Lord Duckhunter

The owner/CEO should appoint the Head Coach, not the DoF. John Rudge didn't appoint Tony Pulis, he may have been asked his opinion, but I'm sure a lot of advise will be taken. The buck stops with the owner/CEO.

When the first team Manager/Coach gets the sack, should all the scouts go, should the youth team manager go, should the Chairman go? Abroad the DoF does not get sacked when the Head coach goes, they are two completely seperate roles.

My source is a Pakistani cricketer.

That's not the same job I'm talking about here. When Manuel Pellegrini was sacked at Madrid because of poor results, Miguel Pardeza stayed on as DoF, and now works with JM.

None, but it's subjective. Stoke have a DoF and they are in the top flight for the first time in 30 odd years. Is that because John Rudge's role has helped Tony Pulis and the club,how can you judge whether it has or not? Have Madrid won so much because of it, who knows?

I never said anything about Les Reed having the job, so can't really comment on his ability to do it. If he runs the acedemy, then that is a completely differant job. Has John Rudge contributed to Pulis' great job at Stoke, I dont know. However, why would Barca,Madrid and Inter continue to employ a Sporting Director if they didn't think it was an important job. The problem in this Country is the roles get blurred. Abroad they are seperate,Guardiola couldn't do, or wouldn't want to do Zubizarreta's job and visa versa.I would like to see a foregin structure at Southampton, with the Zubizarreta role taken by an explayer or Manager.It will not affect the person running the first team's ability to do his job in the way he feels fit.

Alan Shearer- My source is Nicola Cortese.

You are completely missing the whole point.Abroad Mourinho works in a structure that includes a DoF, and has done so at Inter and Madrid, and whilst he was winning 2 European Cups. Bobby Robson worked in a structure that included one whilst he was abroad. If Wenger left Arsenal for Barca or AC Milan or whoever, he'd work in a structure that included a DoF/Sporting Directer. Do you think that Andoni Zubizarreta has a "non job" at Barca? He is part of a structure that allows Pep Guardiola to concentrate on the first team and get on with winning football matches.He has 125 spainish caps, so brings a great deal of knowledge to the table.

http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/First_Team/1193041476158/Plantilla/Squad.htm The Real Madrid offical web site refers to him as Head Coach, I'm sure they respect him.

This is what I've been trying to say. It seems to go wrong because either the DoF really wants the top job and interferes, dont forget Redknapp started as the Skates DoF. Or the owner/CEO interferes (Lowe). John Rudge does a great job alongside Tony Pulis, so it can work.

The problem with Redknapp was he was the right person at the wrong time. I still believe we should have appointed him instaed of Branfoot,he'd done a great job at Boscombe and could handle big players, like Lawrie did. He'd have kept Jimmy Case and got Matty playing. The other benefit is the Skates would proberly have stayed grubbing along in the lower leagues.It was before he went to West Ham, we should have taken him.

Where was Bally going before he came back. He was a bit of a Managerial joke, but it fitted us and he lifted the place. Shearer will put 5,000 on the gate and unite the support.

Everyone knows who Bobby Charlton is, but players in their 20's and early 30's will respect Shearer as soon as he enters the dressing room.

I thought the club did make a statement, it was made on the day of his sacking. I can't remember the exact wording but it was along the lines of "after a review, we made this decision to bring the First Team and the Football Development & Support Centre tohether as integrated, co-operative units.". Pardew obviously didn't fit in with that or agree with that, but that was the reason given.Surely the debate should be about why pardew couldn't be part of that, or why he was unwilling to be part of that. But whether we like it or not that was the statement given. Why are people calling for another statement?

Have we got the players to get out of this league, yes. Do you need a tactical genius to get out of this league,no The whole club needs a lift, but can KK supply that lift to players who are too young to remember exactly what a big name player he was. There is one big name who could gain instant respect and will lift the Club having been a Saints legend. Step forward Alan Shearer. Course he'll end up at Newcastle, but if he gets us out of this poxy league, then we can attarct a bigger name in the Championship.

They won it with Marco Branca as sporting Director and JM as head coach.

Where have I ever said that someone comes to Mourinho and says we will/wont buy this player? The set up is ex Footballer Pardeza is Sporting director and Mourinho head coach, how's that differant from ex footballer Coppell and Eddie Howe fulfilling the exact same roles?

Ex Spainish footballer Miguel Pardeza is Sporting director at Real, with Mourinho as head coach. It was the same at Inter with Marco Branco another ex footballer filing the role with Mourinho again as head coach.Why is it that as soon as someone is given the title "Head Coach" then all the "it doesn't work in England" posts come out. What is wrong with Steve Coppell/Dario Gradi as Sporting director with Eddie Howe/Nigel Adkins as Head Coach? It's exactly the same as Pardeza and Mourinho's set up.

Lambert's poor form also highlights the stupidity of Barnard getting himself sent off in a meaningless game on Tuesday.

I said a Sporting Director or DoF, not the Academy head, which again is a completely seperate job.This is what I wrote "I would be quite happy with a senior football man running the whole show" It works abroad, both Hodgson and Mourinho will have worked under a Sporting director, in fact so will have Bobby Robson.The English failure to this postion is down to Chairman, which was Lowe's problem with it, interfering or the "Sporting Director" wanting to run the whole show.Abroad The Manager runs the first team and the Sporting Director runs the rest of the football side of things.Andoni Zubizarreta won 125 caps for Spain, he is now DoF ar Barcelona, his position is no threat to Pep Guardiola and was not appointed by him.Yet you claim no decent Manager will work under this system.

I dont believe it, sacked Manager not mentioned in programme, bet that's a first.

I thought the Skates were a shoe in for the "deluded supporters of the year award", but I think we're mounting a late challange.

Lets hope he does better than Cloughie at Brighton.

I dont really want him to get the job anyway, cause my Mrs fancys him. She'll start wanting to come to games and it'll mess up my pre game drinking regime.

The next premier League job that comes up ONeil will be linked with it, even if it's Man Utd . If Capello goes, O Neil will be linked with it. If Lennon fails at Celtic, O neil will be linked with it.Are people seriously trying to say that he'll drop down and manage in League 1, I doubt if he'd even manage in the Championship, let alone League 1. I hope I'm wrong, I really do, but I just dont buy it.He left Villa becasue the owner wouldn't push the boat out to break into the top four, it looks like we're not pushing the boat out to get an auto place in League 1, yet he's "interested".