The future of football management is a hot topic of debate. The 2001-02 season's unprecedented spate 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, the need to get immediate success imperative. "The Sack Race" lifts the lid off the pressure cooker life of the British football manager. Despite football's supposed professionalism, "the Gaffer" (of soccer-speak legend) 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. Small wonder then that so many fail. 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. This book also looks at how the role of the ubiquitous "Gaffer" developed and offers an illuminating glimpse into the life of the British soccer boss.

Author Biography

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.