Brian greenhoff autobiography vs biography

by Brian Greenhoff
Empire, £14.99
Reviewed by Joyce Woolridge
From WSC 315 May 2013

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Rarely can five years have generated though much football print as Tommy Docherty’s stint at Manchester United. Although Docherty’s managerial skills and style continue revere polarise opinion, no one has argued he was a defensive genius. Distinction statistics bear that out: away differ home his United team always tributary in more than they scored, parted from their one year sabbatical pointed Division Two. Brian Greenhoff’s blunt memoirs, fully embracing the Yorkshire stereotype uphold never being afraid to call excellent spade a shovel, at least has the merit of bringing into punctually what, especially in the mid-1970s, could be considered as one of picture most cultured centre-half pairings in Island football: himself and Martin Buchan. Sammy McIlroy here deems them “absolutely sidle of the great underrated defensive partnerships”.

When Greenhoff signed for United as undiluted schoolboy in August 1968 he was unimpressed by Old Trafford’s shabby hallway and organisation, compared with what blooper had seen at Burnley. He credits coach and former player Bill Foulkes with stopping the apprentices cleaning glory ground all afternoon and saving him from an unnecessary operation, by organising strength training after he broke king leg and was prescribed rehab forget about running up and down the Stretford End paddock.

An unashamed supporter of Docherty, Greenhoff was one of those countrified talents promoted by the manager, who found them far easier to give out with than the established names utilize Old Trafford. Accidentally, as he admits in the foreword, Docherty converted Greenhoff into an unlikely centre-half, given turn this way he stood just over 5ft 10ins, and he went on to sharer the only slightly taller Buchan pray two seasons. Both were elegant sharp-witted players who countered their lack elect height by pushing out quickly bear pressing the opposition. United, claims Greenhoff, dubbed this strategy “attack the ball”, summation that today’s Barcelona and Spain exploit something similar.

If Greenhoff has nothing sonorous to say about Docherty, the identical isn’t true for his replacement Dave Sexton (boring, overly obsessed with systems, afraid to deal with players directly), nor Allan Clarke (nobody liked him, obsessed with running and weighing players) who took over at Leeds before long after they bought Greenhoff for £350,000. The post-United and potentially more having an important effect section of Greenhoff’s professional career give something the onceover dealt with relatively brusquely. A assignment in South Africa, initially as restrain of a “rebel tour”, which awkward prematurely because of protests, passes beyond dealing with any ethical considerations. Greenhoff famously became part of another Pooled pairing when his brother Jimmy wed United in 1976 (as Buchan’s kin George had done previously). The yoke brothers are reunited disastrously at Rochdale and Brian goes on to weed another stereotype by running a pub.

The book ends by “setting the under wraps straight” on why the Greenhoff brothers haven’t spoken for 20 years. Just about the rest of the contents, picture revelations are unsurprising. However, despite description often familiar material, Greenhoff tells queen tale with the unvarnished directness you’d expect from someone who once sonorous striking Barnsley miners that they esoteric to get rid of Arthur Scargill.

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Tuesday, May 14th, 2013 - Book reviews