All posts by h79snht.top

The modern game is a global, money-making machine, but it lacks the heroes and villains that we grew up with. When I was a lad, all the way back in the mid 90’s, I found myself in a fantastic era for characters in football. Of course I didn’t realise it at the time, but with the benefit of hindsight can appreciate how much they added to the game. There was Tony Adams, battling alcoholism whilst leading Arsenal to league titles. There was Paul Gascoigne, showing his belly to the fans and applauding them and there was Vinnie Jones, doing all sorts of terrible things to people. There was also a wave of continental flair and unpredictability arriving in the premiership. Eric Cantona, Paolo Di Canio and David Ginola playing side by side with the great British entertainers. Now, a decade or so on, it all seems a bit flat in comparison.

Of course, English football has changed. The wages are astronomical, the pressures and expectations immense and the media scrutiny constant. The players are surrounded by PR people and agents, they are prepped, one dimensional and generally kept at arms length from the public. In interviews they answer with stock phrases and occasionally one of them will appear in heat magazine on a beach somewhere. They are raised and nurtured to success under a mantra of professionalism, professionalism, professionalism: (whilst some fail to adhere to this off the pitch, stumbling out of a nightclub once is not enough to make someone interesting) it is a philosophy that leaves little room for the antics of their predecessors, both on and off the pitch.

The stakes are certainly too high now to tolerate the fantastic showboating of Jay-Jay Okocha or the young Joe Cole. The closest we come now is stepovers, in their hundreds, but where are the Pele flicks and the nutmegs, the beating a man 2 or 3 times just because you can? Nowadays it seems it’s just Cristiano Ronaldo left, but there seems less joy in the way he does it. His tricks are less enjoyment and expression, more just showing off. We can see from Mancini’s reaction to Mario Balotelli’s dismal backheel that tricks do not go down well any more.

Characters in the premiership are thin on the ground right now. There are Balotelli and Joey Barton and while both are certainly unpredictable and great at making headlines, there is a strong element of the unpleasant to their behaviour. It would be a great shame if the entertainers were just replaced by the people with the shortest fuse. The relegation of Jimmy Bullard to the Championship may have meant saying goodbye to the only real entertainer of recent years.

It would be unbelievably refreshing to see a player expose some of his personality, to let himself off the leash without it being because he’s angry. The head down, headphones in, nothing to see here, emotionless walk to the changing room sums it all up really. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem likely to change much in the near future.

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Despite all the focus on the transfer window and players moving here there and everywhere, something that can be just as good as a new signing is a player who pulls his finger out for the second half of the season and really lives up to the reputation that they once had – or indeed in Bendtner’s case – gave themselves.

As the business half of the season really gets into full swing, points are more vital than ever and titles are on the line- not to mention the fact that knockout competitions are reaching the point of no return and every goal or miss is vital to the team and players. Not only this, but with the Euros fast approaching and managers now making their decisions on who they want to include in their squad, it is more vital than ever for players to show what they can do and either solidify their position in the squad or indeed push their way into it.

Teams are now encountering not only injuries and suspensions, but also the loss of players to the ACON, and there is a chance for players who’s form has not warranted their inclusion in the side thus far to break into the first team and prove that they are a quality addition to the side.

So, lets take a look at the 10 Premier League players who have got it all to do in the second half of the season, and after a – shall we say – disappointing start to the season, they have the opportunity to not only improve their stats but to really help their team push on and make or break their season.

Click on Nicklas Bendtner to unveil the top 10

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So there you have it, my top ten. Do you have a different player who needs to pull his socks up? Comment below or follow me on twitter @RebeccaKnight01

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The high standard of the Premier League has often meant that many of England’s best clubs will go head-to-head over the summer’s biggest transfers. Some of this year’s biggest prospective moves have involved London rivals Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur battling each other to get the best deals in the transfer market.

Both clubs have been involved in somewhat of a transfer quadrangle with Luka Modric and Juan Mata stuck in the middle. Whilst Chelsea have finalised a deal for Mata, Tottenham did also show a healthy interest in the Valencia winger. Another of this summer’s biggest stories has been Modric’s desire to leave Spurs for Chelsea with Daniel Levy at the Tottenham helm refusing any possible deal. But have Chelsea got the better deal in landing Mata but missing out on Modric?

