Mike Bassett: Manager
Encyclopedia
Mike Bassett: Manager is a British
TV comedy series, which began transmitting from 29 September 2005 on ITV
. It is a follow-up to the film Mike Bassett: England Manager
, and stars Ricky Tomlinson
in the title role Steve Edge
as his assistant, and Amanda Redman
as his long-suffering wife, Karine. Neil Maskell
, known from the Football Factory film, appears as a clubzine reporter.
The series picks up some time after Mike
took England
to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup
(the exact date is unspecified, though in the second episode Mike implies that he lost the England job four years ago, which would seem to set the series during the 2007-08 season
). The side's attempt at qualifying for the 2004 European Championships ended in disaster, (including a defeat by lowly Liechtenstein
) resulting in Mike being sacked. Since then, a spell at Newcastle
ended in similar fashion after getting them relegated two seasons in a row, while his returns to former clubs Norwich
and then Colchester
fared little better. Mike decides to retire, but at the last minute is offered the manager's job at Wirral County F.C., for whom his father was a player. They seem doomed to be relegated to the Football Conference
. Not helping his job is the fact that the chairman is senile, the chief executive is eagerly awaiting relegation so that he can sell their ground and Karine isn't pleased with the idea of retiring in Ellesmere Port
rather than Spain
.
. Things don't get off to a good start however, as the team concedes a goal in less than ten seconds to Torquay United
, causing the chairman to have a heart attack.
' and make a loan signing. But with no money he must use that of his own without Karine knowing and so signs up-and-coming Dutch striker Ronnie Van Needlemans after watching him score several goals on a video sent by his agent. As it turns out Ronnie isn't the striker from the video but is in fact the goalkeeper. Mike doesn't even get a reserve goalkeeper to use, as an argument with the side's regular keeper, Lazlo Vig played by Adam Tedder, results in him receiving a concussion that rules him out for the rest of the season.
arse
" and therefore get himself chased out of town. Also Mike fights with Scunthorpe United's
Scunny Bunny on the touchline.
despite the death of his wife in a car-llama incident hours prior.
's bus to crash and injure most of their squad. Bassett then finds out Tonka is going on a stag night and to keep his star man off the drink Bassett drinks all his spiked drinks on his behalf ending up drunk himself and in the process injures Tonka when he punches him to the ground putting him out for the rest of the season. Having by this time missed his son Jason's drama school showcase, Mike returns home to find Karine has left him.
(barring a ridiculously improbable defeat for York City
) or face relegation and even with Tonka playing despite his injuries they stay up. Wirral's last game is an intimidating match versus local rivals Chester City
, who need a win in order to secure a play-off spot. In the end, Chester beat Wirral by 2-0 but fortunately Mansfield got beaten 6-1, allowing Wirral to survive on goal difference. After this Mike leaves the club in Doddsy's hands and sets off to Spain with Karine, though a deliberately ambiguous ending suggests that he might stay yet...
After final match
, the only Football League club on the Wirral. They are not mentioned in the sitcom which further suggests they are to all intents and purposes Wirral County.
However, Tranmere are based in Birkenhead
rather than Ellesmere Port
, where non-leaguers Vauxhall Motors
play in real-life. The club colours worn and division Wirral County were playing in during 2005-06
(the season the series was broadcast) also differ from Tranmere, suggesting the comparisons may only be loose.
The match footage for the show was filmed at the homes of Brentford
(home games) and Wycombe Wanderers
(away matches).
The club selling their ground is taken from the real life example of Wrexham where an old chairman is forced to sell up which meant that a property developer came in a tried to evict Wrexham from their ground, however the fans rallied and beat the property developers and kept playing at their famous Racecourse Ground.
In a similar situation to Mike Bassett: England Manager "predicting" Brazil's World Cup win in 2002
, Mike Bassett: Manager featured Mansfield Town
being relegated from the Football League at the end of the 2007-08 season, which then went on to happen three years later in the actual 2007-08 season (though Mansfield actually finished second-bottom, instead of bottom as shown in the series). The series also predicted Newcastle United being relegated from the English Premier League, which happened at the end of the 2008-2009 season.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
TV comedy series, which began transmitting from 29 September 2005 on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
. It is a follow-up to the film Mike Bassett: England Manager
Mike Bassett: England Manager
Mike Bassett: England Manager is a 2001 satirical comedy film directed by Steve Barron, following the fortunes of the manager of Division One football club Norwich City, Mike Bassett, who having led his side to the 'Mr Clutch Cup', is appointed England manager.The film takes the form of a...
, and stars Ricky Tomlinson
Ricky Tomlinson
Eric Tomlinson , known by his stage name Ricky Tomlinson, is an English actor and comedian, best known for his roles as Bobby Grant in Brookside, DCI Charlie Wise in Cracker and James "Jim" Royle in The Royle Family....
in the title role Steve Edge
Steve Edge
Steve Edge is an English actor, writer and former stand-up comedian. He is most famous for his work on Phoenix Nights, The Cup, The Visit, Peep Show and the satirical magazine show Star Stories....
as his assistant, and Amanda Redman
Amanda Redman
-External links:* ArtistsTheatreSchool.com* The-Little.co.uk...
as his long-suffering wife, Karine. Neil Maskell
Neil Maskell
Neil Maskell is an English actor who generally appears in British gangster and football hooligan films alongside actors promoted by Nick Love, Matthew Vaughn and Guy Ritchie. He is probably best remembered for playing Rod in the hit film, Football Factory, alongside Danny Dyer and Frank...
