Source: Daily_Mail
DES KELLY: Stress? Premier League managers should think of the money
[LNB]The going rate for a Premier League manager is around ?3million a year right now and for that kind of salary, I'm guessing most of us would be quite prepared to deal with a little stress. [LNB]Yet, we constantly hear that football bosses are put under more intolerable pressure than Vanessa Feltz's waterbed and subjected to a superhuman ordeal that is thankless beyond a sudden and inevitable clutch of the ribcage. [LNB]So whileArsene Wenger performed his Basil Fawlty impressions on the touchline this week and Gerard Houllier was whisked to hospital with what appears to be a re-occurrence of his previous health problems, old arguments were being taken down from the shelf and dusted off, claiming the game was too demanding. [LNB] Feeling the strain: Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier was taken to hospital with chest pains[LNB]Follow Des Kelly on Twitter twitter.com/DesKellyDM[LNB]Dr Sue Bridgewater, who lectures at Warwick University on football management, questioned why anyone would dare to be a boss in the first place.[LNB] 'I look at the tenures, the pressures and how unfairly sometimes managers are in the spotlight and I can't really understand why anyone would want to be a football manager,' she said.[LNB] I'm taking a wild guess here but I'd say the ?60,000-a-week might be a factor. Or maybe they just couldn't get a cushy job lecturing about football management. And if she is genuinely concerned about the perils of the trade, shouldn't her lectures begin with an instruction 'not to bother'?[LNB] Although that might be bad for business. Mrs Bridgewater is nota real doctor, of course. That would be too stressful.[LNB] More from Des Kelly... Des Kelly: Farcical exodus illustrates FA's serious contempt for football fans15/04/11 Des Kelly: I'll cut out the curses - Rooney can do it too!08/04/11 Des Kelly: You don't ask for respect... you demand it01/04/11 Des Kelly: Why England will NEVER be winners25/03/11 Des Kelly: Manchester City's maniac Mario Balotelli is no King Eric18/03/11 DES KELLY: One-eyed men, Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger, are blind to reality11/03/11 Des Kelly: Lunatics really have taken over the game - they must be stopped04/03/11 Des Kelly: Forget art, it's time for silver at Arsenal after all this time25/02/11 VIEW FULL ARCHIVE Indeed, the medical profession always ranks near the top of any list of demanding jobs, a case of physicians being unable to heal thyselves if ever there was one. [LNB]Alongside them you find prison officers, pilots, air traffic controllers, firemen, the military, but not football managers. [LNB]Obviously there are stresses involvedwith the game. You see it at every match, the huge surges in adrenalin,a sudden rise in blood pressure, the emotional highs and lows and a dependence on alcohol. I'm talking about the supporters, of course, not the manager.[LNB] The difference is that a boss like Wenger is paid extraordinary sums to handle those tests. Back in 2001 the Arsenal boss said: 'I honestly do not know how I cope, I could go out there one day and drop dead.' [LNB]Yet, he is still there, refusing invitations 'to be placid like I am on dope' and he'll probably be thereanother 10 years down the line, hopefully having won a trophy by then -without sedation, too. [LNB]It was Kenny Dalglish who declared 'the job should carry a health warning' back in the 1990s, but that hasn't stopped him from returning and he looks fresher and more relaxed than ever. [LNB]Blackpool boss Ian Holloway cut through the claptrap saying: 'It's easy to label a football manager ill,but Houllier is a human being. And he is over 60. Lots of people get ill, and they are not football managers.' [LNB]That is the point. Football isn't so special it has more casualties or ailments than any other walk of life. It is foolishly narcissistic for any boss to think they are under the cosh more than a heart surgeon, or the guy flying them to their next European match.[LNB] Under pressure? Dalglish (left) has returned as fresh-faced as ever, while Wenger will probably be at the Emirates in 10 years time[LNB] Besides, I can't be the only one whois heartily sick of sports stars griping about their perceived miseriesinstead of celebrating their good fortune. [LNB]How infuriating it is to hear rugby fly-half Danny Cipriani saying he has to 'rediscover his love for the game' at the grand old age of 23; or Ronnie O'Sullivan complaining he isbored by snooker and will quit (again) if he cannot reacquaint himself with his desire.[LNB] I hope someone reacquaints them both with a boot up the backside just to remind them they could be doing a proper job instead.[LNB] Houllier will no doubt agree with the sentiment. Having worked as a teacher on Merseyside before moving into football, what kind of pressure do you think the Frenchman prefers;the stress of trying to control a gaggle of delinquent kids for ?500 a week or the stress of trying to control a gaggle of delinquent kids for ?60,000 a week? I think we know the answer. Get well soon, Gerard. [LNB] [LNB]It is always refreshing to find a footballer who has an interest in news events and current affairs. Unfortunately, we found El-Hadji Diouf instead. [LNB]He was asked about the war raging in Libya by an African interviewer and promptly announced: 'It must be very hard for Gaddafi and his family.' [LNB]Yes, Diouf instinctively identified the real victims of this conflict - North African dictators. 'Gaddafi is a man who I have always admired,' he added. 'I am telling the truth. I know him, and I know his son Saif as well. They are my friends.'