Sponsored by
LORIMER: Film will offer real insight on Cloughie
NEXT Thursday I will have the pleasure of sitting down to watch the film that everyone is talking about, The Damned United.
I'm looking forward to it immensely and, despite what people might think, I don't feel apprehensive about the contents. If anything, I think it will help to give more people a better idea of what went on during Brian Clough's 44 days as manager of Leeds United.
Naturally I'm aware that the story, while based on fact, is a figment of David Peace's imagination but it's always seemed to me that a large portion of blame for what went on in that period – which, quite frankly, was a disaster for Leeds United – is pinned on the players involved. My hope is that The Damned United will show some of what we as a squad were up against with Brian in charge.
I'm not much of a bookworm myself and I've never read Peace's novel, but my wife has and there were numerous things in there that made her chuckle. It's popularity is difficult to dispute and I don't doubt that it's an excellent read but, from what I know about it, two things in particular upset me.
The first is the apparent insinuation that Johnny Giles was responsible for getting Brian the sack. Having been there I can state categorically that such a claim is complete rubbish, and I can understand why he decided to take legal action against the publishers.
Equally unfair is the portrayal of Clough as a broken drunk towards the end of his time as manager of Leeds. Again that wasn't the case, and when us ex-players talk about his management, the subject of alcohol doesn't come up. I can't remember being particularly aware of it, nor was it a problem.
To paint him in that light is wrong and I do feel sorry for his family, who were clearly unhappy with the book and do not appear to be supporting the film. That is their prerogative and no-one should criticise them for it.
So, 35 years on, what are my feelings about the Clough saga? Firstly, it's amazing to think that this story of all stories is big enough and fascinating enough to grip the attention of the country three decades later. It shows what an impact Leeds United had on football in those days and how significant the club were.
Secondly, I haven't changed my view that the appointment was a massive misjudgement and that the right replacement for Don Revie would have been Johnny Giles. Clough hated Leeds and, if truth be told, he probably hated the players as well. As players, we were well aware of what he thought of us. When you add all that together, you get a snowball in hell's chance.
The biggest problem – and I hope the film will show this – was his attitude and his approach in the early days. The infamous meeting where he told us to throw our medals in the bin and had a pop at every one there decimated the spirit in the dressing room. It was disgraceful and it's very difficult to give everything for a manager after he's torn you to shreds with no constructive criticism whatsoever.
If people don't understand that then perhaps they need to ask themselves how they would react in those circumstances. If Brian had come in and said 'forget about your medals because I want us to win more and to win better' then that would have been the end of the conversation. No problem boss, let's get on with it.
In contrast, calling us cheats and picking on injured players had the opposite effect. He was probably doomed from then on, a situation of his own making. What the ex-players want from The Damned United film is a fair deal in terms of the way people understand that. We want it recognised that the position we were in was impossible.
As a character, Brian was absolutely unique. I well remember him attending an awards ceremony in Leeds where I was due to collect a player-of-the-year trophy. To the surprise of everyone, he stood up and started slating both me and Leeds United, criticising me for cheating and saying I didn't deserve the award. Naturally, he was shouted down and booed off stage.
I never got to know him at all well, but I will say this – for all the history, there isn't a single one of us ex-players who doesn't have the utmost respect for what he achieved in management. It was just sad that we only saw the worst of it.
A while after he left Leeds, I met him at a do in Nottingham where we were on the same table. He'd had a few and, in slightly richer language, he admitted to me that he'd "messed up" at Elland Road; that he should have done things differently and been more tactful. That, I think, is something we can all agree on.
Lorro's treble
Every week Peter selects a treble based on the William Hill weekend coupon. His selections are: Arsenal, Wolves and Leeds.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Leeds
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
