Brian Clough
Encyclopedia
Brian Howard Clough, OBE
(21 March 1935 – 20 September 2004) was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County
and Nottingham Forest
. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be one of the greatest in football history. Charismatic, outspoken and often controversial, Clough is widely considered to be one of the greatest managers of the English game and the greatest English manager never to have managed the England team
. He is closely associated with Peter Taylor, who worked with him as his assistant manager at various clubs in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
On being asked about his attitude towards the England selectors he replied, "I’m sure the England selectors thought if they took me on and gave me the job, I’d want to run the show. They were shrewd because that’s exactly what I would have done".
In January 2009, four years after Brian Clough's passing, Nigel Clough
, following his father's footsteps, became manager of Derby County
. Nigel had preceded this with a 10-year spell as manager of Burton Albion
, where Peter Taylor also had managed.
Brian Clough was portrayed by Michael Sheen
in the 2009 film The Damned United
.
Born at 11 Valley Road, an interwar council house in Grove Hill
, Middlesbrough
, Brian Clough was the sixth of nine children of a local sweet shop
worker, later sugar boiler and then manager. The eldest, Elizabeth, died in 1927 of septicaemia
at the age of four. When talking of his childhood he said he "adored it in all its aspects. If anyone should be grateful for their upbringing, for their mam and dad, I'm that person. I was the kid who came from a little part of paradise." On his upbringing in Middlesbrough, Clough claimed that it was not the nicest place in the world, "But to me it was heaven". "Everything I have done, everything I've achieved, everything that I can think of that has directed and affected my life – apart from the drink – stemmed from my childhood. Maybe it was the constant sight of Mam, with eight children to look after, working from morning till night, working harder than you or I have ever worked."
Although a naturally bright child, in 1946 Clough failed his Eleven-plus exam, and attended Marton Grove Secondary Modern school. He later admitted in his autobiography that he had neglected his lessons in favour of sport, although at school he became head boy. Oddly enough, Clough stated in his autobiography 'Walking on Water' that cricket, rather than football, was his first love as a youngster, and that he'd have much rather scored a test century at Lords than a hat-trick at Wembley. Clough left school in 1950 without any qualifications, to work at ICI
and did his national service
in the RAF Regiment
between 1953 and 1955.
before his National Service
in the RAF between 1953 and 1955. Following this, he became a prolific striker for his home town club Middlesbrough
scoring 197 goals in 213 league matches for Boro. He then signed for Sunderland
and scored 54 goals in 61 league games. On 26 December 1962, he injured his knee during a match against Bury
after colliding with goalkeeper Chris Harker. It turned out to be a cruciate ligament
injury, which usually ended a player's career at that time. Clough returned two years later but could manage only three games before retiring.
He played twice for the England national football team
, against Wales
on 17 October 1959 and Sweden
on 28 October 1959, without scoring.
For players having scored over 200 league goals in the English leagues, he has the highest goals per game ratio of 0.916, and has second highest ratio in the list that includes the Scottish leagues.
(the club's name has since been changed to Hartlepool United) with Peter Taylor
as his assistant manager from October 1965. At the age of 30, Clough was then the youngest manager in the league.
In 1966 the then chairman, Ernest Ord sacked both Clough and Taylor. He was known for playing mind games with managers, including both Clough and Taylor. However, after their dismissals, they organised a boardroom coup which saw Ord ousted as chairman. In May 1967 the duo then joined Derby County
as manager and assistant manager.
for a decade prior to Clough's arrival, and had been outside the top flight for a further five years.
In Clough's first season the club finished one place lower than in the previous season, but he had started to lay the foundations for his future success by signing several new players, amongst them Roy McFarland
, John O'Hare
, John McGovern
, Alan Hinton
and Les Green. Of the inherited squad, eleven players departed and only four were retained: Kevin Hector
, Alan Durban
, Ron Webster
and Colin Boulton
. Clough also fired the club secretary, the groundsman and the chief scout, along with two tea ladies he caught laughing after a Derby defeat. With the additional signings of Dave Mackay and Willie Carlin
in 1968, Clough and Taylor's management led Derby to become champions of Division Two
, establishing the club record of 22 matches without defeat on the way.
