What do you think?
Rate this book
Living on the Volcano: The Secrets of Surviving as a Football Manager
A man punches the wall in a strategic show of anger. Another complains he has become a stranger to those he loves. A third relies on “my three a day: coffee, Nurofen and a bottle of wine.” Yet another admits he is an oddity, who would prefer to be working in cricket. A fifth describes his professional life as “a circus”. These are football managers, live and uncut. Arsene Wenger likens the job to “living on a volcano: any day may be your last”. He speaks with the authority of being the longest serving manager in the English game, having been at Arsenal for 17 years. The average lifespan of a Football League manager is 17 months. Fifty three managers, across all four Divisions, were sacked, or resigned, in the 2012-13 season. There were fifty seven managerial changes in the 2013-14 season. What makes these men tick? They are familiar figures, who rarely offer anything more than a glimpse into their personal and professional lives. What shapes them? How and why do they do their job? Award-winning writer Michael Calvin provides the answers.
Insecurity is a unifying factor, but managers at different levels face different sets of problems. Depending on their status, they are dealing with multi-millionaires, or mortgage slaves. Living on the Volcano charts the progress of more than 20 managers, in different circumstances and in different phases of their career. Some, like Brendan Rodgers and Roberto Martinez, are at the peak of their profession. Others, like Chris Hughton, Brian McDermott and Gary Waddock, have been sacked, and are seeking a way back into the game. They offer a unique insight into a trade which is prone to superficial judgement and savage swings in fortune. Management requires ruthlessness and empathy, idealism and cunning. Stories overlap, experiences intermingle, and myths are exposed.
Insecurity is a unifying factor, but managers at different levels face different sets of problems. Depending on their status, they are dealing with multi-millionaires, or mortgage slaves. Living on the Volcano charts the progress of more than 20 managers, in different circumstances and in different phases of their career. Some, like Brendan Rodgers and Roberto Martinez, are at the peak of their profession. Others, like Chris Hughton, Brian McDermott and Gary Waddock, have been sacked, and are seeking a way back into the game. They offer a unique insight into a trade which is prone to superficial judgement and savage swings in fortune. Management requires ruthlessness and empathy, idealism and cunning. Stories overlap, experiences intermingle, and myths are exposed.
434 pages, Hardcover
First published August 6, 2015
64 people are currently reading
645 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
January 15, 2016
Michael Calvin examines the stresses of modern football management by conducting in-depth interviews with managers at every level of the English football Pyramid.
One of the better football books I have read, I was expecting something completely different, this was an intriguing surprise. I can't wait to see The subject of Calvin's next peek behind the curtain!
One of the better football books I have read, I was expecting something completely different, this was an intriguing surprise. I can't wait to see The subject of Calvin's next peek behind the curtain!
March 6, 2021
A good read but perhaps a little dated now (2015) although the geek in me enjoys thinking about the various paths each manager has taken since the interview with the author. Some big names are involved and others referenced. Michael Calvin does a good job of unpicking what makes managers tick, what strategies they use in beginning a new job, motivating the work force, implementing change and more genuine leadership insights. Overall, probably only the financial sector can compete for the sheer stress levels caused by a results or bust business. Football management is not a career for the feint-hearted, not the thin-skinned.
The book’s an easy read and enjoyable. Well worth picking up if you’re into football, leadership and the 2010s era of football management.
The book’s an easy read and enjoyable. Well worth picking up if you’re into football, leadership and the 2010s era of football management.
January 12, 2022
This is the second Michael Calvin book I've read - after No Hunger in Paradise, on youth development - and probably my last. Both books follow the same unsatisfying format - Calvin conducts hours of interviews with relevant personalities in the English game...and then copies and pastes the interviews into chapters, one chapter per interview, and leaves it at that.
