A must-watch even if you’re not a diehard football fan…
It’s the bank holiday and you’re likely glued to the couch for at least some portion of the day.
Why not liven things up with an excellent documentary?
It can be tough out there for football managers – as Ole Gunnar Solksjaer can presently attest to – but one high-profile gig over the years has stood out as more of a poisoned chalice than many others – managing England.
Sure, Gareth Southgate is making it look pretty good at the moment but the pressure on the England boss is generally enormous, the expectations – again, until relatively recently – hugely unrealistic.
That was certainly the case for Graham Taylor as he led the Three Lions back in the early 90s.
Set to air on Channel 4 tonight, Graham Taylor – The Impossible Job tells the story of England’s failed attempt to qualify for the 1994 World Cup, marking the first time the team had missed out on the finals since 1978.
Part of Channel 4’s Cutting Edge series, the documentary was shot over an 18-month period, following Taylor and his team during the qualifying process.
The hour-long film boasts then-unprecedented access – behind-the-scenes Amazon Prime exposés were a long way away during this era – and details the unique strains of one of football’s toughest tasks including “media roastings and deeply private moments”.
The Impossible Job is generally regarded as a must-see for football fans, though it has a certain ‘can’t look away’ quality for even those who have no interest in the beautiful game.
The documentary proved somewhat notorious at the time, with pundits expressing shock that the English Football Association would grant such access to the team at such a pivotal time, let alone at all.
“I see too many people going onto television to give an image of themselves and it’s not them” said Taylor when reflecting on the film after its release.
“Now, for better or for worse, in that particular environment at that particular time, that was me,” he added.
The Impossible Job is on Channel 4 tonight – Monday, 25 October – at 11.10pm.
Clip via ghostboyghostgirl
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