Anyone missing Comolli?
Saturday, September 5, 2009 at 1:59PM You'll have probably seen Kevin Prince Boateng bemoan his time at Spurs having been signed by Comolli then apparently told by Martin Jol that he never wanted him. A perfect illustration of why the director of football and the big jolly Dutchman didn't work as a partnership. But then we always knew that Comolli seemed to sign the players he believed would work with Jol rather than signing the players Jol wanted. In essence (according to Levy) that's how it was meant to work. DoF is responsible for the coach. Which is why the Ramos apppointment ended the Frenchman's time at the Lane. If Jol really told KPB that he 'had no time for him', then it's a shame. Waste of our money, waste of our time and has done nothing but stagnate the young lads career. He might be an average player regardless (time will tell) but from his perspective, it sounds like Jol was using (or not using) Boateng just to prove his point to Comolli.
The DoF should have been there for support for the manager/coach. Rather than Comolli deluding himself that he was the big boss and Jol was nothing more than the bloke who trained his signings.
Refreshing to have Harry pick and choose who he wants.
Reader Comments (34)
Anyone missing a turquoise sock with yellow dollar signs on it ? it's in my drawer but i'm pretty sure that it's not mine. If nobody claims it I am gonna make it into a bachelors clog.
Comolli, what a cancer on the club he was.
Martin Jol on his Hamburg team having a 1-0 away goal lead going into the 2nd leg at home: "We are preparing for penalties"
I bet the opposition were rubbing their hands when he said that (they ended up winning 2-3)
Martin Jol is a c***, plain and simple. He should have quit if he couldn't work with Comolli rather than mess up young players' careers. I never liked the fat Dutchman with the glib soundbites and the naive football tactics. Just being at Spurs launched his career, even though he was deservedly fired. Now I suppose there'll be a host of people saying Jol was a God!
Slagging off jol who got us fifth twice? Poor memory my boy.
Jol is a god and Alan davies is one of his angels
I can understand the logic of having a DoF; meant to stop managers buying players, being sacked and then a new manager coming in and wanting their own players. Still, doesnt work and has caused so much strife. I wonder where jol would have taken us if he had some say in the transfers?
Yeah, wow, fifth place twice. What glory!
I much prefer our current setup with Harry. I think when deciding to have a DoF, it should depend on who the manager is and what type of skill sets he brings to the table (i.e. scouting, transfer deals, negotiating, etc.).
Luckily for us, Harry might be one of the best at it. COYS!!!!!
"Yeah, wow, fifth place twice. What glory!"
Shannon tell me exactly how Tottenham have faired in the prem before then or even since then?
What are you expectations for Harry this year? I bet most fans would take 5th at the end of the season. Jol managed that without the 'luxury' of signing his own players.
Only fifth? Are you so some sort of care in the community? If arry got us fifth twice, the vast majority of us would if happy. Breaking the top four has only been done once in the last ten years.
I see we have beaten the pikey scum again in the under 18s. Thats a clean sweep for all levels this year. Great academy my arse!
Martin Jol may have been a popular choice of the fans, however with the team he had which included Bebatoss, Carrick, keane, lennon and defoe, we only beat a top 4 side once at home in 2 years. Harry has shown what it takes to be a TEAM not just of individuals but a balance from back to front and without doubt the beat squad in the last decade. You now look for example at our squad and Liverpools or ar5enal and without doubt we have a far better balanced squad full of internationals with both Premiership and european experience, Harry has every reason to expect a top 4 finish and the top 4 are nervous of THFC champions 2010
Agreed rmc, Harry is a far better tactican than Jol will ever be. Nice guy, popular with the fans, but never convinced me he could take us to the next level. I feel for the Prince, he should never have been a Tottenham player and I wish him luck at Pompey. What a mess the Commoli/Jol situation was.
