Football and the overhyped role of a manager

A handsome man with wavy grey hair parted neatly from the left of his unusually long face. Eyes the colour of a glossy chestnut and a boyish smile that a 20 year-old would be lucky to have, let alone a man of 49. His lean physique, accentuated by the well fitted black suit he sports with a sky-blue and white scarf.

The immaculately dressed – Roberto Mancini

While it may seem to be a description of a character from an overrated erotic book, the man described above is none other than former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini. To a layman, the idea of a guy on a football pitch wearing a well ironed suit with polished dress shoes may seem bizarre, but, as far as football fans are concerned, it is the norm. The idea is so well ingrained within football that it led former Crystal Palace boss Tony Pulis say that ‘one has to earn the right to wear a suit’.

But to explain why the coach is wearing a three piece suit and not shorts and football shoes, to someone who has just started watching the sport is rather difficult. The tedious process generally results in some kind of an unconvincing vague nod from the ‘amateur’.

At the other end, the avid follower, who was explaining, tends to feel a bit unsatiated by the whole experience, aware that he was unable to make his point well. This overwhelming feeling is rather unusual for the always assured football fan who is almost snobbish in his knowledge of the sport. Take for instance the offside rule or maybe the importance of possession – the average fan would jump to answer either of the two aforementioned questions and do so decisively. However, at the same time, the role of the manager tends to bring out a more diverse answer – one that is not limited to drawing tactics on the whiteboard. Still most would agree that it is definitely his primary duty. If that, however, is indeed the case then why is it that the most mundane comment by a manager becomes front page news?

Too Blinded by what’s been fed to us?

The hugely controversial book – Soccernomics, which has lazily been christened ‘moneyball for football’, describes managers as “modern celebrities”. An extract from the book says the following:

“Football does a bad job of valuing managers. Football managers are modern celebrities, yet the vast majority appear to add no value to their teams, and could probably be replaced by their secretaries or stuffed teddy bears without anyone noticing.”

The book goes on to cite various examples some of which overwhelmingly support the claim. Soccernomics, in fact, states that the results or the league positions of a club depend almost entirely on the wages the club pays to its squad of players. Wages, of course, depend on the quality of players at the club and the depth of a squad – obvious reasons behind a club’s good or bad performance.

This fact, however, is too simplistic for a fan to accept as it suddenly makes him an equal to someone who has just started following the sport. Over the years, we have been fed several statistics that apparently prove how a comment by a certain manager changed the fortunes of a particular team. Without going into too much detail, the two most famous incidents that come to mind are Kevin Keegan’s spontaneous tirade on live television and Rafa Benitez’s well planned press conference which the media termed as “Rafa’s Rant”. Following each of the two, the teams managed by Keegan and Benitez seem to spontaneously combust and end up losing the title to Manchester United, ironically, on both occasions. The irony, of course, lies in the fact that Alex Ferguson, who was then the manager of United, is the one manager who has consistently proved to be an anomaly to Soccernomics’ theory – something that the book has generously acknowledged.

Is it really that basic?

Sir Alex’s secret to success, however, was even simpler. The Scot’s unparalleled longevity at United brought with it a serene stability to the club, one that is not common at football clubs in general. Stability, along with the efficiency of the work force, remains a fundamental principle upon which any organization must build on and football clubs are no different.

Other managers whose teams have consistently outperformed those who spend more in the transfer market and also on wage bills are Arsene Wenger and David Moyes (when he was at Everton). Both Wenger’s Arsenal and Moyes’ Everton consistently finished above Tottenham Hotspur – a club that spends heavily in the market and frequently changes managers.

It isn’t just the English league which has seen the theory hold; in Italy, Max Allegri’s Milan had the strongest squad in 2010-11 and won the title by as many as 6 points with beleaguered reigning champions – Inter coming second. Jose Mourinho, who had guided the Nerazzurri to a historic treble the previous year, had left for pastures new and the club was in a shambles with players unsure of their futures. The following season saw Juventus piece together a stunning comeback as they pipped Allegri’s Milan to the Scudetto after adding Milan’s Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal to their previously weak midfield. The Old lady also enjoyed the advantage of not having to compete in Europe after finishing 7th the previous season while its rivals succumbed as they competed on several fronts.

Other major leagues too have their stories which further exemplify the two aforementioned factors in a club’s long term success, rather worryingly however, any exception too is contained within the two.

Legendary Liverpool manager Bill Shankly had once said “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.” And we, football fans, tend to take it a little too seriously at times as we try to add a deeper meaning to a routine comment. Furthermore, the media, picking on fans’ vulnerabilities and emotional attachment, adds fuel to fire by adding narratives which make ordinary things special, making modern football seem like a reality soap opera.

It is a common belief among football fans that the arrival of a new manager can change the fortunes of a club, however, a thorough analysis, in essence, points unequivocally to the contrary. A football manager is, in most cases, only as good as his squad and his true ability is only showcased after an extended period at a particular club.

His role, then, is as simplistic as that of a cricket, baseball, tennis or basketball coach and his overhyped mind games, his demeanour, his body language or his well fitted suit - all of which are constantly under the microscope - are almost as redundant as the balding men, who stand behind the goal-line in Europa League matches, wearing shorts and football shoes.