Liverpool appointed Damien Comolli director of football

[toughguymick@hotmail.co.uk 0]

Taken from the BBC website

 

Liverpool have appointed ex-Tottenham director of football Damien Comolli as their director of football strategy.

 

The 38-year-old Frenchman was sacked by Spurs in October 2008 after three years at the club and later joined French outfit St Etienne as sporting director.

 

He will begin work with Reds owner John Henry and boss Roy Hodgson immediately.

 

"I am delighted to be joining Liverpool and look forward to working with John and Roy," said Comolli, who also spent seven seasons as a scout at Arsenal.

 

"I think we all realise there is a big job ahead, but we all share the vision that John has for rebuilding the club and bringing back the success that the supporters deserve."

 

Since succeeding Rafael Benitez as Liverpool manager last summer, Hodgson has endured a difficult start to life at Anfield.

 

His side were knocked out of the Carling Cup by Northampton, won only one of the first eight Premier League matches this season and were in the relegation zone until Sunday's late victory at Bolton.

 

"I am looking forward to working with Damien whom I have known for many years," said former Fulham boss Hodgson.

 

"We are engaged in an exciting project here and he will bring a lot to the table. We all want to see moves to strengthen the squad and support player development over the next few years.

 

"John Henry and I are totally united in delivering on that ambition."

 

Henry's New England Sports Ventures (NESV) group completed a £300m takeover of Liverpool in October and the American indicated Comolli's appointment could be the first of several.

 

"Today's announcement is just the first step in creating a leadership group and structure designed to develop, enhance and implement our long-term philosophy of scouting, recruitment, player development and all of the other aspects necessary to build and sustain a club able to consistently compete at the highest level in European football," explained Henry.

 

"Damien has a proven track-record of identifying exciting young footballing talent and we are delighted that he has agreed to join Liverpool.

 

"Working closely with Roy Hodgson and the coaching staff, I know he will make a valuable contribution to strengthening the club and the squad as we move forward.

 

"We intend to be bold and innovative. We will not rest until we have restored Liverpool Football Club to the greatness Liverpool fans expect."

 

After a modest playing career in which he represented Monaco's youth team, Comolli gained his French coaching licence and then worked at the club under then manager Arsene Wenger.

 

When Wenger took over at Arsenal in 1996 he employed Comolli as his European scout.

 

He received credit for the signings of Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Eboue and Gael Clichy and enjoyed a stint as St Etienne's technical director before succeeding Frank Arnesen at Tottenham.

 

Martin Jol was Spurs manager at the time and, after he was sacked in 2007, the Dutchman complained that Comolli had recruited a number of players without his consent.

 

Many of Comolli's signings - including the likes of Gareth Bale, Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Heurelho Gomes - raised eyebrows and he was dismissed along with Juande Ramos and his coaching staff after Spurs made a dreadful start to the 2008-09 Premier League season.

 

He returned to St Etienne in November 2008 and oversaw two disappointing campaigns, but they have made a fine start to this season and he departs with the club fourth in the Ligue One table.

[shackbleep 0]

Damien comolli was useless at spurs what's he expected to do at liverpool wonder who appointed him

 

[Tom 14021]

Same bloke who got Bale and countless others.

 

Great appointment.

[toughguymick@hotmail.co.uk 0]

Deleted post

[shackbleep 0]

The players he got Spurs got them in the champion league you silly twat. Didn't you watch spurs last night?

He got sacked because the board didn't like him. Maybe he shagged the chairmans wife or something like that.

 

Did I say it mong features? Read the fucking post properly tbh.

[toughguymick@hotmail.co.uk 0]

Did I say it mong features? Read the fucking post properly tbh

 

Point taken read the post wrong

[Rob W 0]

dear God - just when you thought they were starting to sort themselves out............

[toughguymick@hotmail.co.uk 0]

Roy on Comolli appointment taken from official site:

 

 

"We've got new owners who have a very clear vision and philosophy for the club and they want a management structure in place they can identify with. That means one they can identify with from American and European sporting models, not necessarily an archetypal, if somewhat outdated, English model."

