Football Operations Revamp - Hiring Technical Director, CEO, and Commercial Director - Rudkin moving 'upstairs'

[Nick]

Well this is a real step in the right direction following the disastrous interview and interim appointment.

[Claudio Fannieri]

I think this is what was on the cards at the time we got promoted  under Enzo before Chelsea came calling, he always said that there were good people at the club but they needed more help, experience and support, I think Top has probably recognised it’s now or never, he has to change something to win back the support of a proportion of the fanbase and to give the club the best chance of returning to being a sustainable and successful entity. 
 

Many have said Jon Rudkin was never going to be sacked and that a move upstairs or sideways was the only war that some change on the football operations side could happen, this offers that opportunity. 
 

The recruitment of a new Chief Executive and Commercial Director should also be welcomed, again an opportunity for the club to strengthen this side of the business whilst also bringing in fresh ideas and thinking. 
 

People can argue all day long about timing, motive etc etc but the reality is this is what so many have been asking for, of course it’s critical that the club get the appointments right and they are given the structure and environment to be successful, but this is a massive step in the right direction and hopefully the start of our long journey back to where we know we can be as a club. 
 

[King Claudio]

18 hours ago, urban.spaceman said:

Apple AI summary of the article:


Leicester City are undergoing a major overhaul of their football operations, appointing their first-ever technical director to take control of recruitment and scouting. This move comes amid pressure from supporters due to recent relegations and financial struggles. While Jon Rudkin will remain as director of football, the new technical director will oversee various football departments, working closely with the head of senior recruitment.

Can someone explain to me what the point is of having a Technical Director to "take control of recruitment and Scouting" when we have Martyn Glover who's job title is "Head of Senior scouting and recruitment". 

 

Rudkin in the background sticking in his worthless two penneth as well At best it's going to be a case of too many chiefs with them all tripping over themselves. 

 

Can we please stop creating extra tiers of management to protect people who aren't good enough. 

[FoxesTez]

Intention and execution are two very different things. If the appointments are people who will be afraid to unsettle things and make tough decisions then nothing changes. 
 

I think the whole thing will give the perception of change, but the reality will be different. 

[sm1]

It's simple, keep Rudkin away from contract negotiations. In fact any changes that still give Rudkin authority and responsibility aren't going to be successful. We need competent people at the club with strict accountability. 

[Winstonthedog]

14 hours ago, Dahnsouff said:

Yes, but no longer in charge of football things…quite as much….

But still pulling the strings of the yes man puppet who is employed...

[The Doctor]

13 hours ago, BrilliantFox said:

Not a single person has wanted a Rudkin promotion. We wanted him gone.

 

All this does is give him a position with more power and it diverts fan attention towards a new guy who will take the blame for his superior.

 

Except a significant number have said that realistically, since Rudkin is in with King Power, the best we can get is him gone by moving him up to King Power Sporting Operations Director or some such title, where he is not really involved on a day to day basis with us and is instead on paper looking after the polo stuff and Leuven as well. Which is what we've got.

 

It's a promotion on paper, what it means in reality is we've got him gone, away from where he's been creating problems for the last 5 years.

Edited 15 November 2025 by The Doctor

[Dahnsouff]

7 minutes ago, The Doctor said:

Except a significant number have said that realistically, since Rudkin is in with King Power, the best we can get is him gone by moving him up to King Power Sporting Operations Director or some such title, where he is not really involved on a day to day basis with us and is instead on paper looking after the polo stuff and Leuven as well. Which is what we've got.

 

It's a promotion on paper, what it means in reality is we've got him gone, away from where he's been creating problems for the last 5 years.

Agree. This is the hope, and we now need to see Top carry this through. Who is appointed as technical director could be quite telling.

[Sol thewall Bamba]

We'll get some good applications and we'll go with none of them and appoint a King Power approved yes man.

[Dahnsouff]

1 minute ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

We'll get some good applications and we'll go with none of them and appoint a King Power approved yes man.

Quite possible. If they pick a 'pet' TD any bridges he is looking to build will instantly crumble.

[Aleksz]

1 hour ago, King Claudio said:

Can someone explain to me what the point is of having a Technical Director to "take control of recruitment and Scouting" when we have Martyn Glover who's job title is "Head of Senior scouting and recruitment". 