Chelsea’s interest in both Mata and Modric has been well publicised but who is the better player? Last season Mata scored eight goals and made 12 assists and was the most impressive player outside the big two in La Liga. Despite impressing again last season for Spurs, Modric only managed three goals and three assists (a figure which he replicated the season before as well). But it is hard to compare the players solely on statistics. Apart from playing in two very different leagues, Mata and Modric are different types of attacking midfield players. Mata can be employed as a wide player, likely to fulfill that role perfectly in Andre Villas-Boas’ 4-3-3 formation. Modric on the other hand is an attacking midfielder best utilised in the centre where he can better dictate play and find pockets of space.

But even without considering the stats, I believe Chelsea have got the better deal this summer by snapping up Mata. The exciting Spanish international is the younger of the two at only 23-years-old (compared to 25-year-old Luka Modric) and so has plenty of time to continue to develop and adjust to the Premier League. Mata also shone at the recent European U21 Championships, playing a big part in Spain’s success at the tournament. Mata being part of the Spanish national side in its present state is also a huge bonus for Chelsea.

Mata also looks to be the cheaper option for Chelsea as Spurs continue to reject bids for Modric of near £30million. Reports on the fee Chelsea have spent on Mata range from around £23-26million but if the former Valencia man can deliver, a fee cheaper than what Chelsea would probably have to pay if they stand any chance of singing Modric, will look like a very good deal for the Stamford Bridge side.

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But whilst Chelsea looked to have snapped up a very good deal with Mata, where does this leave Spurs and Modric? Despite reports that Chelsea signing Mata was not putting the Blues off making a renewed bid for Modric, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has insisted that he will stay and that Mata’s deal would kill off any further advances for Modric. But the speculation about a move and Tottenham’s insistence that he will not go has unsettled Modric and Spurs now risk not seeing the best of the Croatian if he does stay. Chelsea will now have the exciting Mata at their disposal, beating Spurs’ to the Spanish star in the process.

Whilst Mata’s future currently looks a lot clearer than Modric’s, Chelsea have made a strong signal of intent by signing Mata. For now Modric looks like he will remain a Tottenham player but Chelsea should not be too disappointed if they miss out on the Croatian as a deal of Mata could potentially be the best signing of the summer at Stamford Bridge.

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Do you think Mata is a better signing for Chelsea than a potential deal for Modric? If you want to read more of my bite size, 140 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5

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Queens Park Rangers have had a bid for Blackpool striker DJ Campbell accepted with the player to undergo a medical in London on Friday.The forward only joined the Tangerines permanently last term after enjoying a successful loan spell and continued his good form during the club’s first Premier League season, scoring 13 goals in 31 matches in the top flight.

The 29-year-old joins the newly promoted club for an undisclosed fee, and only need to agree to personal terms with QPR for the deal to go through.

“Blackpool Football Club can confirm that an agreement has been reached with Queen Park Rangers for the transfer of striker DJ Campbell,” Blackpool said on their official website.

“The 29-year-old has now been given permission to discuss personal terms with Neil Warnock’s side and undergo a medical.”

QPR have already secured the signings of Kieron Dyer, Jay Bothroyd and Danny Gabbidon so far this summer, but all three deals were on free transfers.

Elsewhere in England, Bolton Wanderers have completed the signing of Burnley duo Chris Eagles and Tyrone Mears on three-year deals.

Right-back Mears and Eagles, a striker, rejoin manager Owen Coyle, who signed them for Burnely during his time in charge there.

In the Eredivisie, PSV striker Ola Toivonen has said he wants to stay at Eindhoven, but has urged the club to strengthen its squad ahead of the new season.

Toivonen has been linked with a move to England throughout the of-season, but said he was happy to remain in the Netherlands if PSV could muster a serious title challenge.

“I’d like to stay at PSV, but I really want to play for the Eredivisie title this season,” the Swede said to Algemeen Dagblad.

“However, this squad lacks the depth to compete right until the end. I have no doubt that the club is working hard to sign some more players, but I really hope that their attempts will be successful.”

And in Spain, the agent of Villarreal attacker Giuseppe Rossi has announced the player will remain with the La Liga outit, much to the disappointment of potential suitor Juventus.

Rossi had looked on the way out as Villarreal looked to solve their financial problems, but the sale of Santi Cazorla to Malaga has eased the burden, allowing Rossi to remain at El Madrigal.

