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Husillos sacking could cause major rift

(Photo by Hugo Hu/West Ham United FC via Getty Images)

The widely reported Guardian report claiming that Mario Husillos could be set to become the Hammers fall guy after what is being seen as some dramatic transfer market failures this summer asks one big question.

Whilst claiming that the manager is entirely safe from the sack the piece adds @ https://www.theguardian.com/football/2019/nov/06/west-ham-director-of-football-mario-husillos-future-doubt-manuel-pellegrini: “questions are being asked about Husillos’s role.”

And it continues: There is unhappiness with the Argentinian’s work in the transfer market last summer and he faces a fight to retain ultimate responsibility for identifying signings in January. After that, the club may look to review Husillos’s position.”

It details the signings of Roberto and Pablo Fornals as being big problems and whilst not coming to a FIRM conclusion implies heavily that the Director of Football could pay the ultimate price should his failures not come good.

It echoes our own story @https://www.claretandhugh.info/board-worry-over-signings/and adds:  They have faith in Pellegrini, whose £8m-a-year contract runs out in the summer of 2021. At the same time, there are concerns over the former Manchester City manager’s tactics and team selections.

ClaretandHugh says: Pelle and Husillos go back many years and it was always paramount for the manager that Husillos was included as director of football at the club before agreeing to become the new manager. He has always said it was important he had total control and that presumably was part of it. Thus the idea of firing him could lead the Hammers into a confrontation with the boss as he heads towards the second half of his second season at the club. Quite what Pellegrini’s reaction would be should it happen is probably not too hard to read although some may believe it would cause a major rift. However, whether a manager should be allowed to appoint his own DoF is another question. It should be stressed of course that there is no statement from the club to endorse any of this  and we are now very much in a wait and see a situation which can only be eased to some extent by a win at Turf Moor at the weekend.

 

About Hugh5outhon1895

Hugh Southon is a lifelong Iron and the founding editor of ClaretandHugh. He is a national newspaper journalist of many years experience and was Bobby Moore's 'ghost' writer during the great man's lifetime. He describes ClaretandHugh as "the Hammers daily newspaper!" Follow on Twitter @hughsouthon

4 comments on “Husillos sacking could cause major rift

  1. All managers make signings that dont work out – Karen Brady reminded us that Benny McCarthy was the signing that Zola wanted (ironically Benny McCarthy has just been fired as manager of Cape Town City in South Africa) – BFS made a number of dud signings – Sam Baldock, Maiga and even Jarvis, Bilic in his second season, Moyes with Hugill – so it will always happen – perhaps what is also inevitable is that Sullivan will no longer be prepared to take a back seat when signings and performances start to disappoint

    I really hope that we beat Burnley otherwise things could turn quite ugly

  2. Perhaps you could do an article about the nuts and bolts of his job Hugh.
    Because the recruitment process involves a multitude of people, not just Senor Husillos.
    To make him a scapegoat for recent form would be an utter nonsense.

    • You got me thinking Ajay – even the ‘god’ that is wiki doesn’t seem to know LOL:

      A director of football is a senior management figure at an association football team most commonly in Europe. The exact nature of the role is often unclear and causes much debate in the sports media.

      The presence of a director of football acts as an intermediary between the manager and the board and may relieve pressure on a manager by handling aspects away from day-to-day coaching, allowing a manager to focus on on-pitch performance. The director may also help to stabilise the club – many examples exist of director stepping in as a caretaker manager on the departure of the manager. The director – often an experienced football figure – may also positively advise a less experienced manager or the board of a less well developed club.

      In contrast, there are many examples of tensions arising between director and manager, often due to questions over the remit and powers of the two positions; particularly with regard to control over transfer policy. This had led to many well publicised and often, highly damaging disputes within clubs.

      In general, directors of football are not shareholders in the club, or hold a nominal stake. This is opposed to other members of the board with whom the director of football will sit.

      While most common in association football, professional gridiron football teams often have a similar director of football operations or vice president of football operations position, who serves as the second in command to the general manager or team president.

  3. I don’t think there is anything wrong with the signings he has made, other than Fornals all the expensive signings have worked and Fornals is in his first season and being mostly played out of position. It’s the cheaper signings that haven’t performed, Perez, Sanchez, Wilshere, Roberto… Let’s not also forget he advised the club to sign Joao Felix and other great young players, we didn’t pay enough. We need to shore up midfield with another ball winning mobile central midfielder, get more pace up front and a reserve keeper that can keep.

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