Clough was universally seen as a hard but fair manager, who insisted on clean play from his players and brooked no stupid questions from the press. He was famous for insisting on being called 'Mr Clough' and earned great respect from his peers for his ability to turn a game to his and his team's advantage. Derby's first season back in Division One
saw them finish fourth, their best league finish for over 20 years, but, due to financial irregularities, the club was banned from Europe the following season and fined £10,000.
In 1970–71
the club finished 9th, but during the 1971–72
season, Derby tussled with Liverpool
, Leeds United
and Manchester City
for the title. Leading the table by one point having played their last match, a 1–0 win over Liverpool, Peter Taylor took his players on holiday to Majorca, where they learned that both title rivals had failed to win their final matches, meaning that Derby became champions for the first time in their then 88-year history. Clough was not with the squad at the time, instead holidaying in the Isles of Scilly
with his family and parents when he received the news.
On 24 August 1972, Clough and Taylor signed David Nish
from Leicester City
, for a then record transfer fee of £225,000, without consulting the Derby board. Afterwards, Jack Kirkland, a director, warned Clough and Taylor there would be no more expensive buys like Nish. Then, on 3 September 1972, Clough attacked the Derby County fans, stating that "They started chanting only near the end when we were a goal in front. I want to hear them when we are losing. They are a disgraceful lot", he said, after the team defeated Liverpool
2–1 at the Baseball Ground
. In the same interview, Clough also attacked the club's board of directors for their policies. The following day, Board Chairman Sam Longson apologised to the fans and dissociated himself from Clough's remarks.
That season, Derby failed to retain their title, finishing 7th, but reached the semi-finals of the European Cup, before being knocked out by Juventus
3–1 in April 1973, on aggregate. After the game, Clough emerged from the dressing room and told the expectant Italian reporters, "No cheating bastards do I talk to. I will not talk to any cheating bastards." and then questioned the Italian nation's courage in the Second World War. It was these sorts of frequent, outspoken comments – particularly against football's establishment, such as the FA
and club directors, and figures in the game such as Sir Matt Busby, Alan Hardaker
, Sir Alf Ramsey, Don Revie
and Len Shipman, along with players such as Billy Bremner
, Norman Hunter and Peter Lorimer
– combined with Clough's increased media profile, that eventually led to his falling out with Rams chairman, Sam Longson, and the Derby County board of directors.
On 5 August 1973, Clough put his name to an article in the Sunday Express which savaged Leeds United
's disciplinary record, stating that Don Revie should be fined for encouraging his players in their unsporting behaviour and Leeds relegated to Division 2. Clough also said that "The men who run football have missed the most marvellous chance of cleaning up the game in one swoop" and went on to say, "The trouble with football's disciplinary system is that those who sat in judgment being officials of other clubs might well have a vested interest."
Days afterwards, Clough was charged with bringing the game into disrepute, but he was cleared after he had later resigned from Derby. In September 1973, Clough travelled to West Ham United
's Boleyn Ground
and made a £400,000 bid for Bobby Moore
, a player he admired, and Trevor Brooking
. Ron Greenwood told Clough that neither was available but that he would pass his offer onto the board of directors. Clough never told either his chairman, secretary or other board members at Derby about the bid. Longson found out four months later during a chance conversation with Eddie Chapman, West Ham's secretary at the time.
On 11 October 1973, Longson called for both Clough's and Taylor's sackings at a board meeting, but didn't gain the support that was needed to do so. Two days later, following a 1–0 win against Manchester United
at Old Trafford
, Jack Kirkland demanded to know what Taylor's role within the club was. Kirkland instructed Taylor to meet him at the ground two days later to explain. On the same day, Longson accused Clough of making a V-sign at Sir Matt Busby, and demanded that he apologise. Clough refused to do so, as he vehemently denied making the V-sign in the first place.
In the week before this incident, Longson demanded that Clough stop writing newspaper articles and making TV appearances, and had the grille pulled down on the bar to stop both Clough and Taylor drinking.
five days later. That evening, Clough appeared on the Michael Parkinson
show and attacked football directors for their apparent lack of knowledge of football. Earlier that week Clough, as a pundit, memorably called Jan Tomaszewski
a clown after the crucial World Cup
qualifier with England at Wembley. Tomaszewski made one or two good saves but also had outrageous luck, doing many thing wrong but getting away with it. When another commentator said, "You call him a clown, Brian, but he saved his side". Clough replied, "Would you want him in your team every week?" to which there was no answer. England did not qualify, as they had managed only a 1–1 draw.
