George Friend

[Lineker's Left Foot]

Thought he was being signed as a player - didn’t realise he’d retired

[filbertway]

Looks too much like Russell Martin

[Aus Fox]

Are we sure he wasn’t approached for a playing role? 
Bringing in a big old experienced defender to sort the back line out?

Saving multiple pound notes and we might just get by with a little help from George Friend.

[Poznan34]

Interesting. If we are to replace Rudkin, then you think we'd be able to attract a decent pool of top flight European/Championship candidates - so, not someone less than a year into his first off pitch role in the bottom half of League One. 

 

Assistant DOF with a view to taking over long term perhaps?

 

Probably just discussing transfer business

[Greg2607]

You could see Rudkin being moved up stream at a "group" level for all the King Power sporting operations, with DOF at both OHL and LCFC reporting into him. 

Edited 4 February by Greg2607

[squidsworth]

1 hour ago, Happy Fox said:

 

Some positive comments some negative comments but that video he speaks well. A bit of transparency is much needed here.

Looks like he has a worm under his skin bang in the middle of his forehead, so it's a no from me. Don't wanna start any conspiracies, but I reckon he's AI. 

[Silebyfox_89]

I'd go and get the bloke from Toulouse 

[Pliskin]

Tops just googled “friendly director of football” and George popped Up. 

[CosbehFox]

1 hour ago, fox_favourite said:

We need the guy Wrexham have as an 'advisor', Shaun Harvey. He always comes across as knowledgeable and knows what he's doing. 

Don’t look at his past career in football 

[Stadt]

1 hour ago, tickler28 said:

Started his career in Exeter where I live

Done deal then 

[Lambert09]

1 hour ago, fox_favourite said:

We need the guy Wrexham have as an 'advisor', Shaun Harvey. He always comes across as knowledgeable and knows what he's doing. 

Hate to say it, but the wrexham job is probably better than our at the minute. 
 

They will be finishing higher than us next season and a mega stadium is in the horizon. 

[5waller5]

1 hour ago, MattFox said:

Wouldn’t surprise me if Whelan “retired” in the summer, Rudkin moved to CEO and a new DOF came in under Rudkin

 

Dont hold me to this 

Rudkin is a useless DOF, the CEO role exposes his weaknesses even further. It would be a bigger disaster than his time as DOF.
 

It’s therefore almost guaranteed to happen!

[Trav Le Bleu]

2 hours ago, MattFox said:

Wouldn’t surprise me if Whelan “retired” in the summer, Rudkin moved to CEO and a new DOF came in under Rudkin

 

Dont hold me to this 

Too late - you promised it.

[VLC86]

2 hours ago, tickler28 said:

Started his career in Exeter where I live

Sounds more than qualified.

[honeybradger]

He speaks well and i would appreciate similar levels of communication here. As one of the bristol rovers fans on twitter said you have to also back up your words, it might just be the sceptic in me but it feels like he says exactly what he thinks the fans want to hear, a bit like Cooper.

 

Anyone would add more direction to the club than rudkin at this point in time though.

[CL Fox]

The fact no one like rudkin at the club means he's now trying to appoint a friend.

[Guest Basildon Fox]

8 hours ago, Lambert09 said:

Hate to say it, but the wrexham job is probably better than our at the minute. 
 

They will be finishing higher than us next season and a mega stadium is in the horizon. 

Don't be daft.

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

10 hours ago, MattFox said:

Wouldn’t surprise me if Whelan “retired” in the summer, Rudkin moved to CEO and a new DOF came in under Rudkin

 

Dont hold me to this 

Not sure how credible Rudkin would be as CEO as someone who has overall oversight when he’s managed to botch the oversight he’s had of football operations. 
 

Potentially hiring someone so inexperienced smacks to me of KP paying lip service to our concerns. Unless he has some sort of mega up and coming reputation we are not aware of, getting someone from League One who is new in their role strikes you as odd and underwhelming. 
 

I’ll always say how we should have moved for Emery when he went to Villa. Look at where they are and who they now have in the DoF role - one of the best operators in the game. Now we’re talking about George Friend, someone most of us thought might still be playing 🤣 

[Claudio Fannieri]

I will be amazed if the club appoint Rudkin as CEO, more likely he will becoming group Sporting Director overseeing all of KP sporting interests, which makes hiring someone like George Friend who is a relative novice and fairly unproven in his role to date, the perfect solution,  as it offers Rudkin the perfect person to control and maintain the status quo of him having total autonomy without having the challenge from someone who is a more experienced operator. 
 

