In The Hot Seat: The Uphill Battle of Being a Football Manager

'Religiously, it is said that God created man. I am only a guide. I allow others to express what they have in them. I have not created anything. I am a facilitator of what is beautiful in man.'- Arsène Wenger, in an interview with l'Equipe, published 7 November 2015

The moment was surreal. I thought my phone had been hacked, to be quite honest. Everyone knew that it was going to happen at some point, but for it to finally occur on 20 April 2018 still created a seismic blast that rippled across all the media outlets. Montages were rapidly broadcast, journalists voiced their opinion on the matter at hand, and lent their expertise on what the future held. It was a time for nostalgia, to look back at the times that this one individual had given us over the years, and also one to look ahead to the future, that unknown menace that plagues the decision making process. All everyone knows is that it happened... Arsène Wenger announced he would step down as Arsenal manager at the end of the season.

The time has come

Since 1996, the man has stalked the dugout, leading Arsenal through a period of reconstruction after Bruce Rioch was sacked due to arguments over transfers and a toxic relationship with vice-chairman David Dein. Having managed Nancy (1984-1987), Monaco (1987-1994) and Nagoya Grampus Eight (1995-1996), Arsène was seen as the knight in shining armour, yet his appointment on 22 September 1996 bewildered both fans and the press. Glenn Moore, writing for The Guardian in September 1996, called it an 'insularity of the English game' that the reaction of the majority of Arsenal fans was 'Arsene who?'. A 3rd placed finish in his inaugural Premier League season set a tone for what was to come, as he had already set into motion his revolutionary aspects of the game. The drinking culture was cast out, and nutrition was now of vital importance, as junk food was banned and the players now had a diet of lean meats and vegetables. Wenger oversaw training, and made it more dynamic with intense drills to sharpen certain aspects of the game. It all led to a blistering attacking display, with the days of '1-0 to the Arsenal' dead and buried.

At the time of his appointment, the only other foreign manager in the Premier League was Ruud Gullit, Chelsea's first player-manager and the first Dutchman to manage in the Premier League. Nowadays, foreign managers flock to England, and in a way it's all down to Mr Wenger. The 1997-1998 season saw Arsenal secure their first Premier League title, coupled with the FA Cup to complete the double- the first by a foreign manager. It wasn't until the 2001-2002 that saw Arsenal win some silverware, once again winning the league and the FA Cup. Another FA Cup was won in 2003, and it was the 2003-2004 season that saw history made. Arsenal went an entire season unbeaten, a feat last achieved by Preston North End 115 years before this incredible triumph, and extended their unbeaten run to 49 games before a 2-0 defeat to Manchester United on 24 October 2004 ended the streak. By the end of the 2004-2005 season, Arsenal once more lifted the FA Cup... and then the trophies dried up.

*mouth waters*

Moving to the Emirates in 2006 began a new period in Arsenal's history; the one of securing finances rather than winning trophies. The Champions League had slipped through Wenger's hands in the summer of 2006, and from then on it was a case of 'oh so close'. It wasn't until 2014 that Arsenal once again lifted the FA Cup, to which they defended their title in 2015 and won it back in 2017. Throughout that period, it was becoming painfully clear that Arsenal's rivals were starting to pull away. Funded by money from suspicious sources and spent by managers who were themselves revolutionising the game with new, faster attacking football, Arsène was left in the dust. The man who had brought the likes of Thierry Henry, Cesc Fàbregas and Mesut Özil to the shores of England was now but a relic to the likes of Pep Guardiola and José Mourinho. Labelled as a 'specialist in failure' by Mourinho, fans watched as Tottenham rose out of Arsenal's shadow and plummeted their North London rivals down to the Europa League, which was the first time since 1997 that Wenger had failed to finish in the top four. I still get angry just thinking about it.

