The results he and his team produced speak for themselves. He did a very professional and good job but he wasn’t a magician. There will be plenty of people out there just as good as Will Abbott and provided we do our due diligence and get the recruitment process right it should be almost a seemless transition to the next person.
Well, we were plagued by squad-depleting injury crises for years until Abbot discovered the issue with the training pitches and produced the fittest team in the league. If he was that easy to replace, that would've happened long before he arrived.
Must have missed this, what was the issue with the training pitches?
So Abbott is unique in his abilities and is irreplaceable. Fair enough. I stand corrected.
Not irreplaceable, just not as common as suggested. If he were, we wouldn't have spent years held together with duct tape.
Maybe, but it’s not like we were being run well during that time either.
Again, not to belittle Abbott’s role, but ultimately we were going from what seemed like quite a low baseline to this.
We ultimately as football fans will not really have much of a clue about that sector, but I’d be shocked if we can’t find someone who can carry on his good work - and considering this lot hired Abbott they clearly know what they are looking for.
So Abbott is unique in his abilities and is irreplaceable. Fair enough. I stand corrected.
Not irreplaceable, just not as common as suggested. If he were, we wouldn't have spent years held together with duct tape.
Then that is purely down to the club under resourcing that department of the club. I really do get that Will Abbott made a very positive impact on the levels of fitness and injury recovery time. He’s clearly good at his job. Previous to his arrival and new owners the performance and fitness area of the club had been neglected. What I’m also saying is that his success isn’t as a result of him being some sort of mystic with sports healing powers that nobody else has. It’s a science based job. I’d suggest that every Premier League club has a Head of Performance that is on a par with Will. Probably most clubs in The Championship. I’ll reiterate that provided the club put in the leg work and offer the right package there is absolutely no reason why we can’t get someone on board who is just as good.
The results he and his team produced speak for themselves. He did a very professional and good job but he wasn’t a magician. There will be plenty of people out there just as good as Will Abbott and provided we do our due diligence and get the recruitment process right it should be almost a seemless transition to the next person.
Well, we were plagued by squad-depleting injury crises for years until Abbot discovered the issue with the training pitches and produced the fittest team in the league. If he was that easy to replace, that would've happened long before he arrived.
Must have missed this, what was the issue with the training pitches?
All those years we thought we were cursed. Turns out there were issues with the drainage and irrigation of the training pitches, making them heavy and causing injuries.
Will Abbott: "Playing surfaces and pitch surfaces specifically have significant effects upon injury risk. Not only that but also the speed and intensity at which we can train and play. The ambition is that the changes to the new pitches - both at The Valley and here at the training ground - will allow us to firstly reduce our injury burden risk for training injuries, and secondly increases the intensity and the speed of the work that we conduct on the pitch.”
The results he and his team produced speak for themselves. He did a very professional and good job but he wasn’t a magician. There will be plenty of people out there just as good as Will Abbott and provided we do our due diligence and get the recruitment process right it should be almost a seemless transition to the next person.
Well, we were plagued by squad-depleting injury crises for years until Abbot discovered the issue with the training pitches and produced the fittest team in the league. If he was that easy to replace, that would've happened long before he arrived.
Must have missed this, what was the issue with the training pitches?
All those years we thought we were cursed. Turns out there were issues with the drainage and irrigation of the training pitches, making them heavy and causing injuries.
Will Abbott: "Playing surfaces and pitch surfaces specifically have significant effects upon injury risk. Not only that but also the speed and intensity at which we can train and play. The ambition is that the changes to the new pitches - both at The Valley and here at the training ground - will allow us to firstly reduce our injury burden risk for training injuries, and secondly increases the intensity and the speed of the work that we conduct on the pitch.”
It’s starting to sound like I’m dissing Abbott but I’m not. He was top draw. My question here is based on Chunes helpful quote by Abbott. Now did Abbott discover for himself and that nobody else in sports science knew that pitches and surfaces are critical in reducing injuries etc etc or has he learned that through experience and working at higher levels than at CAFC (Brighton) or perhaps, is it something that’s widely understood within the game when preparing playing surfaces. If I’m right and it’s not down to his “discovering” this but learned then yes he gets credit for the change but another Head of Performance would also have presumably seen the problem. I’d hope the club will do a bit of headhunting themselves within the game and try and tempt a PL number two HoP or aim higher. Pity he’s departed but he’s definitely replaceable with equivalent expertise.
