Trevor Cherry for Leeds United (v Liverpool), 10 August 1974

The Damned United (15)

8.5 / 10

Director: Tom Hooper
Starring: Michael Sheen, Timothy Spall, Colm Meaney

There have been a spate of superb football books written over the last few years and three of the best, coincidentally, concern Nottingham and one of its most famous local heroes. Gary Imlach's My Father And Other Working Class Heroes was set in the city, but the other two - one fact and one fiction - were based on one of football's most well-known characters. Duncan Hamilton's Provided You Don't Kiss Me was a personal account of spending twenty years in the company of Brian Howard Clough but it is David Peace's superb The Damned United that has attracted most attention.

A fictional account of the manager's forty-four days in charge of champions Leeds United, The Damned United drew controversy when it was denounced by both members of the Leeds team of that era and by Clough's family. For what it is worth, I thought that the book was terrific, and one of the best things I have read in the last decade or so.

The big-screen adaptation of The Damned United is softer than the book and tries to present more of a biographical look at Clough's early management years. Set in 1974 with flashbacks to his earlier Derby County years, director Hooper manages to successfully re-create the era and the atmosphere of the early 1970s and whilst the football sequences aren't perfect, the tone certainly is.

Clearly the subject matter offers solid gold material. Whatever your opinion of Clough (and I get the impression there is more affection for him now than there ever was at the time) there's no doubt that his outspoken wit and wisdom are much missed in this era of inane footballing platitudes. Michael Sheen does a fabulous job as a young Clough mimicking both his voice and idiosycratic behaviour perfectly. One of the finest character actors of his generation, Sheen brings a huge believability to the role and makes Clough into a more loveable figure than Peace created in his novel.

Supported by terric performances from Timothy Spall as assistant Peter Taylor and Colm Meaney (who is astonishingly good as grumpy Yorkshireman Don Revie), The Damned United is an absolute must-see. Considering my wife thought it was excellent and she knows nothing more of Brian Clough than seeing his name adorn the stand at the City Ground as she goes past on the bus, The Damned United is a triumph for all concerned.

Steven Gerrard for Liverpool (v Aston Villa), 22 March 2009

Oooh, it's "finger in the air" international fixture prediction time again!

Germany 5-0 Liechtenstein
Holland 3-0 Scotland
Israel 1-2 Greece
Lithuania 0-2 France
Montenegro 0-1 Italy
Portugal 1-1 Sweden
Republic of Ireland 2-1 Bulgaria
Spain 2-1 Turkey
Wales 1-0 Finland
England 3-0 Slovakia

and some wildcards from the England game

First goalscorer: Gerrard
England goalkeeper at the final whistle: Ben Foster
Minutes David Beckham plays: 45

Bobby Charlton for Manchester United (v Benfica), 29 May 1968

I have just finished reading the club part of Sir Robert's autobiography, imaginatively titled My Manchester United Years.

Whilst he's never been the most controversial figure in the world, I found it a really interesting read - as you'd hope from one of the finest footballers these shores have ever produced. From his upbringing in the North East (saving his pocket money to go and watch Newcastle United with his elder brother) to captaining United to European Cup success it is an interesting tale as much for the inisght to football in the 1950s and 1960s as it is about his own life.

As expected, the chapters devoted to the disaster at Munich are moving and emotional as he tells the story through the eyes of a survivor, confused as to why he was spared when so many of his talented team-mates perished in the accident. He also shares his all-time Manchester United XI with us (which, to be fair, contains few surprises.)

It's not a controversy laden autobiography lifting the lid on the internal workings of United but it is a charmingly modest and interesting story of one of the game's most famous and well-respected characters.

Fabio Aurelio for Liverpool (v Manchester United), 14 March 2009

It's like the 1980s in reverse. Liverpool would pretty much always win the title but United would occasionally beat them in the league along the way....

Blackburn 2-1 West Ham
Fulham 0-2 Man Utd
Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal
Portsmouth 1-1 Everton
Stoke 1-0 Middlesbrough
Tottenham 0-2 Chelsea
West Brom 2-1 Bolton
Liverpool 2-0 Aston Villa
Man City 2-1 Sunderland
Wigan 2-0 Hull

Wildcards from a close Bundesliga title race

Bayern Munich 3-0 Karlsruhe
Hoffenheim 2-1 Hannover
Stuttgart 1-0 Hertha Berlin

Nemanja Vidic for Manchester United (v Inter Milan), 11 March 2009

I know I have said this before but there just seems to me to be something fundamentally wrong about English clubs making up half the quarter-final line up for the European Cup. It's supposed to be about different countries, different styles and yet we're liable to have Arsenal v Liverpool or similar in the quarter-final.

