Facing the media. Media, my ****

So who's the inspiration for this. Surely not Dave "Harry" Bassett, once of the parish of Forest's City Ground!

Nigel Bell

In a summer which has seen a host of British made movies fall flat on their faces, Mike Bassett comes along as autumn takes hold and restores a modicum of respectability.

That's down, in no small measure, to the presence of Ricky Tomlinson. The former Brookside and head of the Royle Family is the England manager of the title, plucked from the lower leagues to restore some national pride.

So you do do something other than appear on ever Mind the Buzzcocks

The fact that he's pretty inept at his job doesn't seem to bother football supremos at Lancaster Gate. The trouble for them is that no one else wants the, so-called, top job in English soccer.

Maybe it's disrespectful to our very own Billy Dearden (Mansfield) and Jocky Scott (Notts County) but coming from the lower divisions Bassett is depicted as a manger for whom tactics represent a mint you suck.

Indeed, he's so old fashioned he writes his team on the back of old cigarette packets which leads to the inclusion of Messrs Benson and Hedges in one of his squads.

Training time

It all starts horribly for Mike. England go on a losing streak and are in danger of missing out on the World Cup finals (so what's new there - come on, we've still got to beat Greece!) Chances are things will improve for the loveable gaffer.

What lifts this film is the decision to shoot it in a fly-on-the-wall documentary style. Martin Bashir even does the voice-over and asks questions of contributors.

Football fans should love it even if it is a poor man's version of This Is Spinal Tap.

Having said that, Mike Bassett is several goals ahead of recent GB releases like The Martins and High Heels and Low Lifes.