, known from the Football Factory film, appears as a clubzine reporter.
The series picks up some time after Mike
Mike
-Given name:* Mike Barnard, English cricketer* Mike Brown , American ice hockey player * Mike Brown -Given name:* Mike Barnard, English cricketer* Mike Brown (ice hockey b. June 1985), American ice hockey player (Toronto Maple Leafs)* Mike Brown -Given name:* Mike Barnard, English cricketer* Mike...
took England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup
2002 World Cup
2002 World Cup may refer to:*Alpine skiing – 2002 Alpine Skiing World Cup*Athletics – 2002 IAAF World Cup*Field Hockey:** 2002 Men's World Hockey Cup** 2002 Women's World Hockey Cup...
(the exact date is unspecified, though in the second episode Mike implies that he lost the England job four years ago, which would seem to set the series during the 2007-08 season
2007-08 in English football
The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.-European competitions:In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool...
). The side's attempt at qualifying for the 2004 European Championships ended in disaster, (including a defeat by lowly Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein national football team
The Liechtenstein national football team is the national football team of Liechtenstein and is controlled by the Liechtenstein Football Association. The organisation is known as the Liechtensteiner Fussballverband in German. The team's first match was an unofficial match against Malta in Seoul, a...
) resulting in Mike being sacked. Since then, a spell at Newcastle
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
ended in similar fashion after getting them relegated two seasons in a row, while his returns to former clubs Norwich
Norwich City F.C.
Norwich City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. As of the 2011–12 season, Norwich City are again playing in the Premier League after a six-year absence, having finished as runner up in the Championship in 2010–11 and winning automatic promotion.The...
and then Colchester
Colchester United F.C.
Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
fared little better. Mike decides to retire, but at the last minute is offered the manager's job at Wirral County F.C., for whom his father was a player. They seem doomed to be relegated to the Football Conference
Football Conference
The Football Conference is a football league in England which consists of three divisions called Conference National, Conference North, and Conference South. Some Football Conference clubs are fully professional, such as Luton Town, but most of them are semi-professional...
. Not helping his job is the fact that the chairman is senile, the chief executive is eagerly awaiting relegation so that he can sell their ground and Karine isn't pleased with the idea of retiring in Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port is a large industrial town and port in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated on the south border of the Wirral Peninsula on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal, which in turn gives access to the River...
rather than Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
Episode 1: Football's Coming Home
Axed from England, Newcastle, Norwich and Colchester in quick succession - Mike Bassett heeds the call to manage his boyhood club, Wirral County. After persuading his wife Karine to forego a sun-kissed retirement on the Costa Del Sol, Bassett gears up for a final shot at glory in Ellesmere PortEllesmere Port
Ellesmere Port is a large industrial town and port in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated on the south border of the Wirral Peninsula on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal, which in turn gives access to the River...
. Things don't get off to a good start however, as the team concedes a goal in less than ten seconds to Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
, causing the chairman to have a heart attack.
Episode 2: Going Dutch
After a terrible start to the league campaign it's up to Mike Bassett to try and turn the club's fortunes around, the only problem being that they have no fortune to spend. As a result Mike comes up with the idea (actually Karine does) to do a 'Sam AllardyceSam Allardyce
Samuel "Sam" Allardyce , nicknamed "Big Sam", is an English football manager and former professional player. In June 2011 he was appointed as manager of West Ham United....
' and make a loan signing. But with no money he must use that of his own without Karine knowing and so signs up-and-coming Dutch striker Ronnie Van Needlemans after watching him score several goals on a video sent by his agent. As it turns out Ronnie isn't the striker from the video but is in fact the goalkeeper. Mike doesn't even get a reserve goalkeeper to use, as an argument with the side's regular keeper, Lazlo Vig played by Adam Tedder, results in him receiving a concussion that rules him out for the rest of the season.
Episode 3: Flat Pack Four
With Wirral County firmly rooted to the bottom of the table Mike must find a way to get the goals back from his goal shy striker. This calls for Dr. Moss, a hypnotist who can hopefully get the goals out of him. In the next game he scores a hat-trick... in his own net. Mike Bassett also realises the fact that the club maybe taken over by a cheap Ikea knock off. This calls for Moss again to hypnotise the buyer into making a mockery of Wirral, telling the press people in attendance to see his "NorwegianNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
arse
Buttocks
The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
" and therefore get himself chased out of town. Also Mike fights with Scunthorpe United's
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
Scunny Bunny on the touchline.