I just don't like it - I'd be much more interested in watching eight different nations going head to head than I am watching games I can see in the Premier League twice a season already....

Arsenal 2-0 Blackburn
Bolton 1-1 Fulham
Everton 2-0 Stoke
Hull 1-1 Newcastle
Man Utd 2-1 Liverpool
Middlesbrough 1-2 Portsmouth
Sunderland 2-1 Wigan
Aston Villa 1-1 Tottenham
Chelsea 2-0 Manchester City
West Ham United 2-0 West Bromwich Albion

wildcards from some random cup thingummies

AFC Telford 1-1 York City
Stevenage 2-1 Ebbsfleet United
Celtic 0-0 Rangers

Peter Lovenkrands for Newcastle Utd (v Manchester Utd), 4 March 2009

Hello all, it's predictions time again. A hotchpotch of league and Cups, this week.

Sunderland 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Coventry 0-2 Chelsea
Fulham 0-1 Manchester United
Arsenal 2-0 Burnley
Everton 2-0 Middlesbrough

Dunfemline 1-1 Aberdeen
Inverness CT 2-1 Falkirk
St Mirren 0-2 Celtic
Rangers 2-0 Hamilton

Wildcards from Austria:

FK Austria Vienna 2-0 LASK Linz
SV Red Bull Salzburg 2-1 SK Sturm Graz
SV Ried 2-0 Austria Karnten

And for five points per correct prediction at the end of the season - who's going down from the Premier League?

West Bromwich Albion
Middlesbrough
Stoke City

Yossi Benayoun for Liverpool (v Real Madrid), 25 February 2009

Nineteen points in it. Come on, chasing pack!

Arsenal 2-0 Fulham
Chelsea 2-0 Wigan
Everton 1-0 West Brom
Middlesbrough 1-1 Liverpool
Aston Villa 2-1 Stoke
Bolton 2-1 Newcastle
Hull 1-2 Blackburn
West Ham 1-1 Man City

and wildcards from the Carling Cup Final:

Manchester Utd 2-1 Tottenham
First goalscorer: Tevez (Man Utd)
First booking: Assou-Ekotto (Spurs)

Wayne Rooney for Manchester United (v Fulham), 18 February 2009

Is it a world record for Edwin van der Sar? Either way, 14 games? Bonkers.

Arsenal 2-0 Sunderland
Aston Villa 1-2 Chelsea
Bolton 1-1 West Ham
Man Utd 2-0 Blackburn
Middlesbrough 1-1 Wigan
Stoke 1-0 Portsmouth
Fulham 2-1 West Brom, 13:30
Liverpool 2-0 Man City, 15:00
Newcastle 0-0 Everton, 16:00
Hull 2-2 Tottenham

the Champions League is back!

Inter Milan 1-0 Manchester United
Chelsea 2-1 Juventus
Real Madrid 2-0 Liverpool

John Carew for Aston Villa (v Slavia Prague), 6 November 2008

What is the point of spending an entire season successfully chasing a European place in the league (and in some instances plying six or so games in the Inter-Toto Cup in July) if all you're going to do is play a reserve side in the Cup the following season?

"The league is more important", you see. Important in the sense it qualifies you for European games you're not bothered about playing?

Mad.

David Villa for Spain (v England), 11 February 2009

Mumble, mumble, 2010 World Cup, quarter finals would be a fantastic achievement, Carlton Cole, really? lack of technical ability, Stuart Downing (giggle).....

FA Cup time this week. Anyone interested in watching Watford v Chelsea live on ITV on Saturday teatime? No, me neither.

Blackburn Rovers 2-0 Coventry City
Sheffield United 2-1 Hull
Swansea City 1-1 Fulham
Watford 0-2 Chelsea
West Ham 2-0 Middlesbrough
Derby County 0-2 Manchester United
Everton 1-0 Aston Villa
Arsenal 3-0 Cardiff

Wildcards this week from the Championnat:

PSG 2-0 St Etienne
Lyon 3-1 Le Havre
Monaco 1-2 Marseille

Fernando Torres for Liverpool (v Portsmouth), 7 February 2009

Two more casualties in the Premiership today with the expected sacking of Pompey boss Tony Adams and the unexpected departure of Luiz Felipe Scolari leaving Chelsea searching for their fourth manager in eighteen months.

