Timothy Spall was excellent, a level he manages with extraordinary frequency.

Michael Sheen was good to very good.

I thought the book was stunningly good and the film glossed over Clough's drinking, his relationship with the press and the way he got a misfit bunch of Derby players to function as a team. The relationship with Peter Taylor was well done, though.

and I haven't read the book yet, shame on me. Clough was a genius though and should have managed England, with Taylor. I also think Mr Mourinho knows all about Clough and bases his whole persona on him.

From his committed socialism, total self assuredness, footballing genius and sad self destructiveness - ol' bighead was one of a kind.

... of a man who truly, physically turns himself into the character he is playing is of course by Colm Meaney who is a facsimile of Don Revie.
Michael Sheen is good but he's no Meaney.

for recreating the 1970's in a better manner than the Best fillum on Sky the other evening. That was a a shocker.

I saw it on DVD last year and again last night night on TV. On both occasions I wanted the film to carry on into the Forest years. Revie was great - sorry to speak ill of the dead but I delighted in recalling what a complete c*nt he turned out to be and how he died in disgrace.

I have one indirect contact with Clough: he was incredibly generous in time and cash to a school he was asked to present at an award ceremony.

Clough was a great man, a generouse man, a kind man, a principled man.

Clough was a difficult man, a driven man, a self centred man, a destructive alchaholic.

Don Revie was, errr; words fail.

May I recomend the above book to any one wishing to understand the warts and all character.

Great biography - we need more Clough like characters back in the game - people who stand up to the corporate bullshit and disregard the ego of young footballers. I remember clearly when Trevor Francis was awrded the 'Young footballer of the year' award and presenting it Clough said on national tv 'young man, take your hands out of your pockets'.

Lots of unnecessary plot direction in the manner of "It's your cousin Marvin, Marvin Berry!" Which, I know, was in someway required due to filling in the for the internal Clough narrative Peace describes so brilliantly in the book.

Sheen and Spall were excellent. The guy that played Revie (Colm Meaney?) looked like a young Terry Scott being permanently vexed because he's lost his Curly Wurly.

Having read the book a few years ago I was pleased to finally get round to seeing the film.
Agree with the comment about the movie is a love story.
Didn't Taylor and Clough fall out again after their glory at Nottingham Forest, never to make up?

I loved the little 70s touches, none more than putting out ashtrays for each of the players in the dressing room.

Great performances, and great recreation of the 70's, as mentioned already. The one thing I found slightly annoying (ok, very annoying) was the switchback jumps in time - why was that necessary? It jumbled up the timeline for reasons which are not clear to me. And yes, would have loved it to carry on to the Forest years. Deepens the mystery of these driven managers - the obsessiveness appears to be compulsory in order to manage, and to get results, yet does it in the end eat them up from the inside?

with added swearing, very average I'm afraid especially as the book was excellent

the real footage they used was amazing - I either never knew or had forgotten what vicious bastards they were. Bremner's kidney punch on Keegan, followed by a dive - you don't see anything quite as cynical as that any more.

Don Revie was a great player, the Revie system confused opposing sides as he played as a deep-lying centre-forward, copying the Hungarian side. But as a manager, he turned a blind eye to some horrific tactics. Mind you, reputations tend to follow people around in the game. Nobody thinks of George Best as a thug, but just ask Glyn Pardoe. Or his shattered leg.