The problem is that each interviewee - there's 21 main ones, one per chapter, varying from Brendan Rodgers and Roberto Martinez to Gary Waddock and Aidy Boothroyd - has, roughly speaking, the same thing to say. It's a bit like attending 21 consecutive TED talks on the same subject. They want passion and hard work, they think about the game non-stop, they shout at you a fair bit by way of motivation, they're inclusive man-managers, but they're not afraid to ditch a bad egg if they have to. There's no real analysis or conclusions drawn, and really not a huge amount you wouldn't have known from playing Championship Manager. Half-way through the book, you start to wonder if the second half has anything really new to say. By the end, you realise it hasn't.
It probably would have been more engaging to order the book along the lines of a managerial career - starting with why a player might go for their coaching badges (non-playing managers, increasingly common in the modern game, don't feature here at all), then how they get their first break in management, then looking at various facets of management, moving on to the inevitable sack and the attempts to get back into the game, and so on. Then a picture could have been built up of a growing managerial career, but as it is, the interviews just merge into each other, and you can look back on two or three chapters previous and realise nothing has stuck or stood out.
Only at the very end is there an attempt at insight, with a comparison of managers' longevity stats with American pro sports, and a consideration of the haphazard nature of recruitment policies, when managers are hired without any hint of continuity with the previous manager - indeed, the idea of a new manager coming in and taking time to set his stamp on the club occurs a fair bit, which is surely just a complete waste of time from the club's point of view; you should hire a manager whose views tie in with the club's. Shaun Derry's sacking at Notts County gets an analysis beyond the usual "x points in y games" stat - the poor form is viewed as regression to mean after an overachieving start to the season, followed by three key players being recalled from loan. In that context, is the sacking likely to achieve much other than set the club back as another manager comes in to put his stamp on things? Even that's hidden in an otherwise mundane "Where are they now?" conclusion, which must have been out of date at time of publication, let alone six years later.
But such insights are rare, and this feels like a wasted opportunity at an interesting topic.
The problem is that each interviewee - there's 21 main ones, one per chapter, varying from Brendan Rodgers and Roberto Martinez to Gary Waddock and Aidy Boothroyd - has, roughly speaking, the same thing to say. It's a bit like attending 21 consecutive TED talks on the same subject. They want passion and hard work, they think about the game non-stop, they shout at you a fair bit by way of motivation, they're inclusive man-managers, but they're not afraid to ditch a bad egg if they have to. There's no real analysis or conclusions drawn, and really not a huge amount you wouldn't have known from playing Championship Manager. Half-way through the book, you start to wonder if the second half has anything really new to say. By the end, you realise it hasn't.
It probably would have been more engaging to order the book along the lines of a managerial career - starting with why a player might go for their coaching badges (non-playing managers, increasingly common in the modern game, don't feature here at all), then how they get their first break in management, then looking at various facets of management, moving on to the inevitable sack and the attempts to get back into the game, and so on. Then a picture could have been built up of a growing managerial career, but as it is, the interviews just merge into each other, and you can look back on two or three chapters previous and realise nothing has stuck or stood out.
Only at the very end is there an attempt at insight, with a comparison of managers' longevity stats with American pro sports, and a consideration of the haphazard nature of recruitment policies, when managers are hired without any hint of continuity with the previous manager - indeed, the idea of a new manager coming in and taking time to set his stamp on the club occurs a fair bit, which is surely just a complete waste of time from the club's point of view; you should hire a manager whose views tie in with the club's. Shaun Derry's sacking at Notts County gets an analysis beyond the usual "x points in y games" stat - the poor form is viewed as regression to mean after an overachieving start to the season, followed by three key players being recalled from loan. In that context, is the sacking likely to achieve much other than set the club back as another manager comes in to put his stamp on things? Even that's hidden in an otherwise mundane "Where are they now?" conclusion, which must have been out of date at time of publication, let alone six years later.
But such insights are rare, and this feels like a wasted opportunity at an interesting topic.
