1st Edition

The Football Manager A History

By Neil Carter Copyright 2006
    216 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    216 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    This clear and accessible book is the first in-depth history of the role of the football manager in British football, tracing a path from Victorian-era amateurism to the highly paid motivational specialists and media personalities of the twenty-first century.

    Using original source materials, the book traces the changing character and function of the football manager, covering:

    • the origins of football management – club secretaries and early pioneers
    • the impact of post-war social change – the advent of the football business
    • television and the new commercialism
    • contemporary football – specialisation and the influence of foreign managers and management practices
    • the future of football management.

    The Football Manager fully explores the historical context of these changes. It examines the influence of Britain's traditionally pragmatic and hierarchical business management culture on British football, and in doing so provides a new and broader perspective on a unique management role and a unique way of life.

    1. The Origins of Football Management  2. The Pioneers, 1880-1914  3. 'Organising Victory': Herbert Chapman and Football Management Modernity  4. The Emergence of the Football Manager, 1918-1939  5. The Modernisation of Football Management, 1945-1970  6. Managers in the Television Age, 1970-1992  7. The 'Postmodern' Football Manager?  8. What Difference Does a Football Manager Make?  Conclusion.  Appendix.  Index

    Biography

    Carter, Neil

    ' ... this academic study has a lightness of touch that makes it accessible to anyone ...' - Chris Maume, The Independent

    '...Carter makes a convincing case for Chapman as the father of modern football management, and takes us expertly through to the present day, when special ones hog the limelight....'Chris Maume, The Independent