Mirror: Ali Mac Out, David Daly In

[glenhodgso]

Regardless of who is to blame for recent failures I believe a new CEO with a fresh vision for the club can only be a good thing to take us into a new, hopefully successful, era.

Wrong.

Mackintosh, it is genarally agreed within the business, is one of the best CEOs around. So much is going right about the club. The u21s, u18s and now the u16s, who have just won a competition, are all at the top level in their categories. We also have the Riverside development in hand.

What we need is the new owner to settle in and to pick a first team manager with a philosophy suited to Fulham who will be with us for the medium to long term. Kit should get the job.

What we need is continuity not more change just for the sake of it.

:plus one:

AM has, on balance, been a wonderfully positive influence on the club - it was a great coup for us to get him, he was hugely liked and respected at Man City, and worked well with both Roy and Hughes. At the time of his appointment Jol was generally regarded as a great catch, and Felix had the credentials, and the right idea in promoting the youth, but not the ability to listen.

I know nothing about David Daly, save what has been written when he was appointed to "the committee", however, he has never run a football club, and his qualifications appear to be being a football fan and director of sales and club activity at Nike.  I am sure he is a lovely bloke, but I am a Fulham Fan, have been a sales director, but you wouldn't want me running the club...

[LBNo11]

These are such knee jerk reactions - Ali Mac was at the club when Roy was appointed, when we got to the europa league final. He has also been in charge when we signed Magath who had best pedigree we've had as a manager, Jol who we were all excited about and Mark Hughes who despite his acrimonious departure was doing well for us. He also oversaw the development with Roy of our academy and for all intent and purpose the club for the most part was a very happy place loved by players. We also attracted the top british youth coaches and youth talent, which I am sure he would have been involved in too.

Be under no mistake - the main reason we plummeted was due to lack of investment and selling key players at the wrong time (the dempsey and Dembele escapade). That I put entirely on the restrictions put in place by MAF who was starting to look for a way out and recouping his money. We hardly spent any money under Al Fayed in the autumn of his ownership reign and the money we did spend was on old players past their prime.

Stop using Ali Mac as a scapegoat. It doesn't add up and you're blaming him because it's easier to blame someone who didn't have the impact Al Fayed had on this club, or that Khan (we hope) will have.

...from what I understand this is pretty much how it was. Also from what I understand the appointment of Mitroglou was nothing to do with our CEO. Yes, AM was instrumental in the appointment of Herr Quark, but it was done based on the reputation he had for turning things around for teams close to being relegated. Yes it was a disaster, but the appointment was made with good intentions and not with malicious intent, and let's face it, we were in such a state after Jol, who could we have attracted to turn things around?

That said, I am in favour of having an experienced director of football appointed at the club, so that all the decision making is not down to one man, and agreements and disagreements can be aired. Up until recently some of Shahid Khan's advisors, with virtually no football knowledge have been involved with decision making on various aspects, based on US business models. This is done with AM's knowledge but not instigated by him.

To attach the blame to AM for everything that has gone wrong whilst the previous owner was running things down with the sale of of Dempsey and Dembele (and the club shop on the Fulham Road) being approved by MAF is unfair - you didn't argue with MAF.

Rumours are that Magath had the ear of Khan and AM was somewhat sidelined in what was happening during his tenure, so is that AM's fault?

The bottom line is that AM is a numbers man, a very good bean counter, and also someone who has been instrumental in appointing the people to lay the foundations for the youth and academy that has served us well of late, and will hopefully do so in the future. AM has been able to make the figures balance, the club sustainable and save the owners money, and that is why he was appointed by one billionaire and will remain employed by another billionaire.


http://www.friendsoffulham.com/forum/index.php?topic=43328.0

[Putney]

Who at the club is behind the scouting network and player suggestions/acquisitions?

[MJG]

Who at the club is behind the scouting network and player suggestions/acquisitions?

Brian Talbot has taken over most of the work Barry Simmonds was doing. But don't think that position is officially his yet.

[b+w geezer]

The bottom line is that AM is a numbers man, a very good bean counter, and also someone who has been instrumental in appointing the people to lay the foundations for the youth and academy that has served us well of late....AM has been able to make the figures balance, the club sustainable and save the owners money,

Prior to that quote you make an eloquent defence.  The counter-argument is that if you have the title of CEO but circumstances don't enable you to perform that job, then it's you who should be voting with your feet.  If the Director of Football route is in fact taken, as you advocate, then that would in future encompass the making-appointments aspect of what I've quoted from you, while the bean counting part sounds like the task of the (pre-existing). Financial Director.  The remit for Ali Mac's successor is then downgraded.