NOVPUB
Chapter 158: Director of Football: Marina Granovskaia
The nine days before preseason were enough for O’Neil, who was almost always present at the training ground, personally overseeing the players in various drills.
During breaks, he would instill tactical ideas into the players and discuss individual positions and technical development with each of them. He was also very patient while explaining, always waiting for the players who hadn’t yet mastered English to catch up.
The young players all possessed extraordinary talent, especially those he had personally chosen. Robbie Savage, Neil Lennon, Jackie McNamara, Steve Finnan, Theodoros Zagorakis, and Richard Wright were among those he believed had the potential to make a significant impact.
He emphasized the importance of seemingly simple aspects of the game, highlighting how even the smallest details could have a significant impact. Perhaps it was simply his sincere dedication to spending every day with the players that made an impact.
In a short period, he built a strong relationship with the players, which served as a solid foundation.
Take Zambrotta, for example. He was never built to be a striker, yet Como had misused him in that role. Under O’Neil’s guidance, he helped him avoid unnecessary detours. It took time, but it proved to be effective.
Zambrotta was a highly versatile player, capable of excelling as a left-back, right-back, or even a wide midfielder. This was the role O’Neil had in mind for him at City this season.
Soon, the players emerged from the tunnel. Though it was just a routine friendly match with no television broadcast, the atmosphere was still charged. The club’s announcer called out each player’s name one by one as they lined up beside the tunnel.
For City, O’Neil still used his favorite 4-4-2 formation:
GK: Richard Wright
Defenders: Richard Jobson, Ferdinand, William Gallas, Steve Finnan.
Midfielders: Neil Lennon, Robbie Savage, Theodoros Zagorakis, Gianluca Zambrotta
Forwards: Henrik Larsson, Solskjær
As each name echoed throughout the stadium, cheers and applause erupted from the stands. However, most of the noise came from the local supporters, clad in navy and white, who waved their scarves proudly.
Richard then saw O’Neil walk over to shake hands with Raith’s coach out of courtesy.
PHWEEE!
City’s lineup boasted an average age in their early twenties, while Raith’s players were seasoned veterans. From the start, Raith seized the initiative, launching wave after wave of long balls that put immense pressure on City’s defense.
This was the perfect time to test how strong their defense was after the departure of Campbell.
After Raith’s attack concluded, City’s counterattack, however, didn’t fare well, with frequent mistakes. Even Zambrotta and Larsson made basic passing errors and struggled with their positioning.
"That’s okay, that’s okay. Keep playing, don’t worry about it!" O’Neil’s reassuring voice rang out as he encouraged Zambrotta after his misplaced pass.
The atmosphere was tense, and Roberson leaned in to O’Neillss ear, whispering, "Should we give them a reminder? They seem too tight."
Without missing a beat, O’Neil replied calmly, "They haven’t found their rhythm yet. It’s only been fifteen minutes. The weather in Scotland is quite different from Italy. Look, Gian has slipped again. The pitch is wet, and the new players aren’t used to it. Plus, he’s still adjusting to playing as a wide midfielder. No worries, let them find their feel for the game. It’s just a friendly match."
Soon, another attack from Raith was thwarted by Gallas, who played in his natural position.
"Our defense has been surprisingly solid; that’s a good sign. If we can avoid conceding, that’s already a positive outcome."
The partnership between Ferdinand and Gallas provided solid aerial defense.
Though Ferdinand occasionally surged forward with a bit too much enthusiasm, Gallas was quick to cover for him. For the most part, the threats toward the backline were nothing more than false alarms.
"They’re good," came the sudden voice from beside him.
It was Ms. Marina Granovskaia.
Richard didn’t respond immediately. He looked left and right before asking, "Where’s Miss Heysen?"
"Oh, she said she went to get some fish and chips."
"..."
Richard turned his attention back to the match. "Indeed. But they’re still making amateur mistakes."
"...By the way," she suddenly said. "Mr. Richard, can you help me understand something?"
Richard raised an eyebrow, momentarily distracted from the match. "Of course, what’s on your mind?"
Marina hesitated for a second before continuing, looking a little unsure. "To be honest, I’m still getting the hang of everything here. The role you just introduced to me... it’s never existed before, right?"
She paused, collecting her thoughts. "Director of football... I’m trying to figure it out. Miss Heysen mentioned something about managing the overall strategy for player development, but also handling transfers and contracts as well? I’m just... a bit confused about the full scope of my responsibilities."
’Finally asking about it,’ Richard smiled lightly at her question. It was clear she was trying to make sense of her new role, something he appreciated.
Sporting directors, technical directors, directors of football — all these roles have come to the top of the news agenda in the future of football.
Richard pondered for a moment, thinking about how to explain it to her as simply as possible.
