Jump to content
Sign in to follow this  
Rudolph Hucker

WHAT IS MORE IMPORTANT: THE MANAGER OR THE BOARD?

Recommended Posts

In my opinion the quality of the Board is the most important thing at a football club.

Looking at the latest ''Pink Un'' article it is clear just how transitory managers are so on the whole their importance to clubs needs to be put into perspective.

There are some great managers of course who do transform clubs or take them to another level. These are bosses capable of long tenures; and that is a rarity in itself. The success of course also has to be measured by the limits of the Club itself so being a Gradi or a Wenger should be put into that context.

In the case of Nigel Worthington he did what a lot of managers do, he had a golden spell and then needed replacing. Unfortunately sentiment got in the way of prudence at Norwich City and the Club has lost much of what it had gained....and that is down to The Board.

A good Board would have released Worthington at the end of last season or before. The Board have the authority and therefore their importance to the long term vitality of NCFC is greater than any managers. Weak Board = weak Club.

Aston Villa, with a new owner, and I assume new doctrine have been transformed. Any number of perenially successful Clubs will not fail to replace their manager. It doesn''t have to be unsettling unless the manager wields too much influence over the ethos of the Club.

If, as a Board you have your Club in a structure and have in place a set of standards and aspirations for that Club then the Manager (or Coach) is just another employee unless he turns out to be one of the rare exceptional ones.

If you think you have one of the rare exceptional ones you do what Watford did and give him a long contract to ward other Clubs off. If the Board get this right, great, but if you give an average manager a one year rolling contract because you think he is better than he actually is then it will cost you money and time.

Norwich once got themselves a really exceptional and loyal manager in Martin O''Neill. The Board offended his principals, were economical with the truth and lost him. What would have happened with O''Neill and a great board is surely one of the big questions in the history of Norwich City. We lost O''Neill because of Chase and the Board.

So far as I am concerned the Board at NCFC have done a great deal very well but also suffered growing pains and a Premiership limelight they could not contend with. The Board at Norwich need to do a lot of soul searching and find out where it all went wrong.

Did no one else hear Iwans interview on Radio Norfolk where he described turning up ar post promotion Colney and finding all of the catering staff had changed? Not important you think? Well, neither is the less accesible style of the open days at Carrow Road because the point I am making is: Norwich had their heads turned, the players elevated themselves, new systems came in, the familiarity and the characters (like Malky) all left and in came the European mercenaries to take the money and run. Norwich City changed and lost their way in doing so. Note now how promoted Clubs are sticking with what they have got, saving money, keeping it like a family and retaining continuity and team spirit.

So, in summary, I am not too concerned about who we have as manager because unless the Board at Norwich have a good hard look at themselves and what they and this Club stands for nothing will be acheived. I have often criticised the spin which comes out of Carrow Road and people who spin often become blinded by their own argument and fail to see what is going on around them. (The last thing to see the sea is the fish). Norwich City needs to improve it''s Board more than it needs to find a new manager.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

An excellent thread with some really interesting points. Reading are going with what they have got and look what it has done for them. Team spirit is a massive part of Football and it would explain a lot of things that happened to us since our Prem days.

Well Put!!!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

[quote user="Mr F"]I am not too concerned about who we have as manager because unless the Board at Norwich have a good hard look at themselves and what they and this Club stands for nothing will be acheived. [/quote]

I hope that the sorry way in which Worthingtons'' tenure was ended has taught people a few lessons, how can you not learn from such a public embarrassment ?   The main reason given (by the board) for keeping him was continuity - the reason given against (by some supporters) was that the continuity was at the cost of progress.  My personal belief is that some of the playing staff had grievances with Worthington and decided that enough was enough, and that translated into our poor recent defensive form, which was light-years short of our early performances.

In naming a new manager, the board have a chance to determine the type of club they want us to be in the future - directors determine policy, managers attempt to make policies work in the real world.  The appointment they make will be a reflection of their ambitions.  Interestingly, although we have allegedly interviewed a former england coach, the only Premiership winning englishman, and other "big names", it''s 2 ex-players and the Southend boss that supporters look to once they realise that Curbishley is out of the frame.  There is an appetite among fans for a young manager who is yet to fully prove themselves, in a way a riskier and more ambitious appointment than Hoddle or Wilkinson, and possibly cheaper too.  This tells me that the fans (at least on this message board) aren''t interested in a quick fix, but in sustainable improvement with a manager who will grow with the club.

