The Doc's Devils

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.