 

Rudkin in the background sticking in his worthless two penneth as well At best it's going to be a case of too many chiefs with them all tripping over themselves. 

 

Can we please stop creating extra tiers of management to protect people who aren't good enough. 

Technical director signs the players and does the deals, head of recruitment controls the scouts and prioritises their recommendations.

 

Interested to know who controls current contracts between Director of Football and Technical director though, Rudkins Achilles heel of course. 

Edited 15 November 2025 by Aleksz

[UniFox21]

25 minutes ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

We'll get some good applications and we'll go with none of them and appoint a King Power approved yes man.

Frustrating thing isn't it? 

On paper we're a big club, brilliant infrastructure and a one club city. All it needs is someone strong willed to take the wheel and steer us back. 

[Happy Fox]

This all bull shit tactics. Honestly we need new ownership, this revamp is all for show.

[Donwebbio]

If we look at Arsenal as the poster boys of a well run club in 2025 and how they do things, replicating or being guided by their set up would be a good starting place:

 

Chief Executive Officer: Richard Garlick. Previously MD & DFO. Law background with experience as DOF for the Premier League & before that at WBA.

 

Director of Football Operations: James King. Responsibility for overseeing the clubs football and administration. 16 years experience in business and sport.

 

Sporting Director: Andrea Berta. Recently appointed after a highly successful 12 year period in the same role at Athletico Madrid. 

 

Below them you will have the heads of departments: Medicine, Recruitment, Academy etc.

 

By comparison, we have a call centre worker as acting CEO, Rudkin in the DoFO roll, and now with a job advert out for Technical Director.

 

My previous doubts stand in so far as you need the vision and competence at the top in order to recognise and attract talent to back fill the positions below. How does Top/Rudkin know who is good and who isn't? I appreciate we are not Arsenal and be in a posirion to recruit Athletico's highly-rated SD, but we appoint the best available with the lure of job autonomy and a clear pathway for progression.

 

[jammie82uk]

15 hours ago, BrilliantFox said:

Not a single person has wanted a Rudkin promotion.

He’s not getting one, The headline is surely misleading, in the article it states Rudkin is remaining as DOF, so how is keeping his current position a promotion? 

[1972 Fox]

20 minutes ago, jammie82uk said:

He’s not getting one, The headline is surely misleading, in the article it states Rudkin is remaining as DOF, so how is keeping his current position a promotion? 

He needs to be gone.

 

Not kept on by being moved upstairs (sideways) while Top and him appoint a Technical Director to work below them.

 

I don't see anything improving until KP and Rudkin are gone.

[Finnegan]

3 hours ago, Nick said:

Well this is a real step in the right direction following the disastrous interview and interim appointment.

 

As if we won't **** it up spectacularly

 

[CUJimmy]

I am really struggling to get my head round the new structure.  Does anyone have a schematic showing core responsibilities, reporting lines and names of current post-holders so we can see how it fits together?

 

It would also be interesting to know how it came about.  Was it a team from the wider King Power group or external management consultants?  I can’t believe all the work has been done since Susan Whelan left so is there a link there?  Had she been told that she needed to move so jumped instead?

 

We have to see it as a positive that Top has recognised the need for structural change but the jury is out for me on whether it will have an impact.  I still think the most fundamental change needed is for Top to step aside as Chair and bring in a really big hitter with strong football business experience.  Yes it would cost but only the same as a first team squad player or two.  The barrier to that is the loss of face which is so important in that level of SE Asian culture (and many others to be fair).

[Finnegan]

All jokes aside, a Technical Director doesn't usually do what anyone celebrating in here thinks they do. 

 

Obviously this is a bit vague for two reasons.

 

Firstly, every club uses the terms Sporting Director, Technical Director and Director of Football somewhat differently and in some cases interchangeably. Whilst they aren't supposed to be direct synonyms it does sometimes transpire that way. 

 

Secondly, we take that a step further again and have employed someone as "Director of Football" for a decade now who largely just appears to have delegated everything to the manager of the club as if it's still 1995 anyway. 

 

But usually the Technical Director is more of a conduit between senior and junior teams, someone who keeps continuity in a playing philosophy across the club and someone who provably has more influence in recruiting staff like coaches across the club as opposed to players. 