How likely are the board members to change ?  I believe that the board believe that they are acting in the best interests of the fans for the long-term, but that they might benefit from the opinions of "football brains" that don''t have a vested interest in the club to point out the finer details and play devils advocate when needed.  It could be that this advice is already available to them.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
The spotlight is now undoubtedly turned on the board. They are facing accusations of a lack of ambition, accusations that are hard to disprove given the evidence. As the options for new manager are pedalled before us by the local media, its clear that some names are more palatable to the greater majority of supporters than others. A poor appointment here is potentially the most damaging occurrence since Robert Chase and his awfully timed relegation. Appoint an unpopular choice and the audible groan of disgust and dissappointment will be heard in ipswich. Further alienating a set of supporters already unhappy with events and decisions and the malaise. This would render the new incumbent a lame duck before he starts, with no honeymoon period, and ''patience'' at a low ebb. The board cannot be told in strong enough terms.. this appointment MUST NOT be seen by the public as a cheap option or an easy fix. Replacing like for like will unleash a torrent of anger that would only be assuaged by an exceptional and immediate, and unrealistic run of results. Already, many fellow supporters I have spoken to are bracing themselves for an uninspired puppet to take the reins. All are hoping to be pleasantly surprised by the imminent news. The board will stand or fall by their actions of the next few days.  

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
I have a degree of nervousness about the interviews themselves. Who is conducting them and, most importantly from where I''m sitting, who on the interviewing panel has the detailed football knowledge to ask the football-related questions which have to be asked and understand the answers which are given? Surely football must be one of the topics of conversation at the interview as it was with Worthy, Hamilton et al. Ah - see what I mean?    

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Such intelligent input on this thread deserves praise for the posters.

Nothing I can add other than to agree. It was very hard to turn to the board and criticise....but this is a crisis situation and needs very careful thought. Personally I am not impressed with the board and had my doubts very early on......Whenever Norwich City is mentioned outside Norfolk....a smile appears and Delia is just about all they can think of.

This is dangerous and needs addressing. More money is needed now before the slide becomes an avalanche.....and it won''t be easy to get back in contention for a long time. They aren''t brave enough to take us any further forward......but what can be done about it?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well both the managers you mention are gone so it is time to concern ourselves with the here and now.

 

Firstly this is a massive task facing the Board and we should be keeping the proverbial spotlight/thumb screws firmly trained on them.  Towards the end of Worthington’s tenure, the frustration of a lot of people on this forum seemed to be aimed increasingly at the Board for being unable to manage a worsening position, so they should be aware of the fact that fans expect them to not only learn from the past season/s but to also to provide the club with a manager who will satisfy the expectations of both them and the supporters.

 

What did scare me was to see Mr and Mrs Delia on the local news walking alongside the pitch on the Monday after that Sunday.  It was like watching a couple on a day out from a retirement home.  “We’re going to the beach you say, how marvellous, ooh but yes, before that we have to talk to those cheeky chappies from the press – they’ve come down from London, you know.  I remember London, those days in the dance halls, the gals…”  "Oh Michael do pipe down, you''ll only get yourself worked up thinking about such unsavoury things". "Yes, you''re right my dear, now where were we, oh yes those Fleet Street folk."

 

Couple this with the winner of Marketing Week’s PR guru of 2006 award - Barry Skipper; and you’re beginning to wonder just what sort of issues the potential candidates are facing.  Whilst I don’t expect the Board to announce who is on a shortlist or what type of tea is being served with the ice fancies, they would do well to issue a statement of what is expected from the new incumbent for the remainder of the season and maybe using the current global vernacular, a ‘Road Map’ (including B roads and narrow lanes), of where our club will be in two/five years time. 

 

So I agree with you that don’t worry about paying the wages of the manager or those of the players – worry about those who are apparently running your club…

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
[quote user="cluckin"]

Personally I am not impressed with the board and had my doubts very early on......

