The ‘Deputy Football Director’ position | 31.05.2022 - Andy O’Boyle appointed

Highfather_24 said:
Not asking their role. Asking are they more qualified to oversee recruitment than Mitchell/Rangnick? I think we all know the answer to that.
Click to expand...
Mitchell has never been in a role where he's excelled at overseeing multiple departments on the football side of the club. When Mitchell was at Soton, it was Les Reed who was overseeing the football side at the club. At Spurs he was under Pochettino in a manager led approach and worked as the head of recruitment, similar to his role at Soton under Reed. At Leipzig he worked under Rangnick in the very same role as what he occupied at Soton and Spurs. And currently at Monaco where he's the guy that is tasked with being the DoF, he hasn't done very well and Monaco fans aren't happy with him.

Ralf Rangnick did a decent job at Hoffenheim and the Red Bull clubs. But without those clubs being financially doped up by the very wealthy owners (Dietmar Hopp/Dietrich Mateschitz), they wouldn't have achieved anything. Rangnick was a head coach for most of his career and only became a DoF due to the rise of the financially doped up clubs.
 
DomesticTadpole said:
His name was mentioned before Ralf went I think. Ralf was always going to be working from a distance and once he took the Austria job it would always be a problem with him looking out for our clubs welfare and his international job.
Click to expand...
In what way would it be a problem though? The Austria job is hardly a full time gig and by all accounts his consultancy role was reportedly a couple of hours a week which could be done on facetime. Ralf has decades of experience and I'm sure he has quite an extensive network which could of came in handy on insider information on any up amd coming players coming out of the Bundesliga. Obviously we don't know exactly what happened that Ralf will now play no part at United but do feel he could be one that got away.
 
Another internal promotion by a club that has been arguably the worst ran club in the world over the past decade. If ever a club needed to bring in new people into the upper management structure it’s ours.

it’s like don’t want to bring in people from outside as it will cast light on just how inept the people in charge are.
 
Forevergiggs1 said:
In what way would it be a problem though? The Austria job is hardly a full time gig and by all accounts his consultancy role was reportedly a couple of hours a week which could be done on facetime. Ralf has decades of experience and I'm sure he has quite an extensive network which could of came in handy on insider information on any up amd coming players coming out of the Bundesliga. Obviously we don't know exactly what happened that Ralf will now play no part at United but do feel he could be one that got away.
Click to expand...
What if we asked him to watch someone for us when he wanted to go and watch an Austrian player somewhere. It might just be that ETH did not want him there.
 
90 + 5min said:
We really love to invent nonsens jobs for people.
Click to expand...

This is the state of Man Utd Fans right now. ^ Complaining for complaining sake.

This role is to help ease the burden on Murtough. So Murtough can streamline his approach and focus on the things that YOU and ALL of us want. Which is success in the first team. He literally can't do everything. He leads ALL footballing operations so that includes the youth and womens set up. He needs help.
 
Nytram Shakes said:
Another internal promotion by a club that has been arguably the worst ran club in the world over the past decade. If ever a club needed to bring in new people into the upper management structure it’s ours.

it’s like don’t want to bring in people from outside as it will cast light on just how inept the people in charge are.
Click to expand...

He very literally hasn’t worked here since being a coach with the under 12’s side when Alex Ferguson was still in charge.
 
Rightnr said:
Irrespective of qualifications, we've again appointed a mechanic in the middle of the race.

The club has steadily been reducing my optimism for this upcoming season for a few days now. I hope for the best but it's looking like another 'we'll do better next season' season coming for United.
Click to expand...
So what would you have United do?
 
Nytram Shakes said:
Another internal promotion by a club that has been arguably the worst ran club in the world over the past decade. If ever a club needed to bring in new people into the upper management structure it’s ours.

it’s like don’t want to bring in people from outside as it will cast light on just how inept the people in charge are.
Click to expand...

Internal promotion you say....after working at the PL and at Liverpool for the past 16 years. But yes an internal promotion.
 
DomesticTadpole said:
What if we asked him to watch someone for us when he wanted to go and watch an Austrian player somewhere. It might just be that ETH did not want him there.
Click to expand...
And if that player we asked him to watch was Austrian? :) Seriously though wouldn't that be a scouts job to give all the information and a DOFs job to filter it out? I understand there's no point crying over spilled milk but I do feel a man with the experience of Ralf had to be fitted in somewhere and if its true that ETH didn't want him then I do worry the direction of the club is taking because they're putting all their eggs in one basket instead of hedging bets.
 
My hope here is with Murtough and O’Boyle the shift in recruiting is going to become much more youth focused. Both these guys likely don’t have great networks internationally as you’d find with the big name DoF’s but they will be absolute experts on players coming through in England. Is that a bit Brexit? Maybe but if we can start picking up guys like Sancho and saving ourselves £75m I’m all for it.
 
tomaldinho1 said:
My hope here is with Murtough and O’Boyle the shift in recruiting is going to become much more youth focused. Both these guys likely don’t have great networks internationally as you’d find with the big name DoF’s but they will be absolute experts on players coming through in England. Is that a bit Brexit? Maybe but if we can start picking up guys like Sancho and saving ourselves £75m I’m all for it.
Click to expand...

