Do Rangers need a DoF?

Do Rangers need a director of football?

  • Yes

    Votes: 181 69.6%

  • No

    Votes: 79 30.4%
  • Total voters
    260
StaunchGer54

StaunchGer54

Well-Known Member
I'm not so sure that we do and think the cash could be put to better use elsewhere.

Interested to hear what everyone else's take on the position is...
 
No,

a DOF setup will never take off at a club such as ours in the way it is supposed to work. Our fans are impatient and put simply we probably wouldn't settle for a head coach setup with DOF overruling at every turn.

It may work elsewhere, but put simply, there's a different type of pressure at Rangers, and timmy for that matter.
 
I think the question is moot. We have one, the board chose to go down that route and implement this strategy.

The question for me is whether they are genuinely committed to the reality of it or will let old-fashioned approaches we are used to ultimately over-rule it for quick results.
 
Yes, we do.

Football has changed a fair bit in the last 20 years. The role of a manager was far more akin to a current head coach in the days where transfer windows didn't exist, money wasn't huge, and players didn't have as much power as they do now.

Add in the ever-increasing compexity of media relations and the likes and it's easy to see how much the role of a "traditional" manager has grown. It's far too much to expect someone to be in charge of all of that.

When you consider our more successful periods in recent years, we rarely came out of them with a longer-term stability. We didn't have a number of good youth prospects playing in the first team or such like. The closest we came to it was Walter's second spell, and we obviously got shafted there.

We need to let the coach concentrate on results and let a DoF take on the long term planning, scouting team, target identification and overall club philosophy. If it's all down to one man, we'll see loads sacrificed in the name of getting results, purely through self-preservation.
 
The guy is in charge of setting up and overseeing our scouting network and footballing philosophy for lack of a better term. To say we don't need this kind of thing to move forward as a club is just ignorance imo.

Gone are the days where we can outbid teams for the best players. Hell we'd struggle to convince someone from Burnley or Bournemouth to come to us at the peak of their career unless they had some kind of emotional attachment to us.

The DoF role may take a good few years to produce but I don't think we have much choice if we want to continue to develop as a club and not stagnate or even regress into the backwater of Scottish football.

I think some fans are still angry that we're not on top right now and are making scapegoats of anyone and everyone.
 
It depends what their remit is.

Overseeing and acting as bridge between the first time and the academy/scouting - yes.

Actively signing the players and having a say on who the manager is - no.
 
We only need it if we wanted to implement it properly.

The board f*cked up by hiring a manager first, then a DoF in, in hope that they would both agree on the clubs philosophy. We need to let the DoF be a DoF otherwise it is pointless in having one.
 
Standards1972 said:
It depends what their remit is.

Overseeing and acting as bridge between the first time and the academy/scouting - yes.

Actively signing the players and having a say on who the manager is - no.
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I agree.

The first team remit currently is, and lets not %^*& about pretending it's not, it's to win that title asap at all costs.
 
SuperGers07 said:
No,

a DOF setup will never take off at a club such as ours in the way it is supposed to work. Our fans are impatient and put simply we probably wouldn't settle for a head coach setup with DOF overruling at every turn.

It may work elsewhere, but put simply, there's a different type of pressure at Rangers, and timmy for that matter.
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I have my doubts it’ll succeed either, mostly for the reasons you list above, but I do commend the club for trying a different approach.

There is definitely some very sound thinking behind the idea of an infrastructure that doesn’t result in significant upheaval every time we lose a manager.
 
SuperGers07 said:
I agree.

The first team remit currently is, and lets not %^*& about pretending it's not, it's to win that title asap at all costs.
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A lot of teams get round it by calling them 'Technical Director' or 'Director of Footballing operations'.

There's just a stigma with the term Director of Football, people immediately think it's some older guy interjecting at every corner.

It isn't.
 
Think it is far to early to judge as we haven't even seen him employed during a full transfer window. He now has his scouting team set up so lets see what happens from here.

