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Is football management a happy career?

Most managers are ex players and to be fair being a pro footballer must be up there as one of the best jobs ever even if playing for a relatively mediocre set of clubs.

Management must be hugely different though and bar the few that taste real success and even fewer sustained success it probably is a pretty tough gig (relative to other jobs in football....still beats most jobs in the real world)

Constant pressure to succeed
Only as good as your last results
Short term memories
Threat of sacking and no guarantee you will get another job
Impossible to please all
Dealing with prima dona/ precious players

Always thought it would be epic to be a manager and for some it must be great but in general they all look as miserable as sin and pissed off most the time.  

Comments

  • edited February 2021
    Must be horrible in the professional leagues

    When winning everything is great, but when you lose it must be sole destroying - There will be games when you know you've made mistakes and then there will be incidents from officials that will cost you your job when you've absolutely no control over it.

    All the while your watching endless videos of previous games trying to find issues to exploit... Working long hours in the process as you desperately try to get it right over just ninety minutes of actual Football - and thats without the stress of the transfer window or some whinging little bitch of a midfielder knocking on your door asking why they're not playing

    It feels like its getting worse what with the endless amount of platforms being created for people to shout about how you're doing a shite job, and even in general those fans having access to your boss (the owner) putting pressure on them to sack you.

    No thanks, not now... Feels like whatever the role in Football, you either die a hero (Rufus through injury etc.), or stay long enough to become the villain (Murray, Solly, Bowyer... all three various roles within this club where its happened). 
  • A completely different job from playing.
    It's why many of the very best never actually played at a high level imo.
  • Are professional football players happy?

    Doubt it 
  • Getting sacked every 12 months and receiving a huge pay off.  Of course they are happy.

  • I think it isn't just this day and age. And it is all levels, although of course there is more pressure the higher you are in the game. I would imagine that many managers both enjoy and hate the game, but miss it when they are out of it.
  • I've seen Bowyer's salary quoted at (variously) 250k pa to 400k pa.  And it's not even performance-related.

    It's a very happy career.
  • On BT tonight was a film from 2019 with players, Managers etc and Sean Dyche said he keeps his family life private and has hardly any football pictures at home and keeps off Social media when in his house.
    Dyche said Football management isn't for the faint hearted. Sean fits the Burnley job very well and over achieves there most seasons.
  • Dave Rudd said:
    I've seen Bowyer's salary quoted at (variously) 250k pa to 400k pa.  And it's not even performance-related.

    It's a very happy career.
    this, pretty sure the reported salary softens the blow
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  • Getting sacked every 12 months and receiving a huge pay off.  Of course they are happy.

    This. Expecting the sack, from almost every job, must be unique to the Football Management profession. I have never understood how managers sacked for under performing get paid off to leave - truly the master craft of agents and contract writers. 
  • You need great self confidence and these days, a very thick skin. 
  • Think it must be the highest of highs and the lowest of lows - if we look at Bows as an example, the playoff promotion season must've been such a high for him (As it was for us), but the last year or so must be such a low. Must require a very thick skin, and a very competitive person as I'm pretty sure it takes up all your time and the work/life balance must be awful.

    Everyone saying "well they get paid a lot" seem to be missing the point. How many rich and famous people need to off themselves for us to learn that money isn't everything.
  • edited February 2021
    I didn't do it for a living but I did it for 30 years as a hobby and I don't recall it being especially enjoyable. Certainly nowhere near as enjoyable as playing. I don't miss it at all. 
  • edited February 2021
    I was like you. It certainly wasn't enjoyable facing problem after problem after problem and I stuck with it for the lads and especially my lad. But the successes against the odds, looking back on them gives me happy memories and much satisfaction/pride and I do miss it now. Probably as much as anything I have done outside of getting married and the birth of my son. Although I know if I did it again I wouldn't enjoy it. :)
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