 

It's not normally the case that someone with the title Technical Director is leading on player recruitment, is building the squad, managing contacts, etc. 

 

It honestly wouldn't surprise me massively if this doesn't lead to significant on field change.

 

[jammie82uk]

25 minutes ago, CUJimmy said:

 

I am really struggling to get my head round the new structure.

 

In a football club, the listed roles—director of football, Football Operations Director, technical director, CEO, and Head of Senior Scouting and Recruitment—each have distinct but sometimes overlapping responsibilities. Here is a breakdown of who does what within a typical modern club structure.

Director of Football
•    Oversees the entire sporting side of the club, including the first team, academy, player recruitment, and analysis departments.
•    Shapes the club’s football identity and long-term strategy, including football philosophy and youth academy plans.
•    Manages player transfers, contract negotiations, and the alignment of sporting objectives with board strategy.
•    Coordinates medical, scouting, data analysis, and sometimes training infrastructure improvements.

 

Football Operations Director
•    Manages day-to-day football operations and administration, ensuring the effective running of the first team and youth/development teams.
•    Handles player registrations, eligibility, disciplinary matters, and compliance with league or association regulations.
•    Supports the coaching staff by coordinating logistics, travel, matchday operations, and sometimes serves as a link between technical staff and the broader club management.

 

Technical Director
•    Designs and implements the club’s technical and playing principles from academy to first team.
•    Oversees coaching methodology, staff development, and performance-related functions such as sport science, analysis, and talent pathway development.
•    Ensures that all technical departments (youth, first team, recruitment) work cohesively towards long-term footballing success.

CEO (Chief Executive Officer)
•    Has ultimate executive authority for the club’s operations, both sporting and commercial, working closely with the board.
•    Sets the club’s strategic direction, ensures financial health, and drives organizational culture.
•    Oversees budgets, revenue streams, partnerships, and compliance at the highest level.
•    Usually, all department heads—including the director of football, Football Operations Director, and technical director—report up to the CEO.

 

Head of Senior Scouting and Recruitment
•    Manages the scouting department and oversees the identification and acquisition of players for both first team and academy.
•    Leads senior scouts and coordinates their activities, ensuring the club’s player recruitment aligns with the club’s philosophy and requirements.
•    Works closely with the director of football and technical director to implement the club’s talent identification and recruitment strategies.

Edited 15 November 2025 by jammie82uk

[Nolucklcfc]

It’s difficult to be optimistic when the guy overseeing the appointments have been shown to be completely and utterly out of his depth. 
 

what does Top know about any of the technical directors in England or Europe? 

[BrilliantFox]

11 minutes ago, jammie82uk said:

Director of Football
•    Oversees the entire sporting side of the club, including the first team, academy, player recruitment, and analysis departments.
•    Shapes the club’s football identity and long-term strategy, including football philosophy and youth academy plans.
•    Manages player transfers, contract negotiations, and the alignment of sporting objectives with board strategy.
•    Coordinates medical, scouting, data analysis, and sometimes training infrastructure improvements.

The fact that we're NOT bringing in a new DoF is the most worrisome part.

 

Notice how the club only mentioned a 'Technical Director'. Whats there to celebrate about? We will still have the same problems.

 

The Technical Director MUST answer to the DoF

 

Too much copium in this thread, fact is they're just bringing in a fall guy to take the blame and ease the pressure off Rudkin's neck.

Edited 15 November 2025 by BrilliantFox

[fazzyfox]

Top - Jon, I have good news and bad news for you

Rudkin - What’s the good news?

Top - Our detailed review of the clubs operational structure concludes that you should be moved upstairs where your abilities will be best utilised. 

Rudkin - Well, OK, what’s the bad news?

Top - We live in a bungalow

 

[CosbehFox]

2 hours ago, Sol thewall Bamba said:

We'll get some good applications and we'll go with none of them and appoint a King Power approved yes man.

Or with a certain agency. Wasserman’s phone be buzzing now 

[Ric Flair]

28 minutes ago, CosbehFox said:

Or with a certain agency. Wasserman’s phone be buzzing now 

It will be done off pure vibes and agents picks. Life under Aiyawatt.

 

Like an episodes of The Extra's with Barry Evans.