Alan Biggs: There's nothing wrong with Dejphon Chansiri's recruitment strategy ... as long as it works
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Would it be to have a new playing style imposed on you for the fourth time this season?
They have already served Garry Monk, briefly Tony Pulis and now interim chief Neil Thompson.
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Hide AdMaybe the last thing they need is to have their heads spun by another guy with another new philosophy.
If there is to be a permanent appointment - “permanent” used loosely - it needs to be someone prepared to go initially with a pattern that has produced five unbeaten matches in all competitions, including four victories.
Or for Thompson, assisted by Lee Bullen, to be given a longer run, having produced a hat-trick of wins in overlap from Pulis.
Installing a new man could also be a PR nightmare if it is greatly deviant from the candidate who has won overwhelming approval from supporters.
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Hide AdI’ll always believe that, for the second time, the owner would be missing a wide open goal with the non-appointment of Paul Cook.
It’s an opinion only, which is the point of this column. I barely know the guy, to be honest; just have an admiration for his work in a non-reporting capacity for Chesterfield, the team I happen to support. And knowledge of his influence at Portsmouth and Wigan.
If anyone’s campaigned for Cook, it’s been from a far more important quarter - the fans.
The grapevine told me he’d been approached and, in Cook’s own words, that has proved right. I believe Erik Alonso was the one of the two Dejphon Chansiri aides who opened that channel. Was the “right” man picked by the “wrong” advisor?
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Hide AdFrankly, I’ve never been confident Cook would get the job, hope to be proved wrong.
Here we come to the “managers have to manage,” argument, which Cook raised in so many words in saying there had been no follow up contact last weekend.
Being old-fashioned, I’m bound to agree. As I do with ex-Owls star Carlton Palmer on that subject.
But, as I mentioned to Carlton on my show last week, Wednesday aren’t unusual in the modern game in operating a model whereby “managers” are consultants on transfers but don’t drive them.
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Hide AdChansiri continues to insist on this approach. Fine if it is working. Palpably, it is not.
And if “managers” are subservient to transfers, that should be made clear. They should not be exposed to constant questioning about them and blamed when moves turn out badly.
Those who handle transfers, advisors or whoever, should be publicly accountable, not hidden under a veil.
And better that they should be respected football figures, preferably with close knowledge of the club, rather than agents who can be suspected of having other vested interests.
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Hide AdIf operating control from Thailand, via remote representatives in Portugal and Spain, works then great. If not, you don’t have far to look for the reason why (or maybe you do).
The owner does not have to have his name all over it in order to have his name all over it. Delegators always gets the credit - and rightly - for any success. And delegators still hold the power.