I Believe in Miracles

A British sports documentary; A story about an English football club's extraordinary 1979 UEFA European Cup triumph and the colourful exploits of the Nottingham Forest team manager, Brian Clough. This film was a long time coming for British football enthusiasts who recognise the scale of the achievement. The main theme is how high achievement and success sometimes emerge from what seems like modest or only burgeoning talent and a skilled man-manager, in this case a bombastic personality, one who was once ridiculed for his abrasive and forthright opinions, though underestimated by national media. Through news clips and interviews with the team manager and his assistant, Peter Taylor, the narrative has force and panache. The film also analyses how psychology methods were used in sport to aid man-management and encourage self-belief in professional footballers. A wealth of amusing anecdotes humorously subverts the rhetoric and football club corporate culture of today, with its strict management of player reputation. The message of the film seems to be that the answer to team success has always been there all along: team spirit. Where most football club documentaries appeal to their own supporters, this one will have wider appeal.