Data Protection Commission beware: Poachers aren't always the best gamekeepers

The Public Appointment Service's decision to hire a Meta defector creates a lot of pitfalls, argues Cianan Brennan

Newly-appointed Leeds United manager Brian Clough, left, and Liverpool boss Bill Shankly leading their men out for the FA Charity Shield match in 1974. Cianan Brennan suggests Clough’s appointment as a metaphor for the DPC's hiring of former Meta executive Niamh Sweeney. File picture: PA

In 1974, Leeds United, the champions of England’s top tier First Division, and one of the strongest teams in Europe, lost their storied manager of more than a decade Don Revie, lured away by the national team job.

To replace him, the Leeds board went for probably the best young manager in Britain at the time, a man who in the fullness of time would win every honour in the game.