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Episode 298: Is Manager the hardest job in football?
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Southampton – Fun talking point today, who'd want to be a manager? We discuss how the job role has changed over the years, and if it really is the hardest job in football!
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Transcript
Impact of International Football on Motivation
00:00:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello and welcome to the Daily Southampton, part of the Global Sports Podcast Network. worked My name is Greg Elliott and as always today, joined by my good friend, wonderful co-host, Zach Ingo Finch.
00:00:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
How mate? You alright?
00:00:30
Zak
I'm retired. don't know what it is. the hell I keep feeling like it's Thursday. It's only as we're recording this Tuesday. just... All this sun international football mates just put me to sleep.
00:00:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
lot Look, I'm feeling that. Look, we're we're recording before the England game tonight, which I'm sure will reinvigorate us.
00:00:46
Zak
no Sorry, it's going to great.
00:00:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
Anyway, swiftly moving on.
00:00:55
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think we've made our opinions on on international breaks and international football fairly clear at this point. I don't feel
Engagement in International Competitions
00:01:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
like we need to hammer the point home.
00:01:01
Zak
I think also it's slightly different when there's competitions as well, right? Slightly different when it's the World Cup and the Euros. I'll fully be invested at that point.
00:01:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:01:10
Zak
But when it when it's like friendly or, you know, having to play San Marino for like the 50th time, just don't care.
00:01:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
Challenges for Football Managers
00:01:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
Fully there. Uh, right, mate, we were talking about what to do, an episode on today and you came up with, uh, a wonderful idea, to talk about the hardest job in football at the moment.
00:01:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right. That's, uh, not being a referee. That's easy. You just make all the wrong decisions and face no consequences. Uh, it's maybe a tad hard.
00:01:43
Zak
Wow, mate.
00:01:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Uh,
00:01:47
Zak
If any part of our audience were referees, mate, I think that at that point you've killed off any hope they're go to continue to tune in.
00:01:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
look, there are some fantastic referees at the lower levels of English football. None of them seem to have made it to the top, is where I'm at. But no, the toughest job being a manager. Here's an interesting one for Zach. Did you know that according to Transfer Market, we as a team have the most manager changes during a season?
00:02:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
or Sorry, just changes in general in the club's league history with 27. Spurs with 25 behind us. Watford all the way down in 15th.
00:02:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
So I don't know what
Pressure and Myth of New Manager Bounce
00:02:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
the range is for this list that they're going with, but it's pretty crazy.
00:02:36
Zak
Yeah, good I was going to say, they seem to... But then again, like we had but the longest spell of stability in a long, long time was Ralf Asenhuil, right? And then since then, we're hitting the self-destruct button like every couple of months, and we're like, it's not going our way, let's get another one in! And then surely by the fact that when Ivan Juric came in, there was absolutely no new manager bounce, we should have maybe realised that we should stop doing that every time we think something's going to go over wrong.
00:03:03
Zak
But then, you know...
00:03:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
But it's an interesting one on the whole, right? Because it feels like now more than ever, there's more pressure on managers to turn things around quickly. And you pointed out new manager bounces aren't really a thing.
00:03:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
And...
00:03:21
Zak
but I assume to be at the moment. like I think that there's a couple of outliers, but considering that was like, you know, you would you would call in Big Sam at the end of the season to maybe save your season, right? And the last time we saw that happen was when Leeds went down with us that season and that they didn't it didn't work out for them, did it?
00:03:39
Zak
you know And they've had to kind of rebuild themselves from there. Looking at this season, last season as well, you've obviously had Luton go down from a fantastic Premier League sort of campaign and then struggle in the Championship, get rid of Rob Edwards, who is now absolutely flying in and the Championship again, bring in someone else who they've now got rid of. And now you've got Jack Wiltshire.
00:04:02
Zak
You know, this is a tale as old of time and you've got, I say tale as old as time, but like it's a tale as old as time, but also that I think the specific sort of like, we're going to fire this manager quickly and try and bring in some of this better. I think this person's better.
00:04:20
Zak
And it's going to resolve all our problems. It's like, I didn't really realise that Nottingham Forest had a problem, Greg. But apparently they decided to get rid of the Nuno for Ange Postacoglu, who was doing shocking in the league. And yeah, managed to win a trophy.
00:04:34
Zak
But like, let's not pretend that Spurs were bad at most of last season. and Like, it was one of the only things we could also joke about, right?
