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Brian Clough
A Tribute to Brian Clough
by Doug Martin
In December 1986 I travelled from York to watch Newcastle play Nottingham Forest in a 1st Division Game. I had never been to Newcastle’s ground before nor had I seen either team play before but the main reason I was going to the game was to see “Brain Clough’s” Nottingham Forest play. I went into the ground early and stood on the terrace under their old main stand and noticed that the man himself was being interviewed on the pitch by a TV crew. I don’t remember who was interviewing Clough but when he had finished he came running up the terrace right past me and I stood their like a little girl wanting to say something but unable to. No words came out of my mouth because I was awestruck but thankfully Cloughie spoke, “Enjoy the game son”, I smiled and nodded but was unable to speak due to stage fright. I suspect that this memory will remain with me until my OAP day’s.
The game was a classic with Newcastle winning by three goals to two and if it wasn’t for the brilliance of Peter Beardsley, Forest would have come away with a win. This was the beginning of Brian Clough’s second winning spell at Forest after their glorious title win in 1978 and successive European Cup wins not to mention three successive League Cup finals (two of them won). After this game Forest went onto win the League cup again in 1989 and 1990 as well as two FA Cup Semi’s, an FA Cup Final plus a UEFA Cup Semi (Cheated by Anderlecht). I suppose as an afterthought I should mention the Simod Cup victory over Southampton but that would be making me look too bias, next I will be listing the crowd attendance figures during the glory years..
They also won the Anglo-Scottish Cup and European Super Cup, the latter when they were in decline after their 1980 European cup final victory but they still had enough to beat Barcelona over two legs. To me there is one game that sums up the Forest side of the late 70’s and that is their Charity Shield game against Ipswich Town in 1978 at Wembley. Forest had won the Championship the following season and Ipswich had won the FA Cup beating hot favourites Arsenal one nil. Ipswich had a good side and were to finish sixth that season and within a couple of years would win the UEFA Cup and finish runners up in the league several times. Forest destroyed Ipswich 5-0 with a fantastic display of attacking football. This was and is one of the most one sided charity Shield games in recent history, it was just a shame that the TV camera’s weren’t present to record it for history. I have long forgotten why the highlights were not shown on TV but I suspect that if it had been Liverpool or Manchester United then we would still be seeing the goals to this day, well to be honest we wouldn’t would we because football didn’t start until 1992 when Sky started showing Premiership football.
His Forest side between 1978 and 1980 became Liverpool’s bogey side. They knocked them out of the European cup over two legs when Liverpool were the holders, beat them in the League cup final of 1978 after a replay with a depleted side and again in the semi’s of the same competition in 1980 over two legs. Liverpool’s one success was a league win in late 1978 at Anfield which ended Forest’s 42 unbeaten match record. The 42 match unbeaten league record was a record that stood until Arsenal beat it in 2004. At the time of beating Forest’s record a lot of ex players and so called experts in the papers and on TV compared the two teams. They missed one vital point as to why Forest’s unbeaten run was more impressive than Arsenal’s and that was that in Forest’s day (1977-78) the teams they faced in their run were more equal not only in resources and money but also in playing staff. If anything Forest were punching above their weight with clubs such as Liverpool, Everton, Leeds, Spurs, Manchester United and Manchester City all far bigger clubs than themselves both in terms of support and money.
Arsenal were and are one of the big four with a lot of foreign players of very high quality assembled by a very shrewd manager. The only foreign player’s in Forest’s side were Martin O’Neil (Irish) & John Robertson (Scottish). There is no way that clubs such as Blackburn, Bolton etc can hope to compete on the pitch let alone Spurs & Everton (they haven’t)with the big four & that was proved by Arsenal’s unbeaten run of 2003/2004. Certain Observers will have let you believe that Arsenal’s was the better side. Rubbish. These people will have been persuaded to write this in order to make you believe that the premiership is the best league you have ever seen and anything that went before during footballs long history was crap or simply not as good. Funny how money makes people see sense….
The following season after Forest won the league they came second with a points total that in most other preceding seasons would have been enough to retain their title but Liverpool won it that year with a record points total (under the two points for a win System) and only conceding 16 goals in the process which beat the previous record held by Forest from the previous season (Something else that is forgotten as the record only lasted one season)
The main point though is that Liverpool’s side lost four games that season (all away) but Forest only lost three in their title season. Enough said.
I believe the same thought process can be brought to Forest winning the European cup two years on the bounce (1979 & 1980) because I believe that it was harder to win the European cup then then it is now. You get more chances now if you lose a game because you have half the competition in a money making TV league format as well as the bias in the seeding. No chance of Forest playing Liverpool in the first round nowadays. In Forest’s day you couldn’t afford to make many mistakes as you would be out.
What Brian Clough achieved with Nottingham Forest is the same as Alex McLeish leading Birmingham City to promotion this season, the Premiership Title next season & after that the European Cup. Mind Boggling. What the man did was unique and we will never see the likes of him again. A lot of people didn’t like him but importantly they were never fans (Ordinary People in other words) or former players. He annoyed officials, snobs, incompetent & arrogant people alike but never decent people.
Most people will tell you that Brian Clough should have been England manager. This is true. With Clough in charge we would have won the World cup in my opinion. He was never given the chance because the snobs at the FA were scared of him or was it because they knew that he knew what that they were like, I.e., a bunch of untalented snobs who could only think of themselves and not the England football team. It was decision equal to not appointing Winston Churchill as prime Minster in 1940 during the War.
I have never heard of one man who was universally admired throughout by the main people in football who matter, i.e., The supporters (of all clubs).
I will not be watching the Film “The Dammed United” for two main reasons. Firstly his family have complained of events portrayed in the Film (&Book) of simply being untrue. Secondly Johnny Giles a former member of the Leeds United team that is depicted in the film sued the book company for misrepresenting him. These reasons are enough for me to not watch the film. Why should I watch something that I am not sure is true?
Film Makers. Another bunch of self appointed jerks to go along with Journalists, TV Presenters & Bankers etc,etc (Feel Free to add to list). I notice that the book and film are only done after Clough’s death. Cowards.
Out of Respect To Brian Clough is another reason not to the watch the Film and probably the most important.
Forest used to have a fanzine in the 90’s called the “Tricky Trees”. What a brilliant title as it summed up Forest under Brian Clough for me.
The Tricky Trees indeed.
Brain Clough R.I.P. (1935 - 2004)
Douglas Martin
April 10th 2009