BRIAN Clough always enjoyed courting publicity as much as his family have enjoyed staying in the background. But they feel so strongly about the book The Damned Utd – which has now been made into a film – that Brian's son Simon has now publicly attacked David Peace's 2006 bestseller.

The film comes out on March 27 – with Clough portrayed by Michael Sheen.

Sheen has previously played Tony Blair in The Queen and Frost in Frost/Nixon, and the movie is described as a much lighter look at Clough's life than the critically acclaimed novel.

Simon said the "unflattering" book had hurt his mother Barbara – and that he is worried that the film will add to the family's distress.

"It's the unfairness and untruthfulness of it. Imagine if someone wrote about your dad, like this," said Mr Clough, a newsagent who owns Central News and Cards in West Bridgford.

"It's easy to write about someone who's died because no one can refute it.

"We made it very public that we were against the book. My mum is a lady in her 70s and she just wants a quiet life. As time goes on it hurts more and more to depict someone who's not here to defend themselves.

"And if it upsets your mum, it upsets you.

"Let's all hope that David Peace [author of The Damned Utd] has something written about him that's unhelpful, nasty and unnecessary."

The family discussed taking legal action after the book – a fictional account of real events during Clough's dramatic 44-day tenure at Leeds United in 1974 – was published, but decided against it.

"Unless you're extremely wealthy, it's very difficult to take legal action about anything. It was also a case of 'after the horse has bolted'," said Mr Clough, brother of Derby County manager Nigel Clough. They also have a sister, Elizabeth.

Mr Clough add: "I will be dismayed if the film is as untruthful as the book."

He will be boycotting the movie.

"I haven't seen the film so I can't pass comment. I can't do anything about it, and I won't see it because I'm not interested," he said.

The book's author, Mr Peace, recently responded to criticism of his portrayal of Clough, saying: "The Damned Utd does not claim to be 'the truth' because no book, whether it is a work of fiction or non-fiction, can ever claim to be 'the truth'.

"Any writing, whatever it's genre, will always be subjective."

Mr Peace, who published the controversial novel in 2006, has previously been reported as saying: "There are days I wish I'd never written the bleeding book."

Film-makers stress they have attempted to avoid stirring up similar bad feeling and claim to have "softened" the legendary manager's portrayal in the film.

But Mr Clough cast doubt on the film's ability to give a true portrayal of the people involved in the real-life events at the centre of the story.

"Timothy Spall is a great actor, but if he could portray Peter Taylor, he would have to be the greatest actor that the world has ever known! He's nothing like him," he said.

http://www.sonypictures.co.uk/movies/thedamnedunited/