Any chance West Ham had of bringing Dan Ashworth into the recruitment setup at the London Stadium now appears to have vanished.
The former Brighton, Newcastle, and Manchester United director of football had been heavily linked with the Hammers job after being dismissed by Man U earlier this year.
Ashworth previously worked alongside Graham Potter and Kyle Macaulay during their time at Brighton, and a reunion at West Ham had been suggested as a potentially shrewd move ā particularly as the club look to shift direction following the departure of Tim Steidten.
However, chairman David Sullivan has decided against appointing another director of football, reportedly viewing the role as a failed experiment. Instead, West Ham will return to a more traditional structure, with the manager ā in this case Potter ā taking a lead role in recruitment.
Some had speculated that this was a ‘call my bluff’ tactic from the club, secretly paving the way for Ashworthās appointment behind the scenes. But it now appears that will not be the case.
Ashworth is set to return to the Football Association, with reports indicating he will re-join within the coming days. The 54-year-old previously held a key position at the FA between 2012 and 2018 and is expected to take up the role of technical director at St Georgeās Park.
The move ends any realistic hope of a Potter-Macaulay-Ashworth reunion at West Ham.
Weād have had Delap if Tim wa where. GET OUT OF OUR CLUB SULLY
Until the poison dwarf moves on, whichever way that is, he will be the millstone around the club’s neck. Sucking the life, finance, hope and desire out of our dreams.
We are a club with Rolls Royce level support being driven by a Robin Reliant chairman.
The last semblance of hope was keeping his grubby little hands well away from transfer business of any kind.
We are an embarrassing throwback of a club organisationally. Whilst others grasp at future attainment and hope, we have a chairman content to shuffle in the wrong direction along the road, hands in (very heavily laden) pockets whistling ‘My Old Man’s a Dustman’ thinking of what clothing combination would be the worst possible fit with his chav-tastic North Korean military coat.
It remains an absolute mystery to me how a man SO extremely short-sighted ever made money as a businessman, it truly beggars belief.
I’m giving the transfer window a complete swerve this summer. I’m not interested in ‘links with ‘Serie A star’, ‘Portuguese wonderkid’ or ‘Champions League’ legend’, when the reality is Calum Wilson rocking up so Mikey can have a bit of company in the medics facilities during his rehab.
I won’t be watching this space.
Westham are massive but almost always fail . It’s not bad luck or the ‘curse’ . Westham has been poorly run in an antiquated manner for 40 years or more . Financially top 20 in the WORLD should produce more trophies just with dumb luck and so the evidence would suggest incompetence at the highest level multiple times . Sullivan loves Westham but he’s not a footballing expert with the energy and time needed to choose and switch around the right 20 players this window and that’s what would be the game changer for Westham . Westham need a top DOF not one in training and then continuity and success would follow .
Just one correction “Sullivan loves West Ham’s MONEY”
So glad he has seen sense instead of following the European way The manager knows who he wants and the SNIDEns of this world would be happy signing 11 goal keepers not much good for team bonding is it
The position has never been alive. It has always been the case that the club is Sullivans playstation.
We never had one IIRC?
Steidten was just a Technical Director and did hsve final say on all football matters. More of a scout / deal closer given some licence to pick and recruit some players. He did not implement a footballing philosophy or long term plan.
The whole set up was classic Sullivan, āhalf arsedā, with not too much concern if it fails ( Kretinsky allehedly was keen for this ācheck and balanceā) and allow him to claim it was a failure and thus reappoint himself as the DOF or whatever he calls what he does ( haphazard, derisory bids, changing terms last minute, failing to get the players we identify if the agent fee is too high or simply not thru one of his preferred agents.)
Probably the only club that does not have a proper DOF and never has. Like everythimg Sullivan does its put of date, behind the times thinking with the priority being retaining total control and serving his insatiable ego !!
Sullivan loves to save money so Iām not surprised! Letās hope he backs potter and Macaulay in the summer transfer window? As we need a complete rebuild with some quality players!!!
I wonder how mr Sullivan would describe an owner acting as DoF who oversaw the purchase of 50+ useless strikers?
Good, all this director of football crap is a waste of time and money. Letās get back to basics, manager picks who he wants and if the moneyās there we buy himā¦.job done.
Spot on.
This Director of Football sounds very sexy and modern, but it has never made much sense to me. The DOF introduces an additional layer of nonsense, when ultimately the manager has to be the person responsible for all footballing recruitments, style of play and footballing decisions.
The saying “Too Many Cooks…” still rings true.
Is it though the manager picks let’s get real here it’s Sullivan and they have to come through silkman or salthouse
A failed experiment! Love it. Steidten never had a chance in this shambles.
Yet so called failed transfers by steidten fulkrug and guilerme are showing signs of not being the flops Sullivan thought they were