February 15, 2016
Ultimately a little disappointing. Calvin is as good a football journo as there is and the writing is a cut above while the central message - the ridiculously short time that managers have to make an impact - is even more relevant today than it was on publication not quite a year ago. But the problem with access is there - Calvin cannot be brutal about his subjects, all of whom have been willing and kind enough to give him house room -so the genuinely excellent are confused with those who probably should never have been given a chance to manage a football club. Roberto Martinez stands head and shoulders above the other interviewees as a genuine deep thinker while Alan Pardew might have inspired Carly Simon's most famous song in a parallel universe.
June 14, 2016
I am not a real big sports person (suprise)..I come from an area that sports mostly consist of American football, baseball and basketball. So, always being the one who wanted to be out there, when I finally got into watching and being a fan of sports, I fell in love with hockey and recently soccer.
Why? mostly because of the passion and sheer borderline insanity fans have for their teams and clubs, Mr Calvin's book is a interesting well written book into a job that has to be maddening, nerve wracking, probably like a huge drug to those people who truly love the beautiful game.
I couldn't do this job, managing a football club on any level has to be one of the hardest jobs in all of professional sports, but I applaud those who love it enough to give everything they have to it.
Why? mostly because of the passion and sheer borderline insanity fans have for their teams and clubs, Mr Calvin's book is a interesting well written book into a job that has to be maddening, nerve wracking, probably like a huge drug to those people who truly love the beautiful game.
I couldn't do this job, managing a football club on any level has to be one of the hardest jobs in all of professional sports, but I applaud those who love it enough to give everything they have to it.
April 22, 2019
I thought this would be an interesting insightful read and perhaps it was but it just doesn't feel like it. Turgidly written and quite repetitive; not many of these football managers are original thinkers despite what they would have us believe. A mad world full of people bordering on complete delusion.
August 13, 2023
2 things surprise me about this book -
The number of positive reviews
It was shortlisted for a sports book award
While I've looked at some of the social media posts of Michael Calvin and he seems a decent human being as far as I looked, I wish to point out the deficiencies of this book.
All this book is a write up of notes and quotes from chats with a set of British managers (as well as one or two from overseas). After a half-decent start in which he tackles the stress and impact on mental well-being he slides into a routine, something like this:
1 I always knew I could be a coach
2 Early mentors among whom managed me
3 Relationship with club owners (not fans). Mark Warburton gives his view on this.
4 Assistants
5 How good I am at managing a dressing room subdivided into
5.1 How I deal with Alpha Males, "gorillas" - knowing when to shout at them. Aidy Boothroyd declares how good he is at this
5.2 I am really good at spotting the fake Alpha Males. Not surprisingly Sean Dyche takes the most pride in this side of his skillset
5.3 I am super at dealing with players who need confidence. Brendan Rodgers declares how great he is at this.
5.4 Managing the group - brilliant obviously.
6 Let me tell you of my core values that I got from the tough but decent childhood with my hardworking parents. Dyche again is king on this one. Lots of work values, decency, honesty, pride etc
7 The pride they take in their family. Dyche riffs on the value of his great set of friends (you won't want to sit near them in the restaurant while they "wetting themselves" and their wives "pull those faces that women do" (not word for word quotes but you get the sense).
Repeat
No challenge, no balance, no demanding questions, no other points of view, no mention of fans, agents, tactics, stress (after chapter one), anything. Perhaps the author is keen to keep access to these egos, er sorry I meant decent moral man managers, that he can't possibly challenge them
What keeps the reader going?
For me - this helped me get back to sleep if I woke up in the middle of the night and there was the treat of the odd bit of purple prose, for example of these titans of applied philosophy, we're told, spoke with a East Midlands accent full of traces of Anglo Saxon and Norman history.
Perhaps the author could apply this technique to tackle the Invasion of the Ukraine from the point of view of Sergei Shoibu or Brexit negotiations from the point of view of David Davis. I am sure they'd look to engage his services.
So all-in-all this is a long long way short of The Football Man by Arthur Hopcraft or most sports books for that matter that I've read.