This is dangerous and needs addressing. More money is needed now before the slide becomes an avalanche.....and it won''t be easy to get back in contention for a long time. They aren''t brave enough to take us any further forward......but what can be done about it?

[/quote]

you know what - but you are not brave enough to say it perhaps - i have said it but the truth is too boring and gets much criticism

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The board could do much worse than ask a certain Mr Mandaric if he would be interested in the club. He would bring experience of the championship, of promotion from the championship, of the Premiership and of a lifetime in business. Any "cosiness" within the boardroom would be immediately blown away unless there was any benefit to the club from it. Top man.

Mark .Y.

  

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

My first reaction was to be defensive about the Board, thinking about all the good things they have done at the Club - training facilities, the ground, the pitch - but that was before the reality set in. Sure we need decent facilities but primarily we need a "team" that can bring us the level of success that we can reasonably expect, which would be bottom third of the Premiership whilst staying up and a decent Cup run every now and then brought about by playing attractive football.

The "team" includes not only players but also the manager and coaches and this is the area where the crucial investments need to be made. Strategy should be decided by the Board, the "Vision" and direction should be provided by the Board with the playing "team" turning those strategies, vision and direction into results. To that end, they should have the courage to take the necessary stratigic decisions when the tactical decisions are not paying dividends. There is a train of thought that says management is about "Just one more time" - i.e. if you believe the strategy is right, and the personnel are right, you give support by employing the philisophy of "Just one more time". However, this should only be employed if the underlying trends are upwards. The alternative philisophy is to "Fail fast"  -i.e. it''s not working so don''t put any more time, money or effort into it, get out fast. The danger with tihs philisophy is that you don''t give time for things to develop. However, it should be clearly used when the underlying trends are dramatically downwards. And therein we have the problem with our Board. They employed the "Just one more time" strategy for too long and didn''t use "Fail fast" quick enough.

In most organisations and individuals their weaknesses are nothing more than their strengths taken to excess. So, loyalty becomes blindness; thrift becomes miserly; caution becomes stagnation - and I think that''s what happened to the Board, and indeed Worthington. Those characteristics that were positive were taken to excess and ended in failure.

Now we have to hope that this same Board ,that prevaricated for far too long, do indeed have the strategies, vision and sense of direction necessary to make the "right" appointment, and if that means investing money to prise someone away from their existing Club, then so be it. This decsion is far too important not to make the necessary investment - look what happened when Chase and his Board did not make the necessary investment when Martin O''Neil was here.

The crucial questions to be answered are, "Who is deciding the strategy; who is deciding the vision; who is deciding the direction; who is deciding the criteria for the new manager; who is deciding the level of investment; and who is giving the level of expertise to ask the right "footballing" questions when the interviews take place?"

As to who the "right" man should be? I guess we all have our own thoughts and mine would be Mark Bowen. If we really wanted him we get him by investing the right amount of money to let Blackburn release him and the right amount of money to attract him. However, as time drags on my underlying fear is that this Board, that wimped out over Worthington, will wimp out over his succesor and the new appintment will be driven by expediancy rather than by courage, vision and direction.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Excellent post Rude Old.  

I didn''t hear Iwan''s interview, but what he had to say doesn''t surprise me.  Much the same has happened under other management tenures here. 

Who the board will choose?  Haven''t they already done so?  By encouraging a former England coach to a championship club in the summer with nothing else to offer him than being a coach?  Do me a favour!  Why would he come here to coach our players rather than continue in the England set up?  Is first team coach here a step up from coaching England youngsters?  I think not and would assume he will have first refusal as it were on the now vacant managerial post.  If he does well in his caretaker "trial" period the job will be his.  After all, this board is all about continuity. 

Their big mistake as you pointed out was sticking with a failing manager and not having the guts to let him go in the summer when they would have had more time to appoint someone for the long term. 

I sadly do not have confidence in them anymore.  They wrote off the whole of last season as being disappointing, and the result of a Premiership hangover.  The statement issued to NW after Plymouth smacked not only of panic, but bad business practice. 