Not strictly true.

"Big name DoF's" could you name a few of them?
 
phelans shorts said:
He very literally hasn’t worked here since being a coach with the under 12’s side when Alex Ferguson was still in charge.
Click to expand...
UnitedSofa said:
Internal promotion you say....after working at the PL and at Liverpool for the past 16 years. But yes an internal promotion.
Click to expand...

Gotta love someone complaining about ineptitude when they post something so clueless. It's getting harder and harder to tell parody from reality around here :lol:
 
UnitedSofa said:
This is the state of Man Utd Fans right now. ^ Complaining for complaining sake.

This role is to help ease the burden on Murtough. So Murtough can streamline his approach and focus on the things that YOU and ALL of us want. Which is success in the first team. He literally can't do everything. He leads ALL footballing operations so that includes the youth and womens set up. He needs help.
Click to expand...
It is not complaining for complaining sake.

I understand that this is no one mans show but we are just crowding high positions all the time what it seems. I hope it works out but I don't like getting lot of people in just like that. Soon we will not know who is doing what.
 
UnitedSofa said:
Not strictly true.

"Big name DoF's" could you name a few of them?
Click to expand...
Leonardo, Monchi, Campos etc. All had broader international careers, Monchi has been Seville focused although he had his stint in Roma - Murtough is PL through and through (not necessarily a bad thing) and also didn't have the playing career someone like Leonard had so his network, unless you have some additional data points, is going to be very focused on the PL, particularly around the youth pathway given his ex role.
 
90 + 5min said:
It is not complaining for complaining sake.

I understand that this is no one mans show but we are just crowding high positions all the time what it seems. I hope it works out but I don't like getting lot of people in just like that. Soon we will not know who is doing what.
Click to expand...
It's not a nonsense job though.

We've streamlined or at least started to, lots of positions within the structure. But that doesn't mean that Murtough doesn't need help.

But how is it a nonsense job?
 
Robertd0803 said:
Sounds good to me.

Also like that John Murtoughs mention of the team at Carrington as opposed to spending all his time hobnobbing in our London office like Woodward.
Click to expand...
Ditto Arnold, who has based himself in Manchester.

Senior figures being physically remote from the organisation they are supposed to be running is rarely a good thing.
 
I don't understand anyone getting annoyed by this appointment, he's essentially going to be Murtough's errand boy and his influence at the club will be minimal. It's not like we were going to hire Paul Mitchell for this role.
 
tomaldinho1 said:
Leonardo, Monchi, Campos etc. All had broader international careers, Monchi has been Seville focused although he had his stint in Roma - Murtough is PL through and through (not necessarily a bad thing) and also didn't have the playing career someone like Leonard had so his network, unless you have some additional data points, is going to be very focused on the PL, particularly around the youth pathway given his ex role.
Click to expand...
Leonardo is quite widely regarded as one of the worst DoFs in football. Big name =/= good.
 
tomaldinho1 said:
My hope here is with Murtough and O’Boyle the shift in recruiting is going to become much more youth focused. Both these guys likely don’t have great networks internationally as you’d find with the big name DoF’s but they will be absolute experts on players coming through in England. Is that a bit Brexit? Maybe but if we can start picking up guys like Sancho and saving ourselves £75m I’m all for it.
Click to expand...

Neither of the are experts in recruitment, our recruitment team consists pretty much of same people who’ve failed repeatedly (just fewer of them) and a new manager. I assume they’ll be further changes but everything at the club is so slow and reactive it might take a while.
 
UpWithRivers said:
Obviously I know jack sht about this guy except what I have read but he doesnt exactly scream best in class does he? Is this what that fancy recruitment agency came up with?
Click to expand...
Highfather_24 said:
Not asking their role. Asking are they more qualified to oversee recruitment than Mitchell/Rangnick? I think we all know the answer to that.
Click to expand...
90 + 5min said:
We really love to invent nonsens jobs for people.
Click to expand...
Nytram Shakes said:
Another internal promotion by a club that has been arguably the worst ran club in the world over the past decade. If ever a club needed to bring in new people into the upper management structure it’s ours.

it’s like don’t want to bring in people from outside as it will cast light on just how inept the people in charge are.
Click to expand...

One of you posters are on to something noted by the great Socrates (no, the other one): The wise man is she who knows that he knows very little at all.
 
Roboc7 said:
Neither of the are experts in recruitment, our recruitment team consists pretty much of same people who’ve failed repeatedly (just fewer of them) and a new manager. I assume they’ll be further changes but everything at the club is so slow and reactive it might take a while.
Click to expand...

