SPORTING DIRECTOR TO BE APPOINTED

Found this on the Echo Website this morning....

"SAINTS will appoint an experienced football figure as their sporting director to oversee the playing side of the club before the transfer window opens again next summer.
In an exclusive in depth interview with executive chairman Nicola Cortese in today’s Daily Echo, the Saints chief revealed that the sporting director will be a buffer between himself and the manager.
The sporting director will have direct responsibility for overseeing football matters, including sanctioning transfers.
The appointment will be made by Cortese and will not be in consultation with Alan Pardew, as the sporting director will effectively be his boss.
It is part of a new structure Cortese is putting in place which will see him in sole charge of the club under the authority of owner Markus Liebherr, but with an advisory committee of about five people directly below him."


It is saying before the transfer window opens next summer so I wonder if they have someone in mind who would not be free to come until the end of the season.
For the first time, I am just a little concerned about the plans of the new regime as I can quite easily imagine clashes between Pardew and the new sporting director. I wonder if it means Nicola is not 100% happy with what Pards has been doing so far.........or maybe he thinks Pardew has too much to do to be able to cope with it all properly. I hope Pardew has been consulted about the plan and will not be unsettled by it.

If he is to be Pardew's line manager on football matters it is logical to think that they have a bigger name in mind. I cannot really see it working with a Keegan/Pardew team or a Strachan/Pardew team although the idea is a little mouth-watering (and Strachan was seen at St Marys last Saturday!).
Yet another return for Big Lawrie?? Surely not!
The only good appointment that immediately springs to mind would be MLT....and I seem to remember reading that there have been discussions with him since the takeover. Now, I wonder if that could be the plan????

Have faith Mike. It'll be fine!

We are Saints supporters and always have to have something to worry about. Let's just sit back and see what happens.

Fingers crossed for LeGod, he would please the fans. But I'm he'd have the credentials they are looking for. I think he'd let his heart rule his head and I don't think Liebherr and Nicola would want that.

I'd go along with that SP. MLT is loved and in some peoples minds worshipped for what he achieved for us. I also have doubts as to his suitability for such a task. If we can get a good tactitian and leader we would probably find AP readily accepting the appointment. Especially if he can advise on the type of player that is needed and has some input. Added to that is the fact that sometimes a big name will appease the fans wishes and help AP bring good players to the club.
It will be fascinating to see how it will work. I imagine the director when appointed will have an eye on money matters, ie the books, so will be better prepared in knowing what funds we have financially. Especially as we want a tightly run ship that can look after itself.

PLEASE NO!!!

If Pardew needs some input and help then he can ask his many footballing contacts, such as Fergie, for it. We don't need to employ someone to do it and as we know any interference from above always ends in disaster. Just let AP do his job.

I wonder if Gordon Strachan is being lined up for this role.He was at the training ground shortly after the takeover and there was an interesting picture of Strachan and Cortese laughing and joking together before the Millwall game in the directors box in the pink on saturday.I would be happy with this only if Pardew was comfortable with it.Matt Le Tissier is another possible candidate,but,i feel Matt will stay loyal to sky after they backed him after the pinnacle episode.I think we can be confident that Cortese and Pardew have already discussed this situation before Pardew agreed to join us.

village idiot wrote:I think we can be confident that Cortese and Pardew have already discussed this situation before Pardew agreed to join us.

I just hope you're right. The news made my heart sink, it felt like the first chink had opened up to let discord in. I'll be really pleased if I'm worrying for nothing.

Sista

According to the Echo site today Pardew is happy with the idea. But is he saying what he is thinking?


SAINTS manager Alan Pardew has revealed he would welcome a sporting director at the club.
As exclusively reported in the Daily Echo on Saturday, executive chairman Nicola Cortese announced he will appoint an experienced football figure to oversee the playing side of the club.
That person is due to be in place before the transfer window opens next summer.
For now, Pardew is having to field countless calls from agents and carry out many other duties that affect the time he can spend working with the squad.
He admitted his job is a very difficult one at the moment.
As a result, Pardew would welcome someone in a sporting director, or general manager, type of role.
However, the Saints boss said HE would have to be responsible for the selection of players and the setting of the agenda on the playing side.
“The job is very, very difficult and this is why the mention of a general manager here to take some of that burden away from the manager as we go forward probably wouldn’t be a bad thing,” he said.

Saint_Sista wrote:

village idiot wrote:I think we can be confident that Cortese and Pardew have already discussed this situation before Pardew agreed to join us.

I just hope you're right. The news made my heart sink, it felt like the first chink had opened up to let discord in. I'll be really pleased if I'm worrying for nothing.

Sista

Same here. My initial thought about this was 'oh no' but if AP is happy with the idea (and not just saying he is) then there's no reason why it shouldn't work. Discord would set in if the sporting director starts to overrule the manager and step on his toes, so let's hope this won't happen.

According to the Mirror and Mail websites Saints are after Steve Coppell for the Director of Football role.

In the Mail:

Southampton are lining up Steve Coppell for a new director of football role.

Coppell is wanted to help recently installed boss Alan Pardew turn around League One’s bottom club.

He has not worked since quitting Reading at the end of last season but Saints hope to tempt him back into the game and appointed former assistant Wally Downes as defensive coach yesterday.

Pardew played under Coppell at Crystal Palace and the pair are expected to work
closely together to bring in new talent.

Coppell has good experience of how a director of football works from his time at Reading, where Nick Hammond held a similar post.

Southampton are now backed by Swiss billionaire Markus Liebherr and paid out £1m to sign Ricky Lambert from Bristol Rovers this summer.

And club chairman Nicola Cortese is keen to have a capable pair of hands running the club’s transfer policy.

If you look at the current board structure I can see why a Sporting Director appeals. We have no one at Board level with any Footballing experience and the concept of a Sporting Director with complete overview including Acadamy etc makes sense to me. Let face it we had one before called Rupert who thought he knew everything there was to know about Football! If we get the right individual, one who has done the management bit and no longer has that desire then no reason why it shouldnt work and can bring in some stability, reality managers will rarely last more than 3 years. If they get results then other clubs are after them, if they dont get results they get sacked!

Key will be who they look for. Strachan would be a good choice in my view not so sure about MLT, great player and Sky pundit but does let his heart rule. Think Lawrie has had his time and would prefer someone who has been in the game managing, coaching more recently. Hoddle might be an interesting name. I'm not a great fan of him but is the sort of role he may actually be good at as he wouldnt need to motivate players.

Still a subject to keep fans talking and the media guessing so guess watch this space.

Personally the lack of footballing knowledge on the board doesn't worry me. AP has identified our problems and has identified the playing and coaching staff who can solve those problems, and the board have been happy to trust his judgement and spend the money needed to bring those people to the club.

According to the Echo, the Club have denied an interest in Coppell.

Which means he will probably be in the chair soon.

If this was going to happen, shouldn't we be hearing something??

I thought NC said back in January that he was in no rush to appoint a Director of Football and think its something he wants for when we are in Premier league. Be a total waste in League 1 and even Championship, just need to leave your manager to get on with the football side of the club. dont think many fans think you need in premiership but if NC gets us back to premiership no problem with me if he wants one then.

AP has always struck me as a hands on type of manager. A director could be usefull for when we are checking on a player with the possibility of a bid. Though I would be a lot happier with a person as head scout to do the looking and recommending.

I presume AP would have to tell them what he wants, ie a ronaldo, Rooney, Lampard and Hart for example.