Do Directors of Football have a place in the English game?

October 20, 2008

What do Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur currently have in common? Well for a start, they both occupy the bottom two places in the Premier League. More worryingly for the fans of both clubs, is that in essence, they are ran by Directors of Football. Step forward Dennis Wise and Damien Comolli. Both have overseen tumultuous starts to the new season at their respective clubs, with the former coming in for plenty of flak from Newcastle fans over the Kevin Keegan affair. Now Spurs fans and also the media are looking at Comolli and asking if he is to blame for Spurs’ current plight?

For a start both men seem to be responsible for both the buying and selling of players. This is a decision not left to the manager - despite what both Wise himself said and also Mike Ashley during the summer. Wise and Comolli could be seen as undermining their manager and this has transferred itself onto the pitch. Comolli’s role is also tainted somewhat with the underhand way in which Spurs got rid of Martin Jol - another grubby affair.

The Director of Football role is one that is used on the continent and to some success. It has been the standard setup at some clubs for decades. However, just because it works there doesn’t mean that it’ll work in England. And if it is so successful, then why do the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool not have such a setup? A manager should be allowed to manage - to buy and sell his own players. After all, it will be his job on the line and not the Director of Football’s - should things go wrong.

John Ferguson Burn

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