Both sackings seem to be frankly ridiculous, for similar reasons.

Let's start with Adams. To be quite honest, I don't rate Adams' managerial skills. His reign at Portsmouth has lasted just over three months and he has presided over sixteen league games of which they have won just two. This is after an unimpressive earlier stint at Wycombe Wanderers.

Saying that, though, I really feel for him. The club's financial situation is precarious and the team have been playing resonably well, only losing to Liverpool on Saturday by conceding twice in the last few minutes. It's hardly like he has had the time or opportunity to stamp his mark on the side and if he was the right man for the job three months ago either it's a knee-jerk decision or the people who employed him got it totally wrong and should carry the can.

Scolari is in a similar boat. Expectations at Chelsea have been raised to an unattainable level under Abramovich - take the firing of limited but honourable man Avram Grant despite Chelsea being a whisker and penalty kick away from doing the Premiership/Champions League double last season. Chelsea are a mere seven points behind Manchester United and going well in the FA Cup and Champions League. Performances have dipped of late, but is seems pretty harsh to sack the manager with a team in that position (especially when they have no replacement in mind).

What's going on? The average tenure for a manager these days is, apparently, around 17 months. The financial pressures on promotion and relegation are so great that pretty much all management roles have become something of a poisoned chalice and only (and I mean only) instant and continued success seems to be good enough. Sacking managers with less then two dozen games under their belt seems completely ludicrous and undermines the whole essence of the role. Paul Ince got seventeen games as manager of Blackburn Rovers - Adams one less. Considering the long term success achieved by managers who get a fair crack of the whip (Ferguson and Wenger the two obvious examples, David Moyes a close third) I just wish club would pick a manager and stick with them through thick and thin. It took Sir Alex four years to win a trophy at Manchester United - in this day and age he would have been long gone by that point.

I appreciate that times have changed (financially) and that those pressures on chairmen are more severe than ever. I do think though that enough is enough though before we get to the stage where a manager gets a rolling contract for a game at a time which ends when they lose a match. Or why not get rid of the management role altogether and just let the players decide what to do?

Dan Gosling for Everton (v Liverpool), 4 February 2009

....Apparently. I didn't see it :-)

Ah, hello there. It's predictions time again, innit.

Manchester City 2-0 Middlesbrough
Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Aston Villa
Chelsea 2-0 Hull City
Everton 1-0 Bolton Wanderers
Portsmouth 0-2 Liverpool
Sunderland 2-1 Stoke City
West Bromwich Albion 2-0 Newcastle Utd
Wigan Athletic 2-1 Fulham
Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Arsenal
West Ham United 0-1 Manchester United

Wildcards from League Two this week:

Accrington Stanley 2-1 Luton Town
Darlington 2-0 Wycombe
Gillingham 3-1 Bradford

Edwin van der Sar for Ajax (v de Graafschaap), 3 May 1998

Whether you like them or not, congratulations go to Manchester United and specifically their Dutch international goalkeeper who broke a longstanding English record on Saturday.

It has now been an astonishing 1,104 minutes since Edwin van der Sar picked the ball out of his net eclipsing the record set by the fantastically named Steve Death during the 1978-9 season.

It is a particular testament to the veteran keeper that he has done this behind a regularly changing defence, with the back four having variously included Nemanja Vidic, Gary Neville, Rafael da Silva, John O'Shea, Patrice Evra, Wes Brown and Jonny Evans during this run.

If van der Sar keeps West Ham at bay for 75 minutes at Upton Park on Sunday he will beat the current British record (held by Rangers' Chris Woods). A clean sheet against the Hammers will then mean that if the Dutchmen gets to the 65th minute against Fulham next Wednesday night without conceding he will beat the world record (currently held by Atletic Madrid's Abel Renso).

van der Sar has had a terrific career. He is Holland's most capped player and was the first non-Italian to keep goal for Juventus. He is also one of the few players to win the Champions League with two clubs, picking up winners medals with Ajax in 1995 and Manchester United in 2008. He has also won a UEFA Cup winners medal and six league titles with United and Ajax.