[Tom 14021]

Hodgson on his way then.

[Jimbo 175]

Hodgson is used to working using the director of football system, he has worked enough in "continental" set ups, was he not the director of football at Inter Milan before joining Fulham ?

[toughguymick@hotmail.co.uk 0]

Jimbo your spot on with the above comment

 

Taken from the official LFC site

Hodgson replied: "When I worked at Fulham I worked very closely with Alistair Mackintosh. He didn't have the title 'sporting director' but my dealings with him and the way we worked together, I would have called him sporting director.

 

"He had other responsibilities as well with regard to Mohammed Al-Fayed, but as far as I was concerned he was my sporting director and I am very used to working in that way.

 

"I think more and more clubs are. If you're managing a Barclays Premier League team, organising training, coaching, dealing with the press and organising and preparing for all the games, that is a large body of work. On top of that if you're also organising all the scouting, looking after the academy and reserve team and all the other numerous administrative things that are required to run a football club at this level, you are asking a lot of people.

 

"The days of the 'dictator type' English manager have long since passed anyway, where everything went through one man and no-one dared even buy a paper clip without that person's approval.

[Park Life 71]

I see a little bit of garlic has been added to the stew.

[acrossthepond 878]

I see a little bit of garlic has been added to the stew.

 

[NJS 4418]

Didn't he get a lot of stick for signing a long list of shit players?

 

It's topical to give him credit for Bale but I'd like to see the rest.

[Howay 12496]

What's the point in a DoF anyway, it's just like saying your manager and his assistant are too shit to do all of their duties none of the top clubs in the prem have it.

btw I don't class Bale as a find by Comolli in anyway shape or form every fucker was after him when he was at southampton.

Edited November 3, 2010 by Barton7

[Park Life 71]

What's the point in a DoF anyway, it's just like saying your manager and his assistant are too shit to do all of their duties none of the top clubs in the prem have it.

btw I don't class Bale as a find by Comolli in anyway shape or form every fucker was after him when he was at southampton.

 

Correct.

[Park Life 71]

1. Vedran Corluka, Manchester City, £8.5m

 

2. Roman Pavlyuchenko, Spartak Moscow, £14m

 

3. Cesar Sanchez, Real Zaragoza, Undisclosed

 

4. David Bentley, Blackburn Rovers, £15m-17m

 

5. Heurelho Gomes, PSV Eindhoven, £9m

 

6. Giovani dos Santos, Barcelona, £4.7m

 

7. Luka Modric, Dinamo Zagreb, £15.8m

 

8. Gilberto, Hertha Berlin £1.9m

 

9. Alan Hutton, Glasgow Rangers, £8m

 

10. Jonathan Woodgate, Middlesbrough, £7.5m

 

11. Chris Gunter, Cardiff City, £2m

 

12. Kevin-Prince Boateng, Hertha Berlin, £5.2m

 

13. Danny Rose, Leeds United, Undisclosed

 

14. Younes Kaboul, Auxerre, £8.2m

 

15. Darren Bent, Charlton Athletic, £16.5m

 

16. Adel Taarabt, RC Lens, Undisclosed

 

17. Gareth Bale, Southampton, £5m – £10m

 

18. Ben Alnwick, Sunderland, Undisclosed

 

19. Ricardo Rocha, Benfica, £3,5m

 

20. Mido, AS Roma, £4m

 

21. Pascal Chimbonda, Wigan Athletic, £4m

 

22. Steed Malbranque, Fulham, £3.5m

 

23. Didier Zokora, St Etienne, £6.5m

 

24. Benoit Assou-Ekotto, RC Lens, £3.5m

 

25. Dimitar Berbatov, Bayer Leverkusen, £10.9m

 

26. Hossam Ghaly, Feyernoord, Undisclosed

 

27. Danny Murphy, Charlton, £2m

[SloopJohn 0]

some cracking signings in there tbh

[Kitman 2207]

some cracking signings in there tbh

 

I suppose it depends whether you think they got their money's worth from that lot, given the transfer fee. Whether it's a canny buy depends on their worth to the team and the re-sale value I'd say.