00:04:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well, let's face it if they If it wasn't for us and the two other promoted teams doing quite as poorly as we did, any other season, Spurs didn't hit 40 points, right? That's supposedly the
Modern Role and Influence of Managers
00:04:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
magic safe mark.
00:04:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
So you're right. That form is questionable at best, right?
00:05:00
Zak
Yeah, and so so that's like that that that seems absolute insanity.
00:05:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
This is baffling.
00:05:06
Zak
And now there's talk about getting rid of him and then they're who who they're going to replace him with. Potentially, there's tons of names being thrown around, like Sean Dyche, etc. And then if you want to look at be you want to look at like sort of the key to it all, it's like Manchester United is another perfect example, right?
00:05:22
Zak
Like United have had what? So you had David Moyes for a little bit, Louis van Gaal,
00:05:29
Zak
Solskjaer, Ragnik,
00:05:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, so yeah.
00:05:35
Zak
Ted Haag, now you've got, you know, you've got what's his name, Ameren, and sort of like, they're giving him time and they say that they've got a plan built around him, but you can see after like a few games of it going wrong and it being terrible, people just want to chuck the towel in.
00:05:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:05:51
Zak
But we are also of that where, you know, you look at, I don't, I think that, The thing that really needs to examined is like how this is happening and how it's got to a point where like how important is the role of like manager anymore?
00:06:05
Zak
Because we've talked about this a
Financial and Ownership Dynamics in Management
00:06:06
Zak
little bit before as well, like how, you know, manager's not making the decisions anymore. The manager's not the one that's picking the first 11 all the time. We, as a club recently, have brought Will Still in, but realistically, it spores behind the scene, right?
00:06:20
Zak
He's the one that put together his backroom staff, obviously, with some input from Will Still. you have You have comments such as, for example... Like, oh, yeah, no, we didn't need a new striker, right? And it's like, I don't think that that's true. I think that what you're saying is, well, I wasn't going to be given one. So, you know, and then also you've you don't really see that many managers speak out against the board as much because if they do, they just get like fired straight away.
00:06:47
Zak
And is this because now a lot of clubs just have the money to fire managers left, right and centre? Like part of me wonders if that's the only reason that Ameren's still in the job is that they they can't afford firing yet. right?
00:06:57
Zak
Because a lot of them are, like, refusing.
00:06:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
interesting Interesting.
00:06:59
Zak
Let's just...
00:07:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, that's an interesting point, because it's not cheap to fire a manager either. It's got to be the most lucrative job to fail at. it Right?
00:07:07
Zak
How much money have we spent firing managers?
00:07:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like,
00:07:10
Zak
Wouldn't be sp surprised if we're still paying off, like, Juric and Martin at this point, you know right? And so, like, you know... Yeah,
00:07:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think most of the contracts have a clause where you have to be paid a certain amount unless you take on another manager's job or something.
00:07:25
Zak
yeah, yeah.
00:07:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
So it's, you know, presumably we'd have stopped paying Juric and Russell Martin when they got their jobs in the Champions League this year, which is kind of equally as baffling, right?
00:07:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like, it's such a strange climate for managers.
00:07:39
Zak
what This is what I mean, because we talk about it, it's the hardest job, and and like it's it's longevity as well. like You don't really see... You can have... Ten Hag is a perfect example, right? You can you could be this like absolutely high-flying, like, oh look at what he's done with Ajax. It's going to be incredible.
00:07:56
Zak
Comes in Manchester United... And then i don't know what happened at Leverkusen, but like, fight
Influence of Pep Guardiola and Klopp's Management Styles
00:08:04
Zak
before your season starts or like after a game, it's like, there's got to be something going on behind the scenes, right?
00:08:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm. Hmm.
00:08:10
Zak
And then you also got the fact that there are probably a lot of people that would be really good coaches. And then you've got this rise of like, essentially the the golden generation of players now becoming managers as well.
00:08:21
Zak
Which obviously we know happens, but sometimes it's like works out better than not, right? Like Steven Gerrard sits in the middle there. Frank Lampard probably also sits in the middle. Wayne Rooney, sure, he tries to be a manager. Like he's just attempted it a couple of times this point.
00:08:36
Zak
You know, we've all seen that clip of Tom Brady calling out his work ethic and how upset he was about it.
00:08:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm. Hmm.
