David Humphreys

[darkside lightside]

I know he was a bit flaky in some big games, and away, but he's still one of the most naturally gifted footballers I've seen play, and I still bore anyone who'll listen with my pet theory, that unfortunately he was born 10 years too soon - if he had been 19-20 in 2000, and had the benefits of pro coaching, conditioning etc, at a young age I think he could have been an Irish great.

I suppose though, if me auntie had balls etc. Still - class player, and great servant to Ulster.

In his new guise as Director of Rugby or whatever he's called, I've been interested to see a bit of divided opinion on here... Must say I'm not entirely clear what he does - the way I'm never entirely clear on the Head Coach/Director of Football type distinctions in footy these days.

Am I right to say his job doesn't involve coaching, rather ensuring that recruitment (decided by...??) is executed? i.e. he is an ops type guy who negotiates with agents/players, and... is that all? What else does he do - oversee the academy? development officers? Does he report to the CEO?

I'm sure he's smart and everything, but squad management this year has been, or looked, (once again) chaotic and reactive... What is it down to, teething problems? growing into the job?

[mikerob]

DH's title on the UR website is "operations director" and this implies a wider remit than "director of rugby" but who knows...

I think the split of responsibilities between DH and BMcL has been debated before but IMO it should be that as head coach, BMcL should have the vision of the type of rugby he wants Ulster to play and the team and people needed to do it, and DH should be responsible for player recruitment and retention to achieve the coach's objectives.

The subject has been covered by several coaches on the ruggamatrix podcast it appears to be an ongoing and time consuming process... there's doing research on candidates to strengthen the team, getting unsolicited approaches from agents, actual contract negotiation.. and doing it all within a budget and other restrictions. And of course, if you feck up, you pay for it multiple times by not getting the right player in the first place, the cost of getting rid of them and having to spend the time and effort doing it all over again.

[browner]

Ulster Rugby today announced that a new Team Management Structure has been put in place for the Professional Game in the Province.
In the new structure David Humphreys will take control of Rugby Operations, with responsibility for the Ulster Senior Team, the Ulster Ravens (formerly Ulster A), the Ulster U20s and the High Performance/Academy structure, reporting to the Chief Executive Michael Reid.

Brian McLaughlin has been appointed as a new Head Coach with responsibility for training and team selection and will be assisted by Jeremy Davidson, Neil Doak and Peter Sharp.

Humphreys will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of Team Management and preparation, ensuring Ulster are prepared to a world class level, and will work closely with the Head Coach on all aspects of training.

The new structure will, for the first time, allow McLaughlin and his Assistant Coaches to focus on the on-field issues relating to the senior team, while Humphreys will drive Ulster’s attempts to produce a squad largely made up of home-grown players, supported by a small number of high profile players from overseas.

“Having played at the very highest level and having worked with a number of top coaches, David’s knowledge of the Professional Game will be invaluable in ensuring Ulster are properly and professionally prepared for Magners League and Heineken Cup action” said Chief Executive Michael Reid. “The development of our young players, succession planning and the provision of appropriate playing facilities are key to Ulster’s future success.”

“I’d also like to take this opportunity to welcome Brian to the team. A proud Ulsterman himself, and with his knowledge of our players and the skills he has gained throughout his coaching career to date, I am confident that we have the right man to lead us forward on the field.”

Biographical detail on the Ulster Rugby Management Team

David Humphreys MBE: Operations Director
David Humphreys’ (38) 16 year rugby career began in 1992, and the former Ulster out-half, won 162 caps for his province, and 72 international caps for Ireland. David also captained Ulster to European Cup glory in 1999.

Having retired as a professional rugby player at the end of the 07/08 season, David went onto take up the role as Operations Director, with Ulster Rugby with a responsibility for the off-field activity of the professional team and Academy.
While David retains the same title, his new role within the management structure means that he will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of Team Management and preparation, ensuring Ulster are prepared to a world class level. He will work closely with the Head Coach on all aspects of training and team preparation and he will drive Ulster’s attempts to produce a squad largely made up of home-grown players, supported by a small number of high profile players from overseas.

David was educated at Ballymena Academy, the Queen's University, Belfast where he qualified as a solicitor, and Oxford University. He has represented Ireland at all levels including; Senior, A, U21 and Schools, and also captained the Barbarians touring squad.

David received an honorary doctorate from the University of Ulster in 2003 for Services to Sport and an MBE in the Queens New Year’s Honours List in January 2004.

http://www.ulsterrugby.com/10388.php

Seems pretty clear to me.

[Bart S]

At times this season I've thought he must have been fulfilling the role of defensive coach....

[WhiteKnightoftheWeld]

if me auntie had balls

she'd be your brother, your grandpa, and the family beagle?