Guru is correct and Dr Will Abbott is far from "magical' but he does use Science to be so good at setting programs and tracing what might be adding to the injuries; training pitches etc.
In a contact* sport no Doctor can stop injuries but to get players up to an optimum stamina level and nutritional diets and sleeping habits are all part of Sports science.
It's the opposite of the supernatural.
Edit. *Contact not contract but probably a Freudian slip by me !
Like was said at the Fan's meeting. Nathan Jones has a very good fitness record for his players across his managerial career. I think a lot of the availability is not buying crocks like we used to love doing. I'm sure Will is very good at his job but at the end of the day it's fairly minor news in my opinion. Keeping key players or Jones is far more important.
Didn’t Abbott come here as a means to get a more senior role, that he couldn’t hold at Brighton, he’s done that, and now moves to a role he thinks his career needs.
This happens in all industries, why shouldn’t sports be different
Didn’t Abbott come here as a means to get a more senior role, that he couldn’t hold at Brighton, he’s done that, and now moves to a role he thinks his career needs.
This happens in all industries, why shouldn’t sports be different
Guru is correct and Dr Will Abbott is far from "magical' but he does use Science to be so good at setting programs and tracing what might be adding to the injuries; training pitches etc.
In a contract sport no Doctor can stop injuries but to get players up to an optimum stamina level and nutritional diets and sleeping habits are all part of Sports science.
It's the opposite of the supernatural.
That's part of the human element of the job description, which I think SHG misses, and is what will make recruiting somebody as good as or better than Abbott more challenging than he is prepared to accept.
Headhunting from an FAPL club or higher level Champ club is certainly possible, if we are looking to offer that person a bigger role than the one they have, and for mre money than they currently receive. But such a candidate will have less experience. The people hiring have to judge whether the person can grow into the bigger role with us successfully. Abbott himself did, so it's certainly possible.
The other human element which is harder to predict is how the person in the role is expected to relate to other management. Nathan Jones is obviously one of those, but not the only one. There are always some conflicts between the manager and coaches and the fitness and medical people, since the former always want the maximum availability of players. The person coming in will take a look at the people he will have to interract with. He may or may not like the look of them.
These people are not "scientists' in the sense of people working alone in labs. There is a human element to what they do, and to how they perform in a given management structure; and it can be difficult to assess in advance how well they may perform - or if they even want to perform for our people. In this context it is worth remembering that Abbott arrived before NJ, and that Andy Scott announced his arrival (Scott may or may not have been the recruiter, I don't know). And finally for balance, it takes two to tango and it may be that Abbott didn't handle the interractions with his bosses as well as some others might do. But then again, I rarely saw such problems emerging in corporate managers who had stayed with their current employer for 10 years and been promoted several times.
Replacing him is not impossible but it will be more difficult to get someone better than most people think, and I would much rather we did not have to, given how bloody long it has taken us to get to our current fitness and availability levels compared with other comparable clubs.
Guru is correct and Dr Will Abbott is far from "magical' but he does use Science to be so good at setting programs and tracing what might be adding to the injuries; training pitches etc.
In a contract sport no Doctor can stop injuries but to get players up to an optimum stamina level and nutritional diets and sleeping habits are all part of Sports science.
It's the opposite of the supernatural.
That's part of the human element of the job description, which I think SHG misses, and is what will make recruiting somebody as good as or better than Abbott more challenging than he is prepared to accept.
Headhunting from an FAPL club or higher level Champ club is certainly possible, if we are looking to offer that person a bigger role than the one they have, and for mre money than they currently receive. But such a candidate will have less experience. The people hiring have to judge whether the person can grow into the bigger role with us successfully. Abbott himself did, so it's certainly possible.
The other human element which is harder to predict is how the person in the role is expected to relate to other management. Nathan Jones is obviously one of those, but not the only one. There are always some conflicts between the manager and coaches and the fitness and medical people, since the former always want the maximum availability of players. The person coming in will take a look at the people he will have to interract with. He may or may not like the look of them.
These people are not "scientists' in the sense of people working alone in labs. There is a human element to what they do, and to how they perform in a given management structure; and it can be difficult to assess in advance how well they may perform - or if they even want to perform for our people. In this context it is worth remembering that Abbott arrived before NJ, and that Andy Scott announced his arrival (Scott may or may not have been the recruiter, I don't know). And finally for balance, it takes two to tango and it may be that Abbott didn't handle the interractions with his bosses as well as some others might do. But then again, I rarely saw such problems emerging in corporate managers who had stayed with their current employer for 10 years and been promoted several times.
