Fascinating insight into Baldini type role
All clubs in one form or another have a Director of Football who takes a lead role in the securing of players. It is his role to ensure the scouting network is effective and efficient within the requirements of the individual club.
There are many other aspects, but building an effective squad the main role. For some clubs that may be unearthing talent to sell on, for others building a winning side. Certainly abroad they have more power than they do in the Premier League, here the manager or in our case the head coach has a far greater say. The relationship therefore between Pochettino and the new Technical Director, assuming we give them that title, is just as vital as the relationship between Pochettino and Paul Mitchell.
There are two men we have tried to entice with offers into the role recently vacated by Franco Baldini, He had his successes and his failures, he didn't achieve what we would have liked on the field, but the club is far more professionally run off the field I'd say. We have upgraded our training facilities, restructured the football side of the club, improved things like diet and medical treatment.
Regular readers will know about the Kaizen approach, the Japanese philosophy of continual gradual improvements to make significant improvements over time. Those improvements can come anywhere within the organisation, every department should be continually assessing how they can work more effectively and more efficiently. That involves having the right people in the right jobs, people are reluctant to change, having that sort of closed mind in a major decision-making role would hold a club back.
We have seen change, we have seen improvement, we now have to get the hiring of a Technical Director right. The two main men we want are the Sporting Dircetor of Juventus, Fabio Paratic or the Sporting Director of Sevilla, Ramón ‘Monchi’ Rodríguez Verdejo.
Related Article: Spurs identify Baldini replacement
Both men have taken clubs and rebuilt them, Juventus have now won four Italian titles on the trot and been to a UEFA Champions League final whereas Sevilla have won the last the last two UEFA Europa Leagues, the Super and domestic cups.
Juvntus were of course one of the major clubs in Italy, along with traditionally AC and Inter Milan. All three have seen their crown slip, AC Milan are a shadow of their former selves, as are Inter, both mid-table clubs at the moment in need of the rebuilding Juventus have successfully undetaken.
Sevilla are perhaps more identical to Tottenham given they are not the top club in the country and they can't compete financially with the big three, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. When Monchi joined them they were financially crippled, yet now they compete in and win Europe's second tier competition.
Buying and selling players is fact of life in football. Tottenham are not top of the pile so players currently outgrow us just as they outgrow Sevilla. Until we can compete on a more level footing we will continue to lose players and even then there will always be the lure of a Real Madrid or Barcelona. Sevilla found Dani Alves, bought him for £740,000 and sold him to Barcelona for just over £22m.
The key has been the scouting network he has established and understanding the restrictions Sevilla were operating under.
The method Monchi is to find cheap players with potential and sell them to bigger clubs at a higher price. It's the basis of all business and he has shown that it doesn't prevent success. Those who talk about a selling club being unable to win things need only look at Sevilla, eigth titles in a decade. They have lifted two Copa del Rey trophies, one Spanish Supercup, one European Supercup, two UEFA Cups and the last two UEFA Europa Leagues.
Now it has to be pointed out at this stage that in both Italy and Spain clubs can buy part of a player and players can be partly third part owned, which is illegal in the Premier League so the playing field is not entirely even. Small clubs can buy high quality player by only having to pay part of a players worth, also the Spanish banks were lending money and not asking for loan repayments in addition to clubs not paying any tax. The tax and loan situation has had to change as a result of the European Union refusing to give Spain any more money until they resolved those issues.
Monchi has achieved success with the simple formula where others haven't and it is this that has attracted to attention of clubs around Europe. Pep Guardiola is a big fan, he had a meeting with him when he was Barcelona boss and rumour has it he is taking charge at Manchester City next season so might he want to take him there.
To find players Mochi put together a network of football specialists and scouts watching football in places where he knows Sevilla will have a competitive edge in the transfer market.
Paul Mitchell is been building a scouting networl at Tottenham, ity is one area of the club where we have been lagging behind, our recruitment has been very hit and miss with not enough emphasis placed on the mental side of a footballer. Sir Alex Ferguson would look for intelligent players, players with hunger and drive, but players intelligent enough to adapt to different systems or different requirements than they were perhaps filling at their present clubs.
In August Monchi asks his staff of around 15 to name an ideal players XI from each league they wish to operate in. They will all pick an XI from each of the top European leagues and leagues throughout the worldin Asia, South Amrica, Africa etc.
That process last three months so that by December he then is sitting with a list of around 150 players for each position in the side. The evaluation process then begins which will involve statistics, video analysis (any game recorded can be watched and broken down to be watched on a computer anywhere in the world) and live scouting missions.