The number of positive reviews
It was shortlisted for a sports book award
While I've looked at some of the social media posts of Michael Calvin and he seems a decent human being as far as I looked, I wish to point out the deficiencies of this book.
All this book is a write up of notes and quotes from chats with a set of British managers (as well as one or two from overseas). After a half-decent start in which he tackles the stress and impact on mental well-being he slides into a routine, something like this:
1 I always knew I could be a coach
2 Early mentors among whom managed me
3 Relationship with club owners (not fans). Mark Warburton gives his view on this.
4 Assistants
5 How good I am at managing a dressing room subdivided into
5.1 How I deal with Alpha Males, "gorillas" - knowing when to shout at them. Aidy Boothroyd declares how good he is at this
5.2 I am really good at spotting the fake Alpha Males. Not surprisingly Sean Dyche takes the most pride in this side of his skillset
5.3 I am super at dealing with players who need confidence. Brendan Rodgers declares how great he is at this.
5.4 Managing the group - brilliant obviously.
6 Let me tell you of my core values that I got from the tough but decent childhood with my hardworking parents. Dyche again is king on this one. Lots of work values, decency, honesty, pride etc
7 The pride they take in their family. Dyche riffs on the value of his great set of friends (you won't want to sit near them in the restaurant while they "wetting themselves" and their wives "pull those faces that women do" (not word for word quotes but you get the sense).
Repeat
No challenge, no balance, no demanding questions, no other points of view, no mention of fans, agents, tactics, stress (after chapter one), anything. Perhaps the author is keen to keep access to these egos, er sorry I meant decent moral man managers, that he can't possibly challenge them
What keeps the reader going?
For me - this helped me get back to sleep if I woke up in the middle of the night and there was the treat of the odd bit of purple prose, for example of these titans of applied philosophy, we're told, spoke with a East Midlands accent full of traces of Anglo Saxon and Norman history.
Perhaps the author could apply this technique to tackle the Invasion of the Ukraine from the point of view of Sergei Shoibu or Brexit negotiations from the point of view of David Davis. I am sure they'd look to engage his services.
So all-in-all this is a long long way short of The Football Man by Arthur Hopcraft or most sports books for that matter that I've read.
October 16, 2018
Was disappointed with this book. Definitely had some interesting bits in there, but I found that after reading the first few chapters I felt like I was just reading the same chapter over and over again. Sure the different managers had different experiences, but the crux of it all seemed to be the same. Calvin's earlier book 'Family' was a fantastic read, and really got me immersed into what was being written about. It was quite obvious that Calvin had been there and experienced it. This book unfortunately was far too anecdotal for me, and just felt like I reading the notes recorded of a number of 2-3 hour meetings with each manager over a coffee.
August 21, 2015
Michael Calvin does it again!
After winning The Times Sports Book Awards for "The Nowhere Men" about scouts and scouting in football, he takes a deep look at managing and managers in football.
Living on the Volcano is a inside look of how it is to be a manager in english football. Calvin get precoius time from a bunch of managers in the game. Managers at different levels, ages and with different takes on managing, life and football.
Odds should be low on Calvin winning more awards. Thumbs up!
After winning The Times Sports Book Awards for "The Nowhere Men" about scouts and scouting in football, he takes a deep look at managing and managers in football.
Living on the Volcano is a inside look of how it is to be a manager in english football. Calvin get precoius time from a bunch of managers in the game. Managers at different levels, ages and with different takes on managing, life and football.
Odds should be low on Calvin winning more awards. Thumbs up!
February 4, 2016
I think this may be even better than Nowhere Men. Calvin combines the thoroughness of the good journalist with worldly insight and this makes him not only worth reading but also worth paying attention to. He seems to me to have a better grasp of the changes (real and apparent) in football than most of his peers.
I don't often use post-its when reading my annual pile of Christmas sports books but this one is liberally decorated with the colourful tabs.
I don't often use post-its when reading my annual pile of Christmas sports books but this one is liberally decorated with the colourful tabs.
