The process of sacking a manager, or head coach (find out the difference between the two here), is never easy but when it comes to finding a replacement, things get even more complicated. Last week, we delved into what happens when a club decides to part ways with their boss and events tend to occur in a streamlined fashion from start to finish. When they start to look for a new hire, it gets a bit less formulaic.
No two hiring processes are ever identical, but here is a general idea of how the timeline works. Look at it as a “best practice” guide — though in the crazy world of football things rarely turn out as planned.
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Communicate the departure and start the search
Once the decision has been taken to part company with a head coach — the ordeal (as described in the previous article) usually runs late into the night — the club’s communication team are first out of the traps to issue a statement which ideally reflects an amicable, orderly departure. Before “SEND” has been pressed, all key staff should be informed as you don’t want them hearing about it from the newspapers or social media.
At this point those in charge of leading the search for a replacement — depending on the club’s structure this could be either the sporting director, chief executive, owner or chairman — will have already put the wheels in motion. Time is usually of the essence, especially when a new appointment is needed mid-season, and despite it being one of the most important decisions a club can make, the procedure is almost exclusively started off in a rush.
While there’s almost always some sort of selection process to determine the right person for the job, the need for haste certainly raises the pressure and the element of risk involved.
Potential targets may have been identified well in advance, but the announcement of a vacant position still attracts a wealth of incoming applications from agents or even candidates reaching out directly (from personal experience the record timing of an incoming inquiry is six minutes after the sacking announcement!)
Managerial jobs in football come up so infrequently that the availability of an attractive post leaves out-of-work coaches with little option but to be proactive. At the highest level, the likelihood of someone asking early, or being actively promoted by an agent, eventually landing the job is slim. As much as it’s always worth sifting through the inbox to see which names are interested, top clubs invariably have a predetermined shortlist of clearly identified candidates.
Identify the candidates
Unless the ideal coach has already been lined up, with ballpark figures agreed for salary and/or compensation, the sporting director would be charged with contacting the representatives of the most attractive candidates.
The profile of the targets would obviously vary according to the club’s situation: if you’re fighting relegation in the second part of the season the lure of hiring an experienced coach with a track record of dealing with pressure is tempting, whereas an end-of-season sacking may allow the search to be steered towards a more long-term solution.
In most cases, however, the search is driven by a clear strategical idea (playing style, principles) — with the long-term development of the club in mind. Manchester City‘s hiring of Pep Guardiola and Arsenal bringing in Mikel Arteta are two good examples here where that has worked well.
Though the days following a sacking can appear quiet from the outside, they are arguably the busiest and most challenging in the career of a sporting director — even the chaotic heights of a busy transfer window can appear tranquil in comparison. Don’t forget that while the search is happening, the sporting director is also expected to support the backroom staff who have taken over in the interim and, amid the frenzy of an ongoing season with games coming fast and result still required, there’s no time to waste.
Make first contact
The support staff can deal with sifting through the incoming CVs but administering the first contact with the names on the shortlist is managed first-hand by the sporting director (or, in certain cases, the CEO).
Despite the race against time, some patience here might pay off. The top names in the business understandably play hard to get but, from a negotiation viewpoint, letting a coach’s agent make the first move is not a disadvantage. You don’t want to appear too keen and having options obviously strengthens your position.
Meetings and interviews — with no strings attached — have to be arranged and that entails meticulous planning and coordination. You’d likely need to find an appropriate location for the staging of multiple interviews, with a hotel suite or a discrete meeting room being common venues. Tactics are also required to try and prevent the candidates running into each other in the lobby (which has happened many times), such as making sure the club are responsible for the transport to the venue or having different entrances available.
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Start the interview process
With comprehensive dossiers compiled on all the candidates, the sporting director would aim to meet a small selection to whittle it down to two or three names to present to the board or the owner. (It’s worth pointing out that while some owners prefer to keep a low profile during the initial phases of the search, others may want to take part from the offset, or even drive the whole process themselves with the help of trusted agents.)