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Pages 6-8 of this might shed light .... or not

[darkside lightside]

well after everything the outcomes of this year's recruitment look good - even if the process looked ugly. And to be fair to DH and BMcL, they can probably justifiably claim that next season's squad is the first one that properly bears their stamp - and on the face of it, it's as strong-looking as I can remember... (although bit light in front row, and outside backs...)

That said, I'm a little surprised at how carried away some people are getting at 'DH/Logan's amazing achievements' etc - firstly a sterling cheque with a figure with 5 zeros after it opens a lot of doors in SA (although rather than merely carrying a chequebook, I prefer to think that when Humph goes down below to talk contracts he's accompanied by a dwarf blowing a trumpet, followed by 6 other dwarves with sacks of gold, but I digress). Secondly we don't have enough information to know how tight the deals are - if we're paying for example Wannenburg 200 grand and the next best offer he would have had was 100, well then we've left a bit on the table... (obviously we'd never get that level of information, so we'll never be able to form a full judgment) Then there's the question of squad management - yes we have ended up with superior replacements, but the management of the Boss/EOD situations still looks shoddy to me, and maybe it was a question of affordability, but our squad would unquestionably be stronger if we had both of them still under contract - more broadly we (much more than M/L)have consistently lost front-line players year on year recently, which is a habit I think we need to break...

And finally recruitment's only one - albeit important - aspect of getting Ulster working properly. We need to be hitting the commercial side hard, selling out the ground, maxing sponsorship; making progress towards moving to a decent, modern stadium asap; losing the blazer-wearing hangers-on of dubious competence from any decision-making positions, and generally running the place like a business, rather than some hobby/junket vehicle for blazers and grandees... Some of this will hopefully follow on from a better squad, better results etc, but I'd say let's keep the bubbles on hold until we see some progress in all these areas...

[UlsterManiac]

We need to be hitting the commercial side hard, selling out the ground, maxing sponsorship; making progress towards moving to a decent, modern stadium asap; losing the blazer-wearing hangers-on of dubious competence from any decision-making positions, and generally running the place like a business, rather than some hobby/junket vehicle for blazers and grandees... Some of this will hopefully follow on from a better squad, better results etc, but I'd say let's keep the bubbles on hold until we see some progress in all these areas...

Well it seems that Humph has met his targets (eventually) for player recruitment....now its over to McLaughlin to get the results and to Shane Logan to get an effective commercial marketing operation going....widening the scope of rugby to more across the province, creating an effective 'brand ulster' and improving the facilities at Ravenhill....granted, a winning team will always help in this regard, but the marketing and commercial structures need to be improved now in order to take advantage of the opportunities that will arise when we do start winning....

[darkside lightside]

interested to read the speculation on here about Humphreys as a kind of 'eminence grise' - and when you think about it, if a player drops the ball its his fault, if the team loses 10 matches in a row its McL's fault - what, when it goes wrong, is Humphreys' fault? I'm not saying that I necessarily agree with all or most of the flak that's been thrown his way by some posters, but by the same token nobody can deny that he has managed to finesse his way into a cushy little number - good wedge, long on profile, short on accountability..

Where it becomes an acute question is with respect to the seeming desire to appoint a new head coach - will anyone of the calibre/status that Ulster will be looking for be willing to have an unqualified and unaccountable manager-type peering over his shoulder and backseat-driving? and assuming the answer to that is 'no', what exactly will Humphreys do? An interestingly little circle to square.

[BaggyTrousers]

Quiet day in work DL digging back to 2010 ?

One or two questions?

nobody can deny that he has managed to finesse his way into a cushy little number - good wedge, long on profile, short on accountability..

How do you know whats in his contract in terms of anything material to your question?

How do you know if he has or hasn't been tasked with UR winning silverware, this year, next year or maybe within 4-5 years of his appointment?

I won't even ask if you think he is getting things right at UR or even the majority of things right. Neither will I ask you if there is anyone about who in your opinion should have been or should now be better able to perform the role.

[bazzaj]

A lot of how dya knows in that statement Bagster!
Joking aside, I think his ability to draw in the foreign stars of late is justification enough for any role he may have within the set up.
Lets face the harsh reality that we would be nowhere without them.

[big mervyn]

A lot of how dya knows in that statement Bagster!
Joking aside, I think his ability to draw in the foreign stars of late is justification enough for any role he may have within the set up.
Lets face the harsh reality that we would be nowhere without them.

Precisely. Plenty of people in team sports have had the responsibility of a large wedge at their disposal and used it to little or no good effect.

If the marquee names had underperformed DH would be getting it from all quarters.

[Snipe Watson]

By their fruits shall ye know them

Job done Humph

[pwrmoore]

good wedge, long on profile, short on accountability..

If you omit the profile piece the same could be applied to banking in the City

[TinPig]

I'm not saying that I necessarily agree with all or most of the flak that's been thrown his way by some posters, but by the same token nobody can deny that he has managed to finesse his way into a cushy little number - good wedge, long on profile, short on accountability..

Dr Humph not accountable?