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The Damned Utd

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( 8,844 ratings, 485 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Damned Utd by David Peace dives into the intense world of English football, focusing on the turbulent 44-day reign of Brian Clough as the manager of Leeds United. Set in the mid-1970s, the novel intricately portrays Clough's struggle with his own demons, his contentious relationship with the players, and the pressure of living up to the success of his predecessor. It's a gripping exploration of ambition, pride, and the darker side of the beautiful game.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by the intense world of football management, especially during the gritty and tumultuous era of the 1970s. The story offers a unique, fictionalised perspective on the real-life challenges and pressures faced by a legendary football manager during his brief and controversial tenure at a top English club.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

The hugely acclaimed novel of '70s football and the turmoil of the game's most charismatic and controversial manager.

The Damned Utd, by David Peace, is the hugely acclaimed novel of 1970s football, and the turmoil of Brian Clough, the game's most charismatic and controversial manager.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

1974 was the year Britain had two general elections and there was great uncertainty in the air. Overachieving and eccentric football manager Brian Clough was on his way to take over at one of the country's most successful, and most reviled football clubs: Leeds United, home to a generation of fiercely competitive but ageing players.

Cloughie knows if this is to work, it will have to work his way. His successes, his triumphs and his trophies count for nothing in this godforsaken corner of West Yorkshire. But his dreams, as well as that of his fellow countrymen, are not well starred.

David Peace's extraordinarily inventive novel, The Damned Utd, tells the story of a world characterised by fear of failure and hunger for success, set in the bleak heart of the 1970s.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Damned Utd by David Peace is widely recognised as an extraordinary novel about football, praised for its unique portrayal of the sport and its compelling narrative style. Reviewers highlight its intense focus on character development, particularly the complex depiction of the protagonist, and its gritty, atmospheric writing. The novel's exploration of themes such as obsession, failure, and identity has captivated readers, making it a standout in its genre.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780571224333

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 April 2007

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Faber & Faber

Edition: Main

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 126.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 297g

Pages: 368

About the Author

David Peace was born in Yorkshire. He is the author of the Red Riding Quartet (Nineteen Seventy Four, Nineteen Seventy Seven, Nineteen Eighty and Nineteen Eighty Three), which was adapted into a Channel 4 series; Tokyo Year Zero and Occupied City, the first two parts of his Tokyo Trilogy; GB84, which was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Award; The Damned Utd, made into a film starring Michael Sheen; and Red or Dead, a novel about Bill Shankly.

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  • Tokyo Redux
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  • Munichs
    Times, Independent, Financial Times, and Irish Times Book of the Year Shortlisted for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year From the author of The Damned Utd and Red or Dead, an extraordinary novel about Britain, sport, and our collective past. February 6, 1958, British European Airways Flight 609 crashed on take-off at Munich Airport. On board were the...
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