Replacing him is not impossible but it will be more difficult to get someone better than most people think, and I would much rather we did not have to, given how bloody long it has taken us to get to our current fitness and availability levels compared with other comparable clubs.
With great respect Prague Science is not just about “scientists” working alone in labs. Science is a discipline. The same methodology is used right across the many many sciences. It works using evidence based practices. Verified research and data. Certainly sports science requires a more human, perhaps front of house type personality than the loner lab person but science and scientists are no more or less likely to be a people person than anyone else. Whoever comes in needs to be able to work with his new colleagues but that’s the same for any job. I’m sure that side of the new person will be looked at at interview. As for your very last sentence, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Other comparable clubs are where we have reached under Abbott. The other comparable clubs got there without him. Irreplaceable he’s not.
The thing is, we don't need someone who can do what Abbott (apparently) did. The issues whether they were with the pitch or the training or whatever it was seem to have been addressed. The general fitness has improved, likewise the injury record.
We DO NOT NEED someone to do all those things. We need someone who can make sure that all the things we are already doing, we keep doing.
We absolutely shouldn't be hiring just anyone but I think we'll probably be able to find someone to do what needs doing.
Guru is correct and Dr Will Abbott is far from "magical' but he does use Science to be so good at setting programs and tracing what might be adding to the injuries; training pitches etc.
In a contract sport no Doctor can stop injuries but to get players up to an optimum stamina level and nutritional diets and sleeping habits are all part of Sports science.
It's the opposite of the supernatural.
That's part of the human element of the job description, which I think SHG misses, and is what will make recruiting somebody as good as or better than Abbott more challenging than he is prepared to accept.
Headhunting from an FAPL club or higher level Champ club is certainly possible, if we are looking to offer that person a bigger role than the one they have, and for mre money than they currently receive. But such a candidate will have less experience. The people hiring have to judge whether the person can grow into the bigger role with us successfully. Abbott himself did, so it's certainly possible.
The other human element which is harder to predict is how the person in the role is expected to relate to other management. Nathan Jones is obviously one of those, but not the only one. There are always some conflicts between the manager and coaches and the fitness and medical people, since the former always want the maximum availability of players. The person coming in will take a look at the people he will have to interract with. He may or may not like the look of them.
These people are not "scientists' in the sense of people working alone in labs. There is a human element to what they do, and to how they perform in a given management structure; and it can be difficult to assess in advance how well they may perform - or if they even want to perform for our people. In this context it is worth remembering that Abbott arrived before NJ, and that Andy Scott announced his arrival (Scott may or may not have been the recruiter, I don't know). And finally for balance, it takes two to tango and it may be that Abbott didn't handle the interractions with his bosses as well as some others might do. But then again, I rarely saw such problems emerging in corporate managers who had stayed with their current employer for 10 years and been promoted several times.
Replacing him is not impossible but it will be more difficult to get someone better than most people think, and I would much rather we did not have to, given how bloody long it has taken us to get to our current fitness and availability levels compared with other comparable clubs.
With great respect Prague Science is not just about “scientists” working alone in labs. Science is a discipline. The same methodology is used right across the many many sciences. It works using evidence based practices. Verified research and data. Certainly sports science requires a more human, perhaps front of house type personality than the loner lab person but science and scientists are no more or less likely to be a people person than anyone else. Whoever comes in needs to be able to work with his new colleagues but that’s the same for any job. I’m sure that side of the new person will be looked at at interview. As for your very last sentence, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Other comparable clubs are where we have reached under Abbott. The other comparable clubs got there without him. Irreplaceable he’s not.
I think you're saying these outcomes are inevitable because sports science is just applying evidence-based practice, and anyone trained can do it. And anyone who is a human can work with other humans in more or less the same way. I think they're great ideas, but are they the reality... I'm not sure. I can think of a lot of examples where that's not the case. You could give all chefs the same scientific cooking training, and some would earn Michelin stars and others would burn toast. Some would motivate their staff and work well with other departments, others wouldn't.
What we do know, is that we have lost someone who provided excellent outcomes, and we may replace him with someone who does exactly the same, or they might not. Neither of us could say with any certainty that his replacement will have the same success.
Guru is correct and Dr Will Abbott is far from "magical' but he does use Science to be so good at setting programs and tracing what might be adding to the injuries; training pitches etc.
In a contract sport no Doctor can stop injuries but to get players up to an optimum stamina level and nutritional diets and sleeping habits are all part of Sports science.
