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TheDoctor

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    Last Book You Read....

    in The General Nonsense Forum

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    Just finished The Damned Utd by Dave Pearce, the story of Brian Clough's turbulent 44 days in charge at Leeds United.

    A thought-provoking piece, it fictionalises the thoughts of Ole Big 'Ead as he stumbled his way through a reign at a club with whom he made no secret of his hatred against a bunch of players who never took to him for that reason and that he wasn't Don Revie, who had been their all-succcessful manager.

    Interspersed is flashbacks of Clough's previous managerial career charting his success at Hartlepool before his very successful time in charge of Derby County when they won the old English First Division (or Premiership as its now known) and reached the semi finals of the European Cup (Champions League to the younger fans). It graphically portrays his gradual breakdown with the Derby board before he's forced out and moved to Brighton, but he can't let Derby go.

    It also highlights his somewhat frosty relationship with the Leeds players, including Billy Bremner and Johnny Giles and more importantly, his great friend, Peter Taylor.

    It's a wonderful read and although it's a work of fiction straddling a lot of facts, it suggests the sort of insecurities Clough had during that time, despite the public bravado that he put on and his increasing bitterness over never getting the call to manage England when Alf Ramsey left.

    An absolutely brilliant book and one that I'm sad that I've finished. I highly recommend it.

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