The board we have don't know a lot about football , Just use our last managerial appointment to confirm that. Having a DOF who knows the game may well prove to be a very good move by the board. People slate it already when they dont really know the DOF Role and hes hardly been in the door.
 
SuperGers07 said:
No,

a DOF setup will never take off at a club such as ours in the way it is supposed to work. Our fans are impatient and put simply we probably wouldn't settle for a head coach setup with DOF overruling at every turn.

It may work elsewhere, but put simply, there's a different type of pressure at Rangers, and timmy for that matter.
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I tend to agree with this.

Having a DoF is absolutely worthwhile, but tricky with such a demanding and unforgiving support.
 
Jacrispy said:
I tend to agree with this.

Having a DoF is absolutely worthwhile, but tricky with such a demanding and unforgiving support.
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Yes, ideally we'd like it to work. Maybe it will longer term. But the club's number 1 priority right now is about getting back to the top as quickly as we can within a small window.

I'd say we still need to go down the route of employing a manager, who gives his targets to the DOF who in turn pursues them.

The DOF can have control of all other aspects of the club, but certainly not the most important role at the club as the managers chair is.
 
Too much is being made of the name of the role IMO.

We require someone with a vision to move the footballing side of things on. Short of a David Homes for the 21st century who has a business mind and a great appreciation for what is needed in the footballing side of things, it makes sense to employ a football mind to deal with that element of the operation.

Whether you call it a chief executive, a chief of operations or a DoF, someone has to do the work.

If it frees up the business side of the board to deal with that specific element of the club, it would make things better.
 
I remember back in the late 90s early 00s it was very fashionable to say that clubs needed a DoF. I dont really see why the duties of a DoF cant be split between various others who would specialise in such things.
 
I'm sure the board haven't sat about clueless and said DOF "lets try that" it might be good for us. Obv its part of a long term strategy and if the interview with the DOF which included the set up of worldwide scouting network (sadly missing for years) then yes, i think we need someone overseeing this full time and if thats a big part of his remit then it can only be good
 
I think as a model for the football structure DOF overseeing all levels, Manager/Head Coach in charge of first team, is the way we have to be. We can no longer buy success, so we have to produce our own talent and more importantly we have to have a robust structure that overrides individuals/personalties. When that is properly developed succesion plans for all roles will be in place, and if patience is required then, as fans we better develop some or years of disappointment is what our future holds!
 
SuperGers07 said:
No,

a DOF setup will never take off at a club such as ours in the way it is supposed to work. Our fans are impatient and put simply we probably wouldn't settle for a head coach setup with DOF overruling at every turn.

It may work elsewhere, but put simply, there's a different type of pressure at Rangers, and timmy for that matter.
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Really, what do you think Waddell and Wallace was then. Might have called Waddell General Manager but reality is it was a DoF/Coach relationship.
 
Yes we do. There are not enough hours in the day for one man to do everything.

Manager has to be able to concentrate on the first team only and let others deal with the rest.
 
I see no problem with taking away traditional responsibilities of the manager to allow them to focus on the first team, allowing the DOF to oversee the entire footballing structure i.e. scouting/club philosophy/youth development etc, ensuring a professional approach to all areas.

I don't think it's a question of whether or not we need one, it's a question of will it work for us, and that can only be answered further down the line.
 
If we didn’t have one we would still be no further forward in starting a scouting department.
 
If it works out to be beneficial than yes.
The game has moved on and there's more to the Managers job than that of yesteryear.
 
We certainly need someone--DoF, technical director, whatever you want to call them--to ensure continuity as managers come and go. Can't sign 10 new players every time the coaching staff changes. And a bit of specialist input into the overall management of the club can't hurt either.
 
SuperGers07 said:
No,

a DOF setup will never take off at a club such as ours in the way it is supposed to work. Our fans are impatient and put simply we probably wouldn't settle for a head coach setup with DOF overruling at every turn.

It may work elsewhere, but put simply, there's a different type of pressure at Rangers, and timmy for that matter.
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The DOF.isn't there to over rule a manager, he's there to work hand and hand with him.It works with big clubs, so why not ours, forward planning is the way forward and we badly need guidance, as our last two managerial appointment proved.
 
