104-530: The Damned United is a 2009 sports drama film directed by Tom Hooper and adapted by Peter Morgan from David Peace 's bestselling 2006 novel The Damned Utd – a largely fictional book based on the author's interpretation of Brian Clough 's ill-fated tenure as football manager of Leeds United in 1974. Originally proposed by Stephen Frears , he pulled out of the project in November 2007, and Hooper took over. Filming took place from May to July 2008. Marking
208-423: A Sunday Times article described Bremner as " 10st of barbed wire" due to his tenacity and tough tackling. Bremner was appointed manager of struggling Fourth Division side Doncaster Rovers in November 1978. He oversaw a 1–0 win over Rochdale at Belle Vue in his first match in charge. Results fluctuated during the 1978–79 season, demonstrated by a 7–1 defeat by struggling AFC Bournemouth punctuating
312-512: A 0–0 draw with Spain at Hampden Park . He went on to feature in qualifying games for the 1966 FIFA World Cup , but defeats to Poland and Italy left Scotland second in their group , which was not enough to qualify. He also played in friendlies against Brazil and Portugal , and received a black eye from Pelé 's elbow in a clash during a high ball; despite this being an accident it still demonstrated to Bremner how he had failed to intimidate Pelé as he had done to many other great players of
416-535: A 1–0 win over eventual champions Bradford at Valley Parade on Boxing Day and a 1–0 FA Cup win over First Division side Queens Park Rangers on 5 January. Rovers finished the season in 14th place, some distance from the promotion and the relegation places. To pay for stadium upgrades necessitated by the aftermath of the Bradford City stadium fire Doncaster were forced to sell Ian and Glynn Snodin , who went to Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday and respectively for
520-472: A 3–1 win against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge . Bremner played alongside Revie, who was the team's inside-right . Yorkshire Evening Post reporter Phil Brown noted that Bremner showed "enthusiasm, guts, intelligence, most accurate use of the ball and unselfishness" despite poor weather conditions. Regular outside-right Chris Crowe was sold to Blackburn Rovers in March 1960, allowing Bremner to take his place on
624-758: A 4–4 draw with Brentford . Only seven wins from the last 36 games of the season left Doncaster relegated in 23rd place, 16 points behind 20th-place Orient . To try and win immediate promotion during the 1983–84 season Bremner signed veteran forward Ernie Moss (who had won three promotions out of the division), Andy Kowalski , left-back John Breckin , experienced defender Bill Green , and young midfielder Mark Miller . Investment by new director Peter Wetzel allowed Bremner to spend £120,000 on three players in March: £60,000 on Stirling Albion defender John Philliben , £25,000 on young Celtic midfielder Jim Dobbin , and £35,000 on Shrewsbury Town defender Alan Brown . Promotion
728-487: A central midfield role. In that position, Bremner became a "fiery midfield dynamo" whose "tireless energy" made him a natural leader on the field, always spurring his team on to greater efforts. In its Hall of Fame dedication to him, the National Football Museum said: "His priceless precision passing, stamina and skill led him to become a Leeds United legend and one of the game's greatest midfielders". In 2007,
832-459: A competition record 136,505 spectators at Hampden Park , but Celtic came back to win the game and the tie with two second half goals. Further disappointment came in the 1970 FA Cup Final , where Leeds were beaten 2–1 by Chelsea in extra-time of the replay at Old Trafford . Bremner was named as FWA Footballer of the Year for the season. "Leeds, like Sisyphus , have pushed three boulders almost to
936-514: A distant second to champions Everton. They chased Everton all season only to give up on the title after a home defeat by Southampton late in the campaign. In the European Cup Leeds recorded a club record 10–0 win over Norwegian side Lyn , with Bremner netting two of the goals. However they exited the competition at the semi-final stage after two defeats to Celtic ; Bremner levelled the aggregate score by putting United 1–0 ahead in front of
1040-561: A game in which 16-year-old Ian Snodin was named on the bench. Rovers ended the season in 12th place. A disappointing opening sequence of the 1980–81 season was followed by six wins in six games in September, and Bremner won his second Manager of the Month award. The good results continued for the rest of the campaign, and Rovers were promoted in third place. He signed Celtic 's Colin Douglas for
1144-509: A notice that appeared in the Edinburgh Evening News issue of 15 November 1957. He was selected to play for the county and his performances in those matches led to selection for Scotland Schoolboys. He made his international debut, aged fifteen, against Northern Ireland Schoolboys at Windsor Park on 28 March 1958. The match, played under floodlights, ended in a 2–2 draw. Bremner played in three more matches for Scotland Schoolboys in
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#17328771600311248-616: A permanent basis. Returning to the Second Division for the 1960–61 season, Leeds were beaten by future rivals Liverpool at Anfield in the opening match, after which Bremner was dropped from the team. He won his place back later in the season after meeting with Jack Taylor to explain his frustration at being left out. In March 1961, with the team in the lower half of the Second Division table, Taylor resigned and Revie took over as player-manager until March 1962 when he retired as
1352-486: A player and became the full-time manager. This was significant for young players like Hunter and Bremner because Revie initiated a youth development policy which was the basis of the club's future success. Among others who graduated were Paul Reaney , Peter Lorimer , Terry Cooper , Eddie Gray , and Paul Madeley . Revie rejected an offer of £25,000 from Hibernian for Bremner, despite the player wanting to return to Scotland to be with his fiancée. Leeds struggled in