00:08:43
Zak
all that kind of All those kind of instances as well have have an impact. And Russell Martin arguably is an ex-player that turned manager, but I guess worked himself up from, I guess, a more unknown heights right to where he is now.
00:08:56
Zak
But yeah, just i just it's an interesting topic point, mate, to discuss mainly because I just... The whole kind of merry-go-round is insane, but also it does kind of seem like the death of the old guard has now started to happen, right?
00:09:09
Zak
You're not seeing everybody bring in a big Sam whenever there's a problem anymore, right?
00:09:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:09:14
Zak
You're not seeing all this kind of stuff. like And then even like the new generation of managers like the Pochettinos of the world are now, for some reason, managing international teams. Pochettino managing managing Netherlands.
00:09:27
Zak
international team. I don't know. I have, as you can tell, tons of thoughts, none of which are in a real way.
00:09:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
Well, I've got a take on us that might point us in a certain direction, but let's let's have a break.
00:09:35
Zak
So I want to know. I would, I would like, yeah, come on, mate. Tell me yours.
00:09:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
have a break and come back afterwards and hear from our partners at Bionique.
00:10:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay, mate, we're back. Right, hear me out. Is it Pep's fault? Now, but and that's the the the short soundbite version, but I've got a serious point to follow it up, right?
00:10:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
So Pep, obviously, currently the longest reigning Premier League manager, with Arteta coming in second, which in itself is is pretty nuts.
00:10:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
But what he did at Man City... you know, we've talked before about how it transformed formed the game in one way and another.
00:10:58
Zak
Mm-hmm.
00:10:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
But actually, because he was quite so dominant for quite so long, it kind of raised the bar for what success can look like.
00:11:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right? Like, we had seasons where, I mean, our Nathan Jones team was the only thing stopping him winning absolutely every cup they were in at all. Which is insane when you think that of how incredible and of an accomplishment the treble was when you United did it way back when.
00:11:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's it like that bar is now like unreachably high, and you know you don't get the time necessarily to build a project and get there, and and it's such a different role than it used to be to build a project. like You don't have managers that have these full control of everything,
00:11:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
sort of roles, they're just another coach, and because they're not like such the key focal point, when you you know you talk about Man United and Sir Alex Ferguson, is that he was so much of that club, and their downfall since he left is probably so much of undoing that, trying to undo, because the you know the reality is, if you're talking in modern day terms, he probably did the job of 15 people, right?
00:12:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like,
00:12:19
Zak
so So you don't think it was just bringing in Fellaini?
00:12:22
Global Sports Podcast Network
was
00:12:23
Zak
You don't think David Boyd is bringing in Fellaini from Everton, rocking up to training and being like, well, guys, you know how it is. I'm not as good as Alex Ferguson, which, you know, true.
00:12:33
Zak
But like, you know, i just so so teach me how it is to win.
00:12:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think...
00:12:36
Zak
You also don't think that there's not like a level of personality, the confidence that comes into it as well?
00:12:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
Sure, but I mean, I feel like it was a doomed position whoever took over, right? like because
00:12:47
Zak
Yeah, this is true.
00:12:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
Because of of how it was and and how the world has changed and changed in the time where Ferguson was manager. Like I say, like like the if you think about what Ferguson did with United,
Transition Challenges for Managers
00:13:01
Global Sports Podcast Network
it it genuinely probably translates to 10 to 15 different job titles today.
00:13:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
But without that level of control over so many things, it's easy for that position to just become the full guy, right? Like, well, they take the hit if the team's rubbish, but they can't take... I mean, if they win, it's the players that played well.
00:13:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
If they lose, or where it's the manager's fault he got the setup or wrong. It's just... It just seems to be that sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. And that's, I think, why managers don't get as long. The patience of clubs runs short. you know like Marco Silva is the third longest running manager in the Premier League. and he you know he's been there, what, four seasons, if that?
00:13:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
like
00:13:54
Zak
yeah but Okay.
00:13:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's crazy.
00:13:54
Zak
so So, so flip side of that is the, when does it successfully work? Like clop left, right and he he let them know he was leaving, is it because they had time to properly pick a successor that Slade ended up winning the Premier League last season?
00:14:11
Zak
Is it actually just like the quality of players and the you know having that level of quality means that it doesn't really matter who you shove in the manager's sort of...
00:14:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think that...
00:14:21
Zak
you know
00:14:23
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think that in the case of Klopp and Liverpool, it was...
