Steven Gunn

[wee toon red]

Leaving next month.

https://www.afc.co.uk/2025/09/16/director-of-football-steven-gunn-to-depart-afc/

Sounds like a polite sacking. Chance to get a "proper" DOF/Technical Director for @RicoS321

[BigAl]

7 minutes ago, wee toon red said:

Leaving next month.

https://www.afc.co.uk/2025/09/16/director-of-football-steven-gunn-to-depart-afc/

Sounds like a polite sacking. Chance to get a "proper" DOF/Technical Director for @RicoS321

Is Rico actually qualified for the job 

[BigAl]

As an aside, I have zero recollection of us having a player called David Lawrie being with us during the 80's but from what I can see online he was a goalkeeper but left to pursue a career out with football and went to Robert Gordon's.

Anyone else mind anything about him ?

[RicoS321]

1 hour ago, BigAl said:

Is Rico actually qualified for the job 

Over-qualified. I've got years of experience of complaining about shite not being done properly.

[wokinginashearerwonderland]

Hard position to recruit for I'd imagine.  In an ideal world I think it would be great to have an older type who knows the club, maybe an ex-manager who had been around the block a bit but hard to think of anyone like that.  Most of our ex-managers have not been very good. Hope it is someone who has seen it and done it rather than some young whipper snapper who is just out of college and talks about underlapping full backs, low blocks and transitions. 

Knowing Dave, he will appoint someone like Carlos Bocanegra.  You heard it here first. 

[RicoS321]

50 minutes ago, wokinginashearerwonderland said:

Hard position to recruit for I'd imagine.  In an ideal world I think it would be great to have an older type who knows the club, maybe an ex-manager who had been around the block a bit but hard to think of anyone like that.  Most of our ex-managers have not been very good. Hope it is someone who has seen it and done it rather than some young whipper snapper who is just out of college and talks about underlapping full backs, low blocks and transitions. 

Knowing Dave, he will appoint someone like Carlos Bocanegra.  You heard it here first. 

I don't think it's essential that it's a former manager either. It needs someone that holds the manager to account, plays devil's advocate and makes sure that the tactics, signings, youth minutes etc align with the strategy. 

[Jute]

Only draw back with appointing a sporting director now is we already have a manager in place. Usually (in Europe) it’s the sporting director who is responsible for setting the long term approach/style of  the club will take then selecting the coaching team to execute that plan. We already have a manager in place so you are probably looking with getting in a sporting director who agrees with his approach so maybe reduces the checks and balances effect. 

[RicoS321]

13 minutes ago, Jute said:

Only draw back with appointing a sporting director now is we already have a manager in place. Usually (in Europe) it’s the sporting director who is responsible for setting the long term approach/style of  the club will take then selecting the coaching team to execute that plan. We already have a manager in place so you are probably looking with getting in a sporting director who agrees with his approach so maybe reduces the checks and balances effect. 

If only some of us had thought have that years ago.

Although I suspect it's not unusual for a sporting director to leave post while a manager is in place, so we can just treat it like that.

[wokinginashearerwonderland]

2 hours ago, Jute said:

Only draw back with appointing a sporting director now is we already have a manager in place. Usually (in Europe) it’s the sporting director who is responsible for setting the long term approach/style of  the club will take then selecting the coaching team to execute that plan. We already have a manager in place so you are probably looking with getting in a sporting director who agrees with his approach so maybe reduces the checks and balances effect. 

Presumably we are not looking at reinventing the wheel though? We already have a director of football so this new person surely would be continuing with the existing plan…..or are we just tearing it all up on the Monday morning and starting again? If that is the case we might as well just fire the manager and stick the whole squad up for sale.

[OrlandoDon]

6 minutes ago, wokinginashearerwonderland said:

Presumably we are not looking at reinventing the wheel though? We already have a director of football so this new person surely would be continuing with the existing plan…..or are we just tearing it all up on the Monday morning and starting again? If that is the case we might as well just fire the manager and stick the whole squad up for sale.

I’d assume it’s Dave and the board who determine the direction of the club and the roles of key personnel. While the title and responsibilities of the role may be different, I’d assume the philosophy behind the role and the key responsibilities don’t overly change. I don’t see us significantly changing our transfer strategy for example, but this person may provide our management team with a different kind of support. the hire is no doubt culturally aligned with Dave and the board so should be aligned with Thelin. I think….? I’d also assume Thelin will have input to this role and be involved in the hiring process.

[Jute]

3 hours ago, wokinginashearerwonderland said:

Presumably we are not looking at reinventing the wheel though? We already have a director of football so this new person surely would be continuing with the existing plan…..or are we just tearing it all up on the Monday morning and starting again? If that is the case we might as well just fire the manager and stick the whole squad up for sale.

From what I have read and heard Gunn’s role was more an administrative role than a football role so if we are going down the European style sporting director role that was recommend in the review carried out I think it would be a different role to the one Gunn had.
 

I suspect you and Orlando are right in saying that with manager already in place we won’t be looking at changing the approach so as I said it is likely that anyone brought in will be someone who is willing to work within the current approach to recruitment and playing style.