1456-654: A run of five wins in six games. Rovers ended the season in 22nd place, though 11 points ahead of Halifax Town and Crewe Alexandra , and successfully applied to the Football League for re-election. He introduced massages and changed the canteen and team kit for the 1979–80 campaign. With no money available for transfers he was forced to turn to the youth team for new players, though he could afford to take on Ian Nimmo , Hugh Dowd , John Dowie and Billy Russell on free transfers. He appointed former Leeds coach Les Cocker as his assistant. The season started poorly, but
1560-595: A statue of him outside the south-east corner of its Elland Road stadium. Billy Bremner was born in Stirling on 9 December 1942. His parents, John William ('Pop') and Bridget ('Bess'), lived in the Raploch district, reputedly a "tough area" in the shadow of Stirling Castle . His father was a storeman working for the Ministry of Defence at its 'Back-O-Hill' army barracks, located near Raploch. Bremner, whose childhood nickname
1664-510: A total of £315,000. To replace them he bought Dave Rushbury from Gillingham for £10,000 and spent £60,000 on Millwall defender Dave Cusack . Bremner was appointed as Leeds United manager in October 1985, having impressed the boardroom with his work at Doncaster, particularly his negotiation skills during the sale of Ian Snodin ; Leeds paid Doncaster £45,000 in compensation. The club had declined during his absence; Leeds had dropped down into
1768-454: A tough group for qualification to the 1970 FIFA World Cup , Scotland failed to qualify after finishing in second place. Bremner captained his country throughout the process, having first taken up the armband in a friendly defeat by Denmark in Copenhagen . He scored his first international goal in a 2–1 qualifying victory over Austria at Hampden Park, his first game as captain. This game
1872-600: A war of words, Clough brings up the incident at the 1968 FA Cup, and Revie claims to have not known who the rookie manager was at the time. After the interview, Clough drives down to Brighton and reconciles with Taylor. The film's epilogue reveals that Revie failed as England manager and spent the rest of his career working in the Middle East , where he was accused of financial mismanagement. Clough and Taylor, meanwhile, reunited at Nottingham Forest , where they repeated their achievements with Derby by helping them win promotion to
1976-460: Is Brian Clough , the former manager of Derby County and a fierce critic of Leeds because of their violent and physical style of play under Revie. Clough's long-time assistant, Peter Taylor , has not joined him at Leeds. The roots of Clough's conflict with Leeds originate in a 1968 FA Cup match between Leeds, the leaders of the First Division and Derby, who were struggling near the bottom of
2080-459: Is appointed manager instead. He and Taylor are then offered jobs at Brighton & Hove Albion . They agree to take the jobs after taking an all-expenses-paid holiday in Majorca . There, Clough agrees to take control of Leeds after being approached by their representative. Taylor, however, argues the case for staying at Brighton, and after a bitter quarrel, the two go their separate ways. Preparing for
2184-464: Is extremely anxious about the investment. In 1969 Derby are promoted to the First Division, but in their first league game against Leeds they lose 5–0. The club win their first ever League championship in 1972, earning them a European Cup campaign the following year. They go through to the semi-finals against Juventus . Against Longson's advice, Clough uses his best squad in the last match before
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#17328771600312288-528: Is for films about sports in general or films about athletes participating in multiple sports. This category is not for films featuring the Olympics, Paralympics, X Games and other similar "games" which fall under the "Multi-sport games/Olympics" category. Films featuring specific sports should be listed under that specific sport. Note: Films featuring the Olympics, Paralympics, X Games, and other similar events are included. Films featuring specific sports featured in
2392-521: Is not over yet" Leeds could not overtake Arsenal, who went on to win the Double. Success instead came in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, as Leeds knocked out Sarpsborg ( Norway ), Dynamo Dresden ( East Germany ), Sparta Prague ( Czechoslovakia ), Vitória ( Portugal ) and Liverpool to reach the final with Juventus (Italy). Bremner recovered from an ankle injury just in time to face Liverpool in
2496-534: The Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three and a half stars out of four, and praised Sheen for portraying "modern British icons so uncannily that he's all but disappeared into them". Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film four stars out of five, calling it "fresh, intelligent... [and] terrifically involving", and also praised Sheen and Meaney's performances. Empire ' s reviewer William Thomas awarded The Damned United three stars out of five. He praised
2600-659: The Sunday People newspaper for publishing an article on 11 September 1977 that alleged he tried to fix football matches, including the May 1972 game at Wolves. Bremner donated the damages to a Leeds Hospice. The title was nowhere near as close in the 1972–73 season, which saw Leeds finish third, seven points behind Liverpool. However more runners-up medals came from the FA Cup and the European Cup Winners' Cup . After Bremner scored
2704-469: The 1959–60 season . Jack Taylor replaced Bill Lambton as team manager on 1 May 1959. One of Taylor's first junior signings was fifteen-year-old Norman Hunter , who arrived at Elland Road in the summer and joined Bremner on the club's ground staff. Bremner signed a professional contract with Leeds on 12 December 1959, soon after his seventeenth birthday. Six weeks later, on 23 January 1960, Taylor gave Bremner his first team debut at outside-right in
