‘The greatest manager England never had’ were words used to describe the late Brian Clough. A larger-than-life, mercurial figure with a sharp wit, he was one of the game’s true geniuses. The film, which follows his short stint at Leeds United, The Damned United, has landed on Netflix.
Clough is best remembered for winning back-to-back European trophies with Nottingham Forest in 1979 and 1980, a feat which has never since been accomplished by a British manager. He also achieved the 1977/78 First Division title and four League Cups with the club. He was awarded an OBE in 1991 for his services to football.
However, alongside his finest achievements was a dark period in his career which took place right here in Yorkshire. For 44 turbulent days, Brian Clough was the manager of one of the county’s football powerhouses, Leeds United. Michael Sheen takes on the role of straight-talking Yorkshireman Brian Clough, alongside Stephen Graham, who plays Billy Bremner.
The film is an adaptation of David Peace’s 2006 book of the same title. It boasts a highly talented cast, with Michael Sheen taking on the lead role of Brian Clough and supporting stars such as Timothy Spall, Colm Meaney, Jim Broadbent and Stephen Graham.
One of the film’s main themes concerns Clough’s fierce rivalry with his predecessor as Leeds United manager, Don Revie. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Leeds were a footballing force in England: strong, organised and fearless, with exceptional talents such as Billy Bremner, Joe Jordan and Johnny Giles. Don Revie was seen as one of football’s best minds and most colourful characters, with his smart suits and large overcoats. Revie was the man who stood in Clough’s way in his search for glory and status in the game.
Clough was experiencing his own successes during this period with Derby County. He took them from the Second Division to First Division champions in the 1971/72 season. The film shows Clough as a tough and uncompromising manager who demands the best from both his players and the club board. This, combined with his assistant Peter Taylor’s keen eye for player recruitment, brought unprecedented success to the club.
However, it was the demands he made of the board to gain this success that would eventually be his downfall. In the film, his troubled relationship with club board director Sam Longson (played by Jim Broadbent) is the main focus of this breakdown. Clough’s transfer demands, his open criticism of the directors to the media and his belief that the board lacked ambition are all highlighted.
Nonetheless, Clough taking the Leeds job comes as a surprise, as the film portrays a man disgusted to the point of obsession by a team whom he regards as playing dirty and cheating. One of the film’s stand-out scenes is where Clough takes his first training session and tells the players to ‘chuck your medals in the bin because you won them all by cheating’. Johnny Giles later recalled his disbelief at this incident: “It didn’t make sense. We were the champions and, like all players, in every situation, we were committed to doing well. Clough had had his success and whatever he had said about us in the past, we imagined he would be as keen as us for the club to succeed”.
Watch The Damned United on Netflix here.
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Feature Image Credit: Sony Pictures