The six years at Derby County had brought Clough to the attention of the wider football world. According to James Lawton, "Derby was the wild making of Brian Clough. He went there a young and urgent manager who had done impressive work deep in his own little corner of the world at Hartlepool. He left surrounded by fascination and great celebrity: abrasive, infuriating, but plugged, immovably, into a vein of the nation."
. He proved less successful on the South Coast than with his previous club, winning only 12 of his 32 games in charge of the Division Three
side. Whereas eight months earlier Clough was managing a team playing Juventus in the European Cup, he was now managing a club who, just after his appointment as manager, lost to Walton & Hersham
4–0 at home in an FA Cup replay. On 1 December 1973, his side lost 8–2 at home to Bristol Rovers. Albion eventually finished in 19th place that season.
following Don Revie
's departure to become manager of England
, though this time Taylor did not join him. Clough's move was very surprising given his previous outspoken criticism of both Revie, for whom Clough made no secret of his deep disdain, and the successful Leeds team's playing style, which Clough was on record as stating to be not only overly aggressive but also effectively illegal in his opinion.
He lasted in the job only 44 days before he was sacked by the Leeds directors on 12 September 1974, after alienating many of Leeds's star players, notably Johnny Giles
, Norman Hunter and Billy Bremner
. During one of the first training sessions he took for Leeds United, he reportedly said "You can all throw your medals in the bin because they were not won fairly." He has the unenviable record of being Leeds United
's least successful permanent manager, winning only one match from six games. Leeds were fourth from bottom in 19th position with only 4 points from a possible 12, their worst start in 15 years. His pay-off was estimated at £98,000, a huge amount at the time.
Clough told Yorkshire Television's Calendar
his short reign at Elland Road
was because of bad results.
, who at the time were in 13th place in Division Two. Clough replaced Allan Brown. Clough's first game in charge was the third round FA Cup replay against Tottenham Hotspur, a 1–0 victory thanks to a goal by Scottish centre-forward Neil Martin
.
Clough made fewer TV appearances whilst Forest manager, and toned down the outspoken comments he had made earlier at Derby. After finishing 8th in the old Second Division
, in his first full season in charge alone, in July 1976 Clough was joined by his old assistant Peter Taylor from Brighton, who had just missed out on promotion from the old Third division.
Together, Clough and Taylor transformed the club's fortunes rapidly: the first success at the club came in Clough's second full season (1976–77
) when they won promotion to Division One, finishing third. In their first season after promotion they won the League Cup
, beating Liverpool 1–0 in a replay at Old Trafford
, and were crowned champions of Division One, finishing seven points clear of nearest challengers Liverpool.
This made Clough the first manager since Herbert Chapman
to win the English League Championship with two different clubs. Kenny Dalglish
has since become the third person to achieve the feat (Liverpool and Blackburn). During the 1978–79
season, on 9 February 1979 Clough signed the 24-year-old Birmingham City
striker Trevor Francis
, Britain's first £1 million footballer. Forest retained the League Cup with a 3–2 victory over Southampton, but finished as runners-up to Liverpool in the league. The season was rounded off with victory in the European Cup
final, thanks to a 1–0 victory over Malmö FF
. A year later, Clough guided Forest to a second successive European Cup after victory over Hamburger SV
and a third successive League Cup final, though this time they were defeated by Wolverhampton Wanderers
1–0.
Despite winning the European Cup twice, Clough regarded his greatest achievement to be the record breaking unbeaten run his team set between 26 November 1977 and 9 December 1978, the team went undefeated for 42 league games – the equivalent of a whole season, beating the previous record of 35 games held by Burnley
. The record stood until August 2004, a month before Clough's death, when it was bettered by Arsenal
, who went on to play 49 league games without defeat.