2808-446: The 1961–62 campaign, finishing just three points above the relegation zone, despite 12 goals in 45 appearances from Bremner, who finished as the club's joint top-scorer with centre-half Jack Charlton. In March 1962, Revie retired as a player and became the full-time manager. In the same month, Revie signed Bobby Collins from Everton . Collins helped to create the "win-at-all-costs" attitude that defined Leeds and Bremner throughout
2912-530: The 1963–64 season. The club won no friends in doing so, however, and the following summer were labelled by the Football Association 's own FA News as "the dirtiest [team] in the Football League . In November of the 1964–65 season Bremner featured heavily in a win at Everton that was marred by violent clashes on the pitch, the game was stopped for a short spell ten minutes before half-time as
3016-404: The 1965 FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium , and the game went to extra time after a 0–0 draw. Bremner scored a half-volley in the 100th minute to cancel out Roger Hunt 's opener, but Ian St John won the game for Liverpool in the 113th minute. In October 1965, Leeds skipper Collins was badly injured in an Inter-Cities Fairs Cup game against Torino . Revie gave the captaincy to Bremner for
3120-405: The 1969 FA Charity Shield , as Bremner captained Leeds to a 2–1 victory over Manchester City . With new arrival Allan Clarke played upfront alongside Mick Jones and Peter Lorimer Revie had to instruct Bremner and Giles to resist the temptation to get forward and attack. It took the team some time to gel, as only two wins came from the opening eight league games, and Leeds eventually finished
3224-433: The 1972 FA Cup Final with Arsenal; they then won the trophy for the first time in the club's history with Allan Clarke scoring the final's only goal. Two days after the final Leeds could have secured the Double by winning a point against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux , but a 2–1 defeat handed the title to Derby County . On 3 February 1982, Bremner won £100,000 libel damages, along with legal costs, after he sued
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3328-614: The 1974–75 season. Revie's departure was tough for Bremner, who had a strong bond with his manager. Leeds lost the 1974 FA Charity Shield in a penalty shoot-out to Liverpool, but more significantly Bremner and Kevin Keegan were sent off for fighting and received eleven game suspensions. By the time Bremner was allowed to play again Jimmy Armfield was the manager, though he refuted the accusation that he had attempted to undermine Clough as "ridiculous". Teammate Peter Lorimer insisted that
3432-612: The 2009 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2009, the film went on a limited release in the United States on 9 October that year. The film earned a total of US$ 3,604,339 in the UK and Republic of Ireland, and in Canada and the US, it earned US$ 441,264; the worldwide box office take was US$ 4,045,603. The Damned United was acclaimed by film critics. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes ,
3536-528: The Baseball Ground , Carrow Road , and Bloomfield Road . Saltergate was chosen because it had not undergone any significant structural modifications since the 1970s, though some repainting work was done by the production team to differentiate the grounds from each other. The car park outside Elland Road was dressed to look like the Leeds training ground (until the move to the training facilities at Thorp Arch in
3640-717: The British Independent Film Award for Best Supporting Actor, the ALFS Award for British Supporting Actor of the Year, the Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama and Best Actor in a Supporting Role and the Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Feature Film Screenplay. Don Revie , the highly successful manager of Leeds United , is appointed manager of England in 1974. Revie's replacement at Leeds
3744-494: The European Cup , and they made it to the final after knocking out FC Zürich (Switzerland), Újpest FC (Hungary), Anderlecht (Belgium), and Barcelona (Spain). Their final opponents at Parc des Princes were defending champions Bayern Munich (Germany), who beat Leeds 2–0; United had a Lorimer goal controversially ruled out for an offside decision against Bremner and the tie ended in rioting by United fans. With most of
3848-525: The Scottish Football Association ; four other players, Willie Young , Joe Harper , Pat McCluskey and Arthur Graham also were banned for life (Graham and Harper later had their bans overturned). Bremner maintained his innocence, stating that the incident had been blown out of proportion by the SFA. Bremner began his Leeds career as a right winger but came into his own after Revie shifted him to
3952-442: The Second Division , sold Elland Road to the council to raise money, and club supporters picked up a reputation for violence after regular hooligan riots in the stands. He quickly reinstated Don Revie 's philosophy and his little traditions, for example he reinstated the sessions of carpet bowls on Friday evenings. Despite this he appointed Ian Snodin as club captain, and dropped former captain and teammate Peter Lorimer from
4056-515: The Stadion Maksimir and held Leeds to a 0–0 draw at Elland Road. Leeds enjoyed a double success next season, however, winning both the 1968 Football League Cup Final , against Arsenal at Wembley; and the 1968 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final , in which they beat Ferencvárosi 1–0 at Elland Road and held them to a 0–0 draw at the Népstadion to win the club's first European trophy. Revie targeted
4160-787: The Yorkshire Television Studios in Kirkstall Road, Leeds. Further exteriors scenes were shot in Armley , Beeston and Adel . The training ground used by Derby County was the quarry football pitch which is nearby to the Elland Road Stadium. The former Bradford Central Police Station on The Tyrls in Bradford city centre, was used for the interiors of the Elland Road board room, players' lounge and manager's office. The building
