sorry if I may be being dumb here... but isnt that what you want from a Director of Football strategy???
"It covers pretty much all of the football side," added Comolli. "It's basically a day-to-day relationship with the manager and his coaching staff, it's also medical and sports science, performance analysis, player liaison, team travel, scouting and negotiating transfer contracts. A big part of it is the academy."
That's how Comolli described the role he's just left.
As I said, it's being involved in everything which is related to football, whether it's here at Chapel Street or at the training ground at Melwood or at Kirkby. Having a daily involvement with Roy - we've been talking on a daily basis, sometimes having small meetings twice a day or three times a day - obviously working with the sports science team and the doctor, working with the video analysts, working with the academy, working with the scouts, that's the area I will cover.
So your role covers a wide basis then...
Yes it is, because that's what football clubs are now. It's massive. You wake up in the morning and you get an email from a scout who has been somewhere in South America or someone else and he's sending you a report saying 'I really like this player'. It's definitely 24/7.
That's what he had to say of his old role as Director of Football Strategy.
Both roles see far more wide ranging than determining how the club should play and develop their players. A lot of Comolli's job appeared to be angled towards scouting (at a young age and upwards) and expanding the scouting network. I'm not sure where Cruyff could help there as I don't think he has any connections to any scouts. Similarly Comolli had a law degree and I'm pretty sure he was responsible for drawing up contracts, renegotiating contracts, the first team wage bill, the reserves wage bill etc.
Again, all that seems far out of line with anything Cruyff (or arguably Van Gaal) would provide. At Ajax his job seems to be to ensure they stay true to their philosophy of developing players, and revamping it if needs be.
We've already got someone who does a job very similar to that at the club. Pep Segura is the technical director at the academy who designs the clubs training regimes from the U8s upwards, unless I've missed something. He's the one who ensures all our youngsters play to a certain system and all that jazz.
Both of Comolli's roles (if they were every any different) seem far more in line with what the likes of Branca, Monchi, Corvino etc are responsible for at their respective clubs, rather than being the figurehead for how the teams should play. There seems to be far more 'football administration' in Comolli's job than is involved in Cruyff's.