The only one missing Comolli that I know was the sniper that was hired to take him out during his tenure as a spy in our midst
Breaking the Top 4 is mission impossible for most clubs. Finishing 5th twice was very decent form from us. Shame we fucked it up. But we are in a decent position again to challenge for it. Sadly need to hope one of the top 4 fuck up. One thing is for certain they are not as strong a group as they were 3-4 years ago.
Personally i think that Comolli went to the Denise Wise school of DoF maybe he should have asked Kenny Dalglish how to fill the role. Mr Levy was trying out something that worked from other europian leagues.. it didn't work now lets all enjoy a return to the good old British Banger, Mince Pie and Pint of Ale type management. Triffic!
Err @rmc - A team that included a 17 year old, unproven Lennon. A team that included Carrick and Berbatoss? They never played, Carrick went to Manure the same summer that Berba joined us together.
Having said that Harry is doing an excellent job - as did Jol IMHO - and long may it continue.
Unlike most Spurs fans I really tried to understand the logic of the DOF - so I believe I can make a fairer appraisal of the Comolli situation than most (you may not agreewith this assertion, OR MY ANALYSIS). But...
Firstly, Dan Levy has to take some of the blame (no, not just for hiring Comolli): for a start the DOF role implies that the Chairman will be taking more of a hands-on approach - and this was evidenced in Levy's forward position in transfers policy. So why didn't he bang the heads of DOF and Coach together and demand that they co-operate more effectively. And why, if Comolli was so inept, did he seem to mind his opinion on footballing matters rather than that of the coach (especial when the coach was Jol). The self-same rumours surfaced when Pleat was DOF. Mr Levy has said, so we can have clarity, that the DOF system is in abeyance during the tenure of 'Arry, because 'Arry won't working with one - but that it is still part of his long term vision. I have to confess that after the Arnesen debacle I actually thought a young, ambitious DOF with a good reputation and CV was the thing, and Comolli seemed to tick those boxes.
Secondly, it is noticeable that the majority of Spurs fans instinctively took the coaches side - especially when it was the aimiable Mr Jol. While this is understandable it is also slightly biased - as was the dislike for Comolli from his Arsenal days. So, perhaps part of the problem was Jol, who was very insistent at the outset that he could work with a DOF, and had done in the past. How forceful was he in putting his views across? If we take the case of the much-maligned young Ghetto Prince, for instance, it is interesting that the author should lambast him so roundly, but I have read the statement he made in full, and what he is very clear about is that he most definitely isn't a defensive midfielder, and what he most definitekly is is an attacking midfield; but that Jol insisted on playing him in a defensive role were he admits himself he is a bit cack at tackling (and this was something the Spurs support were on his case almost immediately over as he was constantly mistiming tackles and giving away free-kicks. He goes on to say that Mr Redknapp knew immediately that he was an attacking midfielder and not a defensive one - as 'Arry is an intelligent guy. So, who was to blame there - Comolli for buying a young German player of the year (who, if what he is saying is true, we still don't know if he will be a decent Prem player), Jol for playing him (seemingly woefully) out of position; or the lad himself, for being dropped in at the deep end, with a team that wasn't performing, (seemingly) way out of position, and for a coach who (allegedly) didn't want him there.