4264-468: The 1974 season, Clough alienates his Leeds players in their first training session, first by accusing them of winning all of their awards by cheating, and then making them start with a 7-a-side game as if they were schoolchildren. When team captain Billy Bremner protests that Revie never made them do this, Clough reminds them that he is not Revie and threatens a severe punishment for any player who mentions
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4368-647: The Brighton job on a handshake and taking the holiday, paid for by the club, before starting work, implying he never actually managed the team. Taylor and Clough are also seen to argue fiercely in Majorca over the Leeds' manager's job offer. There is no record of Clough arguing with Taylor over joining him at Leeds nor a lack of interest in Brighton. The film says that Leeds lost 1–0 to Luton Town during Clough's reign; this game, played on 7 September 1974, in fact finished 1–1 with Barry Butlin equalising for Luton after Leeds took
4472-585: The First Division and then winning the title, and also two European Cups in succession, in 1979 and 1980. The film ends with the caption: "Brian Clough remains the greatest manager the England team never had." In 2006, Stephen Frears read The Damned Utd while travelling to the Venice Film Festival . He enjoyed the book and talked with The Queen producer Andy Harries about it. He then sent it to Peter Morgan , with whom he also worked on The Queen , on
4576-439: The Leeds players during Clough's tenure. Casting continued through to May 2008. In April, Colm Meaney, Timothy Spall and Jim Broadbent were announced as Don Revie, Peter Taylor and Sam Longson respectively. During pre-production, Langan had viewed archive footage of Clough and Revie and considered whether Revie should be played by an actor much older than Sheen; despite being 47 in the footage, Revie "could pass for 60". Before Meaney
4680-675: The Revie built team retiring or moving on to other clubs, Armfield had to rebuild the squad, though Bremner would still play 38 games in the 1975–76 campaign. However, he missed a lengthy spell in the new year due to injury and results dipped during this time and ultimately ended the club's title hopes; they went on to end the campaign in fifth spot. Bremner signed with Hull City for a £25,000 fee on 23 September 1976, manager John Kaye feeling that Bremner's experience would benefit his youthful Second Division side. His debut at Boothferry Park came against Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest , and Bremner
4784-419: The Second Division. Excited, Clough had made many preparations to welcome Revie, but Revie failed to even acknowledge Clough upon entering the Baseball Ground . Derby lost 2–0. Although Clough initially blames the brutality of the Leeds players, he and Taylor recognise that their side are not good on a technical level. They sign veteran Dave Mackay , along with several young players. Derby chairman Sam Longson
4888-462: The campaign. Kaye was sacked after a poor start to the season, and was replaced by Bremner's former Leeds teammate Bobby Collins , who had joined the club as assistant manager in the summer; as at Leeds, Bremner had applied for the vacant managerial role, but was rejected. After being turned down for the job he announced his intention to retire as a player at the end of his contract in June 1978. The season
4992-494: The challenge of Third Division football, but otherwise remained loyal to his promotion squad for the approaching 1981–82 season. Another strong September, six wins seeing the club rise to second in the table, won Bremner the Third Division Manager of the Month award. However a lean spell would follow, and from November to February Doncaster failed to win in the league. Results again picked up with only two defeats in
5096-458: The day. The England–Scotland football rivalry was intense throughout his playing career, and so great media attention came upon Bremner and the rest of the Scottish players after they beat world champions England 3–2 at Wembley to become the " unofficial world champions " on 15 April 1967. Many teammates said that Bremner held this match as one of the proudest moments of his career. Placed in
5200-468: The difficulties, standard elements of melodrama . Note: Films should not be listed here unless the sporting aspects of martial arts play a major part in the plot. Note: Lucha films are not included in this list. Although they feature luchadores (Mexican professional wrestlers) as the lead characters, the luchadores typically portray heroes (often superheroes) within non-wrestling stories (such as action, horror, or sci-fi). Note: This category
5304-548: The dug-out while on suspension. The film implies Clough re-united with Taylor straight after leaving Elland Road in Sep 1974. However, Taylor managed Brighton & Hove Albion by himself for the 1974/75 and 1975/76 seasons, with Clough joining Nottingham Forest in Jan 1975 where he managed by himself up to the end of 1975/76. Taylor then re-united with Clough professionally in July 1976 at Forest, with
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#17328771600315408-404: The early 1990s, Leeds United's training ground was indeed located right next to the stadium). Other locations used in Leeds include Headingley Stadium , the former site of Cookridge Hospital , and a linen hire firm in Armley . The recreations of the television interviews (based on those conducted on the regional news show Calendar ) were filmed at the same location as the originals, these being
5512-490: The eve of that film's premiere in Venice ; Morgan read it by the next morning. Morgan enjoyed it, stating, "It deals with themes I love: Alcoholism and self-destruction and psychotic male competitiveness and treachery." Development of the project continued through February 2007, when BBC Films executive producer Christine Langan , another producer of The Queen , became involved. Frears had Michael Sheen in mind for Clough right from
