Credit to the Board?

[superfeathers]

You can't have a manager playing the director of football role.. it is doomed to failure. One is focused on short-term success. The other should be focused on long-term success. We still need a director of football who can continue the good work BBM is currently doing.

Having the ‘manager in a director of football type role’ entirely misses the point of a director of football imo. As you’d expect

[Crisp White Lines]

We know Tan ogives a final “yes/no” decision on appointments - but not based on any football knowledge of his own.

He is given guidance and recommendations by others, and whoever short-listed and recommended BBM deserves credit.

Convincing Tan, I believe, was solely down to BBM, and how he conducted himself in his meetings with Tan.

Tan made a sensible decision…for once…but I’m churlish enough to give him zero credit for that 😄

[BLUEAWAY TOO]

You are churlish.Do you not think that during 10+ years of doing something that a person would not have learnt some lessons?
Wouldn’t you have done so?

[xsnaggle]

I've seen a few people saying 'let's give the board some credit' for backing BBM and turning the club round.

I have to say I completely disagree. BBM must take almost all the credit for the great start we've had to life in League One

I wouldn't even say he's been backed in the transfer market. We've saved hundreds of thousands of pounds on wages and any of the new players or new contrancts will be more than covered by that off set. BBM is just working with the new slimmed down budget the board have set.

The marque signing of Osho too was almost certainly nothing to do with the board and will have been down to 1. freeing up a huge chunk in our budget by BBM reducing the deadwood 2. Previous good working relationship BBM had with Osho.

I am loving the start of the new era with BBM - but my memory is long enough to realise we're sucessing inspite of the board, not becuase of them.

Wilst I agree with most of what you said I hate (and you can check my posts to cofirm this) when posters say things as fact when in reality it is their opinion, albeit a shrewd guess. Do you know the information as a fact? If so please show us where you got it from, otherwise it is no more than your opinion.

[the other bob wilson]

You are churlish.Do you not think that during 10+ years of doing something that a person would not have learnt some lessons?
Wouldn’t you have done so?

On last season’s evidence, no he hasn’t learned anything. Since the end of last season, he’s made a good managerial appointment (even if he appeared to favour Nathan Jones over BBM) and there’s been evidence that the Academy has been working well. These are reminders that Tan has done some good things, but, if Xaesiff City seems to be a club on the up at the moment, that’s far more down BBM than Tan and co.

[the other bob wilson]

On last season’s evidence, no he hasn’t learned anything. Since the end of last season, he’s made a good managerial appointment (even if he appeared to favour Nathan Jones over BBM) and there’s been evidence that the Academy has been working well. These are reminders that Tan has done some good things, but, if Xaesiff City seems to be a club on the up at the moment, that’s far more down BBM than Tan and co.

Not sure I can blame predictive rent for Xaediff, probably more down to me typing messages within ten minutes of waking up!

[splott parker]

Not sure I can blame predictive rent for Xaediff, probably more down to me typing messages within ten minutes of waking up!

Even Xaesiff

[North Cardiff Blue]

You can't have a manager playing the director of football role.. it is doomed to failure. One is focused on short-term success. The other should be focused on long-term success. We still need a director of football who can continue the good work BBM is currently doing.

That’s a fair point. For now, we’ll just have to hope BBM stays with us for a long time and that the growth continues. But you’re right, when he leaves, we’d be back to square one, as we’ve quickly become heavily reliant on him.

[BLUEAWAY TOO]

We would need a DOF to provide success and longevity. If the former then the latter becomes more unlikely.

I suspect most of our recent managers would not have wanted a DOF and if they did it would need to be somebody who has established a good reputation.

Finding and retaining a good DOF is probably more difficult than finding a good manager and just somebody else to blame.

[the other bob wilson]

We would need a DOF to provide success and longevity. If the former then the latter becomes more unlikely.

I suspect most of our recent managers would not have wanted a DOF and if they did it would need to be somebody who has established a good reputation.

Finding and retaining a good DOF is probably more difficult than finding a good manager and just somebody else to blame.

So we keep on going down the Tan knows best route?

[PhyllisStant]

Wilst I agree with most of what you said I hate (and you can check my posts to cofirm this) when posters say things as fact when in reality it is their opinion, albeit a shrewd guess. Do you know the information as a fact? If so please show us where you got it from, otherwise it is no more than your opinion.

so Ramsey, Ralls, Rinomhota, Hovarth, Collins, Darland, El Ghazi, Goutas, Meite, O'Dowda, Raheem Conte, Simic, Tsonda, Kieran Evans, Etete ....combined wages are less than......

Trott, Kellyman and Osho?????

Do I know the exact amount? No. Would I bet both my bolox it's serval milions less this season. Yes.

Stay off the drugs kids.

[Dorcus]

So we keep on going down the Tan knows best route?

That would be a recipe for extinction. We've been fortunate to have recruited what appears to be a talented young manager by accident rather than design: let's not fool ourselves into somehow thinking this dysfunctional board will see the error of it's former ways and suddenly become effective.

[Sloop_Jon_Bee]

The club (Vincent Tan) appear to have made a very good managerial appointment, and in a slightly different way.

The club have also invested in the Academy and are seeing the benefits of that on the pitch and in transfer fee savings.

The club also do some other things well (ticket prices, Foundation).

Alongside the things they do very badly (communication, engagement, governance, club oversight and strategy).

But the Board appears to be a shell, and mostly disfunctional. Some individuals do a job of keeping the club running, and ensuring decisions are eventually made - but the key individuals are part-time and/or absent most of the time.

It is a useless model and one that will lead to failure more often than success. Despite the promise of a root and branch review after relegation, nothing has changed, There isn't even a plan for conducting a review!

I don't think the appointment of BBM was a lucky accident. There was a drawn-out process and finally a decision. The 'safe' options were rejected and so far that looks a smart move.

So credit is due to whoever made that happen - whether Vincent Tan, or Gavin Chesterfield, or Mehmet Dalman, or consultants, or all of the above.

But the bigger and more long term problems remain and if some credit is due for a good decision on the manager, then massive discredit is due for the abject failure to deal with those.

Very good post Jon.
Spedger

[light up the darkness]

Even Xaesiff

Freudian slip. We’re being bought by a Chinese consortium