Thirdly, there were discrepencies in the squad. We all knew this. We could all see that theere was no width on the left - and his insistence that we were obsessed with left wingers was foolish and patronising. And the defensive midfield situation was woeful, Zokora wasn't the man to do the job, and Huddlestone isn't mobile enough to do the job alone - perhaps that explains why Jol was so insistent that Boateng fill this role (?). So it is very noticeable that 'Arry has immediately filled out the squad, given it more balance and cohesion. The problems at the end were accerbated by the defection of the Bulgar at the very worst possible time - and his refusal to play and attempts to lose his (at the time) employers 10 odd million by forcing a move at the ridiculous price Fergie wanted to play - and the effect this had on team balance and morale, most definitely should not be forgotten. Against this, it has to be said that the squad, as a whole, is a very good squad for 'Arry to inherit, there are oodles of talent just below the surface. It should be noted that when the squad was divided into first 11 and second 11 a the start of the season, the second 11 looked amazingly strong , and the pundits have been drooling over the strength-in-depth that we now have - that wasn't ALL 'Arry's doing. Credit were credit is due. If we take one example: BAE - he was so pilloried at the beginning of his Spurs career (by the fans, at pitch side!), that I wanted to cringe - and I was very vocal in pointing out that he was a young lad, in a new country and footballing culture, and then got injured. Look at him now - plaudits every week. So, I would insist that Comolli did some good interms of recruitment, and perhaps, again, Mr Levy should have been saying: "Look Damien you are clearly binging in some excellent talent and building a good squad, but get a bloody left-winger in, won't you" (or summit - I dunno). In other words he would have made a decent scout, but in a clearly subservient position - exactly how Wenger employed him. His dablings, like into hiring and firing the coach - did he get Jol sacked, we don't know, but he certainly insisted on the hiring of Ramos (on your head be it, Levy told him).
And that is my conclusion. Either the DOF system doesn't translate ito the English game, or Levy was not very effective as the apex of the pyramid, and should shoulder some of the blame. Jol was not some sacrificial sheep (much as I lacked him), and made mistakes. And Comolli did bring in a strong nucleus of exceptional players. But he was given way to much power, and ALLOWED (by Dan Levy?), to get his way too often - and maybies should have been head scout (with portfolio).
But as said above, he's gone now - let's enjoy the pie, ale and 'Arry and Joe show, while it lasts :-D
The differance between Harry and any other manager we 've had since 1961 is that Harry is a realist who knows what it's going to take to change things and knows his players while the rest of the so called managers we've had over those painfull years have been fantasists who believed that making big name signings was all that was required in addition to their usless presence .
That'll be the Commolli that signed Modders tho lads.
Hats off to that one, eh?
Redknapp is proving to be a shrewd manager but I cannot say he is doing a great job yet. Why doesn't he give dos Santos a chance to play on the left? Eh, that man has a great left foot - see that video showing him using his leftie to great effect - one cracking goal and two clever assists. The team against Manure should be (taking the injuries into account):
Cudicini (if Gomes is not fit by then);
Hutton, King, Corluka, Ekotto; (Bassong is injured and so are Bale, Dawson and Woodgate)
Lennon, Palacios, Huddlestone, dos Santos; (Modric and Jenas injured)
Defoe, Keane
Subs: Walker (or Cudicini if Gomes if fit); Naughton, Dervite, Bentley, Kranjcar, Pavlyuchenko, Crouch
redknapp has made noises recently regarding de santos........)
The issues of staff management viewpoints is like any business.....
different people from different experiences trying to find the right formula etc.....
redknapp knows pretty well it seems how the stages of a players game is
so this development of a team starts to fine tune.........
the reality is his stats were fifth last year which is remarkable with a newly put
together side not gelling mentally when he took over..........
too many mechanics ruin a decent car................etc
one real good one treats it with care and attention to detail.......
redknapp,s transfer wisdom is right and proving so...........
because he is moving with his own decision process
and levy has been excellent is supporting the approach and common sense which redknapp
has brought back into the club..............
top four?
why not based on the mental change this year..............
its going to be an interesting season ..........
(want the FA cup and europe!)
In my eyes, there is no need for a DoF system. Those I have seen implemented rarely work.
What a well written and balanced post by Sean. It won't do you any good though as minds have been made up about Comolli.
I have written to defend him many times, not the DOF sustem, which is on hold for Harry's stint anyway but for the players that he signed, including Berbatov and Modric. Out of 30 odd signings I reckoned that more than half were decent or will prove to be decent, like the much maligned Ekotto.
Woodgate was another,Corluka, Gomes,Bostock,Rose,Dos Santos,Bale Taarabt.
All decent or even very talented players some of whom were young and may well make the grade.
Spooky disagreed with me at the time but the Comolli case is by no means an open and shut one.
