Bassett's all sorts of laughs

England manager Mike Bassett - aka Ricky Tomlinson

BBC Sport Online's Pranav Soneji reviews Mike Bassett: England Manager.

If Sven Goran Eriksson lists reading Tibetan poetry as one of his favourite pastimes, surely it would not be that surprising to have an England manager quote Rudyard Kipling at a press conference?

But whether the Swede would name his final XI off a packet of cigarettes, hurl insults at Pele dressed only in his boxer shorts, and shout expletives at a group of England fans like Mike Bassett is pretty unlikely.

And that is the charm of Steve Barron's accomplished spoof documentary, a film which manages to somehow encompass every emotion of managing England.

The brilliant Ricky Tomlinson (The Royle Family) plays Mike Bassett, former manager of First Division Norwich City, whose fortunes are followed by narrator Martin Bashir.

Dodds and Bassett meet the press

Bassett, who becomes England manager when the previous incumbent suffers a near-fatal heart attack, is the only alternative the hapless FA have because none of the high-profile managers want the job.

His goal? To reach the World Cup finals in Brazil. His premise? "We invented the game of football and gave it to the world. Now I'm gonna go out there and get it back."

Moments of the film draw close comparisons to Graham Taylor's infamous documentary "Do I Not Like That - The Impossible Job", charting England's ill-fated World Cup 1994 campaign.

A press conference, which turns into a two-man argument between Bassett and Sun journalist Tommo Thompson (pessimistically played by Never Mind the Buzzcocks stalwart Phil Jupitus), resembles Taylor's comical spat with the then Today hack Rob Shepherd.

And Bradley Walsh as number two David Dodds is too close to Phil Neal's performance as Taylor's sidekick for comfort.

However, what sets the film apart is the emotional upheaval suffered by Bassett's wife (played by Amanda Redman) and son.

The pair are made scapegoats during some of England's worst performances, forcing them to seek refuge away from the public - and from Bassett.

And at those moments, football is the last thing on Bassett's mind.

Bassett: A man of brilliant cliches

But it is the antics of Bassett, his two assistants and the collection of "Allsorts", the England squad, that draws the laughs.

In one memorable scene, after watching his side go 2-0 down to Mexico at halftime, Bassett launches into a swearing tirade which would make Sunderland manager Peter Reid blush with embarrassment.

The film also contains possibly the most outrageous tongue-in-cheek moment against Argentina, as well as a host of celebrities such as Ronaldo, Pele and er, Atomic Kitten.

But the star of the show is undoubtedly Tomlinson's Bassett, a man armed with some of the best throwaway lines since Ron Atkinson and Kevin Keegan.

It's bound to leave footy fans as sick as a parrot.

Mike Bassett: England Manager is released 28 September 2001