By being well prepared, roughly agreeing on the financial conditions, as well as having a clear idea of the tactical and methodological ideas of the interviewee, the talking points of the first meeting are finely narrowed down. The candidate — regardless of stature or past achievements — is also expected to offer a comprehensive yet brief presentation of their approach to coaching and management.
While some handle an interview better than others, first impressions, affability and personality traits do matter in this setting. A sporting director will also have strongly vetted references which should help them understand whether the candidate will fit with the club and whether they are someone who would be good to work with on a daily basis.
Being under pressure to make a swift appointment, with only a short time to gain an in-depth knowledge of the candidate, means wrong calls can be made at this stage. That’s why preparation is paramount and the person leading the search has to be a strong judge of character.
Take a breather, reflect, answer some questions
With the preliminary interviews out of the way, it’s time to absorb what you’ve learned from the previous 24 hours. You will have a lot of questions to answer. How much does the candidate really want the job? They might be exceptionally strong on the training ground and game management, but do they have the interpersonal skills to go with it? Are they a conflict-seeker or someone of a collaborative nature? How will they deal with the pressure that comes with a high-profile position? And what about the media; is the candidate capable of representing the club well externally? In the event of a foreign candidate, can they face the cultural challenges of working in a different environment and overcome any language barrier?
A candidate (often the most high-profile) may also insist on bringing their own backroom staff with them. In his event, you need to consider how that fits with the budget and how would it affect the current members of the coaching team. If it’s a deal-breaker, or would cause undue upheaval at the club, perhaps it’s best to say no.
Ultimately, the ideal candidate doesn’t exist. In the end it’s a matter of prioritising, adding up the positives and negatives, and consider your (not to be underestimated, but often derided) gut feeling.
Present your findings
After due consideration, cross-referencing and possibly the consultation of some trusted external sources — which is neither uncommon nor a bad move — it’s time to present a brief executive summary of the preliminary interviews to the owner or board.
Some clubs might trust the sporting director’s judgement and let them proceed with the next steps. However, more commonly, they will be asked to schedule a final round of interviews with the handful of candidates that made the cut.
Those still in the running will naturally be on stand-by to be flown to wherever the owner or board members who need to make the final decision may find themselves at the time.
Get the owner on board
Ahead of these final meetings, the owner/board is typically well briefed on the past proceedings. In some cases, the choice of the sporting director may turn out to be a mere formality with the owner just wanting the opportunity to size up the prospective hire before a final decision is made. In others, the candidates may be asked to deliver their presentations again in front of different people.
Generally, however, this set of meetings usually takes on a different focus. There’s less about small technical or tactical details, with the emphasis on the owner outlining the overall vision of the club and, potentially, a shift towards talk of ambitions, common goals and prospective transfer spending.
The No. 1 candidate — though never openly discussed, an understanding of the candidates’ pecking order is almost always established — might also test the owner by firing thinly veiled questions on past sackings or previous controversies.
As with the initial encounter, the atmosphere around the table is paramount. While the head coach reports to the sporting director, it’s also mandatory that the owner or chairman feels comfortable that a functioning working relationship can be struck.
Once the candidates are ushered off to suitable locations — again, having more than one hotel at disposal is handy — an internal debrief assessing the pros and cons of the candidates ensues. In most cases, a decision is likely to be made, or won’t be far off.
Make an offer
Unless a new issue has appeared, the sporting director or chief executive would contact the representative of the chosen candidate to make an offer.
A meeting — usually held at a hotel, a restaurant, or even at the club’s offices — would quickly be scheduled. While the length of the contract would already have been established, some parts need discussing such as salary, bonuses and potential tax implications. Other perks such as housing and transport are normally worked out reasonably smoothly.
Announce the new hire and focus on the future
Once agreed, the communications team takes over as the new head coach is introduced to the club staff, followed by an official announcement and introductory news conference. After a hectic period, it’s time for some stability and to focus on the pitch as the sporting director helps the new coach to settle at the club. Then it will be straight into which targets they should be looking at in the next transfer window.