An impressionistic and even poetic account of a doomed man, it seems a bit strange to say - given the high esteem it is held in - that it read to me as a practice run (albeit quite a good one) for Peace's actual masterpiece, [b:Red or Dead|17846988|Red or Dead|David Peace|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1374078939s/17846988.jpg|24978328]. The repetitive style Peace used in this novel was developed and extended even so much farther in that novel, which of course exchanged one football manager for another. Meanwhile, Red or Dead has the advantage of a likeable central character and genteel, restrained drama; The Damned Utd has a difficult protagonist and flaunts its drama, showering it in booze and self-destructiveness.

Together (or separately) the two books are a fascinating education about English football in the late sixties and early seventies when it was a nativist working class arena, much grimier and shadier than the flashy, cosmopolitan, and professional set up nowadays. Totally bizarre to see a First Division/Premier League table with the likes of Carlisle United and Ipswich Town, mere English minnows today with no hope of competing against large urban clubs owned by the wealth of Russian oligarchs and Gulf sheiks, up at the top. ( )

Cracking read, particularly if you're interested in football, particularly if you remember Brian Clough. All pseudo-stream of consciousness, which I think Peace pulls off reasonably well. It doesn't really convince as a "stream of consciousness", however if it did it would probably be unreadable. It does succeed at giving the illusion of a stream of consciousness while remaining readable. More than that, I found the structure of the book really interesting, interlocking the stories of Clough's time at Hartlepools and Derby, with his time at Leeds.

My one reservation is that if you didn't know this was a real person, I'm not sure the book would be so interesting or engaging. By the same token, it did make me really desperate to find out more about Brian Clough. One reason that it might not work as a pure work of fiction is that Clough was so much larger than life, it would be difficult to invent him convincingly. Peace definitely manages to bring a plausible version to life, which is a huge achievement. Fascinating.
( )

This is a fictionalized retelling of the life and times of football manager Brian Clough: specifically, his 44 days as manager of Leeds United, interspersed with memories of happier times as manager of Derby County FC. The memories are set off with italics and told alternately with the account of his time at Leeds, so it is fairly easy to follow along. Peace's writing style is much as usual here: repetitions of phrases and the use of unusual formatting (e.g. newspaper column style) and the inclusion of things like league tables help to illustrate the story. I am not sure how well this portrait of Clough compares to real life, but as a character we really come to know him over the course of the book and his struggles become ours. And as someone who recently had to leave a temporary job I really enjoyed, I found that the part about Clough leaving Derby County and not being able to let go easily really hit home.

In comparison with Red or Dead, Peace's other football book, The Damned Utd is an easier read: it is shorter and does not make quite as much use of repeated phrases. It may also be easier to read if you have seen the movie (which was very good as well).

The book also contains a list of sources that Peace consulted or otherwise made use of, which could be of interest if you want to know more or verify Peace's telling. ( )

Brian Clough's 44-day stay as manager of Leed United, in 1974. Like him or loathe him, he had a way with his players, and was probably the finest manager the England team never had. This was a present from my son-in-law, and inside front cover shows that it was issued as part of World Book Night 2012, having been bought by Steve Ranson from Waterstones, Ipswich. Is the Dewey classification show below correct?

Beau travail de rythme, de style... mais le sujet reste relativement peu intéressant. La grande Bretagne des années 70, vue en filigrane, est bien évoquée, elle. ( )