Learning to love David Burke - "I’m not here to try and become the first team manager"

[chaileyjem]

Learning to love David Burke - "I’m not here to try and become the first team manager"

NSC man of the moment David Burke has a new profile online in Four Four Two mag.
Its a very positive appraisal of the existing Albion set up and argues that the club is a rare example where the Director of Football role has actually started to work... Worth a read.

For a flavour >>

With a new training ground in the offing and the club battling to hit stringent financial targets (Brighton posted a loss of over £14m in February, but are confident they will be brought down to the levels stipulated by FFP come November), it’s clearly a challenge that Burke is relishing.
So is this one Director of Football – or Head of Football Operations, as he is officially known – who might just be able to buck the trend and succeed where so many others have failed?
“There’s such a bad stigma attached to the Director of Football or the Techical Director, but ultimately it’s the job description and the type of person you have in place which decides whether that role is successful,” he tells FourFourTwo.
“I’m not here to try and become the first team manager. Sometimes you see clubs in England where the director of football becomes the manager or there’s talk that he might become the manager. To be successful you work with the manager.
“At Brighton, the Head Coach, the CEO (Paul Barber) and myself all report to the Chairman,” says Burke. “We’re all in continual communication and work as a team on all aspects of the football club. My job is to ensure that the Head Coach and his staff can concentrate on coaching and working with the players on a day-to-day basis. Any other distractions around that, I take on.”

http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features...ish-football-can-learn-love-director-football

 

[Biscuit Barrel]

NSC man of the moment David Burke has a new profile online in Four Four Two mag.
Its a very positive appraisal of the existing Albion set up and argues that the club is a rare example where the Director of Football role has actually started to work... Worth a read.

For a flavour >>

I understand the idea behind the role. However, I just think that if a club is going to be really sucessful then the manager needs to be, and also wants to be, pulling the strings on player recruitment. I can't think of any of the great club managers who has had, or who has needed a director of football. Can you imagine SAF or Mourinho being given a player rather that finding the prospect them self. I know it is not them on the scouting missions but they instigate it all.

 

[Hamilton]

He's the hr director for football operations. He's combining skills in recruitment (scouting and appraising the right players) learning and development (training ground facilities) and people strategy (working out gaps in the player capability with the management and fixing it).

Just as the MD of a major company won't do all the hiring him or herself but work with the HR Director so OG will be working with Burke to get the strategy, facilities and recruitment right. It's as simple as that.

Glad he thinks that Barber and Bloom have set up the right structure for the roles to succeed.

 

[Biscuit Barrel]

Not as well as he did at Porto, Chelsea and Inter. I am not saying that I am aginst the roll, I just don't think it can as effective as a manager running the club from top to bottom.

 

[Triggaaar]

I'd have thought a managers input is very important in player recruitment. But I also accept that managers come and go all too frequently, particularly for smaller clubs, and for the manager to be the only one choosing players would affect continuity.

 

[symyjym]

I'd have thought a managers input is very important in player recruitment. But I also accept that managers come and go all too frequently, particularly for smaller clubs, and for the manager to be the only one choosing players would affect continuity.

Yep, it's potentially very damaging having a manager who gets personally attached to the players as we have found out.

 

[HAILSHAM SEAGULL]

I understand the idea behind the role. However, I just think that if a club is going to be really sucessful then the manager needs to be, and also wants to be, pulling the strings on player recruitment. I can't think of any of the great club managers who has had, or who has needed a director of football. Can you imagine SAF or Mourinho being given a player rather that finding the prospect them self. I know it is not them on the scouting missions but they instigate it all.

Does a manager have enough time on his hands to swan around Europe looking for new talent, of course not. He is managing his team when other teams are playing, so he cant perform the scouting.
So a DoF has a team of scouts and they attempt to source these players. Once they find a likely candidate, then Oscar, Sir Alex or Jose would watch them in action to make a final assessment.
Seems a perfect system to me

 

[kevtherev]

Only time will tell, if this will work. Personally I'd rather have a manager, manage the club I support but then I guess I'm old fashioned. All this head coach, first team coach, asst coach, director of football, all sounds like a case of too many chefs too me. We will see, but the worrying thing is, I strongly suspect Burke will out last Garcia. Whether he will then out last the next man, who knows. I think something will have to give sooner or later......Or it might work out fantastic, Burke will find a fantastic blend of players, who compliment each other perfectly and we end up with an exciting attacking team, who take us to where we keep being told we are going to end up.....I have no doubt what so ever, that we will one day get to the prem. But I predict now, that it won't be while David Burke is recruiting and identifying players.