It was not until 1988–89
that Clough and Forest would enjoy another major trophy success, this time over Luton Town
in the League Cup again. For a time, Forest were on course for a treble that season, but ultimately had to settle for third place in the league. Defeat in the FA Cup
semi-finals was in a replay after the first game abandoned shortly after kick off due to the Hillsborough disaster
. Clough had to manage the team from the stands in the latter half of the season as he was serving a touchline ban after hitting three supporters who had invaded the pitch at the end of a match against QPR. A year later, Clough guided Forest to another League Cup victory with a 1–0 over Oldham Athletic.
In 1991 Forest reached their first FA Cup final under Clough against Tottenham Hotspur
. With typical idiosyncrasy, Clough selected 2 players Lee Glover
and Ian Woan
with only a handful of league games behind them and left England international Steve Hodge
on the substitutes' bench preferring the young Roy Keane
in the starting line up. After 90 minutes with the score at 1–1, Clough did not go on to the pitch to encourage or advise his players before extra time, but remained on the bench. Tottenham won 2–1 with an own goal by Des Walker
in extra time. Keane later admitted in his autobiography that he was injured and shouldn't have taken part in the game.
They reached the League Cup final again in 1992, but lost 1–0 to Manchester United
The 1992–93
season was Clough's 18th with Forest – and his last. They were one of the 22 clubs in the new Premier League, but the sale of key players like Teddy Sheringham
and Des Walker
, combined with the manager's increasingly uncontrolled alcoholism, saw the club's fortunes take a sharp decline and they were bottom virtually all season. Just before a 2–0 defeat against Sheffield United
confirmed the club's relegation after 16 years in the top flight, Clough announced his retirement as manager.
Clough's time at Forest saw him at odds with the late Justin Fashanu
whose goals and then confidence dried up as he failed to fit in with the playing and lifestyle demands of Clough. When Clough discovered Fashanu's homosexuality he barred Fashanu from training with the side. Clough recounts a dressing down he gave Fashanu after hearing rumours that he was going to gay bars. "'Where do you go if you want a loaf of bread?' I asked him. 'A baker's, I suppose.' 'Where do you go if you want a leg of lamb?' 'A butcher's.' 'So why do you keep going to that bloody poofs' club?"'
In 1977, he was reportedly interested in the Everton
manager's job, but Gordon Lee
was appointed instead.
Following Mike England
's resignation as manager of Wales
in 1987, Clough was offered the position as manager of Wales on a part-time basis, something later done with John Toshack
. Clough was keen on the chance to become an international manager, however the directors of Nottingham Forest refused to let him split his loyalties.In April 1986, Clough had declared that he intended to spend the rest of his managerial career with Nottingham Forest.
In June 1986, when interim manager Alex Ferguson
rejected the offer of managing the Scotland national football team
on a permanent basis (he had been in charge since the sudden death of Jock Stein
nine months earlier), Clough was linked with the job of Scotland manager, but the vacancy was filled by Andy Roxburgh
(a long-serving member of the Scotland coaching set up) instead. Clough had also been linked with the Republic of Ireland
job the previous year, before it was filled by fellow Englishman Jack Charlton
.
of John Robertson. The two fell out when Taylor, who had retired in May 1982 but then became manager of Derby six months later, signed the Forest winger without telling Clough beforehand. Robertson's transfer was contested, with the fee set by a tribunal, although Robertson was injured soon after joining Derby and never found his form. The rift had not been repaired by the time Taylor died in October 1990, but Clough and his family attended Taylor's funeral. When the assistant coach at Forest telephoned Clough to inform him of Taylor's death, he did not say anything and put the phone down. He allegedly cried heavily after this and his bad feeling over the unreconciled rift increased Clough's already heavy drinking. Clough dedicated his autobiography in 1994 to Taylor and when he was given the freedom of Nottingham he also paid tribute to him, as he did in September 1999 when a bust was unveiled of himself at the City Ground.
manager, and European Cup-winning Forest player under Clough, Frank Clark. Clark was able to achieve an instant return to the Premiership when the club finished Division One runners-up at the end of the 1993–94 season.