"On the one hand it’s the same thing and on the other, it isn’t... at least when it comes to the Premier League. Confusing? right
On one hand, they’re the same thing, but on the other, they’re not—at least not in the context of English football today. Even in the future, with the rise of big data and AI, the role remains somewhat vague and constantly flirting with the boundaries of authority."
On the one hand, it’s the same thing, and on the other, it isn’t... at least when it comes to current English football.
Even in the future, in the era of big data and AI, the role will still be vague and borderline flirting with crossing the red line.
From what Richard conceptualized, the director of football (DoF) title appears to be a lingering anachronism from the bygone days when the managers tended to be all-encompassing operators.
Think of the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, whose powers in roughly all aspects of their football clubs – bar finances and commercial operations – were practically total.
Not that those managerial legends ever worked under or together with a DoF, but at other places – such as David Pleat at Tottenham Hotspur – the transfer activity (i.e. scouting, negotiations) was moved away from the manager’s remit and assigned to a DoF. Thus, the DoF would typically report to the owner, chairperson or the board, which in his case is Richard himself.
In other words, some managers reported directly to the upper echelons, while others didn’t. Equally, some managers were happy to work under such a structure, whereas others were less enthusiastic.
"Probably it’s the chain of command that used to be nebulous and hard for you to understand," Richard said, and then he explained.
"The overriding idea is for one executive to have overall responsibility for the footballing side of a club. To secure continuity it’s better that this isn’t the head coach, as they tend to come and go."
"..."
"You read about City’s philosophy in your director onboarding pack, right?"
Marina nodded.
"You do realize that, until now, Manchester City doesn’t have any scouts, unlike other clubs, right?"
Marina nodded again.
"To be honest, when I started at City, my philosophy was to take full control over transfer activities so that the manager or coach could focus solely on tactics and their game plan."
This was how the club operated, no exceptions.
This is what Richard initially thought about Manchester City.
However, the recent transfer activity with O’Neill and his recent trip to Italy taught him many things.
Every manager buys players with their own characteristics in mind. Even if he buys the best of the best, it doesn’t necessarily mean that player will thrive in O’Neill’s team. It’s about working with people. And no one likes to feel as though something has been taken from them.
"In an ideal world, your role as director of Football is to be my eyes and ears ’on the ground,’ and you are tasked with overseeing the day-to-day running of the sporting operations at Manchester City."
Depending on the actual mandates handed to the occupant of the role, for Richard, Manchester City’s director of Football role, as envisioned by Marina Granovskaia, looked like this.
"So, I’d be like your right-hand person? Sort of like how I was Mr. Abramovich’s personal secretary?"
Richard shook his head. "That’s why I suddenly brought up the fact that City doesn’t have any scouts. It’s hard to define clearly. To be honest, your role overlaps a lot with what people typically see as a chief scout. With transfers always stirring up excitement and debate, it’s easy to reduce the director of football role to something like a glorified scout."
Marina frowned at this explanation. "You mean the recruitment side? Wait—usually, every transfer at a football club is judged and handled by the manager or coach, right? And now you suddenly introduce another new role that overlaps with the original scouts—is that fair?"
Richard shrugged. But in the future, with the emergence of foreign owners in the Premier League and clearer management structures, many new positions were created. He was just getting ahead of it—just copying them to prepare for those owners to arrive.
"For some clubs, their manager enjoys total control, but not with Manchester City," Richard shook his head.
Not with City, which wants to dive into the era of big data earlier.
"At most, our manager will have control over tactics and player management, but they have to work with other departments later on. Let’s say, positively, our manager will enjoy some input when it comes to selecting reinforcements or deciding who to let go. For that reason, the signing of a player is rarely down to one person; it’s generally a team effort headed by you," Richard pointed toward Marina Granovskaia and continued, "As the director of football."
Richard didn’t let Marina speak and continued, "For that reason, your diplomatic skills will come into full force. Not only do you need to be able to manage upwards to convince our manager why the proposed reinforcement is needed, but when dealing with agents and other clubs, the ability to read the room, exert leadership skills, communicate well internally, and have a strong sense of what is best for the club."
".."
Marina was silent for a moment, trying to visualize this "new role" that seemed to have been created on the spot. The explanation had left her feeling a bit dizzy. Finally, she asked the last question:
"How do I, as director of football, interact with others at the club? Specifically, with player signings or the manager? Please, just summarize it as simply as possible."
Richard tapped his finger on the table as he pondered the question before giving his best answer.
"It’s a fair assumption that the majority of signings are the result of compromises rather than the work of one person or a unanimous decision. Yet, as a general rule, the director of football makes the final decision."
"And the general principle is that the director of football holds stronger mandates, reporting directly to the top dogs only?"
Richard’s mouth twitched. ’Did she just call me a dog?’
Though analogically, she wasn’t wrong. 𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑝𝘶𝘣.𝑐𝘰𝘮
"Well, I wouldn’t exactly call them top dogs, but yes... kind of."
