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 offailure 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 thetop flight. But after initial problems, not least relegation to the Second Division, heand the club never looked back. A new, young and eager team took shape and Unitedbegan to live up once again to their Red Devils nickname, returning quickly to the FirstDivision, where they proceeded to stun English football by challenging for both thechampionship 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 controversialindividual, and within weeks of winning the club's first trophy for a decade, he wassacked following revelations about his private life. However, he left behind a clubwhose decay had been permanently halted, and his reign paved the way for thephenomenal success of Alex Ferguson. Packed full of detail and new interviews with many of the key characters, 'The Doc'sDevils' explores one of the most interesting ever pairings of club and managerand provides a riveting and unprecedentedly in-depth account of one of the mostextraordinary periods in Manchester United's history.