Much of Clough's retirement was spent concentrating on his fight against alcoholism, an addiction that had plagued him since the 1970s; his battle was chronicled in part by Duncan Hamilton
. He considered applying for the job as manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers
on the resignation of Graham Taylor
in October 1995. Nothing came of it, however, and Clough's managerial career was over. Nottingham Forest honoured him by renaming the City Ground
's largest stand, the Executive Stand, the Brian Clough Stand. Clough was made an inaugural inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame
in 2002 in recognition of his huge impact as a manager.
In the early 1990s, Clough was implicated in the "bungs" scandal in English football
involving then Tottenham Hotspur
manager Terry Venables
and chairman Alan Sugar
and particularly the transfer of Teddy Sheringham
from Forest to Tottenham. Clough was alleged to have received illegal payments during transfer negotiations and making illegal payments to players.
In August 2000, a tribute website was set up in honour of Clough with the backing of his family. The website www.brianclough.com is also the official site of the Brian Clough Statue Fund. This raised money for the statue of the master manager which was erected in Nottingham's Old Market Square on 6 November 2008.
In January 2003, the 67-year-old Clough underwent a liver transplant; 30 years of heavy drinking had taken its toll and doctors said that Clough would have died within two weeks without a transplant, as his liver
was severely damaged and cancer had been found in it. The transplant gave Clough a new lease of life for the next 20 months; he took up light exercise again and appeared happier than he had for many years.
Clough's reputation for never sitting on the fence and strong views on all manner of football issues translated into a column which he wrote for Four Four Two magazine up until his death.
. On two occasions he was approached by the Labour Party
to stand as a parliamentary candidate in general elections, although he declined in order to continue his managerial career in football. During the 1979 general election campaign when it looked very likely that Margaret Thatcher would become Prime Minister, he told a meeting that he had not come to make a speech to them but just to tell them that "If my taxes are cut, you bloody lot are going to pay for it."
On 4 April 1959, Clough married Barbara Glasgow in Middlesbrough. They went on to have three children; Simon, born in 1964, Nigel
, born in 1966 and Elizabeth, born in 1967. Nigel Clough
, himself a professional football player and manager, latterly with Burton Albion
, in January 2009 followed in his father's footsteps by taking over the management position at Derby County
.
A lover of cricket
, he was good friends with Yorkshire and England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott
.
Clough died of stomach cancer
on 20 September 2004, on Ward 30, in Derby City Hospital, at the age of 69, having been admitted a few days earlier. Such was his popularity, fans of Derby County and Nottingham Forest, usually the fiercest of rivals, mourned together following his passing. A memorial service was held at Derby's Pride Park Stadium
on 21 October 2004 which was attended by more than 14,000 people. It was originally to have been held at Derby Cathedral
, but had to be moved because of demand for tickets.
In August 2005 the stretch of the A52
linking Nottingham and Derby was renamed Brian Clough Way. His widow Barbara expressed her gratitude to Nottingham City Council, saying: "Brian would have been amazed but genuinely appreciative". Since the opening of the Nottingham Express Transit
system, tram No. 215 has been named Brian Clough.
After a long process of fund-raising, his home town of Middlesbrough commissioned a statue of Clough, which was unveiled on 16 May 2007. Although there was a movement to erect a statue in Grove Hill
, his birthplace, the site chosen was Albert Park, Middlesbrough
through which he usually walked on his way from home to Ayresome Park
, Middlesbrough's former stadium.
In December 2006, the Brian Clough Statue Fund in Nottingham announced it had raised £69,000 in just 18 months for a statue of Clough in the city. The winning statue was selected from a choice of three designs in January 2008. The site chosen for the statue is at the junction of King Street and Queen Street in the centre of Nottingham. On 6 November 2008 the statue was unveiled by Mr Clough's widow Barbara in front of a crowd of more than five thousand people.
In 2007/8 a redevelopment scheme building new houses on the old Middlesbrough General Hospital site named roads after famous ex Middlesbrough F.C. players including, Willie Maddren
, George Camsell
and Clough.
Derby County and Nottingham Forest competed for the inaugural Brian Clough Trophy
at Pride Park Stadium on 31 July 2007. In future, any league, cup or friendly game played between Derby and Forest will automatically become a Brian Clough Trophy game. Proceeds from the game will go to charities in the East Midlands.
