Yesterday's Hero

Yesterday's Hero is a 1979 British drama film directed by Neil Leifer and starring Ian McShane, Suzanne Somers, Adam Faith, Paul Nicholas and Cary Elwes (in his film debut). It also features Glynis Barber and Emma Samms in their early performances. The screenplay was written by novelist Jackie Collins, but was an original work and not based on one of her books. Although it has echoes of the life of the former player George Best, the film is not biographical.

Plot
In England in the 1970s, former star football player Rod Turner is now an alcoholic and playing in non-League football. Football League Third Division club "The Saints", owned by pop star Clint Simon, are having a successful run in the FA Cup and win their quarter-finals match. However, their star striker is injured, and, unable to find a suitable replacement player from another club, Simon has the idea of hiring Turner, his childhood idol, over the protests of team manager Jake Marsh. Simon approaches Turner and takes him on a trip to Paris, where Turner meets his old flame Cloudy, a singer who is making a record with Simon. Turner accepts the offer to play for his team and, after training with them, plays in the semi-final match, but at half-time he is caught drinking in the dressing room by Marsh and is banned from playing in the final. Turner becomes torn between his current girlfriend Susan and Cloudy, after Cloudy takes him in after another drinking episode. Turner is on the bench in the final, but is brought on as a substitute and scores the winning goal.

Cast

 * Ian McShane as Rod Turner
 * Suzanne Somers as Cloudy Martin
 * Adam Faith as Jake Marsh
 * Paul Nicholas as Clint Simon
 * Sam Kydd as Sam Turner
 * Glynis Barber as Susan
 * Trevor Thomas as Speed
 * Sandy Ratcliff as Rita
 * Alan Lake as Georgie Moore
 * Matthew Long as Mack Gill
 * Paul J. Medford as Marek
 * Paul Desbois as Butch
 * Eric Deacon as Chris
 * George Moon as Changing Room Attendant
 * Jack Haig as Sam's Crony
 * Damian Elwes as Disco Dancer
 * Cary Elwes as Disco Dancer
 * John Motson as himself: TV Interviewer / Commentator