The British coach Brian Clough was a contrary character. His promising professional career was cut short by injury, so he jumped into coaching as if it were as easy as riding a bike. And he often fell off. The great British novelist David Peace got inside Clough’s complex head in The Damned Utd, and Tom Hooper’s movie adaptation, while shying away from the dark issues Clough had with alcohol, is nevertheless a pretty accurate look at one of English football’s most fascinating figures. Portrayed by — who else? — Michael Sheen (who is carving out a niche as the go-to guy when you need someone to play a famous Englishman), Clough illustrates how this sport can become an unhealthy obsession. His unhappy tenure as coach of Leeds United — he lasted only 44 days — was best remembered for his hatred of outgoing manager Don Revie (who took the England job Clough would never get) and the players’ hatred of Clough. Sheen consumes the screen throughout, which is just how Clough would have wanted it.
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