Episode 4: Return Of The Paralytic Son
With Wirral County looking doomed the fans turn on Bassett wanting results or his head. Not only that but former England wonder kid Kevin 'Tonka' Tonkinson turns up on his door step. With the help of Bassett and a cold shower a drunken Tonka leads Wirral to a 2-1 victory over Wycombe WanderersWycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
despite the death of his wife in a car-llama incident hours prior.
Episode 5: Seven Brothers For Seven Brothers
Following a glorious winning streak reformed alcoholic Tonka has lifted Wirral County out of the relegation zone. Along with his on the pitch brilliance he also causes the relegation rivals Mansfield TownMansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
's bus to crash and injure most of their squad. Bassett then finds out Tonka is going on a stag night and to keep his star man off the drink Bassett drinks all his spiked drinks on his behalf ending up drunk himself and in the process injures Tonka when he punches him to the ground putting him out for the rest of the season. Having by this time missed his son Jason's drama school showcase, Mike returns home to find Karine has left him.
Episode 6: Abide With Me
With Karine gone for 2 months Mike's world has fallen apart and with one game to go Wirral look set to go down after a dismal run after Tonka's injury. Mike then finds out that his father threw away the FA Cup final in 1954 for money to help fix Mike's legs as a boy and allow him to play football. With this to spur him on he gets back with Karine and heads to the Wirral County ground. After a passionate speech to players, fans and reporters it's up to Wirral to get a better result than Mansfield TownMansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
(barring a ridiculously improbable defeat for York City
York City F.C.
York City Football Club is an English football club based in York, North Yorkshire. The club participates in the Conference National, the fifth tier of English football. Founded in 1922, they joined the Football League in 1929, and have spent most of their history in the lower divisions...
) or face relegation and even with Tonka playing despite his injuries they stay up. Wirral's last game is an intimidating match versus local rivals Chester City
Chester City F.C.
Chester City Football Club was an English football team from Chester. The club was founded as Chester F.C., and joined the Football League in 1931, spending most of their time in the lower divisions. They changed their name to Chester City in 1983. Chester won their first league title in 2004, the...
, who need a win in order to secure a play-off spot. In the end, Chester beat Wirral by 2-0 but fortunately Mansfield got beaten 6-1, allowing Wirral to survive on goal difference. After this Mike leaves the club in Doddsy's hands and sets off to Spain with Karine, though a deliberately ambiguous ending suggests that he might stay yet...
Bottom of the final table
Before final match| Pos. | Team | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22. | York City | 40 | -26 |
| 23. | Mansfield Town | 40 | -34 |
| 24. | Wirral County | 40 | -36 |
After final match
| Pos. | Team | Pts | GD |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22. | York City | 41 | -26 |
| 23. | Wirral County | 40 | -38 |
| 24. | Mansfield Town | 40 | -39 |
Real life comparisons and differences
Mike's team appears to largely be based on Tranmere RoversTranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
, the only Football League club on the Wirral. They are not mentioned in the sitcom which further suggests they are to all intents and purposes Wirral County.
However, Tranmere are based in Birkenhead
Birkenhead
Birkenhead is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral in Merseyside, England. It is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite the city of Liverpool...
rather than Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port is a large industrial town and port in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It is situated on the south border of the Wirral Peninsula on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal, which in turn gives access to the River...
, where non-leaguers Vauxhall Motors
Vauxhall Motors F.C.
Vauxhall Motors Football Club is an English football club based in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, who play in the Conference North. It was originally the works team of the car manufacturer Vauxhall...
play in real-life. The club colours worn and division Wirral County were playing in during 2005-06
2005-06 in English football
The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...
(the season the series was broadcast) also differ from Tranmere, suggesting the comparisons may only be loose.
The match footage for the show was filmed at the homes of Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
(home games) and Wycombe Wanderers
Wycombe Wanderers F.C.
Wycombe Wanderers Football Club is an English professional football team from High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, which has been promoted to Football League One after finishing third in Football League Two in the season 2010–11. The club's nicknames are "The Chairboys" and "The Blues", and they play...
(away matches).
The club selling their ground is taken from the real life example of Wrexham where an old chairman is forced to sell up which meant that a property developer came in a tried to evict Wrexham from their ground, however the fans rallied and beat the property developers and kept playing at their famous Racecourse Ground.
In a similar situation to Mike Bassett: England Manager "predicting" Brazil's World Cup win in 2002
2002 FIFA World Cup
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was the 17th staging of the FIFA World Cup, held in South Korea and Japan from 31 May to 30 June. It was also the first World Cup held in Asia, and the last in which the golden goal rule was implemented. Brazil won the tournament for a record fifth time, beating Germany 2–0...
, Mike Bassett: Manager featured Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town F.C.
Mansfield Town Football Club is an English football club from the former mining town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. The club was formed in 1897 as Mansfield Wesleyans and changed its name to Mansfield Wesley in 1906 before settling on Mansfield Town in 1910...
being relegated from the Football League at the end of the 2007-08 season, which then went on to happen three years later in the actual 2007-08 season (though Mansfield actually finished second-bottom, instead of bottom as shown in the series). The series also predicted Newcastle United being relegated from the English Premier League, which happened at the end of the 2008-2009 season.