5616-596: The fifth collaboration between screenwriter Peter Morgan and actor Michael Sheen , who plays Clough, the film was released in the United Kingdom on 27 March 2009 and in North America on 25 September. Despite controversy due to the film's numerous historical inaccuracies and its poor performance at the box office, The Damned United received critical acclaim upon release, with particular praise given for Sheen's performance. It received numerous award nominations including
5720-545: The film and that those in football who had seen it had told him it bore "no resemblance" to what actually happened. Sony's decision to release the film six days after what would have been Clough's 74th birthday was also criticised. Producer Andy Harries responded to the Clough family's criticisms by stating that "The filmmakers' goal is to tell a wonderful and extraordinary story with universal themes of success, jealousy and betrayal". Harries added that without adding fictional elements
5824-514: The film falsely implied Dave Mackay was still a player at Derby County when becoming manager of the club, whilst also questioning the portrayal of the relationship between Clough and Peter Taylor, though he praised the performance of the actors, particularly that of Sheen. In March 2010, Mackay won an apology and undisclosed damages from Left Bank Pictures. Roy McFarland agreed with Mackay's decision to take legal action and said that he enjoyed Sheen's performance, but otherwise "did not particularly like
5928-427: The film for "capturing the emotional toil of football", although added that it "struggles to find its stride". Prior to its release, Clough 's widow Barbara, already a critic of Peace's book, expressed disappointment that the film was being made at all. The Clough family declined an invitation to a preview of the film, affirming their opposition to the entire project. Clough's son Nigel said he did not intend to watch
6032-407: The film has an approval rating of 92% based on 121 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Better than your average football pic, Damned United is carried by another star turn from Michael Sheen as Brian Clough." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 81 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Roger Ebert of
6136-582: The film would not have been as exciting to watch. He also reassured Clough's family that the film would be a more sympathetic portrayal of Clough than in the book. Writer Peter Morgan claimed that he did not feel the film's accuracy was of major importance. Dave Mackay sued Left Bank Pictures over his portrayal in the film, angered at the implication that he had betrayed Clough in taking the Derby manager's job. Martin O'Neill , who played for Mackay at Nottingham Forest before his departure to manage Derby, suggested that
6240-439: The film". The publishers of the novel had already been successfully sued by Irish midfielder and former Leeds player Johnny Giles . He wrote: "Many of the things Peace talks about in the book never happened and, for that reason, I felt it necessary to go to the courts to establish that this was fiction based on fact and nothing more." BBC Sport journalist Pat Murphy, a personal friend of Clough, noted 17 factual inaccuracies in
6344-454: The film, Clough is seen preparing Derby's Baseball Ground stadium ahead of the 1968 FA Cup tie against Leeds United and Revie blanking him on the way into the ground. In fact, the tie was played at Elland Road , Leeds' home ground. Brian Clough managed Brighton & Hove Albion for 32 games before he departed in July 1974. The film insinuates that Clough took the Leeds job whilst on holiday in Majorca in 1974, having previously accepted
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#17328771600316448-485: The film, including various errors regarding the timing of events. He particularly dismissed as "absolute nonsense" a scene where Clough stays in the Derby dressing room during a match against Leeds, too nervous to watch. In the film it is shown that three signings are made by Clough at once, those of Dave Mackay, John McGovern and John O'Hare. However, O'Hare was signed almost a year before Mackay, and McGovern and Mackay were signed on different days. Murphy also declared that
6552-410: The former manager's name or methods again. The season starts with a widely anticipated Charity Shield match against Liverpool at Wembley . The event is marred when Bremner gets into a fight with Kevin Keegan . Both are sent off, and in turn throw their shirts off and walk off the pitch bare-chested in defiance. Leeds lose the match and Bremner is given a two-month suspension, forcing Leeds to start
6656-590: The games should be listed under that specific sport Billy Bremner William John Bremner (9 December 1942 – 7 December 1997) was a Scottish professional footballer who played for Leeds United , Hull City , and the Scotland national team . He also managed Doncaster Rovers (twice) and Leeds United. Regarded as one of football's great midfielders , Bremner combined precision passing skills with tenacious tackling and physical stamina. He played for Leeds United from 1959 to 1976, serving as captain from 1965 through
6760-554: The gods will have to strike you down." With Frears as director, principal photography was scheduled for the end of 2007. He pulled out of the film in November, stating that he could not work out the logistics of the film and that he had "set out in pursuit of something that was leading him down a blind alley". Tom Hooper , who directed Morgan's Longford , replaced him. Hooper researched Clough by reading Duncan Hamilton 's Provided You Don't Kiss Me , an award-winning biography of Clough. He also planned to meet Clough's family and some of