Wenger's focus on youth, in the early days of his reign, brought him praise. He raised the likes of Patrick Vieira, Henry and Nicolas Anelka into stars, having bought them for low fees. It was a philosophy he maintained throughout his reign, as can be seen through examples such as Theo Walcott and Héctor Bellerín, although they cannot be classed in the same category as Thierry Henry, Arsenal and France's record goalscorer. His policy changed as it became apparent that Arsenal were falling behind, breaking the bank for Özil, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to compete with teams with that would buy back a player, released for free and bought by Juventus for a compensation fee of £800,000, for £89.3 million. It was all to no avail, and fan anger rose. The infamous '#WengerOut' movement dominated social media as Arsenal were brushed aside by their rivals, whilst also suffering humiliating losses to other European giants (Bayern Munich, mainly) in the Champions League and being outplayed by the likes of Stoke, Bournemouth and Watford. Arsenal's dominance of the FA Cup could not keep the fans happen, and change was constantly demanded.

Not even the Chairman (an Arsenal fan) could escape

In my opinion, the man should have gone either in 2014 or 2017. Ending the trophy drought would have been a great way to end his prestigious Arsenal career, and with 2017 bringing in an age where Arsenal were now falling behind their rivals, a new manager could have put a spring back in Arsenal's step. A new face will line the Emirates touchline in time for the 2018/2019 season, and now comes a period of speculation of who will take charge and whether Arsenal will go through a turbulent period, much like Manchester United did when Sir Alex Ferguson retired and David Moyes was handed the reigns. That safe feeling that the seemingly immortal Frenchman was still in charge amid a climate of high-profile sackings was certainly reassuring, but it is a time to look the future. Yet even though I have devoted a great deal of this post to Arsène Wenger, it is not today's subject, even though I would love to talk about the roller coaster career of Arsenal's longest serving manager. It is, in fact, all about how managers are unfairly blamed for failures, even if they are club legends.

This is a statement that is certainly not ground-breaking. There is definitely a culture in English football that has emerged in the 21st century whereby managers are to blame for dips in form, dressing rooms revolts and even falling attendances. Managers who have a proven track record of success are not safe from the sack either, even if they masterminded epic title wins and created teams that brought the giants of the game to their knees. The chairman and directors of clubs believe that success needs to be constant, and any sort of losing streak brings the manager's job into question. In this modern world of increased social media activity, managers and coaches cannot escape the fire and fury from fans (just look at ArsenalFanTV), releasing their rage after a shock loss to the team at the bottom of the table. The players themselves, who are motivated more by money and for the love of playing the game, are surely the ones who should be in the firing line when results are below par as they're the ones actually playing the game. But then again, it's the manager who picks the team, and it is their call to either play an experienced striker or let the young ambitious lad have a run out. Surely the blame needs to be shared?

Smile Slaven, there are bubbles!

Wenger's early successes, especially 'The Invincibles' team that consisted of the likes of Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Ashley Cole and Jens Lehmann, cemented his place as a legend. It was the glory of the early 2000s that allowed Wenger to stay in the job for so long, and the fact that Arsenal, up until the 2016-2017 season, always finished in the top four and qualified for the Champions League. The consistency of a high finish gave fans some sort of satisfaction, yet trophies were the real measures of success. But winning trophies can't even save a manager's job at times, as the chairman and the powers behind the scenes demand more and more glory. One of the prominent examples from recent years has to be Claudio Ranieri, who led Leicester City to the top of the Premier League in the 2015-2016 season. In one of the best underdog stories of our age, the man who had once managed Chelsea, Juventus and Greece (to name but a few), masterminded the impossible, as Jamie 'Chat Shit Get Banged' Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N'Golo Kanté set the league ablaze. Fans burst into chants such as 'We're all going on a European tour', and Leicester had themselves a legend. By February 2017, Claudio had been sacked as Leicester sat one point over the relegation zone; not even the achievement of getting through the group stages of the Champions League didn't stop Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha bringing the axe down on Ranieri.