He will become Rudkin’s man so grateful for the opportunity that he will likely toe the line and be more then happy to accept the norm. 

Edited 5 February by Claudio Fannieri

[Iwebema]

25 minutes ago, Claudio Fannieri said:

I will be amazed if the club appoint Rudkin as CEO, more likely he will becoming group Sporting Director overseeing all of KP sporting interests, which makes hiring someone like George Friend who is a relative novice and fairly unproven in his role to date, the perfect solution,  as it offers Rudkin the perfect person to control and maintain the status quo of him having total autonomy without having the challenge from someone who is a more experienced operator. 
 

He will become Rudkin’s man so grateful for the opportunity that he will likely toe the line and be more then happy to accept the norm. 

My immediate thought was exactly this, if we are too bring one in just for the optics, bring in someone young and cheap, someone who won't rock the boat and doesn't take away the power.

I know it sounds cynical but it's hard not to be after the last few years.

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

21 minutes ago, Claudio Fannieri said:

I will be amazed if the club appoint Rudkin as CEO, more likely he will becoming group Sporting Director overseeing all of KP sporting interests, which makes hiring someone like George Friend who is a relative novice and fairly unproven in his role to date, the perfect solution,  as it offers Rudkin the perfect person to control and maintain the status quo of him having total autonomy without having the challenge from someone who is a more experienced operator. 
 

He will become Rudkin’s man so grateful for the opportunity that he will likely toe the line and be more then happy to accept the norm. 

Exactly. These clowns need hounding out don’t they.

 

I’ve been thinking about when RvN mentioned the structures at the club in a positive light when he was first appointed. I’m not sure if RvN was directly questioned about it (possibly not), but it is a strange thing for a new manager to mention without being asked about it. I think he’s done it as a way of ensuring the topic gets air time and therefore scrutiny. This is a common thing in PR. From recollection he said he spoke to Enzo, who was glowing about the structures - despite everyone knowing and it being in print that Enzo was critical about it.

[fox_favourite]

46 minutes ago, Claudio Fannieri said:

I will be amazed if the club appoint Rudkin as CEO, more likely he will becoming group Sporting Director overseeing all of KP sporting interests, which makes hiring someone like George Friend who is a relative novice and fairly unproven in his role to date, the perfect solution,  as it offers Rudkin the perfect person to control and maintain the status quo of him having total autonomy without having the challenge from someone who is a more experienced operator. 
 

He will become Rudkin’s man so grateful for the opportunity that he will likely toe the line and be more then happy to accept the norm. 

So in a word making a change to keep it the same?

 

For the record this is exactly what I can see happening. They then become the fall guy when things go wrong. For change to happen, Rudkin needs to be moved on and board members changed. But I don't know in reality how easy that is. 

Edited 5 February by fox_favourite

[Lionator]

10 hours ago, Silebyfox_89 said:

I'd go and get the bloke from Toulouse 

Antoine Dupont? Still would be better than Rudkin 

[Iwebema]

 

28 minutes ago, fox_favourite said:

But I don't know in reality how easy that is

 

Its very easy to do, it's just the desire to do it that's lacking from Top, he's too far in with people like Rudkin and some others.

 

I admit I don't know alot about Friend as a DOF, but I wouldn't say Bristol Rovers are exactly excelling, he doesn't seem to have a strong reputation, put it this way I don't think any club close to our stature would have him on a short list for a role like this. Which is where my cynicism kicks in because I'm very aware of how reluctant Rudkin is to losing any power or control he has.

 

That said, if this were to happen you have to give him a chance to prove himself and at least it would start to signal that at least there's some recognition that something needs to be done, it's like step 1 in a very long slow process in removing Rudkin from on field decisions.

[CosbehFox]

1 hour ago, Iwebema said:

My immediate thought was exactly this, if we are too bring one in just for the optics, bring in someone young and cheap, someone who won't rock the boat and doesn't take away the power.

I know it sounds cynical but it's hard not to be after the last few years.

Yep. 
 

Two years as a DoF of a mid table League One club with no notable success makes him prime picking for this role 

 

Id question how they heard of him for the job. If he was doing cracking at Bristol Rovwrs it would make sense but we’ve probably put feelers out with agents agai 

Edited 5 February by CosbehFox