Former Dyson manager has tuned in to clean up the Saints after a hopeless season that kicked them out of the EPL
June 28 - Southampton Football Club, relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season, after a disastrous year under new ownership that saw Serbian money and Scandinavian interference destroy the fabric of the club, appointed a new general manager to clean up the mess.
Appropriately, new CEO Phil Parsons (pictured) comes from home appliance company Dyson, famous for its vacuum cleaners. Parsons was President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
His much more geo-specific new role will be focused on getting Southampton back to the Premier League when first asked. Although he needs all his skills to cope with the different cultures and international demands of owners on the sunny south coast which has turned very gray with the takeover of Sport Republic.
When taking over the club, Sport Republic said the core of its success - developing through its own academy, buying talent and turning it into Premier League quality - would not be affected.
The reality was that from the day they walked through the front door of St Marys, they began to meddle in the fundamental basis of the club: its performance structure.
Key staff have been sidelined (Head of Development Matt Crocker is now Sporting Director of the USA Soccer Federation preparing teams for World Cups) and staff have been recruited with a different player development strategy.
The new ownership turned out to be a disaster looking for a place to perform, as senior players were sidelined for new younger and ultimately not so talented players bought in at a fee overthrow of the big clubs of the Premier League. Players untested at those clubs for a reason, but players who the new Saints owners believe will keep them in the Premier League and provide them with more salable assets on the transfer market.
The new owners quickly found it wasn't easy to stay in the Premier League, the players were found to be far from their acquisition value, and they will discover next season that it is likely to be more difficult to come back.
The club have already had to cut costs and Parsons will find that if he looks to the fans to support the club with their own money, he will find huge disaffection within what is generally a more tolerant fanbase , compared to other similar clubs that have spent long spells in the Premier League. Even Saints fans had had enough.
Southampton Chairman Henrik Kraft said: "I am delighted that Phil has agreed to join the club as the new CEO. He brings with him extensive experience in corporate leadership roles for the one of the most recognized and innovative companies in the world and will bring a new vision and approach to the day-to-day management of our business operations.”
Improving business operations is one thing, but the Saints used to be a well-run club. The issue for the Saints is not business operations, but who they put on the field and who directs those decisions. The owners have shown themselves incapable of making these decisions. It's a problem Parsons won't be able to solve, no matter how big the high-tech "dyson" he's given.
Contact the author of this story at moc.l1687957321labto1687957321ofdlr1687957321owedi1687957321sni@n1687957321osloh1687957321cin.l1687957321uap1687957321
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June 28 - Southampton Football Club, relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season, after a disastrous year under new ownership that saw Serbian money and Scandinavian interference destroy the fabric of the club, appointed a new general manager to clean up the mess.
Appropriately, new CEO Phil Parsons (pictured) comes from home appliance company Dyson, famous for its vacuum cleaners. Parsons was President for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
His much more geo-specific new role will be focused on getting Southampton back to the Premier League when first asked. Although he needs all his skills to cope with the different cultures and international demands of owners on the sunny south coast which has turned very gray with the takeover of Sport Republic.
When taking over the club, Sport Republic said the core of its success - developing through its own academy, buying talent and turning it into Premier League quality - would not be affected.
The reality was that from the day they walked through the front door of St Marys, they began to meddle in the fundamental basis of the club: its performance structure.
Key staff have been sidelined (Head of Development Matt Crocker is now Sporting Director of the USA Soccer Federation preparing teams for World Cups) and staff have been recruited with a different player development strategy.
The new ownership turned out to be a disaster looking for a place to perform, as senior players were sidelined for new younger and ultimately not so talented players bought in at a fee overthrow of the big clubs of the Premier League. Players untested at those clubs for a reason, but players who the new Saints owners believe will keep them in the Premier League and provide them with more salable assets on the transfer market.
The new owners quickly found it wasn't easy to stay in the Premier League, the players were found to be far from their acquisition value, and they will discover next season that it is likely to be more difficult to come back.
The club have already had to cut costs and Parsons will find that if he looks to the fans to support the club with their own money, he will find huge disaffection within what is generally a more tolerant fanbase , compared to other similar clubs that have spent long spells in the Premier League. Even Saints fans had had enough.
Southampton Chairman Henrik Kraft said: "I am delighted that Phil has agreed to join the club as the new CEO. He brings with him extensive experience in corporate leadership roles for the one of the most recognized and innovative companies in the world and will bring a new vision and approach to the day-to-day management of our business operations.”
Improving business operations is one thing, but the Saints used to be a well-run club. The issue for the Saints is not business operations, but who they put on the field and who directs those decisions. The owners have shown themselves incapable of making these decisions. It's a problem Parsons won't be able to solve, no matter how big the high-tech "dyson" he's given.
Contact the author of this story at moc.l1687957321labto1687957321ofdlr1687957321owedi1687957321sni@n1687957321osloh1687957321cin.l1687957321uap1687957321
Download the IWF app from the APP Store.
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