The First 100 Days:: Lessons in Leadership from the Football Bosses

by Phil Denton, Phil Denton

What does it take to thrive in one of the most pressurised leadership roles in modern times? How does the first few months in the football hotseat shape a manager’s future in the job? When school headteacher Phil Denton bumped into football boss Micky Mellon in a hotel gym on the first day of a new season, the pair started talking and exchanging ideas on leadership. Together, they embarked on a personal journey of discovery, talking in-depth to high-profile managers about their first 100 days in charge. Manchester United’s Ole Gunnar Solskjær, former England boss Sam Allardyce, West Ham number one David Moyes and Burnley chief Sean Dyche are among the leaders who reveal the vital strategies that enabled them to make a positive, early impact. An entertaining read for football fans and a valuable guide for those embarking on a new challenge of their own, this book will form part of the leadership learning programmes run by the League Managers Association.

Genres: Nonfiction

302 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 23, 2021

Reviews

[James R. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I made a mistake reading this book, I was expecting it to be purely about football but it's actually more about general leadership advice. I feel like the author could have done more with the access be had, as Micky Mellon, Sam Allerdyce, Sean Dyche, Ole Gunnar Solskjær and several other important footballing minds contributed to the book but the end product was similar to a bland middle management training seminar. SMART goals, SWOT analysis, the three Ps, and all that kind of thing feature heavily, which is all thoroughly well trodden ground. It's not bad but it's far from the book it could have been with the time given up by the contributors, sadly the author didn't make the most of it and steered the project towards something pretty tepid.

[Allan Harle · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who has recently completed an ILM level 5 management course & recently been promoted into a new management position. I found this book of great interest, & I wished it had been available earlier 😀

As I read through the book I recognised a lot of the management theories although only given a light touch here.

A great book for giving a new manager ideas what theories to consider, but you would need to follow up with your own further research.

I can see myself dipping back into this as time goes on.

[Bill McFadyen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting look at leading and managing. The authors - a football manager and a school headmaster have come together to speak with experts and colleagues to collaborate and learn how to do things better.
I enjoyed their conversations and although there was little new , for those who have looked at management and leadership models, it was refreshing to listen to them give examples of how the thinking was used ‘on the pitch,.
Well worth a look.

[Adam Murfet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good concepts in here that link football to real life. However I felt it was more a combining of others ideas than many original thoughts. Otherwise it’s interesting but nothing groundbreaking

[Darragh Howley · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book definitely does what it intends to do and would serve as a good blueprint for anyone entering into a management position for an underperforming company or team. There's a lot of good content in here drawing from a number of sources.

There are a few parts however that I didn't like. In some parts an acronym or technical term is used but an explanation or definition isn't provided until a few pages later. This meant flicking back a few pages to re-read the passage to understand it.

There is also an over-reliance on diagrams and fitting ideas or theories into triangles or pyramids. Not every theory with 3 points/ components needs to be a pyramid and there's one with 5 points that's somehow a pyramid.

A few descriptions of the type of restaurant they ate at and the quality of the food (Argentinian steakhouse, Brazilian feast) are added for no reason that I can see at all.

One last thing that I think could have been helpful is an index at the end of the book if you wanted to look a theory or something else in the text without having to flick through the whole book again.

[Rob Lepley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I got a lot of good leadership ideas. It’s a great input if you are starting at a new company or just starting a new position in your current company. I think it would also be helpful you are starting a new business. I work in IT as a contract PM. It’s been helpful with starting a new contract. I purchased this book mostly because of the relationship to soccer/football but found it to be a good leadership book that can be used in different work areas.