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has hinted he would consider resting Didier Drogba against West Ham this weekend despite his outstanding recent form.Chelsea have won six of their past seven Premier League matches – taking the club back to second – and their revival has coincided with Drogba’s return to form and Ancelotti’s final acceptance that the Ivory Coast striker, rather than Fernando Torres, should be the first name on his team sheet.

Drogba, controversially left on the bench for the Champions League quarter-final at Old Trafford, scored when he came on as a substitute in Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat and then made huge contributions to a 3-1 victory at West Brom (one goal and two assists) and a 3-1 win over Birmingham (two assists).

But Ancelotti refuses to accept the striker is now undroppable and even hinted Torres, left on the bench for two games in a row, could be back.

“We started with Torres against City. We won the game when Didier came on. It might be a good solution to give him the last 30 minutes of the game because he’s fresh and fit,” he said.

“Our shape is good. The players are comfortable with that. We can change it in the next game – it depends on the shape of the opposition team.”

“Everyone has to know that Fernando is the present and the future of this club. We cannot judge now the moment. He will play a lot of games for Chelsea and everyone will forget the two games he didn’t play from the start in 2011.”

Ancelotti accepts, however, that a London derby against relegation-threatened West Ham will be a big test for his team as they bid to catch leaders Manchester United.

“At this stage of the season, every game is difficult. It’s difficult to prepare, to stay in concentration, but we have to know we’ll have a tough game,” he said.

“When one teams needs the points to stay up, they will do more than 100 percent. For this reason, we have to be ready. It’s a very tough competition, the Premier League, so anything can happen.”

Ashley Cole is a doubt for the game after limping off in the midweek win over Birmingham. Defender Alex and midfielder Ramires are both major doubts but hope to be fit to face Tottenham a week later.

It was an emotional weekend in the Bundesliga, not because of any spectacular results, but more to do with departures. The two clubs occupying third and fourth, Schalke and Gladbach, are coming to terms with losing players next season.

Whilst Gladbach will be saying auf wiedersehen to Roman Neustadter, Dante and Marco Reus, Schalke have to bid farewell to Raul, a man who’s made quite an impression in his two years in Gelsenkirchen.

Signing a month after his 33rd birthday, Felix Magath, the man who brought him over to Gelsenkirchen, has called him the most influential foreigner to play in Germany. This is an exaggeration but you can understand where the-now Wolfsburg coach is coming from.

Raul has only missed one game in the Bundesliga since joining Schalke. During that time, he’s amassed 28 goals along with 11 assists. Add to that the Bundesliga Goal of the Year in 2011 (an extraordinary chip over Michael Rensing) and it is little wonder the Spaniard was overcome with emotion such was the send off he was given after Schalke’s victory over Hertha Berlin on Saturday.

Teammates bowed to the Spaniard when celebrating his obligatory goal against Hertha. That in itself isn’t much of an achievement such has been the form of Otto Rehhagel’s side. Schalke’s 4-0 victory means they will go straight into the Champions League group stages – without Raul however. Saturday’s win pushed them out of reach of fourth placed Borussia Mönchengladbach. They were held to a goalless draw at home by Augsburg.

Gladbach have somewhat limped over the line in securing a place in the 4th Round Qualifying of the Champions League in 2012-2013. That said Lucien Favre’s side deserve credit for their performance over the course of the season, going from relegation play-off survivors to Champions League qualifiers. The problem for Gladbach is that three key players who helped to make this possible depart this summer.

Roman Neustadter, Dante and Marco Reus have all played their final game for the Foals at Borussia Park. They’ll move to the three sides above them in the table. Neustadter’s departure to Schalke has gone slightly under the radar, a bit like the player himself, whose contribution has been underestimated.

Dante and Reus meanwhile are off to Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. Dante has been part of the second best defence in the Bundesliga this season whilst Reus is the most high profile departure. With 16 goals and 11 assists, he’s certainly one of the players of the season in the Bundesliga. It’s not too surprising that Dortmund were so keen to get a former trainee of theirs back at the club.

At Gladbach though will come Lucien Favre’s greatest test. It would be most impressive if he can build a side which can compete in the Champions League and most importantly in the Bundesliga.

Schalke are better equipped to deal with the departure of Raul than Gladbach with their leavers. Nevertheless, it’s overlooked that last season they finished 13th in the Bundesliga, only four points ahead of Gladbach in the Relegation Play-Off position. The Royal Blues excellent run to the Champions League Semi Finals and their DFB-Pokal win helped erase memories of the league campaign though.

