Sporting excellence - To excel in areas related to sports.
With respect crossy, I don’t think you really want me to explain what a technical director, a sporting director and chief executive will do? But if you do, then ask and I’ll explain as best I can for you. This is a genuine offer by the way if you’re genuinely either unsure or interested in those roles.
What he needs help with is constructing a team and maintaining a team capable of winning matches consistently to a high standard. If you believe one man can do that by themselves then I fervently disagree.
I also don’t believe just throwing money is the answer. We’ve had people in charge who made us out to be Disneyland and low and behold other clubs took the Mickey out of us.
I also agree the less Ten Hag has to do the better. He should just be focused on coaching and managing the side.
I know what the definition of sporting excellence is but my question is what does it look like? It sounds like PR bollocks. Stuff like 'putting the Manchester back in Manchester United'. What does that actually look like? You can't just say words and expect people to buy it without explaining what that will look like in practice.
It's fine mate, you don't have to explain what their roles are, I know that also. What I struggle to understand is how a technical director, DOF and CEO are going to make Ten Hag better at his job. For example, Berrada, the CEO, is responsible for the running of the entire organisation, signing off on budgets and involved in hiring/firing. Ten Hag won't stop playing without a midfield or running the players into the ground because he now exists at United. Same for Ashworth and Wilcox. Their roles are largely around recruitment, ensuring there's standardisation between reserve teams and first teams, and continuity in the skill sets our new incoming players, as well as removing players that don't meet the high demands of playing for United. All stuff that involves having a broad overview of the day to day running of the sports side.
Now all this is great, and exactly what we need but who's going to sit Ten Hag down and tell him that losing 19 games (so far) this season is totally unacceptable and doesn't meet the standards of sporting excellence the club is striving for? That falling out with all your players because you want to sell them isn't within his best interests? That picking the same 11 players week in, week out and forcing them to cover more ground that any other team is causing massive injury problems? That there is more than one way to play football and you don't need a left footed CB to win games? That you're allowed to make subs and change the game at any point if your plan isn't working?
Unless the new structure is going to start picking the team and tactics, and taking training, I fail to see how Ten Hag will ultimately become a better coach with structure. He's just going to get rumbled twice as fast and be gone before Christmas.
First and foremost, Ten Hag's job is to win games and get the most out of the players currently available to him. I honestly cannot see a scenario where he can do that, with or without structure in place.