00:14:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
it's such a different thing. Although Klopp is like emblematic of that big run and that successful Liverpool team. And, you know, that COVID Premier League win and then sort of passing the torch. He's still in, you know, a much more modern manager, right? He still did it within that system where he's not like the all powerful, all controlling.
00:14:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
He had a team and a structure and a system. And what we've seen is that that transition that you know that system and that structure with the right personnel caused a reasonably seamless transition, I would say, is to going on to win the league in the first year.
00:15:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
But, I mean, do you think, for argument's sake, do you think the same happens when Pep leaves City?
00:15:17
Zak
but I think that's that's where I was trying to lead you to, I guess, because I'm like, is Pep the actual one that's that successful? Or is it the fact that they have a setup which is run with unholy amounts of money, you know ridiculous amounts of of data, you know squads and teams of you know where one player can cost the entirety of the squad of a promoted side?
00:15:42
Zak
Those
Expectations vs. Capabilities in Management
00:15:42
Zak
are the kind of situations. So I think when you're talking about how, okay, well, he's raised the bar and raised expectations. I'm like, so what owners are trying to capture what Man City have, despite the fact that that's never going to be achievable unless all of a sudden you've got like a nation's worth of oil money to pump into a club.
00:16:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
No, but i'm not it's not they're not necessarily aiming for that. It's just that next to that, the next run down the ladder of success is still higher than previously, right? It's no longer just good enough to float around in the middle of the Premier League and occasionally make a run to hopefully get into Europe, right?
00:16:20
Global Sports Podcast Network
Now it's you've got to push the top four get Champions League. And some of that is down to that success. And some of that's down to just the the levels of money that come into the game, which is you know an entirely different competition conversation, right?
00:16:27
Zak
yeah
00:16:30
Zak
It's difficult because I think if you're if you're realistic, like clubs that are realistic, like even when we managed it, right, it was like we knew that it was kind of maybe we were were we were pushing above, we were lucky to be in the position we were in, worked hard to get there. But it's it's not the same as when you've got the arrogance of the owner of Forest, a team that you know I still consider to be promoted quite recently.
00:16:53
Zak
thinking that they need to fire their manager because they still managed European football, but not quite the European football that they expected or should have wanted. And
Managerial Influence vs. Club Systems
00:17:02
Zak
that kind of, that's where you you wonder, you talk about how the manager used to be all important and this, that, and the other, and I think that's true.
00:17:11
Zak
So is it that because of all the bureaucracy that has massively increased and all of the data-driven sort of models over the last couple of years and this, that, the other, is that you're now starting to get this almost arrogance from owners and people that think they know more and willing to fire managers and, yeah, make managers fault guys. It's like, I just find it nuts that the amount of times that so decisions seem to be influenced on the pitch, not necessarily by things that are going on the pitch and vice versa, right?
00:17:43
Zak
And I talk about that, like, specifically in regards to it's a Forest, it is absolutely... hinge Like I can understand you have ambition and you want your club to do better over time.
00:17:54
Zak
But when you finally get European football for the first time ever, and then you just sack the manager and you replace him with someone that you think has done, think is better. And then, you know, he's not really going to have to pay the consequences unless they obviously go down, which would be huge consequences to pay. And then you are dealing with it. But then obviously later on and down the line,
00:18:13
Zak
it could be the actual club itself that struggles, right? This is the same thing with what we're talking about with Luton and Rob Edwards and them struggling and then them being like, well, clearly, obviously, Rob Edwards is the problem and it's obviously not because it's still continuing now, right?
00:18:26
Zak
League One, Jack Wimpshire manager, like, what are we doing?
00:18:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:18:31
Zak
I know this is very jumbled as we basically discussed this as more of a jumping off point for just having a conversation around it. But I just don't know. I guess I get really wound up when it's like we should just fire the manager. And i'm like, hey, we keep doing that.
00:18:46
Zak
It doesn't do anything anymore because I don't think that it actually matters as much as you think it should. right It should be important. The manager should be important. to the day-to-day running of a club and the day-to-day, but it does feel like a lot of the time now there is more of just a like media face to being a manager.
00:19:02
Zak
And that might be disrespectful to some of the low elite clubs. I think Charlton, as an example, with Nathan Jones, are very much like, sure, just do what you want, right? And there are other clubs that have that example, but like we are a prime example of like, well, this has gone wrong. We must fire the manager as opposed to the fact that the backroom staff has been exactly the same or the fact that we're able to identify a straight line between like, Hey, we made really poor recruitment decisions and then never replaced the director of football.
