Liverpool flourished with Michael Edwards helping Jurgen Klopp while Manchester United have struggled without a sporting director after Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
I used to think sporting directors were just a passing fad – but now I’m one myself, I’ve changed my tune.
In fact, I now believe every club should have a director of football – and two example of the role’s importance underline its growing influence on the dynamics of building a successful team. Firstly, I doubt if Liverpool would have enjoyed such a sustained spell of success under Jurgen Klopp’s management without Michael Edwards’ input as sporting director.
And on the other side of the coin, I cannot understand why Manchester United have continued to operate without a director of football for 11 years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. Results, and value for money in the transfer market, suggest they have been naive.
Clearly there are vast differences between the finances at Old Trafford and our budget at Macclesfield, but let me give you an idea of how a director of football works – because the principles are not wildly different. Key to the whole operation is recruitment.
Every player you bring into the club has to fit the culture – and that stems from a sporting director. So when Manchester City made seven changes for their Champions League win against Copenhagen in midweek, every player who came into the side knew exactly what was expected of him and the change of personnel was seamless.
Yes, the first team manager will have an input into any new signings, but as director of football I will have the final say. We will receive reports from scouts recommending players who are within our budget, and usually we’ll watch a potential target play live six or seven times – because the naked eye is still the best judge more than video analysis.
Then we will trawl through a player’s social media history to make sure there are no hidden demons. We want Macclesfield players to be role models and social media pages often help to construct a profile of the personalities behind the footballers.
Yes, there will be differences of opinion, but I will have the final say. If I make a wrong call, it’s on me – but once the squad is assembled, it’s the manager who moves the chess pieces around the board and takes responsibility for selection, performances and results.
Directors of football were rare when I was growing up as a player, but there is so much at stake, and the finances involved in the modern game are so massive, that you can’t afford to get left behind.
Alignment is another essential ingredient in a club’s synergy. Clearly you can’t have a director of football who preaches playing out from the back and a manager who favours direct, long-ball tactics.
Man-management is the head coach’s domain. It is up to him to get the best out of his players – apart from taking sponsors into the changing room to wish the team luck, I stay out of the dressing room in the build-up to kick-off.
Interference in team affairs is a no-no. You can’t undermine a manager by telling him who to pick or demanding a change of formation.
Above all, trust in each other’s roles is paramount. The sporting director controls the budget for new signings, and at the top level of any league, if you get recruitment wrong you are in big trouble.
We might be in the Northern Premier League, but Macclesfield are competing in the market with National League clubs for players. And we don’t pretend to be like Manchester United, but there are 600 kids and 35 coaches in our academy alone.
This weekend our culture will be put to the test in the FA Trophy quarter-finals against Coalville Town. We are potentially 180 minutes away from Wembley – and what a statement it would be if Macclesfield played in a major final at the national stadium just three years after being reborn.
