Yu the man

The manager/director of football dynamic is rarely all sweetness and light in the British game.

Carson Yeung implemented a version after taking on Blues, putting Sammy Yu into the thick of it at Wast Hills.

Having gone down to see Yu this week it was fascinating to gauge how it's stacking up.

I had been at the training ground early into the Yeung era and was chatting to Cameron Jerome when Yu came up and backed himself into Jerome, giving an impromptu coaching session on how to hold your marker off.

Jerome, a bit surprised, took it in good grace.

Yu, like the rest of the Hong Kong entourage, is a football nut. He loves talking about the game, the tactics, players and the people he knows.

And after that experience a few weeks back, I was wondering if I would see him on the top pitches at the West Heath HQ with clipboard, bibs, cones and whistle, treading on Alex McLeish toes.

No, not a bit. It appears that now everything has settled down, there are clear lines of demarcation and Yu isn't the frustrated coach or manager, interfering and busying himself.

We spoke at length and throughout our chat on various topics what prevailed was common sense, and more than a little influence of McLeish.

Yu repeated some things the manager oftens says, suggesting that Eck is quite happy to take Yu into his confidence whilst at the same time gently point him in a direction he feels is the correct one for the smooth running of the playing side.

Yu has worked at every level of football in Hong Kong, and coached the national team. He has been a merchandising and marketing representative for Manchester United, hosted a television football show and acted as agent and fixer.

So although he's not got a background in the game from these isles, he's no mug and it would be insulting to be patronising. In fact, you would find it hard to be so as he is a likeable guy, friendly and approachable.

McLeish has remarked that he tends to know everybody in football and has quite a contact list.

Yu made a good point that he was not an Avram Grant, and not a director of football. He's a vice-chairman, therefore he has no conflict of interest with McLeish, nor does he overrule or call the shots in what is normally the manager's domain.

Yu is more of a conduit between board and the playing side at Wast Hills and although he meets agents and has undergone some scouting missions on behalf of McLeish, he isn't a Machiavellian presence ready to step into the technical area or dug out.

He was not in his tracksuit - as was the case in the first few days - when we met, but all suited and booted. And although he is not a drinker, he likes to sneak the odd crafty fag, office window open, when no-one is looking!

I'm sure Yu would love to help out on the coaching side in some way as, deep down, he's a fan at heart too. But neither is he daft enough to think he should be strutting his stuff just because he's Yeung's pal and it's their club.

You've got to know your limits, and Yu and McLeish appear to have formed a harmonious relationship all for the betterment of the club as a whole.