Although
the novel obviously has numerous examples of repetitive phrases and actions
scattered throughout, there was one repetition that struck me as particularly
interesting, as it lined up with a notion that seems to be present throughout
the novel. This repetition was the constant checking of his watch or rather the
constant checking of his wrist even when the watch was missing. Every time that
he checked his wrist for the watch and failed to find the time, he was firmly
insistent that the watch was to be found immediately, “I am on my hands and
knees on the training ground, looking for the bloody watch of mine in the grass
and the dirt” (124).
This
struck me as particularly interesting because I believe he wasn’t just
obsessive about it because of the fact that he lost it. I believe this had more
to do with the notion that he was losing time or that he was wasting it in a
sense. This hyper concern was him expressing that need to be aware of the time
that he was using and to be aware of how much time he had left.
But the
checking of the watch wasn’t the only repetitive thing about time. There was
also a significant portion of the novel where his mother has just died and he
repeats the things either she or he could have done with time. Or what he would
rather have done with time when she died.
Then
there is the obvious example of him feeling that the first three months of his
time with the Leeds was crucial for him to make the changes that needed to be
done. The time that he felt he was allotted to make trades and get his team the
way he wanted felt strangled and rushed, but it was essential that it be done
within that three months.
Finally
there is the obvious fact that half the novel is dedicated to looking back on
the time that he had in Derby County. How they were his team and the time that
he had with them was what he was truly meant to do with this life. It is in
these sections that he reflects on how his time was well spent. He never
expressly states it but I believe that he thinks the Leeds are a waste of his
valuable time. They are Don Revie’s team and they always will be. This was “His
corridor. Round the corner. His corner. Down the tunnel. His tunnel. Out into
the light and out onto the pitch. His pitch. His field. His field of loss. His
field of blood. His field of sacrifice. His field of slaughter. His field of
vengeance. His field of victory” (259)! Brian feels that he has no business
spending his time here when none of it is his. His time was well-spent and
right when he was with Derby.
Time in this novel seems to be
something that needs to be hyper valued and that needs to be spent as if it is
a precious commodity. I believe this stems from what we were discussing earlier
in class. His full time as a player was taken from him because of the injury. And
then the time he could have spent with Derby County was taken from him too soon
because of his sporadic behavior. Then the hypervigilance with time could be
foreshadowing that once again he will lose his time with the Leeds and be fired
before he really has a chance to show them his full potential.
I really like this idea that the watch is associated with Clough’s hypersensitivity and awareness of time. He has had a tremendous set back with his injury, and is now acutely aware of what he does with his time. Before his injury he may of taken for granted the time he was spending. He becomes aware because he saw years taken from him within just one moment.
ReplyDeleteThe watch symbolizes not only this obsession with properly using his time, but his fear of losing something so precious to him again. His injury was out of his control. He was unable to control what was to happen to his playing career after the incident. His playing career was taken from him without him allotted any say in the matter. Perhaps because of this, that is why he is utterly haunted with having and checking his watch, and even beyond the watch, his team. In another post, the idea of repetition is a clear reoccurrence in the book. He needs to be doing the same things because he needs to be in control of his team, of his life. He needs to be in control because he had no say in the biggest determinant of his life. From here on out, every little thing in his life must be under his control.
This observation of how Clough valued times is really interesting and raises the question of why he was constantly late to practices, meetings and appointments for Leeds, if he felt his time was limited? “I’m late for the Monday lunch with the board. Late again. The board waiting in the club dining room, their bread all gone and their soup cold….”(217). This is a recurring scene at his time in Leeds and Clough is even confronted on his chronic lateness, which he blames on his missing watch.
ReplyDeleteDespite his obvious dislike for the board and the players, Clough still recognizes that the clock is ticking for him to make a positive impression on team. So I don’t understand why he wouldn’t make the base effort to show up to meetings or practice? This seems like the easiest way to get on the good side of at least a few people in Leeds, or at least give them one less thing to tell him he’s doing wrong. This carelessness makes me wonder if Clough was ever really committed to making Leeds better or being a better coach than Revie. His blasé attitude about consistently missing out on what he deems unimportant meetings and practices shows that his focus is less on making Leeds United a great team and more on making a name for himself as a manager.
The importance of time within this novel is not easy to overlook. Clough feels he lost himself at the prime of his career. Had the timing been just a bit different, so might his life have been. As commented by others, this can be seen in his attachment to looking back on things, reminiscing, and wishing for a change. It can also be seen in his awareness, even as the book is labelled day by day, rather than being titled as individual chapters. This acute awareness of time passing can be seen even in his conversation with Sam Bolton in which Clough says, “There isn’t a bloody minute” (159). Clough recognizes the necessity to find new players, the lack of tie he has, and his responsibility as a manager.
ReplyDeleteI think however, his consistent lateness to meetings and practices is also his way of controlling something which he has very little hold over: time itself. While these practices and meetings are important, this lateness is a way for him to feel that he still has control over the entire situation, the team, the board, and anyone or anything else involved. Though being late might not be helpful to him in the long run, his repetitive nature also adds to the necessity of the timing of his arrivals. In this way, he is still aware of time, though it may seem he is using it wrongly.