 

Edit: and the cost to get them in the first place obviously

Edited November 3, 2010 by Kitman

[Park Life 71]

some cracking signings in there tbh

 

Fair amount of wasted cash there if you look closely.

 

Pav, Bentley and Giovanni at £25m are all pretty poor imo.

[SloopJohn 0]

some cracking signings in there tbh

 

Fair amount of wasted cash there if you look closely.

 

Pav, Bentley and Giovanni at £25m are all pretty poor imo.

 

Berba at 10 though, more than made up for it

[The Fish 10978]

Did he though? £10m for a 15 league goal striker? I think he's only a good buy if you include he re-sale value.

 

I think that he is far out-weighed by their other expensive flops.

[sammynb 3539]

1. Vedran Corluka, Manchester City, £8.5m > current squad

 

2. Roman Pavlyuchenko, Spartak Moscow, £14m > current squad

 

3. Cesar Sanchez, Real Zaragoza, Undisclosed > released

 

4. David Bentley, Blackburn Rovers, £15m-17m > current squad

 

5. Heurelho Gomes, PSV Eindhoven, £9m > current first 11

 

6. Giovani dos Santos, Barcelona, £4.7m > current squad

 

7. Luka Modric, Dinamo Zagreb, £15.8m > current first 11

 

8. Gilberto, Hertha Berlin £1.9m > released

 

9. Alan Hutton, Glasgow Rangers, £8m > current squad

 

10. Jonathan Woodgate, Middlesbrough, £7.5m > current but unregistered

 

11. Chris Gunter, Cardiff City, £2m > £1.75m Nottingham Forest

 

12. Kevin-Prince Boateng, Hertha Berlin, £5.2m > £4m Pompey

 

13. Danny Rose, Leeds United, Undisclosed > played 1 game and has been out on loan since 2007

 

14. Younes Kaboul, Auxerre, £8.2m (£9.5 in other sources) > current squad

 

15. Darren Bent, Charlton Athletic, £16.5m > £10m (possibly rising to £16) mackems

 

16. Adel Taarabt, RC Lens, Undisclosed (Spurs valued him at £4.5) > £0.6 QPR

 

17. Gareth Bale, Southampton, £5m – £10m > current first team

 

18. Ben Alnwick, Sunderland, Undisclosed (£0.9) > played 1 game and has been out on loan since 2007

 

19. Ricardo Rocha, Benfica, £3,5m > released

 

20. Mido, AS Roma, £4m > £6 Smoggies

 

21. Pascal Chimbonda, Wigan Athletic, £4m > £3m mackems > £3m Spurs > £2.5m rovers

 

22. Steed Malbranque, Fulham, £3.5m > £3m mackems

 

23. Didier Zokora, St Etienne, £6.5m > £7.5 Sevilla

 

24. Benoit Assou-Ekotto, RC Lens, £3.5m > current first 11

 

25. Dimitar Berbatov, Bayer Leverkusen, £10.9m > £30.75m Man u

 

26. Hossam Ghaly, Feyernoord, Undisclosed > released

 

27. Danny Murphy, Charlton, £2m > undisclosed Fulham

 

With the exception of Berbatov, it doesn't look such great value when you break it down. And as someone else said Bale, Modric and Pavlyuchenko were on the radar of a lot of clubs at the time they were signed.

Edited November 4, 2010 by sammynb

[Guest alex]

According to a bloke on 5Live, Jol was instrumental in getting Berbatov and it was some other guy who was the main man behind Bale coming to Spurs.

[khay 10]

Did he though? £10m for a 15 league goal striker? I think he's only a good buy if you include he re-sale value.

 

I think that he is far out-weighed by their other expensive flops.

 

 

Add his ten plus assists a season to that as well.