GAME OF THE PEOPLE

THE role of the football manager didn’t really emerge until the early years of the 20^th century and became synonymous with the increased professionalism of the game. The person responsible for the players was generally the secretary and this gradually morphed into a job that included management of the team on the field. It varied a little from club-to-club, but the most important person at the club was essentially the chap that ran it. Tom Watson was one such individual, a stocky, moustachioed individual who could sell anything to anyone and charm the most difficult of characters.

Watson developed the knack of getting the best out of a squad of players. A native of the north-east of England, he was born in April 1859 and was involved with the two Newcastle teams that became United, West End and East End. He was instrumental in Newcastle West End moving to St. James’ Park, but when he moved to East End, his former club went into decline.

Watson moved to Sunderland in 1888 where he began to build a team that was largely drawn from Scotland. Watson, who was just 29 when he arrived at Sunderland, had tapped into the Scottish football scene early in his career with Newcastle and down the years believed that the Scottish player was the finest of them all. The Sunderland team that entered the Football League in 1890 was dominated by Scots and in their second season, they won the first of their league titles. All bar one player had been signed by Watson from clubs north of the border, something of a necessity for Sunderland, whose geographic position meant it was easier to head north to sign footballing talent.

And it was the acquisition of skilled players that defined Watson’s Sunderland – the so-called “team of all the talents”. Sunderland won the Football League in 1891-92, 1892-93 and 1894-95 and were runners up in 1893-94. In their squad they had outstanding players like Ned Doig, Hughie Wilson, John Auld and Jimmy Millar. They dominated English football and were resented by some because they were extremely intolerant of any form of criticism. Watson himself was a very popular and influential figure.

In 1896, Sunderland became a limited liability company with capital of £ 5,000. Watson, who had been attracting the attention of a number of clubs, was lured to Liverpool who were an ambitious outfit who needed a guiding hand to drive them forward. Watson was given a record £ 300 annual salary, which was double his wage at Sunderland, and given the brief to make Liverpool into a footballing power. The Herald, among others, was shocked by his move: “So Tom Watson and Sunderland are divorced! The degree has been pronounced and made absolute and Tom had joined Liverpool. What will the team of all the talents do now, poor things?”.

Despite the disappointment of his departure, the Sunderland public made sure they showed their appreciation of Watson. He was showered with gifts from players, club and supporters of the club. When it was time for him to go, he was accompanied by well-wishers at Sunderland railway station. A large crowd saw him off, presenting him with a silver scarf pin and matchbox.

The journalists liked Watson because he always had time to speak to them and offered interesting sound-bites for their papers. His arrival at Liverpool pushed the club into the spotlight, “this club has, at last, secured a man to take them to the helm”. He was, effectively, Liverpool’s first proper team boss. Watson implemented a rigorous training regime and also had rules about diets and lifestyle. He may have been strict about some aspects of football management, but he also enjoyed having a drink and a sing-song with his players. He was occasionally outspoken and had little time for referees, many of whom he felt were simply incompetent.

In his first season with Liverpool, which was also the first that the club wore red and white, Watson took the club to fifth place. Watson made history at Liverpool in winning two Football League champions in 1901 and 1906, the latter a notable triumph after winning promotion from the second division. Watson was the first manager to win the title with two different clubs. Although his best days were soon to come to an end, Watson remained at Liverpool until May 1915, making him the club’s longest serving manager. He died at the age of 56 after suffering a severe chill while at work. The football world was full of tributes to the man who arguably started the cult of the manager and his record will always speak for itself.

IF Carlo Ancelotti was a noisy devil, prancing around the technical area like a jack-in-the-box, or berating fourth officials to spoil for a fight, then perhaps he would earn the plaudits of those that believe the “visible” approach is the best way to run a team. Ancelotti looks more like an investment banker on a field trip or a politician looking for election votes. His general body language suggests a man who is confident in his ability, somebody who trusts the players he sends out onto the pitch. He has managed the Real Madrid side since 2022 and has just led them to their 36^th La Liga title. Real are also in the last four of the Champions League and favourites to reach yet another final after drawing 2-2 in the semi-final first leg against FC Bayern. Ancelotti is doing some very right.

Real Madrid have won the league twice in three years since he returned. He won the Champions League in 2022, maintaining his excellent record in the competition. Ancelotti has a fantastic CV: AC Milan, Juventus, Napoli, Chelsea, Real, PSG and Bayern Munich, as well as Parma and Everton. He’s won league titles in five leagues: England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, four Champions League titles as a coach and four domestic cups. His overall managerial win rate over almost 30 years is almost 60%. He is one of the greatest club managers of all time and certainly one of the most understated. The one common factor in his career is that he is normally most appreciated when he has left a post. Most clubs do not realise how fortunate they are to have had him in charge. No wonder some Chelsea fans are now calling for Ancelotti to return to Stamford Bridge.

The current Real Madrid side is possibly a little underrated and yet is every bit as good as the team that won three Champions Leagues in a row between 2016 and 2018. They are more of a unit but they now have two players, Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham, who can provide the youthful vigour to balance the more experienced performers like Toni Kroos who once looked on his way out but has been one of La Liga’s best midfielders this season. Ancelotti deserves credit for making Bellingham a very different player than he was at Dortmund, a hybrid who scores goals and adds a certain youthful dynamism to the Real team. Both Real Madrid and England should thank Ancelotti because he has made € 100 million look like very good business.

Real have around half a dozen players who have almost doubled in value since they joined the club, including the aforementioned crown jewels as well as Rodrygo. These three, according to Ancelotti, may be the three best players in the world at the moment.

Most people outside of Spain do not take too much notice of Real until they start to make a dent on the Champions League; pundits might want City to win, others might feel PSG should emerge as the top club and the narrative of Harry Kane winning a medal may be uppermost in the minds of the media, but Real have the track record and the knowledge of how to navigate the competition. They are the equivalent of Gary Lineker’s Germany, who – inevitably – built a reputation for winning through to the latter stages of the World Cup on penalties. Some teams create excitement and raise expectations that they can win the Champions League, but at the end of the day, Real Madrid take home the big prize. They may well do that again this season.

There never seemed much doubt that Real would be Spanish champions. Girona, the early pacesetters and a junior party in the City Football Group, lost just once in 22 games, but Real put them in their place with a combined scoreline of 7-0. Girona did beat Barcelona twice, both by 4-2. The second of those victories meant Barca could not catch Real in the title race. Barca, the 2023 champions, were never totally convincing away from their Camp Nou home, which is currently being rebuilt, and to make life a little more difficult, their free-scoring centre forward, Robert Lewandowski, appears to be in decline. Atlético Madrid, the only side to beat Real in La Liga, have been far too inconsistent to make a challenge.

Real’s opponents should be quaking in the summer. Kylian Mbappé is joining the club and that will add ferocious power to their all-star attack. They may have a problem in trying to find the best formation to accommodate the various qualities of Bellingham, Vinícius Júnior and the French new boy. It’s not quite Galacticos stuff, but this trio really do represent the new breed. While Real’s chief rivals may need to regroup, they will go into 2024-25 stronger and undoubtedly more formidable.