Again we see the importance of mentality, how a player reacts to given situations, it's all part of the mental assessment that quite frankly we have been very average at and that I advocate we make a priority to become world leaders through the use of specialist sports psychologists.
The analysis phase has to be completed by March when Monchi will compile his report ready for the summer transfer market. He grades player A to E, A being the best option. After discussing the list with the manager and finalising the financial side for each player from Sevillas point of view his summer negotiations can begin.
That statement is one I have been writing about Tottenham, to attract players we have to be able to offer them something. Players want to progress, for some that means we are a stepping stone, but if they can do a job while they are here so be it. For other they may want ot be part of a project, for others they may look at us and see youth gets a chance and retains its place if good enough.
We have to have a unique selling point, what is ours? Why should a player come to Spurs instead of say Inter Milan, Roma, Borussia Dortmund or Atletico Madrid?
How Monchi operates will be similar to many mnay sporting directors, directors of football and technical directors around the world. Just as on the field there are different standards of players both technically and mentally, off the field there are also too.
While Daniel Levy plays a role, depending upon which officials we are talking to and at what club, it is the technical director who is the lynchpin of buying and selling players. Despite Pochettino having the final say the fact that Franco Baldini was relieved of buying duties this summer spoke volumes, he did a very good job selling players to end his time with us though.
The technical director is a key role and we need to ensure we appoint the right man who put the right system in place for us to achieve our objectives in the transfer market.
Further Tottenham Reading
Elements of Sir Alex Ferguson in Mauricio Pochettino - further reinforces that we may well have the right man in charge
Levy is doing it right using a cautious growth approach - how are our nearest financial rivals Newcastle United doing?
Spurs - the hardest working team in the Premier League - we outrun the opposition
Why Spurs should invite David Villa to train with us - would benefit our youngsters a David Villa type training with us for part of each season
Lloris agrees Spurs are not clinical enough - Been argueing this for a while and yesterday was further proof
Spurs - stadium-led regeneration - there would be no regeneration without the stadium being built
There are many other aspects, but building an effective squad the main role. For some clubs that may be unearthing talent to sell on, for others building a winning side. Certainly abroad they have more power than they do in the Premier League, here the manager or in our case the head coach has a far greater say. The relationship therefore between Pochettino and the new Technical Director, assuming we give them that title, is just as vital as the relationship between Pochettino and Paul Mitchell.
There are two men we have tried to entice with offers into the role recently vacated by Franco Baldini, He had his successes and his failures, he didn't achieve what we would have liked on the field, but the club is far more professionally run off the field I'd say. We have upgraded our training facilities, restructured the football side of the club, improved things like diet and medical treatment.
Regular readers will know about the Kaizen approach, the Japanese philosophy of continual gradual improvements to make significant improvements over time. Those improvements can come anywhere within the organisation, every department should be continually assessing how they can work more effectively and more efficiently. That involves having the right people in the right jobs, people are reluctant to change, having that sort of closed mind in a major decision-making role would hold a club back.
We have seen change, we have seen improvement, we now have to get the hiring of a Technical Director right. The two main men we want are the Sporting Dircetor of Juventus, Fabio Paratic or the Sporting Director of Sevilla, Ramón ‘Monchi’ Rodríguez Verdejo.
Related Article: Spurs identify Baldini replacement
Both men have taken clubs and rebuilt them, Juventus have now won four Italian titles on the trot and been to a UEFA Champions League final whereas Sevilla have won the last the last two UEFA Europa Leagues, the Super and domestic cups.
Juvntus were of course one of the major clubs in Italy, along with traditionally AC and Inter Milan. All three have seen their crown slip, AC Milan are a shadow of their former selves, as are Inter, both mid-table clubs at the moment in need of the rebuilding Juventus have successfully undetaken.
Sevilla are perhaps more identical to Tottenham given they are not the top club in the country and they can't compete financially with the big three, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. When Monchi joined them they were financially crippled, yet now they compete in and win Europe's second tier competition.
Buying and selling players is fact of life in football. Tottenham are not top of the pile so players currently outgrow us just as they outgrow Sevilla. Until we can compete on a more level footing we will continue to lose players and even then there will always be the lure of a Real Madrid or Barcelona. Sevilla found Dani Alves, bought him for £740,000 and sold him to Barcelona for just over £22m.
The key has been the scouting network he has established and understanding the restrictions Sevilla were operating under.
"We are trying to work with a method that helps us find new talent that could benefit us on the field and also generate income. The biggest thing is to show our fans that this is something good for the team, that it's not only about making money. Nobody would defend this model anywhere in the world if the team wasn't winning titles."
