The Voice - Match preview Bradford City vs Walsall Saturday 30th September 3:00pm

I could have marked Cook today because he got very little service.

 

Precisely. Nail, head , hit.

 

Just seen the goals on the ITV4 highlights programme.

Those of a nervous disposition should avert their eyes.
First goal is awful defending from Oduor and Lewis goes down to his left in instalments.

For the third Lewis is 6ft 3 but when he jumps he’s 6ft

 

Edited for accuracy

 

I just want to see football with shots on target, exciting goalmouth action,testing the visiting keeper who has to make genuine saves to keep us out. I can take getting beaten at home when we have a real go at our opponents but the ball doesn’t run kindly or the keeper has made outstanding saves. I just can’t cope with sideways passing,back to keeper, slow build up and one shot on target per match.

 

You're wrong Kev. The owner and his non footballing lead, whether that's a CEO or DoF, they set the strategy and the managers job is to execute it.

 

Absolutely correct. I don’t know how many time fans on this media have said exactly the same.

When he started here, he said that the only difference between the lower league abc the PL players is decision making ie PL make better decisions. He needs to learn that it requires more than telling them to make better decisions. It requires pace, the ability to make accurate decisions at speed, the ability to interpret the managers plan actually on the field of play and most of all a football brain which in my view are nearly all gifts from the Gods. The players at this level can play good football but require the manager to put together a good squad play to each players strength to form a good team. In other words they have to be better than PL managers. They also need to be inspirational so the troops follow.

 

Third made even more embarrassing by lewis claiming he was fouled

 

This is exactly why we need a DOF to give the club some structure

 

Once I would have agreed with you, but I think that the days of the one-man band in terms of football operations have passed, certainly in the League, and, I'd even say, in the highest reaches of non-league. For better or worse, we need dedicated professionals doing specific jobs in both the footballing and non-footballing parts of a club. Now, I'm on the side of the following...

If the owner genuinely knows football, then the strategy/style can come from the owner, but even so, I'd still suggest hiring someone to be in charge of football operations unless the owner's job is the football club and nothing else.

And stability. DOF hires and fires those below him, e.g. managers; if DOF gets it wrong often enough, then owner fires DOF, but really a DOF should be hired in the expectation of being in post for half-decades and up.

RCB

 

All this talk of a director of football, watch out @Loyalbantam will be tagging you all after the next win.

 

The little kid in midfield, i think it was 26, showed what can be achieved by an enthusiastic little grafter. Wasn't the most skillful but was in and around everything they did.

 

Yeah what exactly has he done at a lower league level as a manager?

 

Could one name an owner in our Division who “knows” football. . . Fair question?

 

That’s not strategy ….that setting targets for managers. Any business , irrespective of what it makes, services, supplies, constructs sets a target for managers , it’s up to the manager to meet the target. . As a manager for many years , my CEO had a vision of achieving XYZ , he employed me to meet that objective. He didn’t give a shiny how I did it because he knew nothing about the business, because he was a financier and accountant. His board measured him on that objective and he measured me delivering it. If I didn’t meet the objective I failed. The board had one “vision” and that was to remain profitable and pay the shareholder dividends.

 

You are mixing up strategy with objective. Objective is an aim, a “goal” a target, a vision set by the owner / CeO / board , whereas a strategy is how to deliver it.
Look at the dictionary definitions of both.

 

You just cannot lose like this at home.

Lets remember that Coach Hodges has a big part in this, aswell as Manager Hughes, and they can scratch either their heads or their arses, but its not working.

Been clear since last season, and especially the two legged Carlisle playoff. so dull and a slow failure.

 

Totally agree Bronco, simple truth is Hughes should not still be with us. Sadly he is a dreadful manager and way past his sell by date

 

Unless a CEO DOF or whatever else you want to call them have a foolproof strategy for defending corners where the 6 yard box has been loaded with bodies this debate is completely irrelevant.

 

Can one name an owner in the EFL + Premier League who "knows" football? Your question led me to the following:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_owners_of_English_football_clubs

which then leads to my question. Yes I know it's Wiki, and they don't have Jenkins in yet for Newport -- which seems exceedingly likely -- but I assume the list is otherwise accurate. A few owners own other sports teams, but overall the list is very depressing. Too many football clubs are now just another box on some large corporation's chart of holdings, ownership divorced from the local community/country/continent.

I suppose the footballing owners of Salford would answer your question best, though how much they individually and collectively know beyond the playing of the game may be questioned. The clubs that are owned wholly or in part by supporter's trusts would also qualify, and perhaps those like Accrington who do seem to have a switched-on owner.

To my mind, all this just strengthens the need for there to be someone in charge of footballing operations, at a level above the manager but below the owner.

RCB