Football managers are at the center of today's commercially-driven football world, scrutinized, celebrated and under pressure as never before. This book is the first in-depth history of the role of the 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 - specialization and the influence of foreign managers and management practices

· the future of football management

The Football Manager 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.

For those interested in the history of football and for those interested in management more generally, this book is a valuable new resource.

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