What do you think?
Rate this book
The Doc's Devils: Manchester United Under Tommy Docherty
Tommy Docherty dragged the world’s biggest football club into the modern era.
Between 1972 and 1977, ‘The Doc’ led Manchester United on a rollercoaster ride of
failure and success unmatched at any time in their history.
Appointed manager in late 1972 when the club was at their lowest post-War ebb,
Docherty dismayed many with muscular tactics in his efforts to keep the club in the
top flight. But after initial problems, not least relegation to the Second Division, he
and the club never looked back. A new, young and eager team took shape and United
began to live up once again to their Red Devils nickname, returning quickly to the First
Division, where they proceeded to stun English football by challenging for both the
championship and the FA Cup, using an exhilarating 4-2-4 formation as they did so.
But whilst his brand of football was beautiful, Docherty was a controversial
individual, and within weeks of winning the club’s first trophy for a decade, he was
sacked following revelations about his private life. However, he left behind a club
whose decay had been permanently halted, and his reign paved the way for the
phenomenal success of Alex Ferguson.
Packed full of detail and new interviews with many of the key characters, ‘The Doc’s
Devils’ explores one of the most interesting ever pairings of club and manager
and provides a riveting and unprecedentedly in-depth account of one of the most
extraordinary periods in Manchester United’s history.
Between 1972 and 1977, ‘The Doc’ led Manchester United on a rollercoaster ride of
failure and success unmatched at any time in their history.
Appointed manager in late 1972 when the club was at their lowest post-War ebb,
Docherty dismayed many with muscular tactics in his efforts to keep the club in the
top flight. But after initial problems, not least relegation to the Second Division, he
and the club never looked back. A new, young and eager team took shape and United
began to live up once again to their Red Devils nickname, returning quickly to the First
Division, where they proceeded to stun English football by challenging for both the
championship and the FA Cup, using an exhilarating 4-2-4 formation as they did so.
But whilst his brand of football was beautiful, Docherty was a controversial
individual, and within weeks of winning the club’s first trophy for a decade, he was
sacked following revelations about his private life. However, he left behind a club
whose decay had been permanently halted, and his reign paved the way for the
phenomenal success of Alex Ferguson.
Packed full of detail and new interviews with many of the key characters, ‘The Doc’s
Devils’ explores one of the most interesting ever pairings of club and manager
and provides a riveting and unprecedentedly in-depth account of one of the most
extraordinary periods in Manchester United’s history.
888 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
2 people are currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Sean Egan
68 books23 followersA freelance journalist, author and editor who writes about arts and entertainment (music, film, TV, comics and literature), social history (20th and 21st centuries) and sport (soccer and tennis history).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 18, 2020
A long overdue book, in my opinion. For too many of the last 34 years, all the talk has been about Sir Alex. While absolutely no one can argue about Ferguson's success - he's rightly billed as the greatest British football manager ever - as a United fan over a certain age, for me there's definitely a sense of something missing.
And what United have been missing can be encapsulated in Docherty's time at Old Trafford. Following relegation, The Doc hauled the team up by their bootlaces and brought in younger blood - and definitely a fresher approach too. Attack, attack, attack seemed to be the Docherty message to his new young team - and although they conceded goals along the way, they were always going forward.
Egan looks at all this and much more besides, with plenty of anecdotes from men who played under The Doc to put it all in perspective. Docherty's sad end at United and the years since are fully analysed, and the author has even found room for United's history since The Doc's Days, and a summary of his players' fortunes following Old Trafford.
If there's one thing that stops me from giving it five stars, it's this - Egan is occasionally guilty of throwing in long, clumsy sentences. When he does, you have to go over the sentence again just to make sure you've grasped what he's trying to say, and the book just stops flowing.
Apart from that one small point, this book to me is overdue and is well worth reading if you are lucky enough, like me, to recall United under Docherty, particularly the years 1975-77. What a positive, swashbuckling side they were. Read this to bring it all back - you won't be disappointed.
And what United have been missing can be encapsulated in Docherty's time at Old Trafford. Following relegation, The Doc hauled the team up by their bootlaces and brought in younger blood - and definitely a fresher approach too. Attack, attack, attack seemed to be the Docherty message to his new young team - and although they conceded goals along the way, they were always going forward.
Egan looks at all this and much more besides, with plenty of anecdotes from men who played under The Doc to put it all in perspective. Docherty's sad end at United and the years since are fully analysed, and the author has even found room for United's history since The Doc's Days, and a summary of his players' fortunes following Old Trafford.
If there's one thing that stops me from giving it five stars, it's this - Egan is occasionally guilty of throwing in long, clumsy sentences. When he does, you have to go over the sentence again just to make sure you've grasped what he's trying to say, and the book just stops flowing.
Apart from that one small point, this book to me is overdue and is well worth reading if you are lucky enough, like me, to recall United under Docherty, particularly the years 1975-77. What a positive, swashbuckling side they were. Read this to bring it all back - you won't be disappointed.
Displaying 1 of 1 review