Another column from Hereford manager Josh Gowling in today's Guardian in which he writes about managers getting sacked.
"The reality for every manager is that you will get sacked at some point in your career, but that does not stop you feeling sorry for colleagues when you see it happen to them," wrote Gowling.
His column is timely given the recent sackings at Manchester United and Newcastle. Indeed he admits to having to go in front of the Hereford board recently when results were not going his way.
"I definitely don’t want to experience too many more board meetings like the one at Hereford when, nine or 10 games into this season, we had only won once. You have to sit there and take the heat a little bit, because you are not getting the results and these are the people you answer to. While I might know where we’re going, the structure I’m trying to implement and the issues we will have to overcome in getting there, it’s not me doing the hiring and firing.
"The hope is that your board and chairman have belief in your vision: fortunately mine do and, given we have won our last four league games without conceding, I feel thankful that we have all been on the same page.
"Managing at National League level has its particular stresses and strains, particularly as a 37-year-old in his first job. Fewer people are watching my every move, but the real-world pressures are greater. There will be no huge pay-off if Hereford decide we should part ways; I would have to go and find another way to provide for my family, with no guarantees that football would offer a new challenge straight away. I’ve seen other managers, including friends of mine, suffer in exactly that way.
"By contrast, if you lose your job in the Premier League, the worst-case scenario is that you’ll have to look down a division or two.
"The reality is that you can’t keep your entire squad happy all the time. I doubt I’m everybody at Hereford’s favourite person, because you can only pick 11 players to start each game. But you can help your cause by winning and we have put ourselves in a position where a play‑off push should be in our sights. We were playing good football throughout our sticky patch and the fans stayed with us, which made life much easier. The solidarity from friends within the game when the wins started coming was fantastic too: it means a lot to receive supportive messages from people who know exactly what you are going through.
"Introspection goes with the territory, though. When we’re not winning I go into a bit of a hole and tend not to sleep well; you then push yourself, and your staff, even harder to find ways out of the situation. If you can’t do that then you are likely to be on your way out: the bell will toll for everybody at some point, but that is the bargain anyone embarking upon a career in management has to accept."
Read the full article at: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2021/nov/29/one-thing-is-certain-in-the-life-of-a-football-manager-you-will-get-sacked