Is Comolli God?
Sunday, October 24, 2010 at 12:37AM Sorry, that's meant to be good. Typo in the title. Was he any good for us during his tenure at the Lane?
This discussion has been had more times than a cheap yet tasty East European whore at the local sauna. Not that all girls working in a sauna (brothel) happen to be from Eastern Europe, but if someone was to frequent such a place, I'd hazard a guess they'd select a Russian or Polish lady of the red light than any of the oh so bland alternatives. They tend to have fabulous looking legs. Allegedly. It's what I've been told. Best to move on before this turns into a punter report and goes widely off-topic.
My point is, we've discussed this thousands of times - mostly during and in the lead up to the beginning of the end of Comolli at Spurs, and then in the aftermath of his departure. And once again the last time he was interviewed and mentioned his transfer record at the Lane. And we've been blessed with yet another rendition of the 'I'm so f**king great' chorus from the Frenchman, this time thanks to the Bale hat-trick at some small ground over in Italy.
I guess every single time one of his signings performs majestically well we're going to be treated to various sound-bites from his delirious gob. He's quite obviously never going to tire telling us he's responsible for our good form and fortune. I'd suggest we put aside a plot of land to erect a statue in his name when the Northumberland redevelopment kick-starts but it's probably only right we just skip that and name the stadium after him.
So let's break this sh*t down. Does our former DoF own the exclusive rights to bang on about this to us and should we give him his due?
Much like most managers/coaches - Comolli made some very decent signings and several shabby ones. There is a clear argument to be had for and against in terms of the decent signings made and their already known talent (as opposed to perhaps plucking someone from obscurity). But still, he captured the signatures of the likes of Berbatov and Modric and of course Gareth Bale - their abilities known to many, if not all. Personally, wasn't sure of any of the three. Especially Modric who I had not really seen or heard much about at the time.
He also signed the likes of Zokora, Bent, Bentley, KPB, Taarabt, Bostock and dos Santos. Players that have either struggled, have yet to prove themselves or not turned out to be half as good as expected.
It's all subjective. Everyone knew Bent and Bentley. Comolli signed them. Zokora, I'll give him that one - but Christ, it's nothing to shout about. Taarabt had/has a massive ego. dos Santos hasn't been given a run of games in the side. Jury out. As for Bostock - we'll have to wait and see. But Bostock could have been scouted by myself or you - it's no claim to fame as he was making a decent name for himself down at Palace.
Not sure Lennon and Huddlestone can be claimed. I'm positive they were targeted before his appointment. The rest - some were squad players that worked (Rocha) some didn't (Rasiak).
Kaboul is a perfect example of Comolli at his frustrating best. Rather than sign the finished article or a proven at top level player, he signed a highly rated youngster for a substantial amount of money where it was claimed he would not be thrown into the deep end and thus be developed. Question marks over the fact we paid the amount we did for someone who wasn't deemed a first-teamer. Classic Spurs, we throw him into the deep end thanks to injuries. Ironically, the lad (having been sold and re-bought) is showing signs of football intelligence and composure. Finally. But the journey he's under-taken has been nigh shambolic.
It's not exactly razor sharp stuff, is it?
But none of this is relevant.
Okay, it is actually if you want to strip away everything about the Director of Football system and discuss the individualism of each signing based on merit of the players form at the club. But without doing so, and looking at it as a complete entity of enterprise from top to bottom - Comolli followed Levy's lead (buy young English players with sell-on value) and also bought in foreign players to improve the first team. But the transfer ethos was never really decisive enough for me.
Mainly because we signed individuals (some of which have been a success as mentioned) but because of the lack of any clear true genuine balls deep strategy in terms of types of players required - it was all very mish mashed.
Our stance had at times been a mixture of the superfluous and the potentials. Unbalanced. And it's all good and well saying 'I signed BAE - look at him now', but if you're a DoF signing players for the current appointed manager, that player is meant to work for that manager. But then I guess Comolli will argue he signed the right players, but the manager didn't use them correctly - which again would bring you back to the whole what's the point then argument surrounding the DoF system.
It's all a bit like having two people trying to use any old jigsaw pieces to complete a puzzle, even though they're using pieces from different sets without discussing it first. The DoF felt like that, most of the time.
Again - you can look back at all our managers in the modern era and possibly argue at the amount of money wasted and lack of clear direction we've had during many transfer windows.
