It’s an increasingly pertinent question in football.  In the days of Shankly, Clough and Ferguson it was blindingly obvious who ran their clubs.  But as the manager’s role has been split between the Head Coach and the Director of Football, that vision of total authority has become increasingly blurred.  The Head Coach might pick the team on Saturday afternoon (or possibly Friday night or Sunday lunchtime) but bizarrely, and to his utter frustration, he might not have bought any of the players he is selecting.  That could well have been the responsibility of the Director of Football and a committee.  Is this a better way to run these clubs which are now billion-pound businesses?  More to the point, does it increase the distance still further between the club and its fans?  Omid Djalili, Jon Holmes and Colin Shindler ponder these questions.

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