It’s a results business – pressure on Russ ahead of Bristol City

Russell Martin will go into tomorrows home game with Bristol City with pressure on his head with his side having won just three of their last twenty-three games.

Football is a game where results matter the most. It is a sport that thrives on wins, and losses are often not tolerated. Managers of football clubs are aware that they are in a results business. The pressure of the job is not only to win games but to win them in style. The football world is unique in that respect – there is a saying that you are only as good as your previous game. It is an industry where sacked managers are more common than ones who retire at the end of their career.

Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson once quoted, “the press have been after me because they need something to fill their newspapers with.” Ferguson understood that the job of a football manager is all about results, and the press are quick to deliver the verdict when things don’t go as planned. The pressure of the press is not only a way of feeding the fans with information, but it can also be a tool for clubs to make managerial changes.

Football management is a results business, and managers are under constant scrutiny right from the day they sign their contracts. A club’s fan base has high expectations, and they want their manager to deliver results within an acceptable timeframe. The fans’ patience can wear thin very quickly, and the pressure increases further when the team goes through a bad patch. The managers know that the fans can make or break their careers; therefore, their job security rests on the results they deliver.

Aston Villa’s former manager, Steve Bruce, once said, “Football management is like chewing gum; spit it out when it loses its taste.” It is a true reflection of the football world, where a manager can go from hero to zero very quickly. A club’s owners are always on the lookout for quick solutions when the team is not performing well. Therefore, a manager’s tenure at a club is usually short-lived. There is no room for complacency, and a club’s owners expect their managers to deliver results from day one.

Jose Mourinho, one of the most successful football managers of all time, once said, “I think I am a special one.” The statement reflects the confidence and self-belief that a football manager needs to succeed. However, it also emphasizes that self-belief alone is not enough to keep a manager’s job secure. The results are what counts, and there is no room for excuses in the football world.

The average longevity of a football manager’s tenure is now less than two years. According to a survey conducted by the League Managers Association, the average lifespan of a manager is just 1.33 years. The same survey revealed that 85 percent of all manager dismissals were due to poor performance. Therefore, clubs are always looking for quick fixes, and a manager’s job security rests solely on the results they deliver.

The pressure of the job is not only confined to managing the team on match day but extends to the backroom as well. The manager’s job is to ensure that the team is well prepared physically, mentally, and tactically. They also have to keep the players motivated, manage their egos, and ensure that everyone is pulling in the same direction. The job includes managing the club’s image, dealing with the media, and liaising with the board. A football manager is not only judged by the results on the pitch but also by the club’s finances, the transfer market, and the academy’s success.

In conclusion, football management is a results business, and managers are under constant scrutiny. The job security of a manager rests solely on the results they deliver, and there is no room for complacency. Fans, the media, and club owners expect instant success, and a manager’s job constantly hangs in the balance. The statistics suggest that managers’ tenure is increasingly becoming shorter, and the pressure on the job is immense. Therefore, football management is not a job for the faint-hearted. It requires the right skills, knowledge, and temperament to succeed. As legendary Liverpool manager, Bill Shankly once said, “Some people think football is a matter of life and death. I assure you, it’s much more important than that.”

Shankly’s quote probably isn’t accurate but it is a results business and Russ needs his team to deliver on that front soon.