In April 2009, Derby County
announced that they would erect a statue of the former Rams managers Clough and Peter Taylor, at Pride Park
, with sculptor, Andy Edwards, who previously produced the Steve Bloomer
bust already in the stadium, commissioned for the statue. The Brian Clough and Peter Taylor Monument was officially unveiled in a family service on 27 August 2010 and publicly on 28 August 2010.
Nottingham Forest
Individual Awards
, released in 2009, and based on David Peace
's novel The Damned Utd
. The publishers of the novel were successfully sued by Irish midfielder Johnny Giles
who wrote, "Many of the things Peace talks about in the book never happened and for that reason, I felt it necessary to go to the Courts to establish that this was fiction based on fact and nothing more."
The book includes a scene with Clough in the Elland Road car park burning Don Revie's old desk. There is no factual source for this. The Clough family have expressed disappointment at the publication of the book.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(21 March 1935 – 20 September 2004) was an English footballer and football manager. He is most notable for his success with Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
and Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
. His achievement of winning back-to-back European Cups with Nottingham Forest, a traditionally moderate provincial English club, is considered to be one of the greatest in football history. Charismatic, outspoken and often controversial, Clough is widely considered to be one of the greatest managers of the English game and the greatest English manager never to have managed the England team
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
. He is closely associated with Peter Taylor, who worked with him as his assistant manager at various clubs in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.
On being asked about his attitude towards the England selectors he replied, "I’m sure the England selectors thought if they took me on and gave me the job, I’d want to run the show. They were shrewd because that’s exactly what I would have done".
In January 2009, four years after Brian Clough's passing, Nigel Clough
Nigel Clough
Nigel Howard Clough is an English former footballer and the current manager of Derby County. Playing predominately as a striker, but later in his career was used as a midfielder, Clough was capped by England 14 times in the early 1990s....
, following his father's footsteps, became manager of Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
. Nigel had preceded this with a 10-year spell as manager of Burton Albion
Burton Albion F.C.
Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...
, where Peter Taylor also had managed.
Brian Clough was portrayed by Michael Sheen
Michael Sheen
Michael Christopher Sheen, OBE , is a Welsh stage and screen actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England and made his professional debut opposite Vanessa Redgrave in When She Danced at the Globe Theatre in 1991...
in the 2009 film The Damned United
The Damned United
The Damned United is a 2009 British sports drama film directed by Tom Hooper and adapted by Peter Morgan from David Peace's bestselling novel The Damned Utd, a largely fictional book based on the author's interpretation of Brian Clough's tenure as manager of Leeds United...
.
Childhood
Grove Hill, Middlesbrough
Grove Hill is a housing estate and is in the Clairville ward of Middlesbrough, in the borough of Middlesbrough in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England.- Notable residents :*Brian Clough , footballer, manager...
, Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough is a large town situated on the south bank of the River Tees in north east England, that sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire...
, Brian Clough was the sixth of nine children of a local sweet shop
Sweet Shop
- Overview :Sweet Shop is a limited edition compilation of rare and unreleased recordings by London-based glam rockers Rachel Stamp. It was released in 2004 via Rachel Stamp's official website and sold at gigs around the UK...
worker, later sugar boiler and then manager. The eldest, Elizabeth, died in 1927 of septicaemia
Sepsis
Sepsis is a potentially deadly medical condition that is characterized by a whole-body inflammatory state and the presence of a known or suspected infection. The body may develop this inflammatory response by the immune system to microbes in the blood, urine, lungs, skin, or other tissues...
at the age of four. When talking of his childhood he said he "adored it in all its aspects. If anyone should be grateful for their upbringing, for their mam and dad, I'm that person. I was the kid who came from a little part of paradise." On his upbringing in Middlesbrough, Clough claimed that it was not the nicest place in the world, "But to me it was heaven". "Everything I have done, everything I've achieved, everything that I can think of that has directed and affected my life – apart from the drink – stemmed from my childhood. Maybe it was the constant sight of Mam, with eight children to look after, working from morning till night, working harder than you or I have ever worked."