Comolli is managing to cloud over the fact that he might have had an eye but in terms of working as a support mechanism for the manager? Nope. Just not good enough. You can't undermine the person you are meant to be supporting (Jol). Or make fundamental mistakes (the 2006 Xmas window).
Levy admitting the mistake, in the end, after the Ramos debacle that the DoF system had to be scrapped. When Comolli got to choose a new man for our dugout, he got it completely wrong with the Juande.
In conclusion, he signed some very good players. Some of which we are enjoying massively in our colours currently. And I guess we should politely nod in his direction for this. But considering the task at hand at the time, he failed to sign players for key positions when required, sometimes signing players completely out of synch with the squad and manipulated and altered the clubs direction to appoint his own man - which proved to be an unmitigated disaster in the end.
Director of football? More of a glorified scout who interfered a little too much, sometimes got it wrong, sometimes got it right but only on a few occasions got it bang on the money.
Fact is, the likes of Bale, BAE...the team as a unit, only came together AFTER he left the club. That should take precedence over his tiresome attention seeking quotes. Even though I'm sure DC will say, that's not the point - he saw the potential and that is enough for him to continue to pull a David Pleat and tell the world of his achievements in N17.
Spurs/Everton match report, it's been drafted but need to touch it up (ooh) and will post on Monday.
Reader Comments (23)
On any fair assessment his signings have been better than what went before or afterwards.
I'd have Comollii back as a scout. Let's be fair to him, he's got a great eye for spotting talent and snapping them up before they become huge.
Problem was, he signed these players too young and at a time when we needed a first team. He'd be perfect for a situation like now where he'd be able to buy players to add to the squad rather than having to throw them into the first team straight away.
Regarding Bale, the answer is no, thats why you brought this up yeah!. Every man and his dog thought he was a superb talent at 17, it doesn't take rocket science when he is showing it when he was at Southampton, you forget the amazing free kicks he was taking back then, all Beckhamesque. I wonder when he is going to start taking them again, maybe it was the cause of his ankle problems because of the angle of his planted right ankle.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0lsDBF8R-o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boMIkCVBDow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1UgbVPLFzg
You have to consider our set up at the time as well. Having so many at the helm, will always result in in-fighting and people justifying their own positions. Even when Pleat was here under Graham and later Hoddle, there was always strange quotes coming out in the press. It was the set up that caused us more disharmon and problemsy than any single person. Comolli as a scout for us would have been perfect, but he had ideas above himself in that respect, but St Etienne seem to be doing well presently!
Martin Jol: Well Dame, things are looking up with squad, just a couple of players will have us kicking on. What we need--hell, crying out for--is a top drawer holding mid, someone who can break up play and keep us ticking over.
Dame: I bought Darren Bent. Very exciting English striker.
Martin Jol: I have strikers to spare, I need a holding midfielder.
Dame: Bent is a great talent. Young, English, re-sellable. Perfect.
Martin Jol: FFS.
Dame: By the way, we've finished redecorating your office. I know you said you just need a desk and a rolling chair, but we got you a recliner and a kick in the nuts. Very exciting.
Comolli was brought in to UNEARTH talent, not to spend millions on players any Director of Football would buy. Also, who is to say that Levy or Jol had a say in the players brought.
Every player Comolli brought to the club was known before they came to White Hart Lane. Everyone gives him credit for Berbatov when he was Jol's recommendation.
I say he gets resounding 'F' because during his tenure we spent the most bar Chelsea and none of the player have turned out to be anything more than what we already knew about them.
Glorified scout... But with all fairness to him, he was brilliant at it. The skill of finding that unpolished gem is a rare character trait to have. His main issue might have been that he couldn't secure the right player for the right manager. I'm not complaining now as it seems we have the right person who can unearth these talents.
I would NOT have Comolli back as a scout. His problem is he wasn't playing the support role a DoF is supposed to play. When Jol nedded a defensive left sided player Dos Santos arrived. When he nedded a right back Bale arrived, and so on.
Comolli had his own agenda. He wanted 'Carte Blanche' on the comings and goings and he wanted to be in control of the first team coach and his way of doing this was to undermine Jol in any way he could. He was a disruptive influence and he had the Chairmans ear more than the Manager had. A bit like the Chris Hughton situation at Newcastle at the moment.
But even Harry is failing in the transfer market. He said last season he needed a class striker who could play alone up front and a top class defender and who arrived. William Gallas, an ex Arsenal Captain, knackered and all talk about being burnt out. No striker. I know we got VDV and I wouldn't have let that slip when he became available. But we needed a striker. If we had a decent striker we would have got 3 points against Everton yesterday.
