Thetownend.com

I understand this is a thing!

https://www.swindontownfc.co.uk/news/2023/may/club-statement-sandro-di-michele-leaves-swindon-town/

Yes, there's a very short official statement and everything.

So are we planning on getting a new DoF? Article doesn’t suggest so

Whose next?

Jamie Russell.

In the words of Monty Python, those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked have been sacked.

Cheap option

RUSSELL OUT

(I have next to no idea who he is in all seriousness)

he seems very engaging and sensible, and has been in football a while.

yet it is another rookie in that role.

Senior Academy director

Yeah, that much I know but that’s it.
Probably as much as any of us know.

Assume the usual suspects will be apoplectic with rage soon enough

dunno, will you?

No, but I could probably name a few who will.

I doubt we could tempt back 2 ex players who are both experienced in the DoF roles.

Nicky Hammond who filled the role at Reading and Celtic and also David Moss the ex Town legend who is in an academy role at Liverpool but has been a DoF previously at Celtic and Huddersfield.

Both probably well out of our financial capability.

A David Byrne type would be the sort you are looking for to fill this type of role.  Russell may be that person for all I know - what I would hope, is we don't just replace two people and think we sorted it all - we are clearly under funded across the board behind the scenes.  Trim the squad, repurpose those funds.

short term consultancy to help out Russell if it's him? that could work

That's it. Get him until January on 3 days a week or something if he's up for it.

You can see some will see "academy" and equate to more kid punts next year. Its why, if that's not the case, someone needs to start talking to the fans (IMO).

** IF its Russell**

I was nightly impressed with Russell talking on the OSC thing about his time in youth football. Clearly knew his stuff and how they've learned on the way.

My big worry is though that he's not done this before, and we have a short time to turn it around and get it right*. I suspect the Sandro move hasn't come out of the blue, what with the rumours he'd gone a while ago.

Still think some consultancy from someone 'been there done that' would be highly beneficial.

* the philosophy/new model red army. There are no guarantees of success, just doing the right thing is more likely to yield.

Think the fact that the players are liking the news of his departure on Instagram speaks volumes.

Yeah the statement says it all really doesn't it?

Would like to see an experienced DoF that can be involved with all aspects of the club and can come in with an outsiders point of view to make any changes he feels are needed, but this needs to go alongside the club filling the gaps behind the scenes as well, making a professional run club.

I'm hoping it wont be Russell as he seems to have experience at youth / academy level but no in a DoF type roll that we currently need with everything going on, not is not the time for appointing someone with a lack of experience to the roll they are being given.

I can well imagine that, despite the fact I am fully aware I am nowhere near qualified enough to be selected for such a role, if Clem called me tomorrow and offered it to me I'd be booking my plane tickets right after the call ended.  Sandro won the lottery, no hard feelings for him giving it a go - his absolute lack of suitability and subsequent failure is on whoever employed him.  Lets hope whoever that was has learned to stay the fuck out of such decision making and finds someone else better qualified to run the process.  Fuck, hire some recruitment consultants from the football world, I presume they exist, or people with enough knowledge willing to earn a a few quid to do a search for us.

I know it's basically a CV but Russell's Linkedin states;

"I am a highly ambitious UEFA A Licence qualified Coach and Academy Manager who has established a wealth of experience within this arena through roles with Salford City FC, Everton FC, West Bromwich Albion FC and Swindon Town FC.
I consider myself to be a Forward-thinking professional who possesses a proven track record in player development and talent identification and am proficient in devising coaching curriculums and programmes which can be utilised throughout a sporting organisation.
I have had tangible on-field success at Academy level and I am committed to Continuous Professional Development through the attainment of the highest industry and academic coaching qualifications."

It is all very Academy based which may not be transferrable into a First Team environment but he has football experience at least.

If the club has it's head screwed on, of which there is no evidence to support, then Russell would be the next one, not the one right now.  If it's something he hankers to do, you work on his development into that role as the successor to whoever we bring in next.  Right now we need experience, somewhere.

Road to Nowhere?

I hope it is Jamie Russell more for the fact he is a really good bloke and i want him to do well. I think the role will be slightly different as well though as Sandro went absoutely fucking rogue in the end. From tactics to broadband bill that cunt wanted to be involved

Anyway, i hope we now get that experienced managed in who doesn't need a DOF as such but allows himto have that title and be that go between between the board and the manager.

My gut feeling is they have realised the fuck up and will now start to address it

Won’t be shedding any tears over that !!,  Quite happy he’s gone, spreadsheets and all !!,  Rocky Robin next !!.

…to add to that - I think some of our signings have been decent, however I don’t know enough about our recruitment process to say whose signing the likes of Wakeling & Clayton were.