It is the quote from Ranieri's successor at Chelsea, one José Mourinho, that somewhat summed up the situation at Leicester. For Mourinho, when questioned over Claudio's demise in February 2017, football 'is not the same game we had 20 years ago, even 10 years ago'. The 'Special One' could certainly be empathetic towards Ranieri in this particular situation. Mourinho took charge of Chelsea in 2004 and built up the squad inherited from Claudio, which included the likes of John Terry and Frank Lampard. Adding the likes of Didier Drogba propelled Chelsea to their first top-flight domestic title in 50 years, breaking the dominance of Arsenal and Manchester United. The title was defended a season later, with an FA Cup triumph in 2007 bringing more praise, not to mention the two League Cups won in both 2005 and 2007. It was, however, strained relations with owner Roman Abramovich that led Mourinho to leave Chelsea on 20 September 2007, although he returned in June 2013 after spells at Inter Milan (where he won the Champions League in 2010) and Real Madrid. Chelsea won the league in 2015, but the next season saw an incredible implosion. Only 11 points were won from 12 games, and by December 2015 Mourinho had once more let 'by mutual consent'. Not even the man who broke the dominance of Wenger and Ferguson and gave Chelsea some of their greatest ever achievements could not escape the wrath of the Russian owner. 

Loves making a scene

Ranieri and Mourinho are but two examples of how 'legendary' status cannot hide you from the possibility of being packed off to the local job centre. Vicente del Bosque was appointed manager of Real Madrid in November 1999, ushering in an era of glory for the Spanish side, including two Champions League victories (2000 and 2002), two La Liga titles (2001 and 2003) and even reaching the last four of every Champions League campaign he was in charge of. It was the age of the Galácticos (Spanish for, amazingly enough, galactics i.e. superstars), with the beam bursting with talent from the likes of Luís Figo, David Beckham and the current Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane. Club President Florentino Pérez was the one who held the power at the Bernabeu, and a day after Real Madrid won the league in 2003, del Bosque's contract was not extended. Once again, club dynamics sent Vicente packing, although he had the last laugh;not only did Real Madrid remain trophyless until 2007, but del Bosque led Spain to World Cup glory in 2010 and a European Championship in 2012. Worth mentioning as well that Fabio Capello, having won La Liga with Real Madrid in 2007, was sacked days later due to playing dull and pragmatic football.

It is bewildering to see how milestone moments in a club's history are seen by some as the beginning of an era of total domination of the footballing world. Roberto di Matteo led Chelsea to their one and only Champions League title in 2012 (the silverware Abramovich desired most), along with another FA Cup, but was out of a job after a poor run of form in November 2012. Roberto Mancini, at the helm of Manchester City, won them an FA Cup in 2011 and their first Premier League title in 2012, which were the foundations of the dynasty that Guardiola is now creating at City. Financed by money from Emirati owners, David Silva, Sergio Agüero and Samir Nasri were added to the squad over Mancini's tenure, but an FA Cup final defeat to Wigan saw Mancini out of the door of the Etihad. Not even the glory of beating their rivals to the title could give Mancini ground to defend himself, as a poor relationship with both owners and players meant that Roberto was axed. Wow, being a manager sure is brutal.

I'm not a City fan, but I will never tire of this photo

There is a definite theme here, and you don't need to be a mathematician to recognise this correlation. Poor relations between managers and the powers in the boardroom, who have their own goals for the future of the club, can lead to sackings. Although there are times when a manager has to be sacked after going through some sort of meltdown, or is just terrible at their jobs, which makes a departure somewhat justified. In May 2012, with his Fiorentina side 2-0 down to Novara, Delio Rossi unleashed a fearsome hook to the jaw of Adem Ljajić after he sarcastically clapped upon being substituted. He was sacked as soon as the game was over, although Rossi took full responsibility for his 'deplorable' actions. On our own shores, it is perhaps the actions of Nigel Pearson that can be analysed. His second spell at Leicester City, which began in November 2011, was rife with controversies. Pearson guided them back into the Premier League at the end of the 2013-2014 season after being promoted as the winners of the Championship, and it was their first season back in the top flight that was full of bizarre moments. Nigel certainly went off the rails, as he:

• Told a Liverpool fan to 'fuck off and die' after Liverpool beat Leicester 3-1 (Pearson received a £10,000 fine and a one match touchline ban, but refused to apologise 'to somebody of that ilk'
• Had a confrontation with Crystal Palace midfielder James McArthur, who had collided with Pearson after tackling Marc Albrighton. Nigel seemingly had a playful exchange with McArthur (which included a throat grab), helped him to his feet yet held on to his shirt in order to prevent him from returning to the pitch. In his own words, Nigel was 'more than capable of looking after [himself]'
• Criticised Gary Linekar and his fellow pundits on Match of the Day for making a 'mountain out of a molehill' following his exchange with McArthur
• Reacted angrily to a reporter who asked whether his team were 'waxing/waning' during the relegation battle. At the end of the press conference,Pearson could be heard saying 'Waxing or waning? Fucking hell. My arse... prick'
• Called a reporter an 'ostrich' after a 3-1 loss to Chelsea, as the reporter asked Pearson to clarify on his comment about his Leicester players facing 'criticism'. Nigel asked if he had been 'away for six months... you must have been either 'head in the clouds' or away on holiday or reporting on a different team'. To top if off, he called him an ostrich as his 'head must be in the sand... Are you flexible enough to get your head in the sand? My suspicion would be no'
• Dealt with the fallout from his son James Pearson, along with Tom Hopper and Adam Smith, being sacked after a sex tape emerged from a recent 'goodwill' tour of Thailand, where the trio labelled their female Thai guests as 'slit-eye'

Although they survived, Pearson was sacked in June 2015 due to 'the working relationship between Nigel and the Board [being] no longer viable, although it might be something to do with James Pearson making racist comments towards the compatriots of Leicester's owners. All this in ONE season!

One angry man

It isn't just the examples I am exhibiting that prove my point on the rise of sackings; mathematics and statistics can back me up here. In an article for the Journal of Sports Economics in 2014, Professors Stefano d’Addona (University of Rome) and Axel Kind (University of Basel) analysed a hand-collected sample of 2376 managerial changes (1213 of these were firings) in the top four English leagues between 1949 and 2008. It's a slog of a read, but here's a link if you have some sort of weird fetish for complicated statistical terms. d'Addona and Kind took into account a list of variables, such as manager age, prior experience and the team's position. Their conclusions include:

• Between 2000-2008, a manager had a 22% chance of being sacked every season
• The majority of managers were sacked within 63 matches
• For the lowest 'quintile' (bottom 10%) of successful managers, the chances of being sacked rose from 21.1% in the 1950s to 64.9% between 2000-2008
• A higher forced turnover in football managers when compared to the forced turnover of CEOs
• Managers were more likely to be sacked over a recent run of results rather than their overall record

This does comply with the examples of Ranieri and Mourinho, who were club legends due to achieving highly, but a poor short-term outcome meant they were relieved of their duties. Indeed, it goes along with the notion that, due to the English football leagues experiencing 'considerable development in the last decades in terms of revenues, salaries, transfer sums, and media coverage', success is vital to keep revenues high. Higher league finishes means a greater likelihood of gaining European qualification, which brings prestige and, above all, a cut of the media rights when games are shown live. Not only are the players and owners happy of the prospect of good football/ more money, the fans are appeased. 

It is the fans that we will discuss next. The supporters of a club have a greater appreciation for the history of the club, especially when compared to the majority of foreign owners, and to see their team decline so dramatically when compared to the 'glory years' leads to some very angry and dramatic reactions. ArsenalFanTV, which has provided football fans with some great entertainment over the last few years due to Arsenal's declining form, exhibits this perfectly. The age of social media that we are living through means that these kinds of videos are shown all over the social media outlets, and it would be hard to escape them if you follow certain accounts dedicated to football. While the channel is great in the sense that it allows fans to debate the latest developments at their club, it has given fans a bad name in that they complain when they lose (i.e. 'Wenger Out') and are overly optimistic after an emphatic win (i.e. 'In Wenger We Trust'). It's a strange world.

Cheers for that, Claude

Tim Wigmore, writing for The Independent in November 2017, talks of how 'humans are not very good at realistic self-assessment', which transcends into football. Both owners and fans are often unable to see the true position their team are in, and are instead more focused on where they want to be. The fact that football is a low-scoring game means that it really is a game of chance. Games are less frequent, especially when compared with the NBA and NHL, meaning that decisions are made over a smaller range of results (38 for Premier League teams) compared to 82 in the NBA, for example. The pressures of competing in other cup competitions, whether European or domestic, means there is even greater pressure from fans for a team to perform well. Poor league form can be somewhat rectified by a cup run, but once all the chances of winning a trophy are gone, then the wolves descend. These predators take to social media and vent their anger to their followers and friends, unleashing a torrent of abuse towards the man who is supposed to steer the team to greatness.