Can only hope the board and DOF know what they are doing, not sure I see a huge amount of value but time will tell
 
Waste of a wage in my opinion , I understand the need to restructure our youth policy etc but did we need such a high profile appointment ......
 
yes of course.

We need long term football direction and that comes from the DOF. A manager can only interested in first team results.
 
I think we desperately need the structure and to run the club on that basis, however our support is demanding & lacks patience and I don’t think those running the club actually understand what a successful DoF appointment and operation looks like.

This club is far too big for a single man to “manage” it all. There needs to be a figurehead and people who work under that person to deliver excellence in their respective areas, all towards the vision that the DoF has.

Whether Mark Allen is the guy to lead that for Rangers or not is completely up for debate.

As someone said above - the Waddell/Wallace model that Rangers had almost 40yrs ago was a forerunner to the Director of Football role with a first team coach. Each had different but complementary roles to play.
 
SuperGers07 said:
No,

a DOF setup will never take off at a club such as ours in the way it is supposed to work. Our fans are impatient and put simply we probably wouldn't settle for a head coach setup with DOF overruling at every turn.

It may work elsewhere, but put simply, there's a different type of pressure at Rangers, and timmy for that matter.
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Who's to say that's how it works? The DoFs role is much more comprehensive than transfers but, if we focus on that for now, surely the idea is that the Manager and DoF sit down and discuss what 'type' of player the Manager wants to recruit. They agree a shortlist - at varying budget levels - and the DoF goes out and tries his best to make the best deal for the Club. It might be the Manager's first choice, it might be his third choice - either way, it won't (or shouldn't) be a name that hasn't been agreed with the Manager as a potential target.

I don't see Mark Allen's role as 'overruling' the Manager, particularly in terms of transfer targets. I think many of our fanbase have a misguided view of what a DoF does. I linked an article the other day from May this year that indicated more than half the teams in the EPL now had DoFs - not always by that name, sometimes 'Sporting Director' or whatever - so it is clearly seen as something that 'works' down there. No reason why it shouldn't at Ibrox - so long as the personalities involved want to make it work.
 
There are different levels to a DoF. In all honest we don't actually know what role Mark has in truth. So, it's hard to see what he is bringing to the table. I've no doubt the DoF model can work and work very well with certain clubs and was perhaps exactly what was needed with a foreign manager. However, no convinced someone who has managed in Scotland, or England for that matter would be so comfortable.

In other words. I don't know but that is purely down to the lack of transparency from our transparent board. We generally don't have a fucking clue what is going on within the club.
 
King Kenny Miller said:
It's a no from me.

Proper football manager's don't need a DOF.
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Arsene Wenger certainly doesn't like the idea. However, since the clubs listed below all have some form of DoF I guess we can dismiss ALL their Managers as not being 'proper football managers'.:D

Chelsea
Manchester City
Liverpool
Everton
Southampton
Leicester City
Stoke
Swansea
Watford
West Bromwich Albion
Sunderland

List is EPL teams as at May this year and may have changed since.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...rubbishes-Arsenal-director-football-talk.html
 
SuperGers07 said:
No,

a DOF setup will never take off at a club such as ours in the way it is supposed to work. Our fans are impatient and put simply we probably wouldn't settle for a head coach setup with DOF overruling at every turn.

It may work elsewhere, but put simply, there's a different type of pressure at Rangers, and timmy for that matter.
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Aye, loads more pressure at Rangers than Bayern, Barca, Juve.
 
I didn't think so at first. Felt a bit like we were trying it for the sake of it. Willing to give it a chance though.
 
Valley Bluenose said:
Arsene Wenger certainly doesn't like the idea. However, since the clubs listed below all have some form of DoF I guess we can dismiss ALL their Managers as not being 'proper football managers'.:D
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It's trendy to have one.

I doubt very much if any of the former greats would have entertained it. I'd be surprised if guys such as Shankly, Paisley, Ferguson, Smith, or Stein would have wanted or accepted one.
 
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