Sean,
Hiring a DoF implied that the Chairman wanted to delegate resposibility for the area of the business in which he has a limited knowledge, not that he wanted a more hands-on approach. He's been a darn sight more hands-on since that plank Commolli left, to far greater effect.
Commolli brought Ramos in, who clearly didn't rate KPB as he also played him out of position and failed to register him for Europe, perhaps Jol had a point.
You praise BAE but berate Zok, quite rightly imo, but they were both Commolli buys weren't they? For every good buy, the guy made three bad ones, and the Jol/Ramos fiasco was a disgrace.
The last two transfer windows have clearly shown how somebody who knows WTF they're doing can add balance, strength and cover to the squad.
I miss Commolli like I miss that dose I caught in the 'dam in '83, the man's a fucking virus.
Isn't the point that even though Comolli has (did) have success with some of his signings, that the point of the DoF is to work with the manager rather than undermine him? He decided we needed an upgrade on Jol but even before that decision was made Jol was being pushed into a corner with the politics and the Berbatov sulking.
Comolli should simply have been given the job of technical director or head scout or whatever, highlighting players the coach would possible want - which is how it was meant to work. But it wasn't quite what played out.
One of the biggest issues was the idea that "the manager gets paid to win now and the DoF gets paid to build a squad for the future." These can be mutually exclusive and can cause significant tension. That's why when Jol got canned for Ramos, I was disappointed as I thought Jol had achieved more than the sum of Spurs parts but resigned to the fact that Jol wasn't Commolli's guy and Ramos was. This would provide accountability. The Ramos experiement was so bad, I thought Levy should have gone as well.
Jol's Lasagna team: Robinson, Lee Young Pyo, Naybet/Gardner/Dawson, King (missed the last 1/3rd of the season) Stalteri, Teemu Tanio, Carrick, Davids, Lennon, Mido/Keane/Defoe. Yeah, top talent that lot. How could we not be top 4?
Unlike most Spurs fans I really tried to understand the logic of the DOF - so I believe I can make a fairer appraisal of the Comolli situation than most (you may not agreewith this assertion, OR MY ANALYSIS). But…
- The DoF system is beyond logic thanks to the fact that it was never that clear to most how it was meant to work other than the alleged 'support system' for the manager. i.e. - the manager wants a left-winger, the DoF goes away and comes back with x amount of targets, the manager and DoF discuss who they should sign, the chairman gives the green light etc. That was my understanding of it at the time.
Firstly, Dan Levy has to take some of the blame (no, not just for hiring Comolli): for a start the DOF role implies that the Chairman will be taking more of a hands-on approach - and this was evidenced in Levy's forward position in transfers policy. So why didn't he bang the heads of DOF and Coach together and demand that they co-operate more effectively. And why, if Comolli was so inept, did he seem to mind his opinion on footballing matters rather than that of the coach (especial when the coach was Jol). The self-same rumours surfaced when Pleat was DOF. Mr Levy has said, so we can have clarity, that the DOF system is in abeyance during the tenure of 'Arry, because 'Arry won't working with one - but that it is still part of his long term vision. I have to confess that after the Arnesen debacle I actually thought a young, ambitious DOF with a good reputation and CV was the thing, and Comolli seemed to tick those boxes.
- Levy has stated he knows little about the complexities of football itself and needs guidance. Which is why he had a DoF. Guess the cynical amongst us would claim this is simply a buffer. A ready-made scapegoat. The actuality is that Levy believed (can't remember if it was on advisement of that other football-man Alan Sugar) that a continental structure would work which is why he implemented it, and stubbornly stood by it. When Pleat was there, I felt he acted more like a scout and someone who would go out and about and try to claim a signature. Remember the work he did with trying to sign Diego from Santos? Can't remember off the top of my head, but I can remember him during the Rebrov signing - arguably one that should not have happened - and a further testament that signing players and handing responsibility over to the manager (much like Madrid do) isn’t a perfect way to work in the EPL. If Levy plans to re-introduce the DoF, it has to be redefined. Because from the sounds of it, when Harry departs, Levy will appoint a DoF, who will then advise which manager he would like to work with.