00:19:29
Zak
Like not replacing the director of football was essentially leading like letting letting us be managerless. Right. Because as Russell Martin said, like, yeah, i was here to do the like football stuff. i didn't realize had to do transfers as well.
00:19:41
Zak
So he kind of like winged it with Tony Marbury's brother and it went really badly. And like, yes, we're aware. Like you got in Maxwell Coyne from West Ham and he played like a game and it was bad, right?
00:19:52
Zak
I think it's just, I don't know what the position of a modern manager is. I think it's a really difficult position to be in, but it's like, you talk about the greats like the Guardiola's and this, that and the other.
00:20:04
Zak
I just don't know how much that will continue in the future. If what
External Influences on Managerial Tenure
00:20:08
Zak
actually is, is like, especially with,
00:20:13
Zak
again, slightly off topic, but slightly sidetracked, Steven Gerrard with Rangers, right? Turning down Rangers. Apparently was the wrong time. There's also a lot of stories about how it's actually more to do with the fact that he has basically zero control there, right?
00:20:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
o
00:20:26
Zak
It would be like, you have to work under this director of football who is going to have this head of scouting, who is like the son of the guy who owns for the club. And he just turned around and was like, nah, not doing that.
00:20:37
Global Sports Podcast Network
But I mean, that's that's part and parcel of it, right?
00:20:37
Zak
So they'll get somebody to fit into that position.
00:20:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
That's why it's so difficult too, because because in this sort of midst of uncertainty, every club's going to be doing it differently. So how can you expect to go from doing well at one club to doing well at another when things can be like complete overhaul levels of different.
00:20:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
like You have all different types of systems and structures.
00:20:58
Zak
Hmm. Hmm.
00:21:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
You've got you know everything from, well, yeah, you are a bit like an old school manager where you do most of the stuff and then you're like, but actually, you're working alongside a director of football to do this and this.
00:21:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it's like, well, actually, you're more of a coach. And then it's like well, actually, you slot into this part of a multi-club model and it's just almost overcomplicated, right? Like, how can you just get back to the basics of football with that?
00:21:23
Zak
but that's what that's mean it's like it's bureaucracy for the sake of bureaucracy sometimes is how it feels and like when it comes to you to our club specifically like there is an argument now hear me out i'm not big fan of nathan jones greg but there is an argument with that combined with fan opinion him also making an absolute you know nightmare of himself to the fans but him not really being able to kind of do what he wants. And despite the fact that that's kind of what they hired him for, which is why he went after like 30 days, right?
00:21:57
Zak
Where it's like, oh, I should have come and done this and I should have done that. If I, it would have been different. But also I don't know if it could have been any different because I think that they've had specific ways of doing things and, you know,
00:22:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I agree. And
Future of Club Management Structures
00:22:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
there's definitely an argument be made that he wasn't given a fair shake of the stick here. And, you know, I don't know if it would have turned out better, but again...
00:22:17
Zak
Probably not.
00:22:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
In that instance, he didn't and probably not you're right but he didn't help himself in that situation because, the like you mentioned earlier, part of the important parts of the roles in a big club is that media facing side.
00:22:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
And if you're going to come out with some of the absolute nonsense that he came out with, it's is inevitable.
00:22:35
Zak
If you are going to sleep under a desk for like a month and then not sleep and then be insane every time that someone speaks to you're right. But I guess tying it into my wider point, which there is a wider point here, Greg. I know it's just a struggle to get that sometimes for me.
00:22:49
Zak
Thank you, dear listeners, for for staying with me here. But... with With our club specifically, people are talking about potentially Will Still going, right? And we should get rid of Will Still. Now, this is a hypothetical, Greg. What if they decide, right, we're going to pull the plug on Will Still?
00:23:01
Zak
I just don't think it's going to matter because everything they've built up around it is going to be they'll find someone that fits into this system they're trying to build alongside Spores and alongside all of the money they've spent on the players.
00:23:12
Zak
They've specifically targeted all the data and this and the other. And then it's like, okay, well, what do you want? Well, it's Sports Republic fault. Okay, so Sports Republic sell-up and we get bought out by another team that pay absolutely zero attention or owners that don't pay any attention and don't do any of this stuff. And we we get in a manager who does really, really well and it's all built around the manager.
