Tommy Doc: The Controversial and Colourful Life of One of Football's Most Dominant Personalities

Tossell, David

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 178057584X ISBN 13: 9781780575841

Publisher: Mainstream Publishing, 2013

Tommy ‘The Doc’ Docherty was a combative Scotland international wing-half who became a brilliant but erratic manager. His 1960s Chelsea team was a glorious reflection of his colourful personality, and a decade later he reinvented his relegated Manchester United side as a vibrant attacking force.

He was also, however, a hostage to his own decision-making, costing Chelsea a shot at the First Division title when he banned eight players for breaking their curfew. Most famously, he was fired by United after FA Cup glory because he’d fallen in love with the physiotherapist’s wife.

He was a much-travelled manager, and ‘I’ve had more clubs than Jack Nicklaus’ was among the well-worn one-liners that created the image of ‘The Doc’ as football’s stand-up comedian. But in Tommy Doc, David Tossell looks beyond the wisecracks, interviewing Docherty himself, as well as former players and colleagues, to examine a remarkable career and reveal the personal heartaches behind the laughter.

Review:

"Docherty is an equally interesting and complex character, and is well served, though hardly flattered, by Tossell's diligent research and even-handed approach." (Simon Redfern The Independent)

Book Description:

Examines the life behind the one-liners of Tommy Docherty, football’s comic king