May 24, 2016
If the book was about three quarters of the length, and all chapters were as good as the Sean Dyche one, this would be a masterpiece.
If there's one theme running through this it's: Alan Pardew is brilliant.
I don't like to throw around a term like this but Sean Dyche is a fucking legend.
If there's one theme running through this it's: Alan Pardew is brilliant.
I don't like to throw around a term like this but Sean Dyche is a fucking legend.
October 23, 2018
A fascinating account of what life is life as a manger of English League club, from the top of the pyramid with The Premier League to the bottom of League Two.
This is a must read for any football fan!
This is a must read for any football fan!
January 25, 2020
Football management is one of the few industries in which a professional can get sacked, vilified and lambasted for the quality of their work, yet find themselves in a similarly well-paid, advantageous position once more soon after. It’s a forgetful industry, as is the cyclical nature of football. It’s also a ruthless industry, as pressure and the emphasis on results increases.
As such, from the outside looking in, I’ve been surprised that managers such as David Moyes, Steve McClaren and Roy Hodgson have managed to rebuild their careers. However, Michael Calvin’s Living on the Volcano reveals the dedication, work ethic and zest for learning that defines those who stand on the touchline.
Theirs is a thankless task, though, and throughout Calvin’s wide-ranging chats with football managers – primarily those working in The Football League – he peels back themes of depression, apathy and burnout in his subjects. For instance, Marty Ling, who was in charge at Leyton Orient, Cambridge and Torquay among others, speaks movingly about how his role drove him to panic attacks and depression. Aidy Boothroyd, the former Watford and Northampton boss, describes how his media image crashed from that of a future England manager to a clueless buffoon. Alan Pardew, who held the fort at Reading, West Ham, Southampton and Newcastle to name a few, chats with Calvin in the midst of a vociferous backlash from the Geordie public.
It makes for an eye-opening and bleak trip. Calvin gives his interviewees the space to have their say, and although the long, unbroken passages of quotes grate after a while, the way he gets under the skin of his subjects makes for an engrossing read.
Indeed, Calvin’s passion shines through his prose. You get a sense of his empathy for football managers, his acknowledgement of their strengths and his appreciation of the sacrifices they make. There are plenty of stories about managers struggling to cope away from their families, battling with blinkered owners and fighting to rouse prima donna youngsters.
Calvin’s is a body of work which stretches beyond the soundbites managers are obliged to spout on Match of the Day each weekend, resulting in an important study on one of sport’s loneliest and most unforgiving vocations.
As such, from the outside looking in, I’ve been surprised that managers such as David Moyes, Steve McClaren and Roy Hodgson have managed to rebuild their careers. However, Michael Calvin’s Living on the Volcano reveals the dedication, work ethic and zest for learning that defines those who stand on the touchline.
Theirs is a thankless task, though, and throughout Calvin’s wide-ranging chats with football managers – primarily those working in The Football League – he peels back themes of depression, apathy and burnout in his subjects. For instance, Marty Ling, who was in charge at Leyton Orient, Cambridge and Torquay among others, speaks movingly about how his role drove him to panic attacks and depression. Aidy Boothroyd, the former Watford and Northampton boss, describes how his media image crashed from that of a future England manager to a clueless buffoon. Alan Pardew, who held the fort at Reading, West Ham, Southampton and Newcastle to name a few, chats with Calvin in the midst of a vociferous backlash from the Geordie public.
It makes for an eye-opening and bleak trip. Calvin gives his interviewees the space to have their say, and although the long, unbroken passages of quotes grate after a while, the way he gets under the skin of his subjects makes for an engrossing read.
Indeed, Calvin’s passion shines through his prose. You get a sense of his empathy for football managers, his acknowledgement of their strengths and his appreciation of the sacrifices they make. There are plenty of stories about managers struggling to cope away from their families, battling with blinkered owners and fighting to rouse prima donna youngsters.
