New research has revealed that Britain is a nation of armchair managers – that one friend, family member, or colleague who is convinced they could run a football team better than any professional manager in the game, all from the comfort of their sofa.
The survey, commissioned by Hisense, polled 1,000 UK football fans to uncover the viewing habits of the nation. It found that nearly half of UK football fans (42%) say they are confident that they could do a better job managing a FIFA World Cup team than current professionals, with over one in ten (12%) going as far as saying they are very confident.
However, the survey found that only one in three (32%) would actually take the job if offered it, confirming that Britain is a true nation of armchair managers who are far happier directing instructions from the sofa than from the pitch for the whole world to see.
Looking at what football fans feel they would be confident making decisions on, 38% say they feel they’d make good substitution decisions (38%) and 36% feel confident in their ability to pick the starting line-up. Over a quarter (27%) think they’d be good at formation/tactics and motivating players.
Over two-thirds (67%) of UK football fans admit to at least occasionally shouting instructions during a game, with over 1 in 10 (11%) doing so every match. Looking at what they’re most likely to shout:
- References to pass the ball, i.e. ‘score’ (50%)
- References to score a goal, i.e. ‘pass it’ (42%)
- Complaints about the referee (29%)
Despite all that sofa-based expertise, however, only 15% of shouters actually shout tactical instructions on formation or positioning.
The survey went on to find that women are more likely than men to feel confident they could outperform a current manager. Nearly half (48%) of female football fans say they back themselves versus 37% of men.
Women are also more vocal, with 48% shouting every match or most matches compared to 39% of men. However, when asked whether they would actually take the job if offered, just 22% of women say yes, compared to 41% of men.
Despite the widespread belief that fans know better than the manager, the players remain the primary targets when things go wrong. Seven in ten (71%) point the finger at the players when the national team underperform, with the manager coming in second at 41%. One in five (21%) blame the referee or VAR, while 18% put it down to bad luck.
Furthermore, almost a third (31%) admit to arguing about football tactics with other fans, friends, or family every match or most matches, while just a quarter (25%) say they have never argued about tactics at all.