The method Monchi is to find cheap players with potential and sell them to bigger clubs at a higher price. It's the basis of all business and he has shown that it doesn't prevent success. Those who talk about a selling club being unable to win things need only look at Sevilla, eigth titles in a decade. They have lifted two Copa del Rey trophies, one Spanish Supercup, one European Supercup, two UEFA Cups and the last two UEFA Europa Leagues.
Now it has to be pointed out at this stage that in both Italy and Spain clubs can buy part of a player and players can be partly third part owned, which is illegal in the Premier League so the playing field is not entirely even. Small clubs can buy high quality player by only having to pay part of a players worth, also the Spanish banks were lending money and not asking for loan repayments in addition to clubs not paying any tax. The tax and loan situation has had to change as a result of the European Union refusing to give Spain any more money until they resolved those issues.
Monchi has achieved success with the simple formula where others haven't and it is this that has attracted to attention of clubs around Europe. Pep Guardiola is a big fan, he had a meeting with him when he was Barcelona boss and rumour has it he is taking charge at Manchester City next season so might he want to take him there.
To find players Mochi put together a network of football specialists and scouts watching football in places where he knows Sevilla will have a competitive edge in the transfer market.
"We go looking for unknown players in places where we know the richer teams won't go because they don't think they will find anyone talented enough for them. We know we can't compete with Madrid, Barcelona, Chelsea, City, Juventus, Milan ... But we know that we can find these good players. We know our market and we try to take advantage of it."
Paul Mitchell is been building a scouting networl at Tottenham, ity is one area of the club where we have been lagging behind, our recruitment has been very hit and miss with not enough emphasis placed on the mental side of a footballer. Sir Alex Ferguson would look for intelligent players, players with hunger and drive, but players intelligent enough to adapt to different systems or different requirements than they were perhaps filling at their present clubs.
In August Monchi asks his staff of around 15 to name an ideal players XI from each league they wish to operate in. They will all pick an XI from each of the top European leagues and leagues throughout the worldin Asia, South Amrica, Africa etc.
That process last three months so that by December he then is sitting with a list of around 150 players for each position in the side. The evaluation process then begins which will involve statistics, video analysis (any game recorded can be watched and broken down to be watched on a computer anywhere in the world) and live scouting missions.
"It's important to see how each player will react when his team is winning, when it's losing, when it's playing at home, away, in a decisive game. We want to avoid being surprised later on. There is really no secret. We watch a lot of football, we travel a lot, we work hard."
Again we see the importance of mentality, how a player reacts to given situations, it's all part of the mental assessment that quite frankly we have been very average at and that I advocate we make a priority to become world leaders through the use of specialist sports psychologists.
The analysis phase has to be completed by March when Monchi will compile his report ready for the summer transfer market. He grades player A to E, A being the best option. After discussing the list with the manager and finalising the financial side for each player from Sevillas point of view his summer negotiations can begin.
"We may not have the same economic power as some other teams similar to us in Europe, like Fiorentina, Napoli, Hamburg, Lyon, but we have built something very special in the last few years, and that is our brand. When we approach players to come to Sevilla, they know that they will be able to compete for titles, and they also immediately think about Rakitic, Alves, Keita, Ramos ... They know that here they may have a future."
That statement is one I have been writing about Tottenham, to attract players we have to be able to offer them something. Players want to progress, for some that means we are a stepping stone, but if they can do a job while they are here so be it. For other they may want ot be part of a project, for others they may look at us and see youth gets a chance and retains its place if good enough.
We have to have a unique selling point, what is ours? Why should a player come to Spurs instead of say Inter Milan, Roma, Borussia Dortmund or Atletico Madrid?
How Monchi operates will be similar to many mnay sporting directors, directors of football and technical directors around the world. Just as on the field there are different standards of players both technically and mentally, off the field there are also too.
While Daniel Levy plays a role, depending upon which officials we are talking to and at what club, it is the technical director who is the lynchpin of buying and selling players. Despite Pochettino having the final say the fact that Franco Baldini was relieved of buying duties this summer spoke volumes, he did a very good job selling players to end his time with us though.
The technical director is a key role and we need to ensure we appoint the right man who put the right system in place for us to achieve our objectives in the transfer market.
Further Tottenham Reading
Elements of Sir Alex Ferguson in Mauricio Pochettino - further reinforces that we may well have the right man in charge
Levy is doing it right using a cautious growth approach - how are our nearest financial rivals Newcastle United doing?
Spurs - the hardest working team in the Premier League - we outrun the opposition
Why Spurs should invite David Villa to train with us - would benefit our youngsters a David Villa type training with us for part of each season
Lloris agrees Spurs are not clinical enough - Been argueing this for a while and yesterday was further proof
Spurs - stadium-led regeneration - there would be no regeneration without the stadium being built
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