Calvin’s is a body of work which stretches beyond the soundbites managers are obliged to spout on Match of the Day each weekend, resulting in an important study on one of sport’s loneliest and most unforgiving vocations.
August 28, 2017
Football has, in recent times, become an even bigger phenomenon - not that you'd think such a thing could be possible.
As well as a "24 hour" news channel, two companies pushing it down our throats as much as possible, it being used to drive web traffic and endless autobiographies we now have a whole raft of books analysing the damn thing.
Hats off to Michael Calvin, then, for finding something slightly different to talk about.
Managers themselves have written out their lives in the game, the stresses and strains etc - but Living On The Volcano is the first time, to my knowledge at least, someone has thrown the spotlight on the life of managers in general.
Starting off with a story about depression, Calvin takes us smoothly and swiftly on a journey through the leagues, talking to people at all levels of the game.
Among the many things we learn is that the stress and pressure is no greater in the top flight than it is at the wrong end of League Two.
We also learn that Brendan Rogers talks endless bollox, but that's not exactly a revelation to some of us...
Calvin has a wonderful knack for crafting an engaging and endearing narrative, leaving the reader with little time to pause for breathe as the stories come thick and fast.
And you really don't want to be pausing.
What could have been a dry, self-indulgent look at the game is in fact a gripping page turner - the sort of book that makes you resent any interruptions, a book you'd happily take a day off to finish.
If there's one niggle, it's Calvin's habit of ending each chapter with an attempted cliff-hanger. It's OK once or twice, but when it happens every time it starts to grate.
But that is, genuinely, the only negative.
Living On The Volcano is a gripping page-turner that is even more fun than a 4-3 thriller when it's not your team losing in the 95th minute.
As well as a "24 hour" news channel, two companies pushing it down our throats as much as possible, it being used to drive web traffic and endless autobiographies we now have a whole raft of books analysing the damn thing.
Hats off to Michael Calvin, then, for finding something slightly different to talk about.
Managers themselves have written out their lives in the game, the stresses and strains etc - but Living On The Volcano is the first time, to my knowledge at least, someone has thrown the spotlight on the life of managers in general.
Starting off with a story about depression, Calvin takes us smoothly and swiftly on a journey through the leagues, talking to people at all levels of the game.
Among the many things we learn is that the stress and pressure is no greater in the top flight than it is at the wrong end of League Two.
We also learn that Brendan Rogers talks endless bollox, but that's not exactly a revelation to some of us...
Calvin has a wonderful knack for crafting an engaging and endearing narrative, leaving the reader with little time to pause for breathe as the stories come thick and fast.
And you really don't want to be pausing.
What could have been a dry, self-indulgent look at the game is in fact a gripping page turner - the sort of book that makes you resent any interruptions, a book you'd happily take a day off to finish.
If there's one niggle, it's Calvin's habit of ending each chapter with an attempted cliff-hanger. It's OK once or twice, but when it happens every time it starts to grate.
But that is, genuinely, the only negative.
Living On The Volcano is a gripping page-turner that is even more fun than a 4-3 thriller when it's not your team losing in the 95th minute.
January 19, 2020
The second Michael Calvin book that I have read and again it was an enjoyable read.
As a football fan it is interesting to see behind the scenes and get a glimpse of the world that is rarely seen - the life of the football manager. One of the best aspects of this book is not only the access that the author has managed to obtain to numerous managers and their co-operation in writing up their discussions on the record but also the spread of subjects from those at the top of the game to those lower down the professional food chain.
The insights into the all consuming nature of the job, be it at Liverpool or be it at Colchester is striking as is the toll it can take on people.
Some of the interviews are all too fleeting and may have benefited from fewer subjects and more reflection. There are however, some gems in this work, to read of the impact of depression upon Martin Ling for instance, the struggles of Joe Dunne to make a career and to read about Brian McDermott's motivations and life influences.
