DoF - Elephant in the room?

[Stanley]

Sir Les is a true club legend. Would be such a shame to have that memory tarnished. What are your views on his position, now that JFH is gone?

Given his track record of our last two managerial appointments, do you still trust him in this vital role of overseeing the next one? The last two appointments have been disastrous, so getting the next one right becomes even more crucial.

Plenty of threads here on who people want as the next manager, but surely this is the more relevant question?

How many more failed managerial appointments can he be trusted with? (Or the even bigger question - is having a DoF in the first place a hindrance for a club of our size?)

Many on here no longer seem to trust him (hence this thread). Others still seem to have faith...

[Hitman34]

Sir Les is a true club legend. Would be such a shame to have that memory tarnished. What are your views on his position, now that JFH is gone?

Given his track record of our last two managerial appointments, do you still trust him in this vital role of overseeing the next one? The last two appointments have been disastrous, so getting the next one right becomes even more crucial.

Plenty of threads here on who people want as the next manager, but surely this is the more relevant question?

How many more failed managerial appointments can he be trusted with? (Or the even bigger question - is having a DoF in the first place a hindrance for a club of our size?)

Many on here no longer seem to trust him (hence this thread). Others still seem to have faith...

All jokes aside, this is a very important talking point and a decision that needs to be made by the board.
With a club our size and position, having any dof will only hinder our chances of recruiting a good manager.
Will be interesting to read other opinions on this.
Thanks for starting this thread Stan.

[hal9thou]

Sir Les is a true club legend.

Legend is not part of the job description, sentiment is an unsound basis for making quality business decisions, especially in sport. Les is part of the problem when it comes to gaffer recruitment.

[winalotto]

Can someone please explain how one man can take all the blame for the managerial positions , we have two joint owners ,a chairman that runs the club day to day that never gets any grief , we have a board of directors and shareholders that must make the final decision on any matter of this magnitude yet it's all Les Ferdinand's fault , why are we always trying to single out someone , managers gone now it's Les then its Tony , let's have done with it all and sack the lot of em start again in the evo stik southern division 2

[Timmy the Doc]

He's doing a good job.

[Bigdave]

He is supposed to be in charge of all football matters at the club so yes he is to blame imo.

I don't think he has done too bad recruitment wise but managerial appointments haven't been successful as yet.

[Jimmy Floyd Rabbit]

Legend in footballing terms shouldn't mean us being overly sentimental IMO.

We needed a DOF due to our owners lack of knowledge. Problem is, they installed someone with zero experience in the role.

Les did not warrant the job and the task at hand. You're now seeing the fallout from that.

[winalotto]

He is supposed to be in charge of all football matters at the club so yes he is to blame imo.

I don't think he has done too bad recruitment wise but managerial appointments haven't been successful as yet.

Yes but he doesn't have the final say , a club is run by its board

[MYU]

Said it before the position was taken and say it now, I don't like the roll of 'DOF'.

It saves money and the manager brings in the players he wants and looking for without one.

[Stanley]

Can someone please explain how one man can take all the blame for the managerial positions , we have two joint owners ,a chairman that runs the club day to day that never gets any grief , we have a board of directors and shareholders that must make the final decision on any matter of this magnitude yet it's all Les Ferdinand's fault , why are we always trying to single out someone , managers gone now it's Les then its Tony , let's have done with it all and sack the lot of em start again in the evo stik southern division 2

Because managerial decisions are made between Les and the board. Les is DoF and the only one of those people with actual footballing knowledge/experience (at least on the field) - which the board would obviously be reliant and trusting of.

[Shania]

On paper JFH ticked most boxes. I still back Sir Les.

[Jimmy Floyd Rabbit]

Yes but he doesn't have the final say , a club is run by its board

Like I said in another thread, he's employed to make the decisions on the football side and advise the board accordingly. If they just over ride him what would be the point of his role?

They've put their trust in him with his football 'knowledge' wrongly IMO.

[Hubble]

Like Les personally - enjoyed meeting him at the training ground, had an excellent chat with him about Redknapp, the youth policy, the future, all sorts of things. He was informed, eloquent and very knowledgeable. As a DoF, I'm not so sure.

Pros: has overseen the new budget-limited transfer policy well, seems able to negotiate far better deals than previous incumbents ever did. Apparently works well with Lee Hoos. Proper football insider.

Cons: the last two managerial appointments. The sense that whoever is manager is 'under' Les in some way. Clearly he's a very strong-willed man. Is this limiting potential candidates?

[corbray]

I like les too, hes made mistakes with ramsay and jfh but has done a great job in other aspects. Its a learning curve for him too and he hardly wants us to do crap. jfh looked like a great appointment at the time but it didnt work out

[winalotto]

Because managerial decisions are made between Les and the board. Les is DoF and the only one of those people with actual footballing knowledge/experience - which the board would obviously be reliant and trusting of.

So all these multi billionare types of business men that have run very successful businesses all over the world are just waiting on one man for a name because he has the knowledge of experience in football, can't see it sorry , sure he has as say and he will hold the interviews , but really a DOF is a go between between manager and Chairman, and I will reiterate the final decision will lie with the board and if they do not think the DOF has made the right call they wont hire him