Phil Denton

The First 100 Days: Lessons In Leadership From The Football Bosses

What does it take to thrive in one of the most pressurised leadership roles in modern times? What is the real story behind the men in the football hotseat who shape the dreams and ambitions of millions?

The First 100 Days: Lessons In Leadership From The Football Bosses is both an entertaining book for football fans and a self-help manual for those embarking on a leadership challenge of their own. 

A host of top football managers including Manchester United's Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, former England boss Sam Allardyce, West Ham no.1 David Moyes and Burnley chief Sean Dyche reveal the inside story of their first days in the job and explain the secret strategies that enabled them to lay the all-important foundations for success. 

This book is also a personal odyssey. When school headteacher and football fan Phil Denton bumped into former Tranmere Rovers manager and Dundee United boss Micky Mellon, the two started swapping stories about their own leadership roles. The pair embarked on a journey of discovery, meeting the top managers, talking to experts and formulating theories with reference to contemporary thought on the psychological, sociological and philosophical elements that go to make a successful leader. The result is a rich and unique book packed with thought-provoking anecdotes and observations that will both inform and entertain. 

The first 100 days are crucial for a new leader in any walk of life but for a football manager, get it wrong and you will be lucky to last that long. This is a rare and revealing glimpse inside that extraordinary world.