Wigmore cites research reports from the company 21st Club, where statistics showed that, across Europe's five biggest leagues, a club would only earn 0.8 points in the 8 games before a sacking, while earning 1.2 in the next 8. Although this could give credit to the idea of the 'new manager bounce', Omar Chaudhuri, head of football intelligence at 21st club, puts it down to luck. Specifically, 75% of better results after a managerial change is attributed to luck, with the remaining quarter down to factors such as players returning from injuries, who they are actually playing and players having a morale boost. Chaudhuri also called football 'strange', as he compared a manager to a CEO of a business, and was bewildered by how clubs would be faced with two options after sacking their manager:

'A, hire a new CEO in the space of two weeks and, B, would the top of your shortlist have people recently sacked for poor results at a rival firm' 

Strange indeed. 

Flipped-turned upside down indeed

Some managers are, however, set up for failure. When managers come into a new club, they could be graced by having the opportunity to work with global superstars, and essentially walk their way to the title. Some teams are just slightly under powered and just need some discipline and one or two more additions to whip them up into shape. Then there are those that are so diabolical that it can destroy the sanity of any man. Perhaps the worst situation is to succeed a manager who had been there for 27 years, won 13 Premier League titles, a historic treble (league, FA Cup and Champions League) in 1999 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time. Wait... that actually happened.

David Moyes was announced as the next Manchester United manager on 9 May 2013, ending his own 11 year tenure at Everton. It was a sizeable step to move from Everton, who had been threatening to break into the European places, to Manchester United, a club who had dominated English football since the inception of the Premier League in 1992. Moyes became the first Manchester United manager to win a trophy in their first season in charge (the Community Shield), yet led them to their worst ever start to a Premier League season. After three games, which included a 0-0 home draw to Chelsea and a 1-0 away loss to Liverpool, United were out of the top four and stayed out of that zone for the remainder of the season. Signing Marouane Fellaini (£27.5 million from Everton) and Juan Mata (£37.1 million from Chelsea) couldn't invigorate the squad, as fans staged a flypast protest against Moyes. 'Wrong One- Moyes Out' hung over the skies of Old Trafford during United's 4-1 win over Aston Villa, and David Moyes was adamant that fans were 'very supportive' of him.

So young, so naive

By 22 April 2014, after a 4-0 over Newcastle and a 2-0 loss to Everton, Moyes was gone. United would ultimately finish in 7th place, 22 points adrift of champions and bitter rivals Manchester City. It was a tough pill to swallow, as it had been a season well below the standards of Manchester United. A 3rd round exit at the hands of Swansea in the FA Cup, along with being knocked out by Sunderland in the semi- finals of the League Cup and losing to Bayern Munich in the quarter-finals of the Champions League meant that United were left trophyless and a laughing stock. Debate still rages over whether Moyes was to blame for the slump in United's fortune, whether it was a case of not realising that this job was like going 'from a yacht to a cruise liner' (as former United coach René Meulensteen said) or that Ferguson's decision to let Moyes succeed him was flawed from the beginning. The pressure of success was certainly too much for David Moyes, as a 7th placed finish would have delighted the Everton boardroom, but would leave the one at United enraged. Only now under Mourinho are Manchester United returning to their former selves, but still have a long way to go to overhaul City and move on from the gaping hole left by one Sir Alex Ferguson. 

What makes a situation for a new manager even more frustrating is that squad dynamics will take a dramatic shift. Managers will have their preferred styles of play, and suddenly players who shone under the old regime are now placed in positions they don't naturally play in or find themselves on the bench or even spending time in the reserves. That's when things turn sour. Leaders within the team start to stir up trouble, openly disobeying their manager and encouraging others to follow suit. It has happened at Bayern Munich this season, with Carlo Ancelotti sacked after a 3-0 defeat to Paris Saint Germain on 27 September 2017. Even before that, players were turning against Ancelotti, among them Thomas Müller and Arjen Robben, two global superstars who have achieved great things at Bayern Munich. During the 3-0 defeat, Robben refused to openly back Ancelotti, and when a player with so much prestige and influence is outrightly hostile towards their manager clearly shows where the power lies. Again, the prestige of Carlo Ancelotti (the only manager to have won three Champions Leagues) was not enough to satisfy the players who controlled the dressing room.