6864-471: The hallmark of his professional career. He joined a local club called Gowanhill United when he was thirteen and soon earned a place in its under-21 team. Gowanhill's home ground was a piece of spare land called Shell Park which was between Raploch and the barracks. In November 1957, Bremner was one of two St Modan's boys given a trial for the Stirling Schoolboys County team. He was mentioned in
6968-501: The insinuation of Clough not wanting to debate with Revie about his tenure at Leeds United is completely inaccurate. Murphy was also angered by the portrayal of Clough's drinking and smoking. He insisted that throughout the 1970s Clough was a perfectly fit manager who often actively trained with players at training ground matches, and that the portrayal of him drinking and smoking heavily was a battle he faced approximately 10–20 years after he became manager of Nottingham Forest in 1975. In
7072-452: The kick-off of the FA Cup fourth round tie between Derby County and Nottingham Forest . The distribution rights were originally pre-sold by Ealing Studios International to Optimum Releasing . Sony Pictures Entertainment made a higher offer to the production companies and would distribute the film worldwide. It was released in the UK on 27 March 2009. A gala screening of the film was held at
7176-483: The last 14 games, and they ended the campaign in 19th spot, three points above the relegation zone. Strong competition promoted from the Fourth Division – Wigan Athletic , Sheffield United and Bradford City – made the 1982–83 campaign a tough prospect. A weak defence saw an unusual sequence of high-scoring matches early in the season: 6–1 win over Exeter City , 7–5 win over Reading , 6–3 defeat by Wigan, and
7280-409: The lead through Allan Clarke. The film shows Clough standing outside an entrance to Derby County's Baseball Ground featuring the stylised ram emblem, in 1968; in reality, the latter was not designed until 1971. The film implies that Derby's 5–0 defeat to Leeds occurred in the 1969–70 season, soon after their promotion to the first division, with Gordon McQueen playing for Leeds United against in
7384-544: The league and told his team the aim was to go the season unbeaten, and although they lost three games they secured a second league title by a five-point margin on second-place Liverpool. Bremner was named on the PFA Team of the Year and finished second in the FWA Footballer of the Year voting to Ian Callaghan . At the end of the season he was given a testimonial match against Sunderland which raised him £32,500; he had chosen
7488-405: The match. In reality the 5–0 result occurred in October 1972, the season after Derby won the 1972 first division championship and the fourth season since their promotion. It was McQueen's first year as a Leeds player; he had not been at the club in 1969. The film shows suspended Billy Bremner sitting next to Clough in the dug-out during a game. In reality, players/coaching staff are not allowed in
7592-423: The most successful period in the club's history, and winning two League Championship medals and one FA Cup -winners medal. In total, he played 773 games for Leeds, scoring 114 goals. Having been a Scotland Schoolboys international, Bremner went on to play in 54 full internationals for Scotland, scoring three goals. He was the captain of Scotland's 1974 FIFA World Cup squad , playing in all three of their games in
7696-405: The only criticism he had of Bremner was in applying for the management job against Giles, which had caused to board to look elsewhere for fear of dividing the dressing room by choosing between Bremner and Giles. Results improved with Bremner back in the side, and though they ended the season in ninth place, they were only eight points behind champions Derby. The club's biggest aim would be success in
7800-561: The only goal of the semi-final clash with Wolves, Leeds went on to lose the FA Cup final 1–0 to Second Division Sunderland . They were then beaten 1–0 by Italian side A.C. Milan at the Kaftanzoglio Stadium in the European Cup Winners' Cup Final , though Bremner missed the final due to suspension. Revie instructed Bremner to be more attacking in the 1973–74 campaign, and the result was 11 goals in 52 appearances, his biggest goal tally in 12 years. The manager focused entirely on
7904-448: The opponents in an attempt to avenge defeat in the previous year's FA Cup final. Manager Don Revie took the England management job in July 1974. Bremner applied for the vacant Leeds job after Johnny Giles had been named by Revie as his successor, but instead the board surprised everyone by appointing Brian Clough , who went on to a disastrous 44-day spell in charge of Leeds at the start of
8008-442: The pair winning promotion in 1976/77. List of sports films This compilation of films covers all sports activities. Sports films have been made since the era of silent films , such as the 1915 film The Champion starring Charlie Chaplin . Films in this genre can range from serious ( Raging Bull ) to silly ( Horse Feathers ). A classic theme for sports films is the triumph of an individual or team who prevail despite
8112-471: The referee felt that a spell of cooling down was needed to prevent further violence; despite the referee only giving 12 Leeds fouls to Everton's 19 the match helped to cement United's reputation as a dirty and overly physical team. A run of victories put the club top by the new year. However, they lost the title on goal average to Manchester United after drawing their last game of the season against already-relegated Birmingham City . Leeds faced Liverpool in
8216-503: The remainder of the season after initially offering it to Charlton, who turned it down because he had a superstitious ritual of being last out of the tunnel on match days. Revie and Bremner had a strong bond of trust, and the manager had no doubts about Bremner's ability to lead the team. Leeds finished second in the 1965–66 league campaign, six points behind Liverpool. Leeds reached the 1967 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup Final against Dinamo Zagreb but lost 2–0 on aggregate; Zagreb won 2–0 at
