The Sack Race: The Story of Football's Gaffers Book

The future of soccer management is a hot topic of debate. The 2001-02 season's unprecedented rush of sackings—22 in the English Premiership and Football League in the opening two months—and the manner of many of the dismissals, filled the back pages. The pressure to obtain results is immense, the tolerance of failure is low, and the need to get immediate success imperative. The Sack Race lifts the lid off the pressure cooker life of the British soccer manager. Despite soccer's supposed professionalism, "the Gaffer" is often an ill-prepared ex-player who has hopped on to the managerial merry-go-round more as a perceived "character" than a qualified coach. But it isn't just their clubs or the fans who suffer—it is the wider game, which deserves better coaches, and the managers, who suffer ill-health through unreasonable pressure.Read More