Come to Arsenal Carlo- it's a no-brainer

It certainly isn't fair on the managers. When form drops, players have to take a share of the blame. Although they may be out of position and uncomfortable with their new duties, they need to show passion to play for the club and the manager. Throwing a strop won't solve any of the apparent issues surrounding the appointment of a new manager, and will certainly not get you back into the starting 11. Players who are used to success need to know that the main reason why their individual honours list is extravagant is because they are actually good. Some do ride on the success of their team mates (like Danny Welbeck at Manchester United- sorry, he really isn't that good), but at the end of the day they are the ones playing the game. Managers motivate and make their teams adopt their styles, and that certainly influences how teams fare in competitions. But players must adapt to the new regime, not just to win trophies, but to save their own reputation as well. In a World Cup year, for example, would you pick a player who's been moaning all season, or one who has kept their heads down and got on with whatever situation they are faced with? 

Chin up fella

Arsène Wenger has now begun his slow march towards out of the Emirates, with no doubt that he is the greatest manager to ever take charge of Arsenal. Trophies may have dried up and rivals have grown stronger while Arsenal remained the same/ deteriorated, but the man shook up the game- 'that's a fact', paraphrasing potential candidate Rafa Benítez. He added a great deal of professionalism to the game, and other clubs in England followed suit. While Arsenal became stale when compared to the powerful football played by the likes of Manchester City and Tottenham, Wenger remained. But this season has brought with it an obvious change in atmosphere at the Emirates. While people still came with their 'Wenger Out' banners, attendance numbers dropped, and the chilly night in which Manchester City rolled over Arsenal 3-0 for the second time in a matter of days was made much colder by the hostility growing among fans. Owner Stan Kroenke's long-term goal has always been profit, and Wenger continuously delivering top four finishes satisfied desires for money and publicity. But when Champions League money went elsewhere, suddenly there was no safety net for dear old Arsène. 

This is, in a way, how Wenger has stayed in the job. Focus was on money rather than results, but although the drought was ended with an FA Cup triumph in 2014, fans don't care about lucrative sponsorship deals. All that matters is that an influx of cash is spent on developing facilities and bringing in high-profile players, rather than saving the money for a rainy day. Managers now have to dance to the tune of the club owners, which is an unhealthy way for a club to be run. Owners need to put their faith in managers, and together they can work out how to bring success in both the short-term and the long-term. Likewise, players shouldn't act out, and instead embrace the chance to work with a new manager, especially if that manager has an impressive list of honours, and create an honest working relationship. It sounds obvious, but it seems that this simple statement has been misplaced within the latest boardroom meeting minutes, which is instead full of notes about sponsors, investors and the best way to announce the sacking of the manager after a 1-0 loss.

As long as the money keeps rolling in

Football really is a strange game, and the departure of Wenger will make it even stranger. It is now a rare sight to see a manager lead a team for more than three seasons, and once Wenger leaves the longest serving Premier League manager would now be Eddie Howe of Bournemouth (appointed 12 October 2012), with Exeter manager Paul Tisdale the longest serving manager in the English Football League (appointed 26 June 2006). We won't see the likes of Arsène Wenger ever again; not just in the sense of managers reigning for so long that they become part of the furniture, but the revolutionary methods that they introduce. You can't reinvent the wheel, after all. Whoever takes over at Arsenal will need to address the issues at the club, and will have to appease the needs of those that care about Arsenal. Fans want trophies, players want good football and owners want prestige. They will be watching the new man vigilantly, like a predator stalking its prey. If the cracks begin to show, then there will be no mercy, no matter who you are. That's just the way football works nowadays.

Ben G 😁 xo

P.S. Merci Arsène. It's been one hell of a journey. Where you go now is down to the will of the footballing gods. Just get those wins against United and Atlético Madrid, okay?

Must...not...cry