Why Swansea City’s Director of Football Move Is the Turning Point the Club Desperately Needs

[JA News]

Why Swansea City’s Director of Football Move Is the Turning Point the Club Desperately Needs

Swansea City’s season has highlighted deep issues in recruitment, leadership, and football operations. The confirmation that the club is moving toward appointing a Director of Football is not just welcome — it’s vital. If the Swans want to progress at the pace the owners keep promising, they need real football expertise at the heart of the club’s structure.

jackarmy.net

 

[magicdaps10]

I feel incredibly strong with most things wrote in this article, it's clear that we need these things to progress and eradicate any possible scenarios that can come back to bite us....things we have already seen and experienced.
I think after so many years of stale approach from the previous owners that some sections of fans are getting excited and possibly carried away with the proactive approach with the new owners. The approach is great but they have very little experience and knowledge of how to run a football club and we have seen issues arise already so lessons need to be learned to grow and move forward.

Let's have some positivity but let's not also be dull enough not to want to build and improve, ask questions and speak up when we have opportunities to push on.

 

[LeonWasTheDogs]

I feel incredibly strong with most things wrote in this article, it's clear that we need these things to progress and eradicate any possible scenarios that can come back to bite us....things we have already seen and experienced.
I think after so many years of stale approach from the previous owners that some sections of fans are getting excited and possibly carried away with the proactive approach with the new owners. The approach is great but they have very little experience and knowledge of how to run a football club and we have seen issues arise already so lessons need to be learned to grow and move forward.

Let's have some positivity but let's not also be dull enough not to want to build and improve, ask questions and speak up when we have opportunities to push on.

Great post. The summer transfer window proves your point perfectly; a lot of people getting really excited just because we actually spent some serious money on a few players for once ( ~£7m), Inoussa (c. £5m) and Widell (c. £4m in the Jan before). All could be very good for us eventually, but it takes time for the youngsters especially to get used to this league. People thinking we were suddenly going to start challenging for promotion was getting a bit daft.

It’s great that we’re looking to improve on and off the pitch. We do need to professionalise the club after the mess under Kaplan and Levien. A DOF is vital*, and an experienced and proven one too ideally given the inexperience of the owners.

*or at least getting the right leadership team is vital, covering all the bases. Football ops, chairman, recruitment lead, the manager, etc. We’ve got a good case for needing a DOF given the lack of any serious experience amongst the others.

 

[FearOfAJackPlanet]

The impression I got on this topic was that Montague was let go, not because he wasn’t considered any good, but because Gorringe, in a state of hubris and deep within the cost-cutting drive he was so happy to pat himself on the back over during that interview he gave to those YouTube business bros, thought they could do away with the expense of a DOF. The recruitment team will identify the players, and he’ll do the negotiations and get the deal over the line and handle football operations.

I think that idea became another casualty of the stark reality that’s smacked the club in the face as the hazy days of summer turned into Championship campaign reality. Whether the owners stepped in or Gorringe realized the expense of a DOF is necessary after all, I don’t know, or care. I just hope they find someone with some fresh ideas and relevant experience.

 

[Ronald Parp]

I feel incredibly strong with most things wrote in this article, it's clear that we need these things to progress and eradicate any possible scenarios that can come back to bite us....things we have already seen and experienced.
I think after so many years of stale approach from the previous owners that some sections of fans are getting excited and possibly carried away with the proactive approach with the new owners. The approach is great but they have very little experience and knowledge of how to run a football club and we have seen issues arise already so lessons need to be learned to grow and move forward.

Let's have some positivity but let's not also be dull enough not to want to build and improve, ask questions and speak up when we have opportunities to push on.

We’ve had a shill on here for the last couple of years telling us how great it was going to be when Cravatt and Co took over, people bought in to it, the campaign worked. If it had been made clear that a football club was going to be run by a tipster working from home it might not have sounded quite so exciting.

 

[Neath_Jack]

Great post. The summer transfer window proves your point perfectly; a lot of people getting really excited just because we actually spent some serious money on a few players for once ( ~£7m), Inoussa (c. £5m) and Widell (c. £4m in the Jan before). All could be very good for us eventually, but it takes time for the youngsters especially to get used to this league. People thinking we were suddenly going to start challenging for promotion was getting a bit daft.

