has never worked purely because of the different ways we play our game.
Whereas the British game is more physical, the european game is far more technical.
Hence the thought of a technical director scares me, even though it’s what’s required throughout our game, even with the young kids.
That said, you have to ask why EPL is the most watched footy in the world, so perhaps we should keep it as it is?
I’m really not sure, but they’re just my thoughts.
All I know is, it has never worked up till now.
“and anyone else I forgot to mention.”
How about McCleish?
For a laugh (I love the idea of taking their manager off them) I’ve had £8.19 (I know, don’t ask) on him at 66-1.
He’s done a solid job at the heathens, imo.
Any thoughts, apart from him managing the enemy?
Naming McLeish as manager, I think, would be a master stroke. He has exceeded all hopes at Smallheath, and he has managed Scotland and Rangers. (And he would love to have the chance to outdo his former nemisis, O’Neill).
To my mind Alex McLeish is the one name that truly stands out amongst the less than stellar names associated with us during the past week.
I think most of us have named great names – Moyes, Hughes, McLeish, etc. but the fact is that we got ******* when MON decided to walk 5 days before the start of the season. If he had gone at the end of last season we would have had a wide range of possibilities. Personally, I think it was one last shot from MON to show the team and the fans that the “need him”.
In any case, I would expect a bit of a consolidation for this season. Keep the ship pointed the right direction and all that. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a non-traditional set-up with Villa. If it works great, if not we can look for a better replacement next summer.