 

[Stat Brother]

I don't have a problem with the club having a Dof/Technical director, but whoever is in charge of our abysmal transfer activity is doing a very poor job - whether it's Burke, Oscar, Jones or a combination of all three.

Was David Burke even a footballer?? What gives him the credentials to "direct" footballing matters out of interest?

This always comes up when dealing with all things Burke, so I'll say it this time.

He did an excellent interview on Roar, a couple of months ago.

Prior to that listen I had no idea of his role, mandate, and skills.
After the interview I'm very pleased he's at our 'little' club and not elsewhere.

 

[shaolinpunk]

It works pretty well abroad - it's just because we aren't used to it and because of clowns like Kinnear and Redknapp doing it wrong that exacerbates the fears over it

 

[kevtherev]

It works pretty well abroad - it's just because we aren't used to it and because of clowns like Kinnear and Redknapp doing it wrong that exacerbates the fears over it

The sooner we get away from this, everything foreign must be good mentality the better. Especially in this division.

 

[shaolinpunk]

The sooner we get away from this, everything foreign must be good mentality the better. Especially in this division.

It's not a "It's foreign so it's good mentality", it's an "it works everywhere else so there's no reason that it shouldn't work here" mentality

 

[HAILSHAM SEAGULL]

I don't have a problem with the club having a Dof/Technical director, but whoever is in charge of our abysmal transfer activity is doing a very poor job - whether it's Burke, Oscar, Jones or a combination of all three.

Was David Burke even a footballer?? What gives him the credentials to "direct" footballing matters out of interest?

Absolutely no credentials at all.
He got the interview from the job centre and "winged " it in the interview, and Tony Bloom, who is so naive, he fell for it.

 

[stss30]

The jury is out for me, have not been impressed with some of the signings made in the summer. Hope Oscar will have more of a say this summer...

 

[Ernest]

Sooner we can get someone who can sign a decent striker instead of dross like Lita & Obika the better

 

[kevtherev]

It's not a "It's foreign so it's good mentality", it's an "it works everywhere else so there's no reason that it shouldn't work here" mentality

But it doesn't work everywhere else. Not over here anyway. It causes a conflict of interests....At the end of the day Garcia was appointed as Head Coach and knew full well we had a dof. So one assumes he is happy or was happy at the time,with the situation. Whether that remains the case, we will all wait and watch with interest.....A guy with Garcia's pedigree being advised on players he may or may not be able to sign, by that football legend David Burke!!!!....Do me a favour, can only end one way..Time will tell.

 

[kevtherev]

Sooner we can get someone who can sign a decent striker instead of dross like Lita & Obika the better

To be fare to Lita, he never got a chance. Strange one that, the guy has scored goals at this level and above, his whole career. As for Obika, he looks up there with the Billy Paynter's of this world. In fact I honestly think Billy was better.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Indeed, and it would be nice to be able to keep hold of our best players too.

I do believe that it would be better to have someone with experience, reputation and contacts in football to be managing our transfer activity.

Exactly, someone who has; Assistant Academy Manager and Talent Identification & Recruitment Manager at Fulham, been an Elite Scout for Manchester City, and a Scouting & Recruitment Department Manager at Southampton with 15 years scouting at the top level on their CV would be required for starters!

 

[HAILSHAM SEAGULL]

Exactly, someone who has; Assistant Academy Manager and Talent Identification & Recruitment Manager at Fulham, been an Elite Scout for Manchester City, and a Scouting & Recruitment Department Manager at Southampton with 15 years scouting at the top level on their CV would be required for starters!

Your wasting your breath Bold, some people on hear have total tunnel vision.
If it aint Paul Barber's fault this week, then it must be David Burke's fault.

 

[Screaming J]

I do believe that it would be better to have someone with experience, reputation and contacts in football to be managing our transfer activity.

Like Joe Kinnear, for instance?