Memories of Raul will arguably remain for longer although it’s odd to see that Schalke have decided to retire his shirt number for an indefinite period, after all he’s only been there two years. Still, Schalke must move on.

They have the squad to cope with Raul’s departure whilst Gladbach are going to have to rebuild. It would be a shame from a neutral perspective to see the Foals flutter away into the ether after the great work done by Lucien Favre so far.

But for now, both clubs can be thankful for what Reus, Dante, Neustadter and Raul have given to Borussia Mönchengladbach and Schalke respectively.

For more on the Bundesliga on Twitter, follow @archiert1

Matchday 33 Results:

Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Hannover

Bayern Munich 2-0 Stuttgart

Freiburg 4-1 Cologne

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Gladbach 0-0 Augsburg

Hamburg 0-0 Mainz

Hoffenheim 2-3 Nuremberg

Kaiserslautern 2-5 Borussia Dortmund

Schalke 4-0 Hertha Berlin

Wolfsburg 3-1 Werder Bremen

Table

Rank

Club

Matches

W*

D*

L*

G*

GD*

PTS*

1

Borussia Dortmund

33

24

6

3

76:25

+51

78

CL*

2

FC Bayern Munich

33

22

4

7

73:21

+52

70

CL*

3

FC Schalke 04

33

19

4

10

71:42

+29

61

CL*

4

Borussia Mönchengladbach

33

16

9

8

46:24

+22

57

CL* Qual.

5

Bayer 04 Leverkusen

33

14

9

10

48:43

+5

51

EL*

6

VfB Stuttgart

33

14

8

11

60:44

+16

50

EL* Qual.

7

Hannover 96

33

11

12

10

39:44

-5

45

EL* Qual.

8

VfL Wolfsburg

33

13

5

15

45:57

-12

44

9

SV Werder Bremen

33

11

9

13

47:55

-8

42

10

1. FC Nuremberg

33

12

6

15

37:45

-8

42

11

1899 Hoffenheim

33

10

11

12

40:44

-4

41

12

SC Freiburg

33

10

10

13

45:57

-12

40

13

1. FSV Mainz 05

33

9

12

12

47:48

-1

39

14

Hamburger SV

33

8

12

13

35:56

-21

36

15

FC Augsburg

33

7

14

12

35:49

-14

35

16

1. FC Köln

33

8

6

19

38:71

-33

30

Play-offs

17

Hertha BSC Berlin

33

6

10

17

35:63

-28

28

Relegation

18

1. FC Kaiserslautern

33

4

11

18

23:52

-29

23

Relegation

Table thanks to Official Bundesliga Website

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Another inquest was on the cards after England failed to match their potential at a major tournament. But what or who was at fault for England only reaching the quarter-finals of this summer’s Women’s World Cup?

This year’s World Cup staged in Germany was a resounding success. Massive television audiences, packed to capacity stadiums and a final that was the most tweeted event in Twitter’s history (a record 7,196 tweets per second).

But what about England who crashed out on penalties to France? Women’s football is a fast growing sport across the country but is the top tier of the game let down by the powers that be?

This year the FA launched their inaugural Women’s Super League, hoping to give the game a little more glamour and prestige compared to the Women’s Premier League. Whilst the game at grass roots may have been fast developing, the top tier of women’s football in this country was suffering from little media coverage. ESPN pulled out of broadcasting the women’s Premier League Cup final back in March between Nottingham Forest and Barnet at Wycombe Wanderers’ Adams Park due to fears over lack of interest. Back in 2010 Arsenal won their seventh successive Women’s Premier League title. Such an impressive achievement may say good things about the ladies set-up at Arsenal but raises serious questions about the caliber of their competition.

The FA needed to act to reinvigorate the women’s game and fortunately they did. The Women’s Super League consisting of eight teams kicked off in April.  Whilst this opening game in the semi-professional league between Arsenal and Chelsea still started off on a relatively small stage (Ryman League Premier Division Tooting & Mitcham’s Imperial Fields) it is a step forward for the women’s game. 2,510 spectators watched the clash and whilst it will be hard to maintain that sort of interest throughout the league, big audiences are one way the women’s game can keep improving. The FA also need to promote the game at larger grounds, whilst Wembley may be a while off the game needs proper exposure on good pitches and within good facilities. Chelsea and Arsenal will compete against Birmingham City, Bristol Academy, Doncaster Belles, Everton, Lincoln and Liverpool. The key fact may be that the FA are pouring money into the scheme. They are investing £3million in the hopes for a competitive league with ESPN broadcasting six live games and a weekly highlights programme.