It's the opposite of the supernatural.
That's part of the human element of the job description, which I think SHG misses, and is what will make recruiting somebody as good as or better than Abbott more challenging than he is prepared to accept.
Headhunting from an FAPL club or higher level Champ club is certainly possible, if we are looking to offer that person a bigger role than the one they have, and for mre money than they currently receive. But such a candidate will have less experience. The people hiring have to judge whether the person can grow into the bigger role with us successfully. Abbott himself did, so it's certainly possible.
The other human element which is harder to predict is how the person in the role is expected to relate to other management. Nathan Jones is obviously one of those, but not the only one. There are always some conflicts between the manager and coaches and the fitness and medical people, since the former always want the maximum availability of players. The person coming in will take a look at the people he will have to interract with. He may or may not like the look of them.
These people are not "scientists' in the sense of people working alone in labs. There is a human element to what they do, and to how they perform in a given management structure; and it can be difficult to assess in advance how well they may perform - or if they even want to perform for our people. In this context it is worth remembering that Abbott arrived before NJ, and that Andy Scott announced his arrival (Scott may or may not have been the recruiter, I don't know). And finally for balance, it takes two to tango and it may be that Abbott didn't handle the interractions with his bosses as well as some others might do. But then again, I rarely saw such problems emerging in corporate managers who had stayed with their current employer for 10 years and been promoted several times.
Replacing him is not impossible but it will be more difficult to get someone better than most people think, and I would much rather we did not have to, given how bloody long it has taken us to get to our current fitness and availability levels compared with other comparable clubs.
With great respect Prague Science is not just about “scientists” working alone in labs. Science is a discipline. The same methodology is used right across the many many sciences. It works using evidence based practices. Verified research and data. Certainly sports science requires a more human, perhaps front of house type personality than the loner lab person but science and scientists are no more or less likely to be a people person than anyone else. Whoever comes in needs to be able to work with his new colleagues but that’s the same for any job. I’m sure that side of the new person will be looked at at interview. As for your very last sentence, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Other comparable clubs are where we have reached under Abbott. The other comparable clubs got there without him. Irreplaceable he’s not.
I think you're saying these outcomes are inevitable because sports science is just applying evidence-based practice, and anyone trained can do it. And anyone who is a human can work with other humans in more or less the same way. I think they're great ideas, but are they the reality... I'm not sure. I can think of a lot of examples where that's not the case. You could give all chefs the same scientific cooking training, and some would earn Michelin stars and others would burn toast. Some would motivate their staff and work well with other departments, others wouldn't.
What we do know, is that we have lost someone who provided excellent outcomes, and we may replace him with someone who does exactly the same, or they might not. Neither of us could say with any certainty that his replacement will have the same success.
I’m not saying that at all. What i’m saying is there are people out there with the right experience and skill set to do the job that Abbot did. The package on offer and the selection process should be able to find that person. Will they be exactly the same ? Of course not but they might bring just as much to the party as he did and who knows possibly more. I’m disappointed that he’s left because he apparently did an excellent job. What I don’t think is that he’s not replaceable. I’m sure as Prague points out it won’t be easy, recruiting the best people never is, but the person who steps into his shoes is out there.
Guru is correct and Dr Will Abbott is far from "magical' but he does use Science to be so good at setting programs and tracing what might be adding to the injuries; training pitches etc.
In a contract sport no Doctor can stop injuries but to get players up to an optimum stamina level and nutritional diets and sleeping habits are all part of Sports science.
It's the opposite of the supernatural.
That's part of the human element of the job description, which I think SHG misses, and is what will make recruiting somebody as good as or better than Abbott more challenging than he is prepared to accept.
Headhunting from an FAPL club or higher level Champ club is certainly possible, if we are looking to offer that person a bigger role than the one they have, and for mre money than they currently receive. But such a candidate will have less experience. The people hiring have to judge whether the person can grow into the bigger role with us successfully. Abbott himself did, so it's certainly possible.
The other human element which is harder to predict is how the person in the role is expected to relate to other management. Nathan Jones is obviously one of those, but not the only one. There are always some conflicts between the manager and coaches and the fitness and medical people, since the former always want the maximum availability of players. The person coming in will take a look at the people he will have to interract with. He may or may not like the look of them.