Although a naturally bright child, in 1946 Clough failed his Eleven-plus exam, and attended Marton Grove Secondary Modern school. He later admitted in his autobiography that he had neglected his lessons in favour of sport, although at school he became head boy. Oddly enough, Clough stated in his autobiography 'Walking on Water' that cricket, rather than football, was his first love as a youngster, and that he'd have much rather scored a test century at Lords than a hat-trick at Wembley. Clough left school in 1950 without any qualifications, to work at ICI
Imperial Chemical Industries
Imperial Chemical Industries was a British chemical company, taken over by AkzoNobel, a Dutch conglomerate, one of the largest chemical producers in the world. In its heyday, ICI was the largest manufacturing company in the British Empire, and commonly regarded as a "bellwether of the British...
and did his national service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
in the RAF Regiment
RAF Regiment
The Royal Air Force Regiment is a specialist airfield defence corps founded by Royal Warrant in 1942. After a 32 week trainee gunner course, its members are trained and equipped to prevent a successful enemy attack in the first instance; minimise the damage caused by a successful attack; and...
between 1953 and 1955.
Playing career
Clough played for Billingham SynthoniaBillingham Synthonia F.C.
Billingham Synthonia F.C. is a football club based in Billingham, England. They were established in 1923, playing first in the Teesside League, and joining the Northern League in 1945. In the 1993–94 season, they reached the Quarter-Finals of the FA Trophy, in a run which included victories over...
before his National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
in the RAF between 1953 and 1955. Following this, he became a prolific striker for his home town club Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
scoring 197 goals in 213 league matches for Boro. He then signed for Sunderland
Sunderland A.F.C.
Sunderland Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear who currently play in the Premier League...
and scored 54 goals in 61 league games. On 26 December 1962, he injured his knee during a match against Bury
Bury F.C.
Bury Football Club is an association football team based in Bury, Greater Manchester. The team currently play in League One. The club's nickname is The Shakers which was bestowed upon them by club chairman JT Ingham, an industrialist and ironmonger of the late 1890s.-Formation of the club and the...
after colliding with goalkeeper Chris Harker. It turned out to be a cruciate ligament
Cruciate ligament
Cruciate ligaments are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee...
injury, which usually ended a player's career at that time. Clough returned two years later but could manage only three games before retiring.
He played twice for the England national football team
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
on 17 October 1959 and Sweden
Sweden national football team
The Swedish national football team represents Sweden in association football and is controlled by the Swedish Football Association, the governing body for Football in Sweden. Sweden's home ground is Råsunda Stadium in Stockholms län and their head coach is Erik Hamrén. Sweden made their first...
on 28 October 1959, without scoring.
For players having scored over 200 league goals in the English leagues, he has the highest goals per game ratio of 0.916, and has second highest ratio in the list that includes the Scottish leagues.
Hartlepools United
Clough became a manager starting at Hartlepools UnitedHartlepool United F.C.
Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season...
(the club's name has since been changed to Hartlepool United) with Peter Taylor
Peter Thomas Taylor
Peter Thomas Taylor was an English football goalkeeper and more notably, a football manager. His name is closely associated with that of Brian Clough, with whom he served as assistant manager at various clubs in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.Playing twenty years of professional football, he started...
as his assistant manager from October 1965. At the age of 30, Clough was then the youngest manager in the league.
In 1966 the then chairman, Ernest Ord sacked both Clough and Taylor. He was known for playing mind games with managers, including both Clough and Taylor. However, after their dismissals, they organised a boardroom coup which saw Ord ousted as chairman. In May 1967 the duo then joined Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
as manager and assistant manager.
Derby County
Derby had been rooted in the Second DivisionFootball League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
for a decade prior to Clough's arrival, and had been outside the top flight for a further five years.
In Clough's first season the club finished one place lower than in the previous season, but he had started to lay the foundations for his future success by signing several new players, amongst them Roy McFarland
Roy McFarland
Roy Leslie McFarland is an English football manager who was also a player, notably at Derby County where he played 434 league games helping him to earn 28 caps for England.-Playing career:...
, John O'Hare
John O'Hare
John O'Hare is a Scottish former footballer. His clubs included Sunderland, Derby County and also Nottingham Forest and was part of their European Cup victory in 1980, coming on as a substitute in the final. He also won thirteen caps for the Scotland national team, scoring five goals.- Career...