8320-416: The rest of Revie's 13 years as manager. Revie introduced some of the club's promising youngsters in the 1962–63 season ; Hunter and Reaney made their debuts against Swansea Town at Vetch Field on 8 September 1962, Leeds winning 2–0. Revie's policy paid dividends as the team finished fifth, only four points behind promoted Chelsea. Bremner, however, was limited to 24 appearances. He was out of form and
8424-481: The season without their influential captain. As a result, Leeds suffer a horrendous start to the season and are in danger of relegation only one season after winning the title. After Bremner and the players air their grievances to the board, the club terminates Clough's contract after just 44 days; he forces them to pay an enormous severance package. Afterwards, Clough agrees to do a final interview with Yorkshire Television , but finds Revie there to confront him. After
8528-420: The second round. Yet a 1–1 draw with Yugoslavia sent Scotland out of the competition unbeaten due to Brazil and Yugoslavia finishing level on points but with superior goal difference. Bremner's last cap came against Denmark on 3 September 1975. An incident in Copenhagen after the game where several players were ejected from a nightclub for an alleged fight led to a lifetime ban from international football by
8632-526: The semi-final against Leeds, purely out of pride and determination to beat Revie. Several Derby players suffer injuries, and Juventus subsequently defeat them 3-1, and Clough publicly lambasts Longson. Taylor suffers a heart attack, and Clough tries to secure his position by offering his and Taylor's resignations to protest Longson's unwillingness to fund further signings. He is outraged when the directors accept their resignations. Support by Derby fans and players raise Clough's hopes of being reinstated, but Mackay
8736-567: The semi-finals, and scored the only goal of the two-legged tie with a header at Anfield. Leeds won the final on the away goals rule after recording a 2–2 draw at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino and then a 1–1 draw at Elland Road. Leeds finished second in the league for the third successive season in the 1971–72 campaign, despite playing some of the best football in the club's history. They knocked out Bristol Rovers , Liverpool, Cardiff City , Tottenham Hotspur and Birmingham City to reach
8840-502: The spring of 1958. His second appearance was against Wales Schoolboys at Somerton Park on 4 April, and this also ended 2–2. Next, on 26 April, Bremner made his first of many visits to Wembley Stadium , playing against England Schoolboys, whose team included Terry Venables , Phil Chisnall , and Ronnie Boyce . According to the Evening News , there was a crowd of over 90,000. England Schoolboys won 3–1 but Bremner, playing at inside left
8944-479: The squad bonded following Cocker's death on 4 October and went on a run of six straight wins, for which Bremner was credited with the Fourth Division Manager of the Month award. However a run of just one win in 15 games followed, for which Bremner blamed his small squad and lack of training facilities. A mounting injury crisis caused him to make a return to playing on 29 March for the visit of Bournemouth,
9048-497: The start. Sheen had appeared in three other Frears projects: Mary Reilly , The Deal and The Queen . He was chosen because of his physical resemblance to Clough. When Frears suggested to Sheen that he play the part, Sheen "rolled his eyes and burst into a wonderful impersonation" of Clough. Sheen said Clough was "one of those people who's decided he's going to shape the rest of the world in his image. Inevitably there's something in us that recognises that that's playing with fire and
9152-626: The starting line eleven. He also moved on the young players signed by former manager and teammate Eddie Gray , choosing to sign experienced players in their place. Five key young players to leave the club were Scott Sellars (£20,000 to Blackburn Rovers ), Terry Phelan (free transfer to Swansea City ), Denis Irwin , Tommy Wright and Andy Linighan (all to Oldham Athletic for £60,000, £55,000 and £80,000 respectively). The money raised allowed him to buy central defender Brendan Ormsby (£65,000 from Aston Villa ), and also sign David Rennie , Brian Caswell and Ronnie Robinson . Leeds struggled in
9256-501: The title for the 1968–69 campaign and played Bremner in every league game as Leeds finished six points clear at the top to become champions of England for the first time. The title was secured with a 0–0 draw against Leeds' main rivals Liverpool, at Anfield on 28 April, after which Bremner led the players to applaud the Liverpool fans who responded by chanting "Champions, Champions, Champions". The 1969–70 season opened with victory in
9360-652: The top of three mountains and are now left to see them all back in the dark of the valley." The league title in the 1970–71 season was decided in mid-April in front of the Match of the Day cameras at Elland Road, when Leeds lost their lead at the top with defeat by West Bromwich Albion . The Leeds players blamed the referee for costing them the title as offside was not given for Colin Suggett for Jeff Astle 's winner, and despite Bremner saying "But we fight on. Make no mistake about that, it
9464-512: The tournament. He was named as the FWA Footballer of the Year in 1970, and was included in the Football League 100 Legends , published in 1998. Following a serious bout of pneumonia , Bremner died of a suspected heart attack on 7 December 1997, two days before his 55th birthday. He has since been voted Leeds United's greatest player of all time and, in his honour, the club has erected
9568-425: Was 'Brock', attended St Mary's Primary School, which was "literally round the corner" from the family's home, till he was eleven. He played for the school's football team from the age of nine. In 1954, aged eleven, he left St Mary's and went to St Modan's High School , also near his home, and continued to develop as a footballer. Even as a boy, Bremner exhibited the sort of skill and determination that would become