Many records have fallen during the Ferguson era, and for a team who have receive regular plaudits over the years for their fine attacking football it must be of great satisfaction to Ferguson that his side are also record-breakers for their defensive achievements. A model professional, I hope van der Sar makes it through the next couple of games with his luck intact as it would be a tremendous crowning achievement to a fantastic career.

Mido for Wigan Athletic (v Liverpool), 28 January 2009

Henry Winter today: "Manchester City failing to sign Kaka but getting Craig Bellamy is a bit like having a ticket for the Rio carnival but ending up at a karaoke night in Cardiff......"

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham
Aston Villa 2-1 Wigan
Bolton 0-1 Tottenham
Fulham 2-1 Portsmouth
Hull 1-1 West Brom
Man Utd 1-0 Everton
Middlesbrough 1-2 Blackburn
Stoke 0-0 Man City
Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea
Newcastle 0-0 Sunderland

Wildcards from the Championship

Cardiff 2-1 Nottingham Forest
Preston 1-0 Sheff Utd
QPR 1-1 Reading

Giles Barnes for Derby County (v Manchester Utd), 20 January 2009

Hello all.

Some fascinating (honest) stuff about the "winter European leagues" here. An unprecedented four "first time league winners", you know......

It's the FA Cup again this weekend - watch in awe as all the big teams go through!!! (although United having no defenders to speak of is a bit of a worry....)

Chelsea 2-0 Ipswich
Doncaster Rovers 2-1 Aston Villa
Hartlepool 1-1 West Ham
Kettering 0-2 Fulham
Man Utd 2-1 Tottenham
Sunderland 1-1 Blackburn Rovers
Torquay 2-1 Coventry City
Wolves 2-0 Middlesbrough
Cardiff 0-2 Arsenal
Liverpool 1-0 Everton

Wildcards from the mighty Eredivisie this week:

PSV 3-1 NAC
Groningen 1-1 Ajax
Vitesse 2-1 NEC

Veigar Pall Gunnarsson for Stabaek (v Valerenga), 26 October 2008

Even though it's only the third week of the New Year there are European leagues whose titles and glory have already been decided, and it is fair to say that it has been the year of the underdog. Bearing in mind the relative uncompetitiveness of the major European leagues (in terms of who wins them) these four leagues had the most amazing seasons......

Sweden

After a nailbiting finish to the 2007 Allsvenskan league season, 2008 had another similarly tense denouement. Last season's champions Gothenburg could only manage a 3rd place finish (ten points off the pace) and so the title once again went down to the final day of the season.

2006 Champions Elfsborg ended up falling agonisingly short and the title went to last years runners-up Kalmar FF. Remarkably, it is Kalmar's first ever league title and they were only prevented from a historic double by a penalty shootout defeat to Gothenburg in the Svenska Cup final. Their success is even more astonishing considering that the club were in the second tier of Swedish football as recently as 2003.

With nine different winners since 1997, the Allsvenskan remains one of Europe's most interesting and competitive leagues.

Norway

It was pretty much a complete changing of the guard in Norway this season. After the joy last year of their first league title since 1963 Brann had a disappointing season finishing in a lowly eighth place, twenty-one points off the Championship pace. Rosenborg's relative decline continued also, as having won fifteen of the previous seventeen league titles they could only manage to match 2007's disappointing fifth place.

Third in 2007, Viking could only finish sixth, and the fourth place team in 2007, Lillestrom, finished a place above the relegation play-offs losing their management along the way (replacing them with ex Manchester United defender Henning Berg.)

It was therefore to be another Scandinavian fairytale as Stabaek clinched their first ever league title with their 6-2 victory over Valerenga in the penultimate match of the season. Unfashionable Frederikstad were second, Tromso third and newly promoted Bodo/Glimt finished an excellent fourth just two points off a Europa League spot.

2005 champions Valerenga were victorious in the Cup and claim the final Europa League place.

Russia

An unprecedented hat-trick of "first time league winners" was completed in the Russian Premier League. Unfancied FC Rubin Kazan from the Tatarstan Republic (only promoted to the top flight in 2003) won the Russian title on matchday 27. Wagner Love's 20 goals propelled CSKA Moscow into second place with Dinamo Moscow in third.

UEFA Cup and Super Cup winners Zenit St Petersburg could only finish in fifth place despite spending a cool €30 million on Danny, the most expensive player in Russian football history. This means they fail to qualify for the Champions League in 2009/10.