I'm a great fan of Levy's, and what he's done for the club, but he has to take the blame for what went on.
It's not system that's wrong, and Levy was right in trying it. Plus it could have worked if Chelski hadn't turned our first Dof into a Judas.
Comolli did a job for us, I think we all agree, some of it good and some of it bad. Good luck to him in the future, there's on real bad feelings, but it would help matters if he would now shut and get on with his life, so that we can do the same.
Comolli was a failure.
Comolli was a mug. Too bad he didn't have the eye for a decent manager to get these uneathed gems playing as a unit.
Darren Bent summed it all up for me. £16.5m for another striker.
Arnesen was better before Chelsea bought him for £10m but im very happy with a manager and a chairman. No middleman, just a bloke asking for pocket money and being left to his own devices.
Ah yes, Comolli. Other 'successes' included Ghaly, Murphy, Rocha, Gilberto, Alnwick, Dervite, Taarabt, Gunter... It's not like Bale was an unknown quantity - loads of clubs were after him. Jol visiting his parents and persuading them he'd get first-team opportunities swung it more than Comolli.
Reto zeigler: definately a booking.
Letting Taarabt & Bent go were mistakes.As for Comolli he bought far more duds than successes...COYS
Let`s set the record stright. Comolli can not get any credit for Berbatov. He`s a result of Arnesen and then chif scout Eddie Preslands work. Bale got sign thankes to Mr Jol. Ask modric agent what kind of a role Comolli played in his transfer to spurs, I bet the you will be told that Modric is a spurs player today thanks to the facts that people in
spurs scouting set up., managed to save a deal Comolli was about to schrew up. At the end of the day Mr Levi traveled to Zagreb and put the deal together. Comolli also f***ed up Spurs chances of sign Nani. (snaped up by man U right from under his nose.) He also resived strong rapports on players like van der Vaart, Suares, Snajder from his scouts that he totally ignored. Comolli is noting but a disruptiv glory hound. He promotes himself thru other peoples work.
Int. scout
comolli is a joke, I can't believe he is trying to claim responsibility for our current success. As has been said in these replies, bale, berbatov, modric were all well known players, berbatov had played in a champions league final - hardly plucked from obscurity, bale was one of the hottest properties in the championship, and newcastle were interested in modric at the same time as us, so once again hardly an unknown talent. BAE and kaboul (the same kaboul we were all glad about selling) were a couple of players that I was unaware of. the number of dreadful overpriced players signed is a large one.
"Director of football? More of a glorified scout, who interfered a little too much, sometimes got it wrong, sometimes got it right but only on a few occasions got it bang on the money."
This correctly sums it up.
Also, I doubt that Comolli, as someone mentioned, “totally ignored” van der Vaart, Suares and Snajder. Most likely it was Levy who was not interested in them because of their high cost. However, there is no need for this position today, because HR is more than capable to identify positions that need to be strengthened and the players that would fill them.
"Director of football? More of a glorified scout, who interfered a little too much, sometimes got it wrong, sometimes got it right but only on a few occasions got it bang on the money."
This correctly sums it up.
Also, I doubt that Comolli, as someone mentioned, “totally ignored” van der Vaart, Suares and Snajder. Most likely it was Levy who was not interested in them because of their high cost. However, there is no need for this position today, because HR is more than capable to identify positions that need to be strengthened and the players that would fill them.
seattlespursguy’s burlesque greatly describes the absurdity of Comolli’s logic and understanding what "team-first" approach is.
OOPS, sorry for wasting precious space.
He was useful - Bring Comolli back!
But make him Harry's bitch.
Screw Comoli,Can you write a couple more paragraphs about the Russian and Polish whores
Comolli had a pretty good record, Modric Bale and Berbatov would do for me and Gomes, Woodgate, Ekotto Kaboul.
You can't put all the good signings down to Jol or whoever and put all the bad signings down to him.
And if Darren Bent isn't a better signing than Crouch then I'm a six foot seven plank.
As I said at the time it is ridiculous to dismiss the DoF as some crazy spurs specific experiment: it is the norm in virtually every other country in Europe. When it didn't work it was due to a bad mix of personnel rather than due to the system itself. The issue with Comolli was that he didn't buy the player's we needed at the time, leaving gaping holes in the team. Its all well and good for the young ones to come through 5 years later but when you NEED a left winger etc. it doesnt cut it to blow the budget on a long term prospect.