There have been many outspoken and controversial
coaches in sports history but none as cocky and controversial as
British Football (soccer to us) coach Brian Clough, a man who won two
League titles and two European Cups with underdog teams from the east
midlands, yet is mainly known for being fired after only 44 days from
Leeds United, the soccer champions of 1974. From a screenplay by Peter
Morgan, Academy Award winning director Tom Hooper's The Damned United
is a character study of a brilliant but flawed individual and his
on-again, off-again relationship with his close associate, Peter
Taylor, as together they hit the heights, then plumb the depths.
The film stands out for exceptional performances by Timothy Spall as
the loyal Taylor, Colm Meaney as the pompous Leeds manager, Don Revie,
and Jim Broadbent as Derby's rigid owner Sam Longson. The film,
however, belongs to Michael Sheen (The Queen, Frost/Nixon), who creates
an unforgettable character in Brian Clough: outrageous, smart,
arrogant, neurotic, but fully alive. a cocksure genius who once said:
“I wouldn't say I was the best manager in the country. But I'm in the
top one.” When a journalist remarks that he's been called the best
young manager in the country, he replies: “Thank you; I'm the best old
one too.” The film does not discuss Clough's lifetime battle with
alcoholism.
The story begins in 1974 when Clough is chosen to replace long-time
manager of Leeds United, Don Revie, who is stepping down to become the
coach of England's national team. The film then backtracks through
Clough's flamboyant career, beginning with his tenure as head coach of
the Derby County Rams from 1969 to 1972 where he raised the underdog
team from the bottom of Division 2 to being a strong competitor for the
European Cup. Before the match in Turin against the European powerhouse
Juventus team, however, against Longson's advice, Clough used his best
players in a game with Leeds, only to have them suffer injuries that
kept them out of the game in Europe. Losing in Turin to Juventus 3-1,
Longson calls Clough a fool and Clough publicly berates the owner.
When Taylor suffers a heart attack, without consulting Taylor, Clough
offers his and Taylor's resignations, thinking it unlikely that they
would be accepted. To his shock, the board accepts their resignations
and appoints Dave Mackay as manager, a player that Clough and Taylor
had brought of retirement two years ago. After accepting a job with
Brighton & Hove, Clough reneges and agrees to take the job at his
old nemesis Leeds, leaving Taylor at Brighton and allowing their
friendship to suffer a strong setback. At Leeds, Clough gets off on the
wrong foot with his players, berating them for their past cheating and
brutality and suggests they collect their trophies and throw them away.
He tells them that they must play in a more honest and less bullying
manner and has them perform exercises that they had not been asked to
do previously. Revie is still revered by both players and fans, and the
Leeds players look at their new coach with disdain bordering on
contempt. In an interview after his appointment, Clough lays into
Revie, still harboring a grudge since the Leeds manager refused to
shake his hand before a match. In the opening game of the season,
things go from bad to worse for Clough as Leeds captain Billy Bremer is
suspended for violence and lost to the team for six weeks.
The players refuse to play for Clough and the team wins only one of
their first five games, forcing the hand of the board who fires him
after only 44 days. Though there is little soccer action (mostly
violent), The Damned United is a damned good film, a funny, sometimes
sad, but ultimately inspiring look at the value of humility,
friendship, and forgiveness, often overlooked in the competitive world
of sports. You do not have to be a Brit, a Football fan, or even a
sports enthusiast to appreciate the message.
GRADE: A-
