"One person alone can't manage a Premiership football club."
So said Mike Ashley, in his controversial but interesting statement made today. He has never spoken a truer word in his life. It is, of course, an attempt to justify what has been perceived as boardroom interference in football related matters during Kevin Keegan's ultimately disastrous second stint in charge at Newcastle United.
A large number of critics will look at this statement and conclude that Ashley is (or at least was) hell-bent on bringing a "continental-style" structure to the running of his club, or that he has failed to grasp the difference between a city-style business model and a bloody football club!
This "continental-style" structure is part journalist fantasy and part mild xenophobic attempt to create a defensive attitude towards "outsider" ideas. However, in his statement, Ashley does not cite Real Madrid or AC Milan as shining examples of a football management structure; that honour goes to Arsenal.
The irony here would seem to be that Arsene Wenger is one of two managers in the Premier League with total authority when it comes to footballing matters, the other being Sir Alex Ferguson. Indeed, it is likely that it is only the involvement of the (highly successful) Glazers that stopped Ashley from citing Man United as well.
What is often not noted in discussions concerning these two managers is that they are part of a huge management structure hierarchy, and work respectfully within it. They categorically do not run the club as a one-man show; they would be a laughing stock if they tried it.
The problem at Newcastle is they made one hell of a hash of modelling that structure and developing a sensible hierarchy. After initial press releases in January claiming Keegan would be top dog in player recruitment, the reverse proved to be the case. It is absolutely mental that he had not heard of a player that had been brought in for him to manage.
Dennis Wise is perhaps the biggest villain in this saga, but Ashley is a fool for not putting him in check. Keegan had neither the brains nor nerve to up and leave much earlier, but essentially he was let down badly.
Ashley's intentions, however, seem to be to put in place a team that would work together to produce the best results possible, in footballing and financial matters. The unclear boundaries and points of authority lead this set-up to the farce it is today.
This is where Man United and Arsenal are a cut above the rest. To give an example, the signing of a certain England wonderkid, Theo Walcott. In an article on the official Arsenal website entitled, "The Day I Knew I Wanted Theo Walcott", Wenger is quoted as saying:
“I watched him in one special game against Ipswich in the FA Youth Cup Final. We had sent scouts to watch him maybe 50 times but after that of course I have to be convinced as well."
The luxury of assessing a player over the course of 50 games may not be something that was afforded to the Newcastle United recruitment department but it is Wenger's nonchalant remark that "of course" he has to be convinced that betrays the vital difference. Wenger relies heavily on the hard work of a vast network of scouts that scour the earth for fresh talent but, and this is the most important but, he is in control of the final "yes", and this is what justifies his title as one of the great talent finders in football.
6 comments Last one added 9 months ago — Leave a Comment
Shyam Parthasarathi 9 months ago
Great article. Teams want instant success today, and the Arsenal and Man Utd way are simply far too time consuming. Less time = less money.
But, Ashley hired Keegan - a manager who was out of football for 2 seasons or so, and Keegan apparently wanted the likes of Henry and Ronaldinho - go figure.
He also made a mess, as you've said, about the structure at Newcastle. Basically, they're in this position due to a considerable number of errors.
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Chris Kirk 9 months ago
Keegan never asked for Ronaldinho, Lampard, Beckham, and Henry, dont believe everything you read in the papers.
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Nicholas Medhurst 9 months ago
Thanks shyam. glad you liked it.
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Alan McGuinness 9 months ago
Great article Nicholas, and you raise some good points. Managers need to control who comes in and out of the club otherwise it will just cause problems.
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Nicholas Medhurst 9 months ago
thanks alan
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rob kayne 9 months ago
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