Rock steady crew

Good to see writer Jack Deighton expanding the realm of Dumbarton football commentary, alongside weightier matters (*cough*), in his fine new blog. It takes its name from his long association with the town and also from his science fiction novel, A Son of the Rock, which is available via Amazon and excerpted on Infinity Plus. The cover image is strangely reminiscent of how many Sons fans feel at the end of an average Saturday afternoon, but this is probably incidental. The book was published by Orbit in 1997. That year Dumbarton finished 7 points adrift at the bottom of the league. Thankfully, by 1998-9 we'd climbed to the disorienting heights of fourth in the Third Division. Sadly, this was before the play-offs had been introduced. (What am I saying? The play-off system in Scotland is daft. Still, if it gives us a chance of going up this year...).
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Making peace with Ol' Big 'Ed

The Damned Utd is David Peace's mesmerising blend of fact and fiction, tracking the mental turmoil of Brian Clough as he embarks on 44 ill-fated days as manager of the club he hated most, Leeds United -- along with the torments and joys of his first coaching job. It's engaging, dark, funny, witty, provocative and numbing, all at the same time. Peace features on ITV's The South Bank Show with Melvyn Bragg at 10.50pm tonight (or thereabouts, depending on your location). We are also promised a wider look at football writing. Peace was profiled in The Guardian yesterday.

Oh yes, while I think about it, congratulations to Nottingham Forest for making it back into the Championship (or Division Two, as some of us still call it). My Ekklesia co-director and friend Jonathan Bartley is a fan from his college days. I've always had a soft spot for the Forest, and indeed for dear, departed, delightful, despotic Cloughie. Back in my days as a current affairs editor, I once sent a photographer to take a picture of him down at the City ground. The poor bloke had long hair and an earring. That photo cost him a "right wigging" from Our Brian, as you might expect!
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