I’ve got no interest in football, but I can’t avoid hearing about it on the news.
There always seems to be some story about a manager being sacked because his team hasn’t won enough games, so if he’s got 11 players to kick the ball around the field, and a coach to tell them how to kick it, how is it the manager’s fault if the other teams kick the ball better ?

What does he actually do ?

You’re on the wrong web site, this is a cycling web site.
Oh BTW i do manage a football team… 🙂

I believe it’s practical training for a career in recruitment isn’t it?

Football managers are alpha males who are sponsored by chewing-gum manufacturers to make gum-chewing look macho. This is a successful marketing strategy, as evidenced by all the filthy disgusting chewing gum that idiots spit out all over the pavements.

95% make bugger all difference. The other 5% (like Ferguson) can polish turds.

Do you mean “what do managers actually do” in general terms, meaning all managers in all areas.

Or is it just another rather dull pop at football ?

(Presumably the latter, because as you said, you have no interest in football. So I can’t imagine that you want an actual answer to your question)

DP

basically they * manage everything to do with the team,players, appoint coaches and get players they want to sign,decide tactics and selection. Speak to the media **

* i am assuming they dont manage Chelsea here

** I am assuming you are not Fergie

If it was “just another rather dull pop at football”, I’d have called it wendyball, wouldn’t I ?

No, it’s a serious question. I can imagine a manager sorting out sponsorship deals and making sure the wages and electric bill get paid, but what influence does he have on how they play the game ?

. DP

No thanks 😉

“…decide tactics and selection…” Oh, OK, I assumed that was the coach’s job.

The manager decides on tactics and style of play, He also selects the players that he thinks will play the tactics/style best.

“…get players they want to sign…” Again, I assumed this would work like industry.

Foreman/Coach “We need a new Mig welding machine/player for £500/£5 000 000”
Manager/Manager “We’ve only got a budget of £400/£4 000 000. Find a cheaper one.”

Ask yourself what Dave Brailsford does. Same kind of thing I guess. He doesn’t do the coaching, just makes sure that the riders have the best opportunity to succeed.

It’s a piece of piss, everyone should do it.

Matt

what influence does he have on how they play the game

Like asking what influence the PM Has on the direction of a govt – fingers in every pies

Re welders he may have folk to go look at the welders [scouts] but he[ they all are men except in womens football] will pick the one he wants

What do they do?

Well the Scottish ones do a good job of sounding mentally subnormal whenever they’re interviewed.

Awful troll is obvious

Thanks for the replies. Despite what you might have come to expect from the internet, and STW in particular, not everyone who asks a question is trying to provoke an argument.
I’m interested in learning new stuff, even if it’s about stuff I’m not interested in.

I guess I was thinking of how I used to play for the school rugby team.
The PE teacher was the coach, picking the team and choosing tactics.
I was thinking of a football manager as a sort of headmaster, making sure we had a changing room and that the grass got cut, but not actually involved the details of how the game was played.
Or, to use the welding analogy again, most workshop managers wouldn’t know the difference between a MIG welder and a TIG welder. It’s better that they just allocate a budget to someone who does.

If you’re Chelsea manager you act as a sponge for derision from your own ‘fans’, when all you’ve actually been doing is exactly what the rich Russian bloke tells you to do.

Then you pick up your huge pay off when you’re inevitably sacked!

in some countries the ‘manager’ is often known as ‘coach’ or perhaps ‘head coach’, so that might be nearer your analogy.

1) select players to attempt to buy/loan according to the ridiculous/pitiful budget you’ve been given
2) decide which players the previous manager brought in are now surplus to requirements
3) select the team for matchdays and define the tactics
4) when it’s all going horribly wrong, decide not to substitute up to 3 players
5) tell the defenders & goalkeeper to hoof the ball up to the big man up front, totally bypassing the skilled midfield players
6) tell the press you think you’re doing a marvellous job, despite actually doing worse than the previous manager
and so on

can you tell from points 4-6 that I’m a Leeds United fan?
MOT

I thought you were gonna be a wolves fan John, then I read point 5 re “skilled midfielders” 🙁

what john drummer says.

Managers will have remits according to the club they are at. They will, in general pick the team on a week by week basis. They will be responsible for tactics, substitutions etc during the game. They might not be physically involved in the training sessions. They will identify players they would like to pursue, they probably will not be involved in the process of contract negotiations. They will decide on the coaching staff thet want around them. They won’t be involved in club sponsorship deals. They will be the ‘media’ person. A managers job would appear to be quite difficult.

A manager makes sure his team plays better, individually and collectively, than they otherwise would. He also attempts to influence the opposition so that they make decisions which mean they play worse.

A good manager will be more skilled in mind games and the dispersal of misinformation to the media, than a White House press department shortly before an invasion

graham this is the effect not the great management[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXpUdBlRZe8[/video]

A worker/footballer works in the system. A manager/manager works on the system, making changes to the system to continually improve performance.