Book description
The future of football management is a hot topic of debate. An
unprecedented spate of sackings in the 2001-02 season and the manner
of many of the dismissals filled the back pages. There has even been
talk of managers going on strike to defend their ill-treated
colleagues.
Packed with big names and exclusive stories, The Sack Race
challenges the sanitised picture of football management portrayed
in glossy autobiographies. It lays bare a profession where pressure to
obtain results is immense and the tolerance of failure is low. Despite
football's supposed professionalism, we learn that 'The Gaffer' is
often an ill-prepared ex-player who has hopped onto the managerial
merry-go-round more as a perceived 'character' than a qualified coach.
This remarkable book traces the development of the football
manager's role, offers a critique of the way the game trains its
coaches for management and raises valid concerns about the suitability
of their employers - the directors whose impatience creates a climate
of fear and insecurity. Finally, it asks the controversial question -
does 'The Gaffer' have a future?
Chris Green is an established freelance sportswriter whose writing
has featured in various publications including
FourFourTwo
,
Total Football
,
Match
,
Goal
,
Grass Roots
and
BBC Online
. He also presents the Radio Five Live sports investigative series
On
The Line
and contributes to several Radio 4 programmes.
