Premier League Managers: Too Much Pressure Ruining the Game

Any football fan will have spent at least a little time talking over the mistakes of Premier League managers. What formation to play, which substitution to make—we are all closet managers.

So just how hard is the job?

Managers have once again been in the news recently.  The sacking of Steve Bruce, along with the ongoing protests against Steve Keen, highlight just how tough things can be in the Premier League.

I don’t claim to have experience anywhere close to the Premier League, but I’ve had to deliver results in a sporting environment, and it isn’t fun at all.

I was the captain and manager of a college team, playing to win.  The head coaches at college were always on my back about results. I hated it. The game was spoilt for me.

Now imagine that multiplied by around a billion. Then double it. Only then can you imagine the pressure faced by a Premier League manager.

The pressure placed on the manager of any Premier League club is immense. So immense it must be impossible for them to actually enjoy the game they love.

The long list of managers who have suffered health problems, specifically heart problems, is always growing. Recently, Harry Redknapp has been under the knife, and Gerrard Houllier left Aston Villa last year because of his health.

It isn’t a coincidence; these guys really feel the pressure. The pressure we, as supporters, put on them.

These men still want to be part of the game. They need it; it is part of their life. So much so they are willing to put everything on the line, in order to still have it in their life.

So why is it we are so quick to give them abuse?

Steve Bruce always did his best; he did what he felt was right. He tried to win every game. Steve Keen is the same at Blackburn. The smile on his face after Blackburn beat Swansea said it all. He was genuinely happy because he wanted to win.

As a supporter, it is important to remember these guys do their best. Yes, it is easy sitting up in the stand shouting down instructions. It is a different thing altogether doing it for real. The pressure is all on them. They need to do what they can to get results.

The Premier League has gradually turned football into big business. A results-driven business, and that is what cost Steve Bruce his job. Hence why Martin O’Neill got the job as his replacement, and not some young, exciting and unproven manager.

I honestly feel for Steve Bruce, Roberto Martinez and Mick McCartney—managers in similar situations. Do we honestly think they can play the football they want to?

Martinez played exciting and clever football at Swansea. At Wigan he needs to worry about survival; he can’t do that. He needs to be scrappy and defensive. Martinez tries to be attacking and pass the ball around, but to survive they need to have scrappy players.

We need to give managers a break. Not just us, but the owners as well. We need to encourage managers like Ian Holloway to come into the Premier League—managers who are prepared to attack and play creative football.

The way things are in football right now, there is no chance for a manager to do that. Holloway and Blackpool were the exception—a rare opportunity for a manager to play his own way without pressure.

A pattern is emerging in the Premier League: The top six teams play nice football; one or two of the promoted teams play great football. The rest are just scrappy, defensive teams that just want to survive.

Managers these days are stuck in a no-win situation. They need to guarantee safety, so they need to be defensive. But once a team is safe, the fans and owners expect good football and a climb up the league.

Something needs to give. The Premier League is gradually filling up with players like Lee Cattermole—defensive players without any creativity or flair. Hard tacklers with negative attitudes.

There is so much pressure on teams just to stay in the Premier League.  That isn’t just the fans.  Money is to blame for that.

With survival in the Premier League worth so much money these days, the focus is not on producing quality football. The focus is on survival. 

Once a team gets a taste of that money, they find it incredibly difficult to live without it. They sign players with money they don’t have. They pay wages to players they cannot afford—without Premier League money.

It’s difficult to tell who really is to blame for the pressure on managers. Is it the fans? Is it the owners and their money? More likely it is a combination of both.

Whatever the reason, it is ruining the Premier League for the majority of people outside the top six. Fixtures like Wolves vs. Wigan, Sunderland vs. Blackburn—they excite nobody.

Not because the teams have no hope of winning a title. Because fans know the game is likely to be a scrappy and defensive affair with poor football.

If we keep going the way we are, fans will stop attending games. Who wants to pay up to £30 to watch games like that? Attendances will drop. The Premier League will have six or seven full stadiums and 15 white elephants.

More importantly, the players at these clubs will become the ones we have to choose from when it comes to the England team. The top six can import the best, and they will continue to. 

Before it’s too late, lets get behind our managers and encourage them to get creative and exciting.