It’s great that we’re looking to improve on and off the pitch. We do need to professionalise the club after the mess under Kaplan and Levien. A DOF is vital*, and an experienced and proven one too ideally given the inexperience of the owners.

*or at least getting the right leadership team is vital, covering all the bases. Football ops, chairman, recruitment lead, the manager, etc. We’ve got a good case for needing a DOF given the lack of any serious experience amongst the others.

Just let people be excited, let them fall in love with the new manager, let them believe that this is the turning point in our recent fortunes. It’s tough times out there for many people and football has always been the escape. Let people be happy without being a fun sponge for them. This site and its negativity saps you on times with the constant drudgery, thankfully where I sit in the stadium it’s full of eager anticipation of what may be on the horizon.

 

[Smurph]

We’ve had a shill on here for the last couple of years telling us how great it was going to be when Cravatt and Co took over, people bought in to it, the campaign worked. If it had been made clear that a football club was going to be run by a tipster working from home it might not have sounded quite so exciting.

These owners are far worse than Kaplan and Levien, aren't they.

​

 

[Swanjaxs]

Just let people be excited, let them fall in love with the new manager, let them believe that this is the turning point in our recent fortunes. It’s tough times out there for many people and football has always been the escape. Let people be happy without being a fun sponge for them. This site and its negativity saps you on times with the constant drudgery, thankfully where I sit in the stadium it’s full of eager anticipation of what may be on the horizon.

Brilliant post, up there with one of your very best

 

[Smurph]

Just let people be excited, let them fall in love with the new manager, let them believe that this is the turning point in our recent fortunes. It’s tough times out there for many people and football has always been the escape. Let people be happy without being a fun sponge for them. This site and its negativity saps you on times with the constant drudgery, thankfully where I sit in the stadium it’s full of eager anticipation of what may be on the horizon.

Excellent post

The last line is the most valid part. Most of the negativity on this forum which I whole heartedly agree with when you say saps your energy, comes from those who very rarely set foot inside the stadium.

 

[Ronald Parp]

These owners are far worse than Kaplan and Levien, aren't they.

​

That might be your opinion, I don’t necessarily agree, but all opinions are welcome.

Personally I feel they have the potential to be better because their intentions appear to be more aligned with the football side of the club as well as the business side. It’s early days and there’s been a few mis-steps, which they seem to have tried to address, but my outlook is more cautious optimism than hyperbole.

 

[Smurph]

That might be your opinion, I don’t necessarily agree, but all opinions are welcome.

Personally I feel they have the potential to be better because their intentions appear to be more aligned with the football side of the club as well as the business side. It’s early days and there’s been a few mis-steps, which they seem to have tried to address, but my outlook is more cautious optimism than hyperbole.

So you think they're worse than our previous owners?

 

[Ronald Parp]

So you think they're worse than our previous owners?

No I don’t but it’s early days. You said they were worse didn’t you?

 

[Smurph]

No I don’t but it’s early days. You said they were worse didn’t you?

No, apologies if my initial post indicated that.

Personally I think this lot are a breath of fresh air.

 

[AusinIsOurHero]

What's Birch up to? That's the last time I felt e were actually being run half properly.
Wonder who they're looking at or if they have any names in mind?
Get this appointment right and we could be cooking in the next 12-18 months, especially if they back Matos as much as they did Sheehan.

 

[sit_down_jack]

Perhaps contrarian, but I don’t think the state of this season has been down to what the owners did in the summer, player recruitment wise anyway. I think we simply appointed the wrong manager off the back of some excellent results at the back end of last season.

These players are young and coming to a completely new country, will need to time to settle, that much is obvious to everyone. It’s clear already though, that Matos has had a positive effect on players like Stamenic and Widell and our general play has been more energised and attacking. Saw a stat before we played Wrexham that we only had 15 big chances in 17 games under Sheehan this season, we’ve had 9 in 5 games under Matos.

Even though I quite like our summer recruitment and the type of deals we are now doing, a Director of football should be brought in. It’s not good for one person to be handling both football and commercial operations, sooner or later, one of those will get neglected and the club will suffer for it. Gorringe seems very switched on, but if he is doing two jobs, it’s a Hell of a big responsibility.