Christian Purslow on 5Live Sportsweek

[Keeno]

Interview begins around 32:30. Incredibly positive listen! Touches on the owners, the club's finances, Smith, and longer-term plans for the club.

For me the comments on the sustainable plan for the club from the owners, the fact that promotion is not essential or required this year, and the thinking behind the Smith/Terry/Pitarch structure was so refreshing to hear. Comes across as intelligent, measured and gave an excellent answer RE the Kevin MacDonald situation.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0001mpx

[Toronto Villa]

He does come across really well. Very measured in every response and I do like that he has significant experience of working at other very big clubs.

[Lizz]

I heard it live, well worth spending some time listening to it.

[SheffieldVillain]

Interesting.

Particularly liked his response to the Sporting Director question - all made perfect sense to me.

[robleflaneur]

Interesting.

Particularly liked his response to the Sporting Director question - all made perfect sense to me.

Excellent stuff.Reassuring that promotion is not essential and good to hear that the owners saying that they want attractive football as results can never be guaranteed.And to hear that they are very ambitious but it's a sad indictiment on the Premiership that he thinks the top 6 are fixed for some time.

[Ian.]

Interesting.

Particularly liked his response to the Sporting Director question - all made perfect sense to me.

Excellent stuff.Reassuring that promotion is not essential and good to hear that the owners saying that they want attractive football as results can never be guaranteed.And to hear that they are very ambitious but it's a sad indictiment on the Premiership that he thinks the top 6 are fixed for some time.

I have not listened but it’s very reassuring from comments above to know they understand the importance of a long term structure and also to play to try and entertain.

[Des Little]

A really interesting, and encouraging listen. We are in very safe hands I think.

[SoccerHQ]

Weren't we saying the same about likes of Wyness and Round? And even Tom Fox from memory got a good write up after his first interview?

Not criticising Purslow at all and at least he's worked in this role before at Liverpool but after last 8 years it's a case of don't tell me but show me I'm afraid.

I'll wait to see how the new board copes with setbacks. Let's see how we do if we don't go up and then have to sell Grealish to meet FFP. Or even if a premier league club comes in to poach Smith although that's less likely than 10 years ago.

That's how it's happened in the past. New owners/directors talk a good game and them crumble when things start to go wrong. They made a good start appointing Smith though.

[Ger Regan]

Would tend to agree. It's good to have faith in those in charge, but in this sort of situation it's pretty natural to be optimistic, as we have been in the past. I hope they're the real deal, but only time will tell.

[Toronto Villa]

The proof will be in the results over a much larger sample size and over many years. However what feels much better now is that our two owners are legitimately loaded. Not like Lerner which was in large part an inheritance and locked away in a family trust, and Xia where we didn’t actually know what he had and in the end it wasn’t much at all. And as for Purslow he’s worked at big clubs in a similar capacity unlike Round or Fox who never has before. And then add in Pitarch who again has worked at big clubs in Europe it’s a combined wealth of experience and proven business competence we’ve actually not had before.

[pauliewalnuts]

The proof will be in the results over a much larger sample size and over many years. However what feels much better now is that our two owners are legitimately loaded. Not like Lerner which was in large part an inheritance and locked away in a family trust, and Xia where we didn’t actually know what he had and in the end it wasn’t much at all. And as for Purslow he’s worked at big clubs in a similar capacity unlike Round or Fox who never has before. And then add in Pitarch who again has worked at big clubs in Europe it’s a combined wealth of experience and proven business competence we’ve actually not had before.

Lerner was entirely legitimately loaded too.

His access to money wasn't the problem with him (he spent absolutely shed loads of the stuff), it was the half-witted way he spunked it all, with no attempt to protect his investment - see the Man City owners, endless money but they understand the need to grow from what you are spending.

I like the sound of Purslow, but as a note of caution, would point out we were all ooh-aahing over Tom Fox when he arrived, on account of him having done a really good job at Arsenal.

We look to be in a good position right now, let's see how things pan out.

It's not like we're Small Heath, owned by a succession of utter charlatans for 30 years, we've had seriously minted people in charge before - we're up to three billionaires since 2006 now (and that's not counting Xia, whose wealth is impossible to ascertain).

[SoccerHQ]

Lerner did lots of good thing in his early years. Things like free coaches to Chelsea for a midweek cup tie and Acorns. He didn't have to do stuff like that. Also backed the manager.

My god did it all fall down like a pack of cards when MON walked out. That's when his lack of football knowledge or indeed lack of delegating our key roles to people with any sort of knowledge was brutally exposed.

As you say hopefully we'll avoid that sort of meltdown with the Spanish sporting director.

I want the new board to be on the ball. Have an idea who our next manager or at least managerial targets would be in the 0.00001% chance Dean Smith walks out tomorrow.

[Steve67]

January and next summer will be interesting times as we have so many players out of contract.  Jedinak, Hutton, Bunn, Whelan, Richards, Elphick , Gardner plus the loanees all go.  I trust Pitarch and Smith to bring in the right people and get them to play in the right way to get us up as league winners next season.

[john e]

I’ve been saying this for years but the whole thing stands or falls on who they appoint as manager

[Chinchilla Bathhouse]

I’ve been saying this for years but the whole thing stands or falls on who they appoint as manager

Well I hope the new set up is designed precisely to avoid this, that the new coaching and management structure will allow for changes of personnel without ripping everything up and starting again each time. You know, like a modern football club.