Because of the transitory nature of football in the 21st century almost all of the interviewees are no longer in the posts that they held when this book was written. As well as reflecting that this book will slowly date further as time goes on it also captures how many of the hopes and dreams of those featured evaoprated, changed were wrenched away from them, which in itself is a good resume of this book
As a football fan it is interesting to see behind the scenes and get a glimpse of the world that is rarely seen - the life of the football manager. One of the best aspects of this book is not only the access that the author has managed to obtain to numerous managers and their co-operation in writing up their discussions on the record but also the spread of subjects from those at the top of the game to those lower down the professional food chain.
The insights into the all consuming nature of the job, be it at Liverpool or be it at Colchester is striking as is the toll it can take on people.
Some of the interviews are all too fleeting and may have benefited from fewer subjects and more reflection. There are however, some gems in this work, to read of the impact of depression upon Martin Ling for instance, the struggles of Joe Dunne to make a career and to read about Brian McDermott's motivations and life influences.
Because of the transitory nature of football in the 21st century almost all of the interviewees are no longer in the posts that they held when this book was written. As well as reflecting that this book will slowly date further as time goes on it also captures how many of the hopes and dreams of those featured evaoprated, changed were wrenched away from them, which in itself is a good resume of this book
July 3, 2022
The job of a football manager is not as easy at it may sound. The modern day football clubs treat their manages as any other profession, instant hiring, instant firing. Michael Calvin who impressed lover of sports as well as readers with his book The Nowhere Men which was about scouts and scouting. Well this one is about managers.
The book starts with Arsene Wenger’s forward and then each chapter is based on a different manager in which the does most of the speaking. The book is written in the style of an interview cum recording. Not many interviewerees are big name but surely their experience in the field speaks for itself. Other interviewerees are Mark Hughes who is currently at Stoke City, Garry Monk recently sacked by Swansea City, Roberto Martinez and Brendon Rodgers.
They reveal a different view of the job that is hidden from the Television and from its viewers. Calvin hasn’t done much of the talking himself. But he does intervene a few times to get the best talk about the shop. It’s an interesting read, if you are passionate about the sport itself.
3 out of 5!
The book starts with Arsene Wenger’s forward and then each chapter is based on a different manager in which the does most of the speaking. The book is written in the style of an interview cum recording. Not many interviewerees are big name but surely their experience in the field speaks for itself. Other interviewerees are Mark Hughes who is currently at Stoke City, Garry Monk recently sacked by Swansea City, Roberto Martinez and Brendon Rodgers.
They reveal a different view of the job that is hidden from the Television and from its viewers. Calvin hasn’t done much of the talking himself. But he does intervene a few times to get the best talk about the shop. It’s an interesting read, if you are passionate about the sport itself.
3 out of 5!
March 5, 2021
Michael Calvin interviews about 20 different football managers in the four English top-flight leagues in his book "Living On The Volcano".
It is certainly an interesting insight to the world of football management, introduced with the severest of concequences this job can cause. However, after the first chapter, the managers have 19 different ways of saying pretty much the same about football management.
Upon buying this book, I expected a bit more of an evolving narrative, instead of conclusive chapters, only stitched together by a few sentences at the end of each chapter, attempting to make this something other than a compilation of testamonies.
This is not to say that the content itself wasn't interesting. I found some of the managers unique stories to be captivating. Overall through, I just wanted to be done with it by the time I had five chapters left. I really don't like feeling that way. My opinion of the book might change when I pick it back up in a few months time, knowing what to expect. However, that doesn't change the fact that it's quite repetative.
It is certainly an interesting insight to the world of football management, introduced with the severest of concequences this job can cause. However, after the first chapter, the managers have 19 different ways of saying pretty much the same about football management.
Upon buying this book, I expected a bit more of an evolving narrative, instead of conclusive chapters, only stitched together by a few sentences at the end of each chapter, attempting to make this something other than a compilation of testamonies.
