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The Management: Scotland's Great Football Bosses
Why has Scotland produced so many of the best football managers in the world? Based on exclusive interviews with the men themselves, their players or close friends and family, Michael Grant and Rob Robertson reveal the huge contribution that Scottish managers like Sir Alex Ferguson, Sir Matt Busby, Bill Shankly, Jock Stein, Tommy Docherty, Jim McLean, Kenny Dalglish, George Graham, Walter Smith, Gordon Strachan, Alex McLeish and David Moyes, as well as a host of others, have made to the world game. This clever, original and brilliantly-realized analysis presents a fascinating account of each man, profiling their character and methods, individual strengths and weaknesses, and their impact on club or international football. It is a deeply-researched and compelling story which presents new material on many of the greats, particularly Busby and Stein, and highlights the enormous Old Firm contributions of, among others, Willie Maley, Bill Struth and Graeme Souness.With an analysis of the role of mining, heavy industry and politics in producing these tough, natural leaders, witty anecdotes on the great managers' run-ins with the media, a comprehensive roll of honor showing everything they have won, and an assessment of whether Scotland will continue to produce charismatic and successful bosses in the future, The Management is insightful, measured, revealing and utterly unique.
- GenresFootball
352 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2010
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About the author
Michael Grant
3 booksSee also Michael Grant for the Texan sports writer.
Michael Grant has been a football writer for over two decades and covered Scottish club and international football all over the world, including three World Cups and three European Championships. He worked in Inverness before moving to the Press & Journal in Aberdeen and then, in 1999, becoming chief football writer of The Sunday Herald. He has been chief football writer of The Herald since 2009. He suspects 1983 was as good as football can get.
Michael Grant has been a football writer for over two decades and covered Scottish club and international football all over the world, including three World Cups and three European Championships. He worked in Inverness before moving to the Press & Journal in Aberdeen and then, in 1999, becoming chief football writer of The Sunday Herald. He has been chief football writer of The Herald since 2009. He suspects 1983 was as good as football can get.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 16, 2024
Much of this book is fascinating. The success of Scottish managers has been such that there is clearly a story to tell. Ultimately, though, the book is disappointing. Much of it is too long on hagiography, too short on analysis. The opening chapter does attempt analysis, but a closing chapter drawing it all together would have been very useful.
For example, many of the managers here are presented as terrifying men, as screaming tyrants whose aggression is never far away from spilling over into physical violence. Did they succeed because of this approach, though, or in spite of it? After all, it seems likely that lesser managers also followed this approach. If anything, given the extreme stresses of the job, it is likely that lesser managers resorted to it more often. The question, though, is never properly addressed.
Again, the authors' research is admirably thorough, but the divergences of views that this throws up are never fully explored. For example, on page 241 Eddie Turnbull is quoted as describing Willie Maley and Bill Struth as mere "figureheads" at their clubs. Given that the authors devote about nineteen pages to those managers, though, presumably they disagree with that characterisation, but the conflict is not interrogated.
Finally, and this is in part a personal preference rather than a criticism, there is rather too much focus on the Old Firm. Of course, it is inevitable that the country's two most successful clubs will feature prominently, but is Davie Hay really deserving of more space than Bob Shankly? Was winning the league with Kilmarnock of such limited interest that it deserves to be dismissed in a few lines in Willie Waddell's section? If such focus on the Old Firm was necessary, it is disappointing that the opportunity wasn't taken to dig into Rangers' sectarian signing policy. The fact that so many Rangers managers happily implemented that shameful policy is surely relevant to their character and conduct as managers and to their approach to the role, but the matter is barely mentioned except in the context of (rightly) praising Graeme Souness for ending the policy. His predecessors are let off the hook.
All in all, this is a good book, but not as good as it could and should have been.
For example, many of the managers here are presented as terrifying men, as screaming tyrants whose aggression is never far away from spilling over into physical violence. Did they succeed because of this approach, though, or in spite of it? After all, it seems likely that lesser managers also followed this approach. If anything, given the extreme stresses of the job, it is likely that lesser managers resorted to it more often. The question, though, is never properly addressed.
Again, the authors' research is admirably thorough, but the divergences of views that this throws up are never fully explored. For example, on page 241 Eddie Turnbull is quoted as describing Willie Maley and Bill Struth as mere "figureheads" at their clubs. Given that the authors devote about nineteen pages to those managers, though, presumably they disagree with that characterisation, but the conflict is not interrogated.
Finally, and this is in part a personal preference rather than a criticism, there is rather too much focus on the Old Firm. Of course, it is inevitable that the country's two most successful clubs will feature prominently, but is Davie Hay really deserving of more space than Bob Shankly? Was winning the league with Kilmarnock of such limited interest that it deserves to be dismissed in a few lines in Willie Waddell's section? If such focus on the Old Firm was necessary, it is disappointing that the opportunity wasn't taken to dig into Rangers' sectarian signing policy. The fact that so many Rangers managers happily implemented that shameful policy is surely relevant to their character and conduct as managers and to their approach to the role, but the matter is barely mentioned except in the context of (rightly) praising Graeme Souness for ending the policy. His predecessors are let off the hook.
All in all, this is a good book, but not as good as it could and should have been.
June 4, 2018
Time has moved on since this was first published in 2010 and it's optimism about the potential for further great Scottish managers may seem less well grounded.
Nevertheless, this is a very enjoyable read about the significant Scottish influence on the game and the common roots in an industrial working class background which produced the legends such as Stein, Shankly, Busby, Ferguson et al.
And from a personal perspective I'm more than pleased to note the inclusion of John Lambie in a chapter on the mavericks of the game. It was checking and confirming his presence that prompted me to buy the book in the first place!!
Nevertheless, this is a very enjoyable read about the significant Scottish influence on the game and the common roots in an industrial working class background which produced the legends such as Stein, Shankly, Busby, Ferguson et al.
And from a personal perspective I'm more than pleased to note the inclusion of John Lambie in a chapter on the mavericks of the game. It was checking and confirming his presence that prompted me to buy the book in the first place!!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews