Walking through fire

Monday 5th Jan 09, 11.05pm
Of the several books I received as Christmas presents, one stands out: The Damned United by David Peace. This brilliant novel charts the rise and fall of the late football manager Brian Clough, who took Derby County to the Football League championship in 1972 but then fell spectacularly from grace at Leeds United. Managing a football team is very like managing a business, you have to have a clear vision of your goal and then motivate your team to achieve it. In Peace's compellingly readable account of one of English football's greatest managers, Clough is portrayed as someone who achieved his remarkable success by bullying, humiliating and belittling his players. The amazing thing is that they loved him for it. They wanted to play for him. They would walk through fire for him. Anyone running a business would love to have a team like that. We certainly have one here at Fantastic Fireworks. Walking through fire is what we do every weekend and I never have to say a word!