This is not to say that the content itself wasn't interesting. I found some of the managers unique stories to be captivating. Overall through, I just wanted to be done with it by the time I had five chapters left. I really don't like feeling that way. My opinion of the book might change when I pick it back up in a few months time, knowing what to expect. However, that doesn't change the fact that it's quite repetative.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 30, 2018
The book starts strongly with a piercing, and heartbreaking, insight into the pressure on the mental health of a lower league football manager. From there, you get sketches of some interesting characters. Some are made more poignant by the shifting sands of the football environment and the hindsight of knowing how things turned out for some of them. However, eventually you're getting the same few things coming out of different mouths. We get it. It's a high pressure job. A lot of it doesn't make any sense. But then, that's the game these days.
Overall, this feels like a missed opportunity. A more focused and in-depth look at fewer managers, of different types, would have been truly great. This is just an OK read, a snapshot of a moment in football time.
Overall, this feels like a missed opportunity. A more focused and in-depth look at fewer managers, of different types, would have been truly great. This is just an OK read, a snapshot of a moment in football time.
June 18, 2020
Exception book with insights on football managers. The highs and the lows and the minds of football managers are explained through managers and coaches across the English footbal. After reading this it made me realise how brutal is the job of a football manager. Truly exceptional work by the author. Must read for all budding football managers anywhere in the world. Greats takeaways in every chapter!
September 3, 2025
I really enjoyed this. Calvin's interviews with and observations of managers help humanise the people who are living under the microscope of modern football.
Each of the chapters is engaging and the writing style makes it easy to race through, and enjoy, the book. The stories often help you see the managers in a new light and appreciate the human being behind the media persona and bravado. Would thoroughly recommend to any football fan.
Each of the chapters is engaging and the writing style makes it easy to race through, and enjoy, the book. The stories often help you see the managers in a new light and appreciate the human being behind the media persona and bravado. Would thoroughly recommend to any football fan.
December 30, 2019
Well, this is a really strange one. Filled with interesting details and various points of view but largely destroyed by the writing. Where is the author in this besides the unnecessarily long and lyrical sentences? Calvin does not put things into perspective, drowns in endless quotations and jumps from one manager to another so often it is almost impossible to keep track of them.
April 30, 2024
Like his book nowhere men, very anecdotal but in a good way. Hits you with the stark realities of management and the pressures these men face in their jobs day to day. Shows a side to the game rarely seen and it would be good if more people understood it to learn to be patient and understand the multiple factors that go into management of a football club at any level.
March 5, 2017
An interesting look into the minds of football coaches , some great insights , and just to show how much pressure these guys are under , this book was written 2 years ago , and only 2 of the managers in it are still at the clubs
May 5, 2017
Great insight into the day to day lives of football managers and the stress and pressure they have to deal with. While it's full of minute details it can seem a bit disjointed at times as focus shifts from manager to manager mid narrative. It's still a worthwhile read.
May 2, 2018
I like it quite a lot. But I’m not english and I don’t have the knowledge of all the managers written about in this book. Inbetween I found it a little chaotic in the start of the different chapters.
But it is a very important book with very important stories
But it is a very important book with very important stories
November 12, 2018
A very candid and eye-opening account of the cut-throat world of football management at all levels of the game. Some very revealing and honest interviews with a cross section of famous managers throughout the football pyramid.
December 23, 2018
It's interesting to hear the lives and stories of managers, you get an insight into the stress they are under.
The book lacks in-depth insight into the thoughts and processes of managers, probably due to the format of one chapter per manager.
Enjoyable read
The book lacks in-depth insight into the thoughts and processes of managers, probably due to the format of one chapter per manager.
Enjoyable read
January 13, 2019
Interesting in parts but takes a lot of words to make one basic point: all managers in English football are essentially doomed the minute they start. There's a lot of waffle included. Hard to tell the bad managers from the good.
June 12, 2018
A very interesting look at the life of a football manager, from the lowest leagues all the way to the EPL.
August 13, 2018
Overrated. Too full of cliches, and lacking in real insight.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews