"I love the sense of satisfaction that I get when I’ve done a swimming workout or race, and know that I gave my whole being and heart to God in every moment of the swim. It’s the best worship I can offer him."
Be Good, love Brian
Return to the book list for titles beginning with 'b'.
Craig Bloomfield, Mudlark, Harper Collins, 2021 ISBN 978-0-00-846686-2
This is a very unusual book. It is the story of a boy from a poor background who met Brian Clough and was to some extent adopted by Clough, who invited him to stay in his home, travel with the team, be in the dressing room before games etc. Craig’s response to this was to steal from the Clough family and then write a book about it.
The book gives great personal insights into the character of Brian Clough and the Clough family. The author writes: “when I hear people talk about Brian, I don’t quite recognize some of the descriptions. He was supposedly a tyrant who terrified grown men, who ruled through fear. Maybe, but the overwhelming emotion I received from him was love”.
There is a reference to Phil Starbuck, Roy Keane and the author going to a Liverpool game in the car with Clough – a story I had previously heard from Phil, who is referred to as “a born again Christian, finding God more easily than he had the back of the net”.
The book gives an account of Clough confronting the author saying “you lied to us. You let us down”. He added that the family had considered going to the police but had decided to give him another chance. The author commented that “the guilt stayed on me like an overcoat”.
An unusual book. A very readable book. Fascinating insights into Brian Clough. But a book in which one does not empathize with the author.