Secondly, it is noticeable that the majority of Spurs fans instinctively took the coaches side - especially when it was the aimiable Mr Jol. While this is understandable it is also slightly biased - as was the dislike for Comolli from his Arsenal days. So, perhaps part of the problem was Jol, who was very insistent at the outset that he could work with a DOF, and had done in the past. How forceful was he in putting his views across? If we take the case of the much-maligned young Ghetto Prince, for instance, it is interesting that the author should lambast him so roundly, but I have read the statement he made in full, and what he is very clear about is that he most definitely isn't a defensive midfielder, and what he most definitekly is is an attacking midfield; but that Jol insisted on playing him in a defensive role were he admits himself he is a bit cack at tackling (and this was something the Spurs support were on his case almost immediately over as he was constantly mistiming tackles and giving away free-kicks. He goes on to say that Mr Redknapp knew immediately that he was an attacking midfielder and not a defensive one - as 'Arry is an intelligent guy. So, who was to blame there - Comolli for buying a young German player of the year (who, if what he is saying is true, we still don't know if he will be a decent Prem player), Jol for playing him (seemingly woefully) out of position; or the lad himself, for being dropped in at the deep end, with a team that wasn't performing, (seemingly) way out of position, and for a coach who (allegedly) didn't want him there.
- Ok, firstly, how many times does this have to be stated: KPB was NEVER a German young player of the year. It's a myth that one lazy journalist wrote and every person copied. Comolli did well with some signings. The likes of Modric and Berbatov for example. BAE another one. But at key moments when certain players were required, the wrong players were signed. The fact you highlight Jol playing KPB out of position illustrates that the DoF system is one that rely on the egos of two people to work. Comolli inherited Jol, and then found himself wanting to bring in someone who was on his wave length. How does a player like KPB get signed if Jol doesn't even know where to play him? What discussion happened exactly prior to that signing being made between DoF and coach? Look, Levy is accountable, there is no question mark over that. But Comolli is there wasting millions on players that did not fit. We can be thankful that every now and again he did sign some of quality.
Thirdly, there were discrepencies in the squad. We all knew this. We could all see that theere was no width on the left - and his insistence that we were obsessed with left wingers was foolish and patronising. And the defensive midfield situation was woeful, Zokora wasn't the man to do the job, and Huddlestone isn't mobile enough to do the job alone - perhaps that explains why Jol was so insistent that Boateng fill this role (?). So it is very noticeable that 'Arry has immediately filled out the squad, given it more balance and cohesion. The problems at the end were accerbated by the defection of the Bulgar at the very worst possible time - and his refusal to play and attempts to lose his (at the time) employers 10 odd million by forcing a move at the ridiculous price Fergie wanted to play - and the effect this had on team balance and morale, most definitely should not be forgotten. Against this, it has to be said that the squad, as a whole, is a very good squad for 'Arry to inherit, there are oodles of talent just below the surface. It should be noted that when the squad was divided into first 11 and second 11 a the start of the season, the second 11 looked amazingly strong , and the pundits have been drooling over the strength-in-depth that we now have - that wasn't ALL 'Arry's doing. Credit were credit is due. If we take one example: BAE - he was so pilloried at the beginning of his Spurs career (by the fans, at pitch side!), that I wanted to cringe - and I was very vocal in pointing out that he was a young lad, in a new country and footballing culture, and then got injured. Look at him now - plaudits every week. So, I would insist that Comolli did some good interms of recruitment, and perhaps, again, Mr Levy should have been saying: "Look Damien you are clearly binging in some excellent talent and building a good squad, but get a bloody left-winger in, won't you" (or summit - I dunno). In other words he would have made a decent scout, but in a clearly subservient position - exactly how Wenger employed him. His dablings, like into hiring and firing the coach - did he get Jol sacked, we don't know, but he certainly insisted on the hiring of Ramos (on your head be it, Levy told him).