00:23:32
Zak
And then that manager goes and then everything comes crashing down. So where i'm at is i I don't know how important the job of manager is, Greg, but I do know it's important. Yeah.
00:23:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, and now I'm with you.
00:23:42
Zak
i don't think it's And it's just, but it's one of those things where like, i don't really understand why people keep wanting to press, the the sort of panic fire manager button every time anything goes wrong, when what we've seen it do so far is little to nothing.
00:23:59
Zak
And probably the only thing that you can majorly do to change situations on a grand scale nowadays is to shake up the ownership.
00:24:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
No.
00:24:07
Zak
And I don't think that that is anything that you can really do fan-wise until they decide to sell, right?
00:24:14
Global Sports Podcast Network
Of course there isn't.
00:24:14
Zak
Like,
00:24:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. We
Evolving Role of Football Managers
00:24:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
talked about that before.
00:24:15
Zak
yeah.
00:24:17
Zak
Yeah. and And it's like Wednesday are another example of like had Danny Roe, Danny Roe left. He's not eie doing anything now. Brought this random guy in from Denmark.
00:24:27
Zak
He's there. That's cool. they They're doing terribly. They're not really going better. They can't have a thing. They have a whole stand that's falling apart. So then how important is the manager in that role?
00:24:39
Zak
Not that important. And I just think it's fascinating.
00:24:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
I disagree.
00:24:42
Zak
I guess the...
00:24:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
In that instance, it's the most important because he's arguably the only piece holding that all together in a woeful and horrible situation.
00:24:50
Zak
Yeah, but then that might be great. And then he gets you through that. And then they might do a walk-in where they get bought out they're like, right, the new owner's coming to go. Right, thanks very much. I'm glad you kept the piece. Anyway, off you go. Here's our new guy.
00:25:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:25:00
Zak
Right? at that And i yeah, just I just think that our discussions around this were really amount like, what is the role of a manager? How is it the hardest job in football?
00:25:11
Zak
What even does it mean anymore? And I think it it means so many different things than what we think about on a face value level. And I just find it a fascinating conversation point because it's like any job that or any company that you work for now that has a bunch of job roles that just seem like absolute nonsense job roles that don't really mean anything.
00:25:33
Zak
And I think for some clubs, manager kind of is, you're right, just a media face. other jobs other Other clubs, they are really, really important. And I think it's kind of fascinating that instead of it being the manager kind of add the final decision, the manager would make a lot of the decisions.
00:25:48
Zak
The way that like modern bureaucratic football has gone is that that is just like a dead breed of manager now, right? Like, I don't know if you've got any examples of a manager that rules the roost still.
00:25:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:25:59
Zak
And obviously that's,
00:25:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
None off the top of my head, I'm sure that some are about, but but even...
00:26:02
Zak
completely disregarding as well, situations like in Barcelona and Real Madrid where you've got club presidents, elections, all that weird stuff going on around the side of consolidating debt and all that kind of stuff.
00:26:15
Zak
I just think, don't know.
00:26:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. It's crazy, but that was a great chat. Uh, wait, I enjoyed it. That was a good episode. Uh, but that's all we got time for. Uh, mate, thank you so much, uh, for talking with today. It's been a good chat.
00:26:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Uh, I look forward to carrying on at some point, uh, cause, cause feel like we've both got more to say.
00:26:31
Zak
thank you, mate. Thank you. Thank you very much, for listeners. The thing is with these types of episodes, like there's just so many points I'm trying to make, and I don't really know where they're quite leading, because we haven't got like does this answer the question?
00:26:45
Zak
It's just a chat about managers. So sometimes I feel like I'm getting a bit lost, but I just find it a fascinating topic, but the job is is incredible.
00:26:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mate, without getting too deep, mate, sometimes it's nice to be able to ask the questions and not provide the answers, you know?
00:26:53
Zak
So thank you for listening.
00:27:01
Zak
It's almost as if almost as if we always promised we would never be able to do that.
00:27:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
Indeed. But let us know. What do you think? is Is being a manager the hardest job in football at the moment? Let us know. We're on all the socials, on X, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok,
00:27:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
Blue Sky everywhere. Let us know. We love hearing from you. We will be back tomorrow as we take a look at our international saints and how they have done while they've been away on international duty.
00:27:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Until then, thank you very much, everyone, for listening. And we'll see you then. Have a great day.