[chazsoccer]

Does anyone KNOW what the job description is for what MLS calls a "Technical Director"?

Do you have an opinion on what YOU think it should be here at FCD?

chat amongst yourselves...

[chazsoccer]

I do not KNOW, but I get the impression they need skills like this:

Soccer knowledge: former pro player, or former coach/asst coach
Coaching lic? B? C?
Bi-lingual
Knowledge of American College Soccer
Knowledge of Agency
Negotiation skills
Relationship Management Skills


What is their job? Is it just to find and then sign talent? Process the paperwork? Set iteneray for try-outs? Consult with coaches? Handle player contracts? Deal with raises and renewals and bonuses?

Who do they report to? Coach? President? Owner?

How do we know a TD is good at their job? What is the criteria we measure them against?

[Furacao del Norte]

Originally Posted by chazsoccer

What is their job?

Originally Posted by Schellas, via 3rd

This one came to us just about a week ago or so. A job description needs to be put in place-what are we looking for and what are the responsibilities? ... I think the sooner the better only so that there can be an organizational chart in place.

Schellas doesn't know either and doesn't seem too worried about it.

They haven't even met to discuss the TD position yet, and they consider the upcoming expansion draft a reason to delay, not hurry, the hire.

This reinforces what Buzz has said. SH is completely in charge, and a new TD won't change that. In terms of power in the organization, we'll be getting somebody more on the level of assistant coach than general manager.

[Rex Kramer]

It sounds to me like FC Dallas' job description for Technical Director will roughly match every other club in the world's job description for Scout.

[ftruscot]

Sorry to intrude, but I don't believe MLS defines position titles for individual clubs (or franchises). I think you will find that each team that employs a TD will have slightly different job descriptions attached to the position, encompassing some or all of what chazsoccer outlined.

[chazsoccer]

Originally Posted by ftruscot

Sorry to intrude, but I don't believe MLS defines position titles for individual clubs (or franchises). I think you will find that each team that employs a TD will have slightly different job descriptions attached to the position, encompassing some or all of what chazsoccer outlined.

No intrusion at all, comments welcome.

I think that there are certain to be differences between each club/organization. I also know that other teams have had a "TD" and would like to get an understanding of how other teams in MLS view the TD position.

Furacao del Norte - Oh yes, I read that report. It is part of why I asked the question. The FO and SH may not have talked about it formally yet, but it has been mentioned several times in the past year or so. So, they have had time to bounce the idea around and should have a pretty good idea of what they want in general.

Which is why I'm asking you guys what YOU think it should be (not what FCD will decide it is).

REX - that is kind of the vibe I have gotten, a scout, but I think it will be more when all is said and done.

[Furacao del Norte]

Originally Posted by chazsoccer

Which is why I'm asking you guys what YOU think it should be (not what FCD will decide it is).

I think it SHOULD be someone focused on either scouting and/or contracts, who has roughly as much power as the coach. Then you have two people who can balance each other, call BS when the other is about to do something stupid, and see things from a different perspective (coach from a "win this week" perspective, TD/GM from a longer term view).

Right now, I'd guess only Ellinger is in a position to second guess SH, and he's still subordinate and still a coach.

BTW, the difference between what I want, and what FCD will get is why (among other reasons) we won't see Wilt or anyone remotely like him.

Oh, and Chaz assumes they've been kicking around the TD position for a while. I'd certainly hope so, but SH sounded in that interview like the whole thing snuck up on him, and they'll get around to it when they can squeeze in some time but, you know, SH needs to go scout some players before they can think about getting a TD. Surely they'd decided Hitch was gone long ago so they might have thought some of this through.

Ugh.

[theodore]

Originally Posted by Rex Kramer

It sounds to me like FC Dallas' job description for Technical Director will roughly match every other club in the world's job description for Scout.

yup

What I was hoping for, was a position to add stability to the team by adding a long term plan that doesn't include torching the roster every time you make a coaching change. You've got to change coaches like you change socks and underwear. And, every time that you make a change in coach and he fire sales all of your players, you lose a ton a value and it sets back the club for years.