- Can't disagree with any of that. Like I said, Comolli (and the DoF) should have less power and more emphasis on scouting and scouting only. Zokora was a Comolli signing by the way. As you know. Key position that. Kaboul. £8M for someone who was meant to be the next big thing for France. £8M for potential? Slack. But perhaps that's unfair, as Kaboul was thrown into the deep end, and like many young players before him, shattered a touch confidence wise.
And that is my conclusion. Either the DOF system doesn't translate ito the English game, or Levy was not very effective as the apex of the pyramid, and should shoulder some of the blame. Jol was not some sacrificial sheep (much as I lacked him), and made mistakes. And Comolli did bring in a strong nucleus of exceptional players. But he was given way to much power, and ALLOWED (by Dan Levy?), to get his way too often - and maybies should have been head scout (with portfolio).
- Again. Agreed.
Spooky disagreed with me at the time but the Comolli case is by no means an open and shut one.
The manager/coach should be accountable and it would make his life a lot easier if he had the final say on players. Obviously, a target can't always be achieved which is why other options should be made available - which I'm sure was the case, but you get the feeling in some instances players were signed regardless of any opinion Jol had.
Now, if a DoF/chairman came to you and said, look, we're going to sign Modric - they will do so because:
a) there is no major creative play-making midfielder at the club
b) because the manager would not say not to it
In all likelihood, they would have advised the manager (Ramos in this case) and he would have gleefully agreed. Signing world class or potentially world class players to fill a gap is something a coach will lap up.
Because of the power Comolli exerted, it almost felt like he was DA MAN and the conductor of team affairs.
"I sign him, you find a place for him"
I also question how much of an influence Levy had, especially when we sold Keane and signed Bentley - a player that was no required and yet we spunked £15M on him. Did we do it for the headlines? For the shirt sales? Ok, not the latter, but you get what I'm suggesting. Poster-boy signs for Spurs - it's what we traditionally do, isn't it? Did Ramos even know who Bentley was or how he planned to fit him into the team? It's comical isn't it - yet this is meant to be the working structure. In this case, it really does feel like a continental structure. Ramos worked under a very successful one in Spain, but arguably, the right players were signed for him to play under a particular style and strategy. We (at the time lacked one).
What Harry did was shame the DoF. We bought exactly who we needed. In fact, citing the success of BAE when someone outside the DoF structure has got him playing at his very best says a lot more than just saying 'look at what a great signing he turned out to be'.
Players like Kaboul, Zokora, KPB etc would not have been signed, IMO, if more power was with the manager/coach than the DoF.
Levy is the accountable one, as previously stated. Comolli is the villain by virtue of his position.
I quite like canelloni, it is an under-rated form of pasta, and perceived to be the poorer relation to it's more common brother carbonara.
What was that? I haven't read the article and the responses properly? How very dare you.....
(ps. this would be the commolli that 'claimed to have discovered' some of the goons signings, to which wengker's response was pretty much 'news to me, monsieur'? thought so. And as for the Modric deal, if you sign 20 odd internaitonal's one of them is bound to be good sooner or later)
I also like alan davies, his early stand up is very astute and having seen dave gorman this weekend, the thing to understand about Alan's various high's and lows is 'context'. Doesn't stop him acting like a tit when he has a book out though does it, but then in the world of the media, 'the only thing worse than being talked about, is not being talked about'.
Hence 'make some bland and confrontational statements will undoubtedly raise a few arguements to the surface'. It's like fishing with dynamite.
Just a random thought, I know Ramos did a shocking job whilst at charge, but would Modric have come to WHL if he hadn't been in charge with his reputation, I think that was the big selling point that season. So there is always a positive for 2 points from 8 games.
Is it me, or has Gio's been getting a lot more individual air time on the OS recently?
Ready for a warm reception to the 1st team at WHL in a few days?
i like Alan Davies too, he is good at what he does, and has convinced all these intellectual spurs fans that he is an idiot, which i can assure you, he is not...
Jonathan Creek was shite though.