Bad luck obviously played a major role in England’s exit from the World Cup, with penalties again causing this country more footballing misery (how far England could have gone will never be known, though its hard to think that England beat eventual winners Japan comfortably 2-0 in the group stages). But hopefully the Super League will help the English players become more competitive both domestically and then internationally.

The Women’s Super League returns this week after their World Cup break. Many would have been hoping that the England internationals would have returned to domestic duties with a World Cup winner’s medal but now the FA and the Women’s Super League must still push on and continue to build on the interest in the women’s game.

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If you want to read more of my bite size, 160 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5

The Daily Mail is reporting that Reading striker Shane Long could be on his way to the Premier League with Everton this summer. The Everton assistant Steve Round watched the Republic of Ireland international in the recent Reading v Leeds game in the Championship.

Shane Long has scored 21 Championship goals and also provided 10 assists in the league. David Moyes could be prepared to offer £6m for the talented forward that has also impressed playing for the Republic of Ireland. Long has now scored 6 times in 19 games playing for his country. Long may have caught the eye of Moyes – when he starred for Reading against Everton in an FA Cup tie.

David Moyes is keen to strengthen his Everton squad and stated “I’d have concerns (about going into the new season with this squad). I think there are areas I should address if I can.”

However, David Moyes admits money is tight, he stated “But there is a difficult world out there where things are struggling. We may find there is not as much spending as in the past.”

David Moyes raided Leeds United for Jermaine Beckford last summer and may look to do the same with Shane Long this summer – but he is likely to face competition from Newcastle and Celtic to land the 24 year old.

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Like this rumour? Follow me on Twitter

Manchester City goalkeeper has moved to silence claims that he should replace John Terry as England captain, and feels there are other experienced players more qualified for the job.

The FA stripped the Chelsea centre back of the armband as he scandal over his reported racist comments against Anton Ferdinand continues, with Terry set to answer his case in court in July.

Hart has made the Three Lions’ number one jersey his own with outstanding performances for club and country, but does not consider himself an option to replace Terry as skipper.

“I’m flattered to be linked with it, but I think anyone who’s having a consistent run in the England side is being linked with it,” the stopper told Mirror Football.

“There are a lot stronger candidates than myself.

“There’s a long way to go. I’ve got a really important season with games for Manchester City and hopefully a couple for England coming up. That’s all I’m concentrating on just now,” he stated.

The debate over Terry’s potential inclusion or exclusion from Fabio Capello’s Euro 2012 squad continues in the press, but Hart has declined to comment or judge the veteran defender’s conduct.

“It’s not really for me to comment upon. I don’t know what was or was not said,” he finished.

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By Gareth McKnight

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The director of football concept is one used extensively in Europe and there is little doubt that it works. As more football people in England study what goes on in Europe the concept is becoming more common within English football. However, with very few exceptions it doesn’t really seem to work in England, but why is that the case?

One possible explanation is the fact that the water is so murky around what the role of the director of football should be, where it stops and where the role of the manager begins. The term director of football is a term used to describe a senior management figure at a football club, most commonly used in Europe. However, the exact nature of the rule is extremely unclear and variable leading to much debate in the sports media. The term director of football is used almost exclusively in the UK with terms such as sporting director or general manager used elsewhere. The presence of the director of football can act as a middle man between the board and the manager and may relieve pressure of the manager by handing certain aspects of the job away from day to day coaching; Allowing the manager to focus on the on-pitch issues.

However, despite these perceived benefits problems can often occur between the director of football and the manager; over the powers of each role and in particular questions about transfer policy. This has led to many disputes that have seen managers resign because they feel they no longer have control over who is being signed and who is being sold or the director of football set-up being removed from the club.