So when after ‘losing’ Woodward, we’re letting go Pogba, Lingard, Matic, Grant, Cavani, Mata, Rangnick, Armas, Sharp, Lense, Phelan, Judge, Bout, Lawlor, Brooks, Tseayo, and Coyle within a month or so, everything is going so, so slow?
 
sglowrider said:
At least we now know that the ditching of Rangnick as a consultant wasn't just because of the ETH discussion. The process must have started at least a month ago considering that they must have interviewed a bunch of people besides Boyle. (Based on Rangnick's background his remit would have been like an assistant DOF.)
Click to expand...
Scroll up the page you posted on. Rangnick leaving was separate to this. This search was known about before end of the season and before Rangnick and United identified what his consultancy role would have looked like had he continued.
 
Grande said:
So when after ‘losing’ Woodward, we’re letting go Pogba, Lingard, Matic, Grant, Cavani, Mata, Rangnick, Armas, Sharp, Lense, Phelan, Judge, Bout, Lawlor, Brooks, Tseayo, and Coyle within a month or so, everything is going so, so slow?
Click to expand...

Majority of those, including Woodward, left by choice or were only here on a temporary basis, and and Phelan hasn’t even left yet so no idea what point you are trying to make.
 
BeforeKeanetherewasRobson said:
Can someone succinctly explain what this guy, Murtough and Fletcher will do.

Never been big on understanding of these roles so not a dig at club, I honestly don't know what each does and interested to understand. Ta
Click to expand...
Fletcher's current role before it potentially changes now is outside of being an emergency coach he's an advisor to Murtough on football, is taking on some of Butt's former role re: progression of youth players into the first team and to be involved in recruitment re: advice on players coming in as well as someone who can relate to the potential signing and be an ambassador. Based on media and what Fletcher and Murtough have said.

Murtough is overall head of football. In charge of recruitment, scouting, medical, academy, first team, youth teams and women's teams. O'Boyle is assisting him with this and taking some of the load off.

We're also apparently going to hire someone specifically as another deputy director to focus on the women's teams (academy and first team) so that we can prevent stuff like what lead to Casey Stoney resigning.
 
Roboc7 said:
Neither of the are experts in recruitment, our recruitment team consists pretty much of same people who’ve failed repeatedly (just fewer of them) and a new manager. I assume they’ll be further changes but everything at the club is so slow and reactive it might take a while.
Click to expand...
I'm hopeful it's more a case of us having a long term plan of using academy products as a significant income stream - both Murtough and O'Boyle have been head of elite performance, both of them will know the best pathway systems and also have great networks across academies. It's hardly ground breaking or something other clubs aren't already doing but we aren't good at selling our young talented (obviously not the best players who we keep though) players, think of how lucrative it could be if done right.

Scouting we've already seen an overhaul taking place, time will tell if it makes a difference.
 
The recruitment process will be be led by Jose Mayorga and Mick Court. They're the recruitment experts and not Murtough or O'Boyle. Murtough comes into play at the very end and not at the identification process. So if anyone wants to run the rule over the recruitment experts, then look no further than Mayorga and Court and whoever else will be in a senior position in the recruitment department.

At Liverpool it's the same with Barry Hunter and Dave Fallows leading the way on recruitment, alongside the data analytics team. The DoF, Edwards come into play when the final list is compiled, and he then sits down with Klopp to decide on who to pursue from the information/list provided by the recruitment team.

The above has been discussed by people on the TGG podcast.
 
Last edited:
mitchmouse said:
Well, let's se if this works or that it turns out we've hired Danny Boyle! I suppose it's a plus that he once worked at Carrington and it's nice that he's a United fan (although, of course, so am I...). I just hope we aren't going to hard on "suits" and not anywhere at all on actual footballers
Click to expand...
Well they have been playing like a bunch of junkies all season but it might be good to sign Begbie in midfield for that bit “physicality” and we already have sick boy (Cavani) so maybe he’s already having an influence on our team.
 
Adnan said:
And it looks like Jose Mayorga, Simon Wells and Mick Court, (head of data analytics) will head the recruitment department. Steve Brown and his team will be coordinating the scouting operation around the world, making sure the scouts are logistically well supported.
Click to expand...
Simon Wells? I didn’t realise he was still around. Wasn’t he the one responsible for Ole’s duds?
 
Adnan said:
And it looks like Jose Mayorga, Simon Wells and Mick Court, (head of data analytics) will head the recruitment department. Steve Brown and his team will be coordinating the scouting operation around the world, making sure the scouts are logistically well supported.
Click to expand...

It sounds like normal procedure. Question: So is there (or who is) on the Club that in charge of establishing United "style", thus making sure that United are continuously scouting/getting players that will fit in this style regardless of the manager (that may come and go)? or what's the role of manager on this scouting?

I'm just thinking if United has learned a lesson to prevent Maguire and AWB like purchase, expensive players that most likely won't fit in with ETH's style.

I really like this ETH's appointment for what he's done at Ajax, and I hope he'll get whatever support he need. On the other side, leaving manager to get whatever players he wants that lead us into this mishmash team.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.