If they do appoint someone other than Hunter I will truly be amazed.  There has been a comfort zone in place at this club for too long.  The board rely on our unconditional love and support of the club.  Some of us have questioned their actions, but they still have packed houses.  Will they really sit down and discuss their own failings, if they can indeed see them?  I think not.  They will appoint someone cheap and easy, and if it all goes wrong, just continue doing the same old thing. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Good to see you back on here FMF, and sadly, you have summed up the Board''s strategies and insights well. 

Who is deciding the strategy?  I would hazard a guess it''s the majority shareholders. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Not for the first time I find myself agreeing wholeheartedly with Gazza.

The managerial appointments of both Hamiliton and Worthington were clearly not part part of a ''mature recruitment process'' and had everything to do with easy availability of the individuals and economy.

Whether the board after the recent ructions will dare to take the easy option again remains to be seen.

I certainly would not bet against it!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

[quote user="Rudolph Hucker"]In my opinion the quality of the Board is the most important thing at a football club.....   Norwich City needs to improve it''s Board more than it needs to find a new manager.[/quote]

I wouldn''t agree with either of those two statements, though I do agree with a lot of what was in between them, and with the general sentiment. The only way to keep up consistent progress at the Club is by constant improvement in all areas. It was the Club being unprepared for the Premiership, unprepared to fight to stay there, then unprepared for relegation, whilst still seeming to be smug and self-satisfied, that has put us in a real danger not just of failing to be promoted this season but of relegation. I''ve always said that the Club management must take a sizeable chunk of the blame for letting the footballing side get into this state - to blame NW for it all misses the point. Having said that, a manager is just as important - otherwise why was everyone calling for Worthy''s head?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
[quote user="Yellow fever"][quote user="cluckin"]

Personally I am not impressed with the board and had my doubts very early on......

This is dangerous and needs addressing. More money is needed now before the slide becomes an avalanche.....and it won''t be easy to get back in contention for a long time. They aren''t brave enough to take us any further forward......but what can be done about it?

[/quote]

you know what - but you are not brave enough to say it perhaps - i have said it but the truth is too boring and gets much criticism

[/quote]

@yellow fever..........

I have said I don''t trust the board for a long time........but there are ''ways and ways'' to voice such dissatisfaction. I have no hatred towards Delia and Co.as people, so abuse and aggression are not the way forward. Sure I''m unhappy at the way they have allowed the team to fall into disarray....too busy watching the saucepans and table cloths.....but upsetting other posters on here and calling for blood is pointless and clouds your issues.

I would far rather the Board see the error of their ways and revitalise the club with ambition and financial support rather than just throwing them out. Give them a chance now that they have seen the power of passionate supporter protests.......then if all fails it is time to do something drastic about it. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Good post Rudolph, I agree that the quality of the board is the most important thing. I would be interested to find out why do you think our board needs improving? And what improvements would you like to see?

I don''t think the average fan takes much notice of the board of directors of their team, we are a different case because of having a Celebrity Owner. And like it or not if the Board of Norwich City is mentioned Delia is everyone’s first thought. Most fans recognise what Delia has done for this club but many can''t abide the image that goes with it. They feel that we are never going to be seen as anything other than "Little Norwich" while Delia is so high profile. Yet Delia and Michael Wynn Jones have as you rightly said done many things very well. But they have obviously made mistakes along the way and I guess we have to trust that they have learned from their mistakes.

So, how much influence do Delia and Michael have in selecting the new Manager? Rather a lot you would think given their stake in the club at this time. But surely if they choose then it would be like one of us choosing! They are fans like us, they probably think like us, we all think we know who would be best but most of us are probably wrong! So that wouldn''t be the way to do it. I suspect they have advisors they can trust, football people whose opinions they value. They also have a Board of which they are only two of the directors. Because of Delia’s high profile not many people know who the Chairman of Norwich City is anymore. But I think Roger Munby is ok, far more open and accessible than the previous chairman. And there are other directors who I know very little about. And of course they have Chief Executive Neil Doncaster, who they obviously trust and rate very highly. Between them they don''t only have to get in a manager who can take this club forward again, but also someone who can unite the fans. There were howls of disapproval, that could probably be heard in Ipswich, when they appointed Worthington but for three years he did just what we need now!

So can we trust the board to get it right? If not what else could they do?

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Sign in to follow this  

×
×
  • Create New...