English football is littered with many examples of the director of football concept failing to work; one of the more high profiled examples was at Newcastle United when Dennis Wise was appointed in such a role. The set-up was heavily criticised by many people involved with Newcastle including Kevin Keegan and the late Sir Bobby Robson. In fact Dennis Wise appeared to play a major role that saw the departure of Kevin Keegan as manager. The situation all revolved around the loan signing of Ignacio Gonzalez and Wise contacted the manger Kevin Keegan to recommend the signing of the player. Keegan was not impressed with this proposed signing but Wise urged him to check out some videos of him on YouTube. Keegan was not impressed with what he saw and told Wise the player was not good enough and no one at the club had seen him play. But despite the objections from Keegan the loan signing was completed behind his back. The deal was said to have been completed in order to open up opportunities in South America where Newcastle would have first option on players. However, Newcastle paid out £1m in wages to the player, who was never expected to play for the first-team. Wise left his role at Newcastle in April, 2009 following the appointment of Alan Shearer as manager.

One of the more successful director’s of football in England has been Frank Arnesen who proved his reputation as a well renowned director of football in Holland with PSV Eindhoven where he served the role for ten years. In that time he was credited with uncovering talents such as Brazilian striker Ronaldo and Dutch stars Jaap Stam, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Arjen Robben. Arnesen arrived at Tottenham in 2004 and his transfer record was hit and miss – but unearthed talents in Aaron Lennon, Tom Huddlestone and Michael Dawson. However, the important job that he did was changing the culture at Spurs it was no longer hand to mouth but there was now a long-term strategy in place.

Arnesen was pursued by Chelsea and after only a year with Tottenham ended up moving across London to Stamford Bridge. But Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy ensured the club received £5m in compensation from Chelsea for poaching Arnesen. Arnesen has had some level of success at Chelsea and has been credited with the signings of Salomon Kalou and John Obi Mikel. However, the concept hasn’t worked as well as Chelsea hoped under the guidance of Arnesen, with the club still pursuing expensive purchases of established internationals , rather than unearthing and developing young talent as hoped. It has been recently reported that former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho blamed Arnesen for the lack of talented youth in the Chelsea ranks. Arnesen has since resigned from his role at Chelsea and will be leaving the club at the end of the current season to join up with Hamburg as the sporting director.

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Damien Comolli earned a reputation for himself as a football scout working alongside Arsene Wenger at Arsenal. Comolli joined Arsenal in 1996 and was credited with the discovery of several of Arsenal’s players notably Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Eboue and Gael Clichy. Between 2004 and 2005 he began to establish himself as a technical director AS Saint-Etienne – during his time there the club was successful by finishing sixth in the league and Comolli oversaw a number of important signings and developed partnerships with local and amateur clubs both domestically and internationally.

In 2005 Comolli became director of football at Tottenham and signed some players of notable quality such as Dimitar Berbatov and Luka Modric. Even some of the players he was criticised for at the time have now proved that they were good signings examples include; Roman Pavlyuchenko, Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Gareth Bale. However, during his time at Spurs the then manager Martin Jol frequently has disagreements with Comolli and later revealed that players had been signed without Jol’s consent. Tottenham decided to go in a different direction and Comolli left Tottenham along with then manager Juande Ramos, assistant Gus Poyet and first team coach Marcos Alvarez.

Comolli then returned to Saint-Etienne for a further 2 year spell before joining up with Liverpool in 2010. Comolli has been instrumental in bringing in Liverpool’s January double signing Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll. However, with the transfer fees involved is this really the role of a director of football? I was under the impression that the role was about bringing in players cheaply and developing them – not signing more established players for big transfer fees. Also does Kenny Dalglish really need a director of football working alongside him, when he is likely to have considerable resources to play with in the summer?

There may be an opportunity for a director of football to work alongside the manager if he has less resources to play with. However, even then is it necessary or is it better to have a well established scouting network to indentify the players but allow the manager to make the full decision on whetever or not to sign them.

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The role seems to be more suited to clubs that look to develop players rather than those that will buy in expensive new signings all the time, so it may suit teams with lower budgets. But I suppose the question remains, is it really necessary? Is English football in such a broken state that we need to change the set-up? And is having a director of football really any better than a good management set-up, scouting network and youth system?

It will certainly in interesting to see if the new financial fair play rules have any impact of the director of football set-up – as clubs look to develop the team within their own personal resources. I certainly see the benefits of someone charged with the job of uncovering hidden gems – but how does this role differ from that of a scout? The only real difference seems to be that he has powers to sign players without the manager’s consent. I can’t see this set-up ever really working in English football and will just cause more tension and problems before it is completely scrapped.

Join the conversation on Twitter and tell me if we need a director of football set-up in England?