These people are not "scientists' in the sense of people working alone in labs. There is a human element to what they do, and to how they perform in a given management structure; and it can be difficult to assess in advance how well they may perform - or if they even want to perform for our people. In this context it is worth remembering that Abbott arrived before NJ, and that Andy Scott announced his arrival (Scott may or may not have been the recruiter, I don't know). And finally for balance, it takes two to tango and it may be that Abbott didn't handle the interractions with his bosses as well as some others might do. But then again, I rarely saw such problems emerging in corporate managers who had stayed with their current employer for 10 years and been promoted several times.
Replacing him is not impossible but it will be more difficult to get someone better than most people think, and I would much rather we did not have to, given how bloody long it has taken us to get to our current fitness and availability levels compared with other comparable clubs.
With great respect Prague Science is not just about “scientists” working alone in labs. Science is a discipline. The same methodology is used right across the many many sciences. It works using evidence based practices. Verified research and data. Certainly sports science requires a more human, perhaps front of house type personality than the loner lab person but science and scientists are no more or less likely to be a people person than anyone else. Whoever comes in needs to be able to work with his new colleagues but that’s the same for any job. I’m sure that side of the new person will be looked at at interview. As for your very last sentence, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Other comparable clubs are where we have reached under Abbott. The other comparable clubs got there without him. Irreplaceable he’s not.
I think you're saying these outcomes are inevitable because sports science is just applying evidence-based practice, and anyone trained can do it. And anyone who is a human can work with other humans in more or less the same way. I think they're great ideas, but are they the reality... I'm not sure. I can think of a lot of examples where that's not the case. You could give all chefs the same scientific cooking training, and some would earn Michelin stars and others would burn toast. Some would motivate their staff and work well with other departments, others wouldn't.
What we do know, is that we have lost someone who provided excellent outcomes, and we may replace him with someone who does exactly the same, or they might not. Neither of us could say with any certainty that his replacement will have the same success.
I’m not saying that at all. What i’m saying is there are people out there with the right experience and skill set to do the job that Abbot did. The package on offer and the selection process should be able to find that person. Will they be exactly the same ? Of course not but they might bring just as much to the party as he did and who knows possibly more. I’m disappointed that he’s left because he apparently did an excellent job. What I don’t think is that he’s not replaceable. I’m sure as Prague points out it won’t be easy, recruiting the best people never is, but the person who steps into his shoes is out there.
I hope we find someone who can offer the same. Or perhaps we've already embedded enough of Will Abbot's methods that we can keep the same levels of fitness. I did notice Watford fans commenting on how much fitter than them we looked in the last 10 mins of that game, so their performance director definitely isn't as good!
Guru is correct and Dr Will Abbott is far from "magical' but he does use Science to be so good at setting programs and tracing what might be adding to the injuries; training pitches etc.
In a contract sport no Doctor can stop injuries but to get players up to an optimum stamina level and nutritional diets and sleeping habits are all part of Sports science.
It's the opposite of the supernatural.
That's part of the human element of the job description, which I think SHG misses, and is what will make recruiting somebody as good as or better than Abbott more challenging than he is prepared to accept.
Headhunting from an FAPL club or higher level Champ club is certainly possible, if we are looking to offer that person a bigger role than the one they have, and for mre money than they currently receive. But such a candidate will have less experience. The people hiring have to judge whether the person can grow into the bigger role with us successfully. Abbott himself did, so it's certainly possible.
The other human element which is harder to predict is how the person in the role is expected to relate to other management. Nathan Jones is obviously one of those, but not the only one. There are always some conflicts between the manager and coaches and the fitness and medical people, since the former always want the maximum availability of players. The person coming in will take a look at the people he will have to interract with. He may or may not like the look of them.
These people are not "scientists' in the sense of people working alone in labs. There is a human element to what they do, and to how they perform in a given management structure; and it can be difficult to assess in advance how well they may perform - or if they even want to perform for our people. In this context it is worth remembering that Abbott arrived before NJ, and that Andy Scott announced his arrival (Scott may or may not have been the recruiter, I don't know). And finally for balance, it takes two to tango and it may be that Abbott didn't handle the interractions with his bosses as well as some others might do. But then again, I rarely saw such problems emerging in corporate managers who had stayed with their current employer for 10 years and been promoted several times.
Replacing him is not impossible but it will be more difficult to get someone better than most people think, and I would much rather we did not have to, given how bloody long it has taken us to get to our current fitness and availability levels compared with other comparable clubs.