9672-579: Was a disaster, and though Collins was sacked and replaced by youth coach Ken Houghton in February, results did not improve and Hull were relegated in last place, ten points from safety. Bremner was well established in the Scotland set-up, playing in a trial match against the Scottish Football League XI and winning four under-23 caps, before he made his senior debut for Scotland in May 1965, in
9776-614: Was cast, the younger Kenneth Branagh had been considered. Non-league Garforth Town A.F.C. held auditions for non-speaking football players on 14 May. Auditionees were expected to have played in the Northern Counties East League , Northern Premier League , or higher. Casting for extras took place on 20 and 21 May. Principal photography ran from 25 May to 2 July at locations in Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Majorca . Chesterfield F.C. 's Saltergate stood in for Wembley Stadium ,
9880-469: Was credited with scoring the winning goal of the game with a free-kick, though it seemed to have gone in with a significant deflection. Despite the good start results dipped midway through the 1976–77 season and the "Tigers" ended the season in 14th place. Despite suffering with a back injury Bremner was appointed as captain and played 32 games. He missed the 1977–78 pre-season with a knee injury, but recovered well enough to make 36 appearances throughout
9984-858: Was demolished in 2015. During the week of 23 June, filming took place in Scarborough , in place of Brighton . Interior scenes were filmed in the Victoria Sea View Hotel and the Esplanade Hotel. Exteriors were filmed on the Queens Parade and at nearby Scalby Mills. Computer-generated imagery was added in post-production to make Scarborough look like Brighton. The Royal Hotel in Scarborough was also used. Filming then moved on to Saddleworth before concluding in Majorca. The first television trailer premiered on Setanta Sports 1 on 23 January 2009 before
10088-527: Was dropped from the first team during the end of season run-in, which included a disproportionately high number of matches that had been postponed during the harsh winter conditions of early 1963 . Revie moved Bremner to central midfield. He bought Johnny Giles from Manchester United . The combination of Bremner and Giles became arguably the most effective midfield partnership of the next twelve years. With Bremner, Collins, and Giles in midfield, Leeds went on to win promotion as Second Division champions in
10192-643: Was followed by two victories over Cyprus and a 1–1 draw with West Germany , however a 3–2 defeat by West Germany in Hamburg ended their hopes of making it to the World Cup. Bremner's second international goal came in a 3–2 win over Wales in a British Home Championship game at the Racecourse Ground . Scotland were the only home nation to qualify for the 1974 FIFA World Cup after finishing ahead of Czechoslovakia and Denmark in their group . However, Bremner
10296-535: Was invited to join Leeds United by team manager Bill Lambton . Bremner accepted and joined the Leeds ground staff along with his friend Tommy Henderson , who had also played for Scotland Schoolboys. Lambton had recently signed Don Revie from Sunderland . Leeds had been promoted from the Second Division in 1955–56 , the season in which Jack Charlton became a first team regular, but they had struggled since John Charles left in 1957, and were relegated after
10400-705: Was nearly not selected by manager Willie Ormond after Ormond found him drunk in a bar not long after Jimmy Johnstone had to be rescued by the coastguard having gotten stranded in a rowing boat during a night out following a home international match against Northern Ireland . Having been selected, Bremner captained Scotland to a 2–0 win over Zaire at the Westfalenstadion . He was later accused by Zairian player Ndaye Mulamba of racially abusing him during this match, as well as spitting at Mulamba and Mana Mamuwene . A highly creditable 0–0 draw against world champions Brazil left Scotland with high hopes of qualifying to
10504-492: Was on 18 May, a return against England Schoolboys at Ibrox Stadium . It ended in a 2–2 draw and Bremner again received praise for his efforts. The News Chronicle said the midfield tussle between Venables and the "wee but tough Willie Bremner was one of the highlights". After the schoolboy internationals, Bremner received invitations from Arsenal and Chelsea to play in trial matches. They both offered terms and Bremner went back to Scotland while he considered his options. He
10608-466: Was praised for his quick through-ball passing and for his "remarkable stamina". He was interviewed by the News Chronicle after the match and surprised the reporter by saying that he wanted to join an English club, because "English football is faster". Bremner added that, if he didn't become a professional footballer, his choice of career would be glazier . Bremner's last match for Scotland Schoolboys
10712-435: Was secured in comfortable fashion, as they finished as runners-up to runaway champions York City , ten points above fifth-place Aldershot . Building for the 1984–85 campaign, Bremner signed former Leeds striker Aiden Butterworth and winger John Buckley (£25,000 from Partick Thistle ). Doncaster won five of their opening seven games, and though they were unable to sustain a promotion push they showed their ability with
10816-493: Was then approached by both Celtic and Rangers . He favoured Celtic but agreed to talk to Rangers first. After learning that Bremner was a Catholic , however, Rangers ended their interest . Bremner's father then stepped in and told him he should not join either of the two clubs because of their sectarian antipathy . Bremner said later that his father's final words on the matter were: "You're going to England, and that's that". In early 1959, soon after his 16th birthday, Bremner
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