Sandro and his spreadsheet probably have a role in the game at a football club. Just not the extended remit (we believe) he was given here.

Who’s actually doing the sacking’s ??,  is Clem doing it by email ??.

I assumed it was Town fans on Twitter.

 :D :D :D

You need a DoF so the manager can concentrate on the team, the DoF can look after things that manager does not need to get involved with player contracts, fee's, speaking to other clubs, liaising with scouting team and analysts etc, and be the link between manager and chairman, the DoF should also be the one that is still here should the manager leave.

The role would be different if it was a head coach as you would expect he would have less to do with transfers.

It will be interesting to see which role will be filled first, you would imagine the DoF who would have a rude awakening on his appointment with what is on the to do list

Indeed and Russell sounds (from both his CV and what people say) like a bloody good Academy Manager so why upset the apple cart.

Haha, who was that?! Anyone like the Morris news...?

Russel comes across very well, is a real football man and would be a upgrade on SDM.

But he's doing great in academy and has always worked in that field so rather he carried on doing a good job with our academy and we go and get a decent DOF.

Isn't this what we have a CE for

Baudry is the most notable name. You’d imagine he’s been around football long enough to spot a fraud.

As for the Morris one; Darcy & Wakeling at a glance.

"Boo" on Twitter who has got things right before has suggested that we won't be getting a new DoF and new manager will be in charge of transfers. Making me think more likely to be someone like Flynn if so.

Old school :pint:

He said in an earlier post that Piccareta appearing on the pitch makes sense now. Wouldn't be against that one. 

Like Morris/Lampard question its difficult to know where the talent or lack thereof lay right?

It was thought Morris was the brains behind Lampard, but certainly didnt prove it here. Also as a historic number 2, who are normally criticized about being too close to the players, he certainly seems to have fucked a lot of them off.

So how much do we believe Piccareta was the brains behind PDC? How much do we think he brought? He spoke well at the club a few weeks ago, but damn thats a huge gamble if they go there.

The most important thing is getting a good manager, but there is very much a subtext to the appointment right now of generating excitement, reigniting engagement with the supporters/town etc and i guess shifting season tickets. Not sure how many of the names mentioned tick this box.

God I hope not

He may well have been "the brains" around Lampard. The same Lampard who took Derby from 6th to 6th, got sacked by Chelsea, luckily stayed up with Everton only to be sacked the following year and has lost 5/5 with Chelsea in his second reign. Don't think there's much positive to compare Morris to in that regard  :D

Cheap option I suppose.

Yeah that's the sort of gamble we need to take now. Bring in the replay who's spent his career setting up youth systems across europe, and whose only experience in England was as the maniac wrangler in the Paolo DiCanio house of lunacy.

I don't think we can afford a season of signing 40 players seemingly at random and then not playing 15 of them ever and signing 10 more during the season.

What a year that was!!

I think my claim to fame is that i saw one of them play at Cirencester ...the only game he got!

which one? my mind is blank

If you read the list of transfers for those two seasons there are names in fact there are clubs I've never heard of before or since.

I spoke to a few players who played under PDC and they all said that Picaretta was just the yes guy collecting cones. His CV suggests it's better than that though

Are you talking about Paolo's season or the current one?    :hmmm:

Ah our other Ghanaian international!

Alberto Comazzi, Etienne Esajas, Ibrahim Atiku, Lukas Magera. Absolute financial horrorshow.

The Squad List for 2011/12 (http://swindon-town-fc.co.uk/Squad.asp?Season=2011-2012) and 2012/13 (http://swindon-town-fc.co.uk/Squad.asp?Season=2012-2013) are always worth a browse for random names. 14 players with one to ten appearances!

7k a week for Magera. Jesus christ

He was in the Czech Republic squad at that time wasn't he?

Yep

Was fucking mustard on FM that year though.

Competitive Eating squad? Never seen a player look so unfit since Ruddock.

Interesting fact (or not), we used one less player across all competitions in the Di Canio season than we have this one, and we played more games back then.

Won a lot more too.

Yeah but we signed fucking loads! People came and went without even making the bench.

True story that

Probably someone named Bianca was frigging themselves silly at the announcement.

Near enough anyone would be an upgrade on that cunt. Always gave me slimy mobile phones sales blokes vibes, the type who think they are gods gift to anyone they approach.

''Alwhite darlin, nice arse. Fancy gettin' the Samsung Galaxy Twenny Two for two years and maybe we'll get some cocktails after if ya play ya cards right oi oi''

This is quite an interesting interview about how the model works at Brentford

https://shows.acast.com/footballramble/episodes/the-drop-in-lee-dykes-and-mastering-the-transfer-market