Roberts has a point...

[Feel The Force 0]

This ridiculous "footballing board" has to go. One has to hope it was just there to make up for Adams lack of experience. Although his guru didn''t last long, even he knew better. The next manager needs autonomy and of course to work with a chief scout and CEO but in the right way. He doesn''t need Ricky Martin telling him what to do either. He also needs to be a strong character, the type you wouldn''t mess with. We''ve slipped back into Costa Del Colney with the last two managers. A bit of fear factor in the dressing room wouldn''t do our premier league premadonnas any harm at all.

I think Phelen fits many of the criteria and his links with United may bear fruit in the transfer or loan market. Whoever it is though needs to give that dressing room one almighty shake up. We went up from this division with league one players last time, because they damn well wanted it!

[ricardo 7,343]

I doubt that any manager is allowed to wheel and deal in the transfer market with reference to oversite from the Board.

[ricardo 7,343]

without not with

[Feel The Force 0]

I doubt it to, it''s a business after all. My point was, they shouldn''t be sticking their oar into general footballing matters. It''s not healthy, too many cooks. We need a single minded, determined manger who knows his own mind and has a trusted right hand man, a la Lambert and Culverhouse. It''s the only way that''s worked in the last 10 years.

[Tetteys Jig 830]

Had a few words with him about that, as there are a fair few clubs that operate a similar system so I pointed it out. I used WBA, Watford, Leeds and Southampton as examples of teams who have a DoF.

He rightly pushed them back at me, Watford have had about 10 million managers this season, if you look at Southamptons signings, they are obviously Koemans men, since Pulis arrived, the WBA extras have gone and the less said about Leeds the better!

There was none of this "Footballing board" malarkey when he was with us or when we went up under Lambert either.

I honestly think the board got that 12th place with Lambert and then sufforcated in the face of ambition. The proverbial right back getting a "bleeding nose" in the opposition area. The likes of Stoke, Swansea and previously Bolton and Wigan managed a fair amount of time as decent premiership sides by being decisive and simple. It seems our board are too weak to master the big time and panic.

[Tetteys Jig 830]

[quote user="ricardo"]I doubt that any manager is allowed to wheel and deal in the transfer market with reference to oversite from the Board.[/quote]

Well yes, but it should be the managers responsibility who he wants. Transfers and tactics should go hand in hand otherwise you end up with a talented team on paper that doesn''t gel. Have people in an advisory role as scouts etc, that''s okay but I have a feeling it''s a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth (no pun intended).

We need a manager to come in with his own philosophy and a few of his own players in mind. Yes he needs to look at our current players and hone the best he can out of them as well but it should be the manager that has the final say on it all once he''s agreed a budget with the board, nobody else.

[Feel The Force 0]

A footballing board just stinks of not trusting the manager. It''s counter productive and not a model which works well in this country, especially at our level. Get the best man you can, give him the reigns and if it works it works, if it doesn''t it''s no worse than the past two incumbents and we move on to the next one. Getting a successful manager requires some aligning of the stars. It''s a gamble which ever way you go. Eddie Howe didn''t exactly pull up trees at Burnley and he''s everyones wet dream right now.

[Mr Jenkins 0]

WTF does Ricky Martin know about signing players for NCFC.

It''s just a joke I''m afraid!

[Feel The Force 0]

Nothing but he''s Livin'' la Vida Loca, in Norfolk.

[Tetteys Jig 830]

It explains us signing a couple of Spaniards and then not playing them.

[Mr Jenkins 0]

😄

[Tumbleweed 106]

I think you do need some checks and balances to make sure that the manager''s recommendations are sound, affordable and just pass the sense test. In my company you wouldn''t be let out to just go and hire and fire who you wanted, but in football there is this ego thing where many managers can''t seem to cope and throw their toys around if they don''t get what they want. For a club like us where our money is precious we cannot afford to go wasting it, anyone remember all those awful signings made by Hamilton and Roeder?

It has to be about getting the balance right, it is of course the manager who is responsible for building the team and getting it to perform, but others are responsible for the financial side and the longer term strategy etc. The two do need to work in harmony which requires some maturity on both sides. I don''t know how the City football board thing really works, but conceptually it seems to make some sense to me.

[Mr Jenkins 0]

It is a question of how the whole thing operatesTumble you are right.

On the face of it it looks very bureaucratic but it may work quite well, I suppose the concern is that it could be used to frustrate the managers wishes but I have not heard or seen any evidence that that has happened.

[Tetteys Jig 830]

Nobody is saying the manager should have complete control, it would be impossible anyway unless he had his own money to bankroll deals. I don''t see why it can''t be more like it is on a simple game like football manager and like how Iwan suggests it was like where the manager basically gets a budget and with the help of scouts he brings in his own targets.

How would you feel for example if you were appointed manager, set your tactics out for the first game during the week and then the board turned round and said "sorry, we got some decent money for Cameron Jerome and he''s gone, don''t worry though, we got a good deal on Leon Best so just slot him instead. The rest of the Jerome money is accounted for, that''ll be all, see you Saturday where we expect 3 points and plenty of goals." It would make your position pretty untenable.

There needs to be good, clear communication there. Yes some players often need to be sold from the first team if the right offer comes along and indeed they might be offered a player from an agent who seems like a good idea but it should always go through the manager first.

A good idea of this is the whole Ched Evans saga at Oldham, i''m sure Lee Johnson knows Oldham were looking at a deal and even though it''s not maybe his idea, he''ll have given his blessing to go ahead with the deal.

[ROBFLECK 132]

Agree with Jimmy, the manager should bring in the targets he envisages, based on the budget he gets to work with. There are many examples of managers who''ve declined or stepped away from jobs due to their freedom being limited by the board...

[kantata soul 0]

The problem with the footballing board is that it''s staffed by people who don''t have much of a track record in footballing matters -

McNumpty - brought Hughton to the club, say no more.Martin - overall responsible for our dire youth sides.Adams - failed manager and former radio commentator.Simmonds - a footballing nobody.

The above people were responsible for approving the purchase of the likes of Lafferty and allowing us to go into the season with a weak midfield.

[nutty nigel 7,509]

As far as I''m aware Ricky Martin has nothing to do with transfers. He''s a tech director not a director of football. He is responsible for the day to day stuff at Colney leaving the manager to concentrate on the first team. Neil Adams had full control over transfers according to David McNally.