[LNB] Senegalese Diouf, who was shipped around three clubs in France, four in England and is now spreading his customary goodwill in Scotland, is living proof that travel doesn't necessarily broaden the mind.[LNB] It's farcical when a Grand National-winning jockey can be banned for five days for excessive use of the whip, but still not have the race victory taken from him. [LNB]Had Jason Maguire been stripped of his Aintree win for breaking the rules, there would be no flurry of activity proposing outright bans and rule changes. [LNB] Banned: Jason Maguire will sit out for five days for excessive use of the whip[LNB]Now there is a campaign to sanitise the sport, but racing over fences is a tough, often deadly pursuit and this over-reaction is essentially designed to make racing look prettier on TV, placate the housewife that follows their 50p each way bet on the National every year, and very little else.[LNB] I must reach Mount Kilimanjaro's summit for the sake of my mum This week my mother was diagnosed with cancer. This came as something of a shock to us all since she has the cheekbones and complexion of a Hollywood starlet and the energy of a Duracell bunny. [LNB]While this kind of news can never be described as 'good', the doctors are optimistic about the treatment and once her operation is out of the way, I expect Mum to be up and about again, cleaning and ironing everything in her path with the usual fervour, so the hospital staff are warned. [LNB]This is not the kind of information I would usually share with you on this page, a) because it's a bit too close to home and, b) I'll get a clip round the ear for stirring up a fuss. But there is a reason for opening the door on our family's story. [LNB]While Mum was at the hospital hearing the news, I happened to be in a meeting with Marie Curie Cancer Care officials at the Football League.[LNB] I was being briefed for a charity assault on Kilimanjaro in a few weeks' time as part of a team aiming to raise funds for Marie Curie's wonderful cancer nurses. [LNB]My fellow climbers, Chris Kamara from Sky Sports, Swansea City manager Brendan Rodgers, ex-Coventry boss Aidy Boothroyd, Middlesbrough chairman Steve Gibson, the Beeb's Mark Clemmit and the rest of our merry band left the League HQ buzzing with excitement about the challenge. [LNB] Mountain to climb: My charity trek will take me to Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania[LNB]Then I came home and had a stark reminder of what we were all really doing this for. Cancer is like that.It has terrible timing and shows no respect for plans or timetables. Our wee walk up an African hill is certainly nothing when compared to the real trials families and individuals face. [LNB]I thought about pulling out, but the episode has made me more determined and the lads on the climb will be under instruction to carry or drag me to the summit if required, since Iintend to stick a flag on the top for Mum and for everyone else confronted by their own mountains.[LNB]If you would like to help by sponsoring the trek (rattles tin) then please: [LNB]email me or write to des.kelly@dailymail.co.ukHit the link on my Twitter profile for details. Or go straight to www.justgiving.com/des-kelly and follow the instructions. Anything is welcome and my thanks to all who have already been so wonderfully generous.[LNB] Deserving: Scott Parker was named the Football Writers' Footballer of the Year[LNB]Parker proves nice guys do come first Scott Parker is a dynamic talent in midfield and has produced the kind of form this season that has deservedly edged him back into the England reckoning.[LNB] I was chatting with Scott and his friend, Jamie Redknapp, at the Chelsea v Manchester United Champions League clash recently and can confirm he is well-mannered, polite and a credit to his profession off the pitch as well. Which is why I am certain he will be surprised to find he is the Footballer of the Year.[LNB] In fact I'd say he will be astonished to see his name listed alongside Stanley Matthews, Bobby Moore, George Best, Kenny Dalglish and Eric Cantona on the famous trophy.[LNB] Parker is, after all, at a club immersed in the relegation mire. He is 30, but has picked up just six caps for England over nine years, half of those as a substitute. [LNB]And while the Footballer of the Year is traditionally able to nudge his award in amongst a collection of silverware, Parker might be receiving his accolade after West Ham go down. [LNB]Parker won because there is no truly outstanding candidate; Manchester United's bid to claim the League and European Cup has gone hand in hand with some ham-fisted public relations disasters; and, although enough neutrals voted to ensure Parker was a contender, the notable concentration of West Ham supporting football journalists may have tipped the balance in his favour. [LNB]That's not meant as criticism, just realism. Whatever happens, Parker will be able to look back one day and see his name alongside those greats and chuckle at the achievement. [LNB]Nobody would begrudge him that. I'll be there to applaud him too when he receives his prize and celebrate the fact that nice guys sometimes finish first.[LNB] West Ham's talismanic midfielder Scott Parker voted player of the year by the Football Writers AssociationTimely boost for Houllier as Villa boss discovers he does not need surgery [LNB] [LNB] Explore more:People: Ian Holloway, Kenny Dalglish, Vanessa Feltz, Gerard Houllier, Jamie Redknapp, George Best, Bobby Moore, Brendan Rodgers, Danny Cipriani Places: Scotland, France, Libya, United Kingdom Organisations: Football League
