joey55
Well-Known Member
- May 20, 2005
- 9,690
- 3,153
Can anyone tell me if there has there ever been an example of a head coach being successful when working under a Director of Football from a different football culture? Even the very best coaches in the world can’t do a good job unless they have the types of players they like and are suited to the way they want to play football. So, it is therefore essential that the coach in an appointment of the Sporting Director, so he can be sure he knows they like the same kind of players and like to recruit from the same markets (leagues). Jol was Arnesen's man and it worked well. Arnesen wanted Jol from the start, but Levy wanted a higher profile name and appointed Sanitini and things didn’t work out. It just seems highly unlikely to me that Ramos is an appointment made by Comolli. In fact in general, I’m not at all sure Comolli is being allowed to be a Director of Football in the way he should be (I’ve posted before about how I believe Levy dictates transfer policy).
Ramos (assuming we appoint him) is undeniably a very talented coach, but anyone who thinks he’ll get our current squad playing like Seville (or sort out our defensive problems) are living in a dream world. Ramos is a typically Latin style coach and therefore at the core of his sides are Latin players (ie Spanish, Italian and South American). There is absolutely no correlation between the style of players at the core of the Seville side and the core of our side. The likes of Adriano, Navas, Alves, Renato, and Dudu etc are just so incredibly different in style to the likes of JJ, TT, Zokora, Lennon, Dawson and Chimbonda etc. They are from totally different football cultures, as are Ramos and Comolli. There will be similarities in our squads, but I’m talking about the core group of players. Anyone who watches the Prem and Ligue 1 and then compares the football to that played in La Liga will know what I mean.
For Ramos to be successful he needs to have a group of players who can play “Ramos” football. It’s unfair and unrealistic to expect him to have success without the right players. Just look at Benitez, he always has at least 10 Spanish or South American players in his squads and at least 4 Spanish back room staff. Wenger brought in 6 French players in his first year alone. Ramos should be given the same. He has to be able to put his own stamp on the team. Which in itself is a concern. Isn’t the whole point of the Director of Football system that when a new coach comes in, there is no need for massive changes in playing staff? Yet, I can’t see how it is fair to expect Ramos to succeed without wholesale changes. And is Comolli the man to help make these changes? I haven’t seen a great deal of evidence to suggest that Comolli is an expert in the markets where Ramos will want to do his shopping.
Surely it would make more sense to find a coach who will be more suited to the players we currently have and have a similar philosophy to that of Comolli. The likes of Claude Puel or Elie Baup have to be more suitable for our current set up than Ramos. No matter how good a coach Ramos is, he can’t do the job without the right players. Even Wenger has failed in past jobs, yet we all know the quality of football he can get teams playing. But could he do it with someone else buying the players? Someone who hasn’t got a past that suggests he has a good knowledge of “Wenger” type players? I seriously doubt it.
I think the key to success with the Director of Football system is to make sure everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet. That is why I think it is imperative that the Director of Football is the man who appoints the coach and not the chairman. I’m just not convinced that this is the case at Spurs. I can’t help but feel Comolli would have gone for a different man. I think Levy was perhaps looking more for a “name,” than the right man for the job. I have a feeling Levy hasn’t learned from his past mistake (appointing Santini and not Jol). In fact he probably doesn’t want to, as Ramos is a name that makes the club more attractive (to potential buyers) and I’ve said for a while now that Levy is looking at an exit strategy. The recent financial results support this argument and I can’t help but feel that to an extent the board are currently more concerned with making the club as an attractive proposition for a take over than moving us forward on the pitch.
Ramos (assuming we appoint him) is undeniably a very talented coach, but anyone who thinks he’ll get our current squad playing like Seville (or sort out our defensive problems) are living in a dream world. Ramos is a typically Latin style coach and therefore at the core of his sides are Latin players (ie Spanish, Italian and South American). There is absolutely no correlation between the style of players at the core of the Seville side and the core of our side. The likes of Adriano, Navas, Alves, Renato, and Dudu etc are just so incredibly different in style to the likes of JJ, TT, Zokora, Lennon, Dawson and Chimbonda etc. They are from totally different football cultures, as are Ramos and Comolli. There will be similarities in our squads, but I’m talking about the core group of players. Anyone who watches the Prem and Ligue 1 and then compares the football to that played in La Liga will know what I mean.
For Ramos to be successful he needs to have a group of players who can play “Ramos” football. It’s unfair and unrealistic to expect him to have success without the right players. Just look at Benitez, he always has at least 10 Spanish or South American players in his squads and at least 4 Spanish back room staff. Wenger brought in 6 French players in his first year alone. Ramos should be given the same. He has to be able to put his own stamp on the team. Which in itself is a concern. Isn’t the whole point of the Director of Football system that when a new coach comes in, there is no need for massive changes in playing staff? Yet, I can’t see how it is fair to expect Ramos to succeed without wholesale changes. And is Comolli the man to help make these changes? I haven’t seen a great deal of evidence to suggest that Comolli is an expert in the markets where Ramos will want to do his shopping.
Surely it would make more sense to find a coach who will be more suited to the players we currently have and have a similar philosophy to that of Comolli. The likes of Claude Puel or Elie Baup have to be more suitable for our current set up than Ramos. No matter how good a coach Ramos is, he can’t do the job without the right players. Even Wenger has failed in past jobs, yet we all know the quality of football he can get teams playing. But could he do it with someone else buying the players? Someone who hasn’t got a past that suggests he has a good knowledge of “Wenger” type players? I seriously doubt it.
I think the key to success with the Director of Football system is to make sure everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet. That is why I think it is imperative that the Director of Football is the man who appoints the coach and not the chairman. I’m just not convinced that this is the case at Spurs. I can’t help but feel Comolli would have gone for a different man. I think Levy was perhaps looking more for a “name,” than the right man for the job. I have a feeling Levy hasn’t learned from his past mistake (appointing Santini and not Jol). In fact he probably doesn’t want to, as Ramos is a name that makes the club more attractive (to potential buyers) and I’ve said for a while now that Levy is looking at an exit strategy. The recent financial results support this argument and I can’t help but feel that to an extent the board are currently more concerned with making the club as an attractive proposition for a take over than moving us forward on the pitch.