Interestingly (and somewhat bizarrely), Rubin's players were completely absent from the Russian Football Unions's "best league XI" announced at the end of the season. Zenit managed five players despite scraping into a European spot on goal difference and the team above them (Amkar Perm) also saw none of its players recognised....

Finland

To complete an amazing sequence in the "summer leagues" of European football, Finland also, incredibly, had a "first time" league winner in 2008.

Founded as recently as 1990, FC Inter are based in the Finnish city of Turku, the country's fifth largest. Having never achieved a league finish higher than fourth, the small team (ground capacity of 9,000) beat FF Jaro in their final game of the season to take the title by four points.

Inter were pushed to the line by the fantastically names FC Honka who will be joined in the Europa Leage by FC Lahti and HJK Helsinki.

Aleksander Kokko took the "top scorer" golden boot as well as "young player of the year" and "attacker of the year" awards.

It was a bad season for last years top teams - champions Tampere United could only finish eight with their main rivals FC Haka one place below them.

Sweden
Champions: Kalmar FF
Europa League: Elfsborg, IFK Gothenburg, Helsingborg

Norway
Champions: Stabaek
Europa League: Frederikstad, Tromso

Russia
Champions: FC Rubin Kazan
Champions League: CSKA Moscow
Europa League: Dinamo Moscow, Amkar Perm, Zenit St Petersburg

Finland
Champions: FC Inter
Europa League: FC Honka, FC Lahti, HJK

Nemanja Vidic (for Manchester Utd) v Chelsea, 11 January 2009

I'm willing to wager five of your fine English pounds that Kaka wins the "Championship Player Of The Year Award 2009/10"....

Blackburn 2-1 Newcastle
Bolton 0-1 Man Utd
Chelsea 2-0 Stoke
Hull 0-2 Arsenal
Man City 2-1 Wigan
Sunderland 1-1 Aston Villa
West Brom 2-1 Middlesbrough
Tottenham 3-0 Portsmouth
West Ham 1-1 Fulham
Liverpool 1-0 Everton

Wildcards from the Belge, this week:

Club Brugge 2-0 KV Mechelen
Mons 1-0 AA Gent
Charleroi 1-1 Westerlo

Nicklas Bendtner for Arsenal (v Bolton Wanderers), 10 January 2009

If there's one thing in football that is guaranteed to get my hackles up, it is people in the game bemoaning the tactics of opposition teams. It was Arsene Wenger and Robin van Persie's turn this weekend, the latter describing Bolton's tactics at the Emirates as "not realyl football".

Apoplogies to regular readers as I have made this rant before, last time aimed at jug-eared smugster Gary Lineker after he described Spain's victory over Italy at Euro 2008 as "a victory for football".

Football has some general rules and the idea of the game is that you play within them. Nowhere does it say that you have to ping the ball about like it's a practice game and nowhere does it prohibit eight giant lumping centre halves being placed behind the ball at all time.

I'm not saying that I'd pay to watch Bolton's, er, "direct" tactics week in, week out - I'd much rather watch Arsenal (generally speaking). What I object to, though, is this arrogant and patronising argument that "our tactics are better than yours". Arsenal won the game 1-0 so, obviously, their ethos, tactics and personnel won the day.

If teams are overly aggressive, thuggish and brutal then I guess there might be a point. But Bolton (points for Premiership survival a priority over everything else) are entitled to approach a tricky away fixture in whatever way they see fit, and if that involves them putting eleven men behind the ball for ninety minutes then the best of luck to them. It might not be pretty, but it is valid.

Cristiano Ronaldo for Manchester United (v Stoke City), 15 November 2008

Predictions are here.

Insert "Ronaldo" and "not taking corners" gag here..........

Whoops!

Kris Commons for Derby County (v Manchester Utd), 7 January 2009

After our well-deserved winter break it's time to get back into the swing of the Predictions League as we wind our way towards the end of the season...

Arsenal 2-0 Bolton
Aston Villa 3-1 West Brom
Everton 2-0 Hull
Fulham 2-1 Blackburn
Middlesbrough 1-1 Sunderland
Newcastle 1-0 West Ham
Portsmouth 1-1 Man City
Stoke 0-0 Liverpool
Manchester Utd 2-0 Chelsea
Wigan 2-2 Tottenham

Wildcards this week are based on Sunday's big game: (3 points for correct answers)

First booking in Man Utd v Chelsea: Ronaldo
First goalscorer in Man Utd v Chelsea: Wayne Rooney