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 Racechallenges 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 includingFourFourTwo,Total Football,Match,Goal,Grass RootsandBBC Online. He also presents the Radio Five Live sports investigative seriesOn The Lineand contributes to several Radio 4 programmes.
Extensively researched investigation into the intense life of British football managers>