With great respect Prague Science is not just about “scientists” working alone in labs. Science is a discipline. The same methodology is used right across the many many sciences. It works using evidence based practices. Verified research and data. Certainly sports science requires a more human, perhaps front of house type personality than the loner lab person but science and scientists are no more or less likely to be a people person than anyone else. Whoever comes in needs to be able to work with his new colleagues but that’s the same for any job. I’m sure that side of the new person will be looked at at interview. As for your very last sentence, you’ve hit the nail on the head. Other comparable clubs are where we have reached under Abbott. The other comparable clubs got there without him. Irreplaceable he’s not.
I think you're saying these outcomes are inevitable because sports science is just applying evidence-based practice, and anyone trained can do it. And anyone who is a human can work with other humans in more or less the same way. I think they're great ideas, but are they the reality... I'm not sure. I can think of a lot of examples where that's not the case. You could give all chefs the same scientific cooking training, and some would earn Michelin stars and others would burn toast. Some would motivate their staff and work well with other departments, others wouldn't.
What we do know, is that we have lost someone who provided excellent outcomes, and we may replace him with someone who does exactly the same, or they might not. Neither of us could say with any certainty that his replacement will have the same success.
I’m not saying that at all. What i’m saying is there are people out there with the right experience and skill set to do the job that Abbot did. The package on offer and the selection process should be able to find that person. Will they be exactly the same ? Of course not but they might bring just as much to the party as he did and who knows possibly more. I’m disappointed that he’s left because he apparently did an excellent job. What I don’t think is that he’s not replaceable. I’m sure as Prague points out it won’t be easy, recruiting the best people never is, but the person who steps into his shoes is out there.
I hope we find someone who can offer the same. Or perhaps we've already embedded enough of Will Abbot's methods that we can keep the same levels of fitness. I did notice Watford fans commenting on how much fitter than them we looked in the last 10 mins of that game, so their performance director definitely isn't as good!
And neither were pretty much all of them in League One, and before we arrived we were mediocre within the leagues we were in, especially once Duchatelet came in and cut everything.
Comments
We ultimately as football fans will not really have much of a clue about that sector, but I’d be shocked if we can’t find someone who can carry on his good work - and considering this lot hired Abbott they clearly know what they are looking for.
Will Abbott: "Playing surfaces and pitch surfaces specifically have significant effects upon injury risk. Not only that but also the speed and intensity at which we can train and play. The ambition is that the changes to the new pitches - both at The Valley and here at the training ground - will allow us to firstly reduce our injury burden risk for training injuries, and secondly increases the intensity and the speed of the work that we conduct on the pitch.”
In a contact* sport no Doctor can stop injuries but to get players up to an optimum stamina level and nutritional diets and sleeping habits are all part of Sports science.
It's the opposite of the supernatural.
Edit. *Contact not contract but probably a Freudian slip by me !
Headhunting from an FAPL club or higher level Champ club is certainly possible, if we are looking to offer that person a bigger role than the one they have, and for mre money than they currently receive. But such a candidate will have less experience. The people hiring have to judge whether the person can grow into the bigger role with us successfully. Abbott himself did, so it's certainly possible.
The other human element which is harder to predict is how the person in the role is expected to relate to other management. Nathan Jones is obviously one of those, but not the only one. There are always some conflicts between the manager and coaches and the fitness and medical people, since the former always want the maximum availability of players. The person coming in will take a look at the people he will have to interract with. He may or may not like the look of them.
These people are not "scientists' in the sense of people working alone in labs. There is a human element to what they do, and to how they perform in a given management structure; and it can be difficult to assess in advance how well they may perform - or if they even want to perform for our people. In this context it is worth remembering that Abbott arrived before NJ, and that Andy Scott announced his arrival (Scott may or may not have been the recruiter, I don't know). And finally for balance, it takes two to tango and it may be that Abbott didn't handle the interractions with his bosses as well as some others might do. But then again, I rarely saw such problems emerging in corporate managers who had stayed with their current employer for 10 years and been promoted several times.
Replacing him is not impossible but it will be more difficult to get someone better than most people think, and I would much rather we did not have to, given how bloody long it has taken us to get to our current fitness and availability levels compared with other comparable clubs.
We DO NOT NEED someone to do all those things. We need someone who can make sure that all the things we are already doing, we keep doing.
We absolutely shouldn't be hiring just anyone but I think we'll probably be able to find someone to do what needs doing.
What we do know, is that we have lost someone who provided excellent outcomes, and we may replace him with someone who does exactly the same, or they might not. Neither of us could say with any certainty that his replacement will have the same success.
"Take two aspirins and come back tomorrow if you don't feel better".
Any fool could say that. In fact, I just did.