Do we need a Director Of Football?

I'm assuming that the 'players' in our recruitment function are 1) James and his spreadsheet 2) Gauthier 3) Head Coach. Looking at our recruitment last Summer and also this January, can we afford for this to continue? Or are others involved?

There seems to me to be a need for someone with a bit more of an eye to what we require, because this current squad has been pretty dismal, with the exception of the loan players.

 

Personally i'd start from scratch and shape what we need going forward. If what we have can be shaped to be that, fine, but it's evident the recruiting formula just isn't what it should be, and certainly doesn't resemble what we did in picking up Conor et al. Granted there was coaching that helped them along, but they had an abundance of talent and that was obvious early on.... we just were struggling to get them to slot into roles.

The issue we also have is the "Barnsley way" which was supposedly worked on by Johnson and furthered by the ex Head Coach is nowhere to be seen.

Made up of whats in the Barnsley DNA, how we like to play, the traits we like, a consistent system applied through the ranks allowing a more seamless progression. I've not seen that since the infamous January transfer window.

The system is also flawed, whoever is in it, whilever we sign players that don't fit a system. I fear we've tried to get too clever and just missed the basics. Can they actually play football? And can they swiftly if not immediately slot into our preferred system we're using through the club.

What's more... if the club have a preferred way of playing, and a system and approach that fans enjoy... would that not be the basis for hiring a head coach too?

We're so far from January 2017 its unbelievable. Not just from those departed in their various ways, but also in actions, decisions and behaviours.

Sadly, it all looks a mess.

 

I don’t think identifying the players is the problem, it’s the budget to which we are working, come mid may we’ll hear from a players agent via Nixon that we’re interested in Player X, we’ll all google him, he’ll look decent at the level he’s playing, by mid July he’ll have spoken to a number of clubs he’ll want to come to us but his agent will play hard ball, the week before the season starts they go to a team paying more money than us, Blackburn, Bolton, Wigan, Fleetwood, and other league one power houses we can’t compete with, leaving us to scramble around at the end of the window for a few young kids on loan that have never played a competitive game.

Same ****** year in year out.

 

Head of Recruitment: Brian Young

Senior Player Recruitment Analyst:Ben Hackney

Player Recruitment Analyst: Tom Chambers

I often read about the 'spreadsheet' but we have these three working for the club, so there's a bit more to it than James Cryne updating his spreadsheet once a week (unless one his holding 'shift', whilst the over two take it in turns to press 'enter'.

Joking aside, I'm just wondering how many of the players that they identify, do the deal makers at the club actually get over the line. I think that is probably where the problem lies.

 

It’s all about financial clout, we don’t have any, so we have to develop players, trying to develop a full squad of players in this league, is like doing your driving test on your 17th birthday without any lessons, it’s a disaster waiting to happen. If you can’t afford proven championship quality players you can’t compete in the championship, unless you’ve developed your full squad at a lower level and they’ve had success at that level together.

 

We don,t need a DOF we just need to spend some Brass on quality experienced players and get rid of this spreadsheet or we will struggle year in year out

 

You live and learn! First time I've heard of any of these. I wonder how many of the current first team squad they'd own up to?

 

I’d say yes.

 

Did we have one when we went wembley twice & got promoted ? Get the players in to do the job & things usually fall into place

 

I agree with a DOF. I think our current set-up needs one.

I’ve said before, but Mick McCarthy would be ideal. Vastly experienced, Barnsley lad and wouldn’t be in the firing line like a manager is. So his tenure would be a more secure one and less risky.

 

A director of football would just be another target to hurl abuse at when results are not going right , its a chain , usually the manager/coach cops it, followed be the CE & if we had a DOF, he could be next

 

James Cryne is a mathematician who is interested in figures with an interest in stats.He has no input in who we sign.

 

Brian, seeing as I am the only to mention James Cryne in this thread, I presume you are referring to my post.

Are you agreeing with my evidence that proves the recruitment process is much more than JC and a spreadsheet, or haven't you read the post properly?

 

I'd say it works like... James Cryne spread sheet. Identifying players, then the said above 3 then go and keep tabs on em... If they look good to the recruitment team then head coach will take a look, so he's in the loop.

If we want to establish ourselves in the championship.. then like it or not we have to stop shopping in the bargain bin. But without charging the fans £40 a ticket... Then it has to be the new boards risk. We must up the ante or be content with lower league football.

 

As long as we have a head coach rather than a manager I'd say yes.
A few years ago Patrick Cryne said he wanted to see a set up at the club where we played expansive, high tempo, attacking football. I don't think many would argue with that as the ethos of the club.
I'd love someone to oversee that. Maybe it was more relevant to previous years where lack of funding meant we were likely to gamble on young managers. A bit of nous and experience above them could be invaluable.
Theoretically that lack of funding shouldn't be apparent going forward and I think we'll drift back to bringing in managers who want to play their own way. In that instance I don't see the point of a DOF.

 

Sorry for any misunderstanding.I actually agree with your post.Its just that James sometimes appears to be an easy target for some when things aren't going so well.His father said in quite an emotional way that James has no involvement in player recruitment and that's good enough for me.

 

We still have to operate within our means.
Whether it be because of FFP or just morals (as we’ve been down that road before) doesn’t matter, we just have to.

Now if there are ways around this, that mean the club have no increased burden of debt (random big paying shirt sponsor) then fine, but in the current world of football, as painful as it may sound, I’m happy with what we have to do (polish gems/turds into diamonds and sell). I can’t see any other way of doing it. Yes we can stagger sales as not to blow the squad apart, but that’s easier said then done when the money is dangled in front of you.

 

He's a current director of the club, and from previous interviews etc he had input into algorithmic modes of assessing potential recruitment targets. I would suggest he has a level of input. Before anyone decides to don the umbrage cloak what I've written there is not a criticism of james Cryne.

 

We have continually bought or acquired 3 types
1 kids ...... this makes it men against boys at times I've thought we have put out a junior team.
2 league 1 & 2 players.........eventually we will become a league one and two side
3 players who have no passion or skill but have a good agent who can sell Tiam springs to mind for nearly 1 million

No other team has as many over rated players most have some solid dependable cloggers Chris Morgan types in my opinion we need to stop trying to be fancy world beaters let's knuckle down and let teams know they have been in a game I'm sure in years gone by (not that far back) other clubs didn't relish coming to oakwell .Now the teams around us are counting points against us for survival

 

If we go down we lose around six million pounds. I would rather we didn't take another chunk from our budget by hiring a director of football.