, John McGovern
John McGovern (footballer)
John McGovern is a Scottish former association football player and manager. McGovern is most famous for captaining the Nottingham Forest side that won the European Cup twice, under the management of Brian Clough....
, Alan Hinton
Alan Hinton
Alan Thomas Hinton is an English former footballer who most notably played for Derby County and Nottingham Forest in the 1960s...
and Les Green. Of the inherited squad, eleven players departed and only four were retained: Kevin Hector
Kevin Hector
Kevin James Hector is an English former footballer who scored 268 goals from 662 appearances in the Football League playing for Bradford Park Avenue and Derby County. His 486 League appearances for Derby County is a club record...
, Alan Durban
Alan Durban
William Alan Durban is a Welsh former international footballer and manager between the 1970s and 1990s.-Club career:...
, Ron Webster
Ron Webster
Ron Webster is an English former association football player, who spent nearly all his career playing for his local team Derby County. Webster played at right back. Webster was always a fans' favourite because of his hard tackles and effort. Seth Johnson, a recent ex-Derby player was compared to...
and Colin Boulton
Colin Boulton
Colin Donald Boulton was a football player who played as a Goalkeeper.-Football career:Solid, dependable, ever present are among the things that were said about him...
. Clough also fired the club secretary, the groundsman and the chief scout, along with two tea ladies he caught laughing after a Derby defeat. With the additional signings of Dave Mackay and Willie Carlin
Willie Carlin
William "Willie" Carlin is a former English footballer who played as a central midfielder.Carlin began at Liverpool but moved to Halifax Town where he made his name as a midfield schemer before joining Carlisle United in 1964...
in 1968, Clough and Taylor's management led Derby to become champions of Division Two
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
, establishing the club record of 22 matches without defeat on the way.
Clough was universally seen as a hard but fair manager, who insisted on clean play from his players and brooked no stupid questions from the press. He was famous for insisting on being called 'Mr Clough' and earned great respect from his peers for his ability to turn a game to his and his team's advantage. Derby's first season back in Division One
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
saw them finish fourth, their best league finish for over 20 years, but, due to financial irregularities, the club was banned from Europe the following season and fined £10,000.
In 1970–71
1970-71 in English football
The 1970–71 season was the 91st season of competitive football in England.-First Division:Arsenal won the league championship at the end of a season which would soon be followed by their FA Cup final tie with Liverpool. Arsenal secured the league title at White Hart Lane, the home of bitter rivals...
the club finished 9th, but during the 1971–72
1971-72 in English football
The 1971–72 season was the 92nd season of competitive football in England.-FA Cup:Leeds United overcame holders Arsenal to win the 1972 FA Cup Final...
season, Derby tussled with Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
and Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
for the title. Leading the table by one point having played their last match, a 1–0 win over Liverpool, Peter Taylor took his players on holiday to Majorca, where they learned that both title rivals had failed to win their final matches, meaning that Derby became champions for the first time in their then 88-year history. Clough was not with the squad at the time, instead holidaying in the Isles of Scilly
Isles of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The islands have had a unitary authority council since 1890, and are separate from the Cornwall unitary authority, but some services are combined with Cornwall and the islands are still part...
with his family and parents when he received the news.
Feud with the Derby County Board of Directors
In August 1972 Clough refused to go on an arranged pre-season tour of the Netherlands and West Germany unless he could take his family with him. Derby chairman Sam Longson told him that it was a working trip not a holiday, so Clough put Taylor in charge of the tour instead, and refused to go. The club did not contest the FA Charity Shield that year.On 24 August 1972, Clough and Taylor signed David Nish
David Nish
David John Nish was an English former footballer who broke the then British transfer record in 1972 by paying £225,000 for his signature.-Club:...
from Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, for a then record transfer fee of £225,000, without consulting the Derby board. Afterwards, Jack Kirkland, a director, warned Clough and Taylor there would be no more expensive buys like Nish. Then, on 3 September 1972, Clough attacked the Derby County fans, stating that "They started chanting only near the end when we were a goal in front. I want to hear them when we are losing. They are a disgraceful lot", he said, after the team defeated Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
2–1 at the Baseball Ground
Baseball Ground
The Baseball Ground was a stadium in Derby, England. It was first used for baseball as the home of Derby County Baseball Club from 1890 until 1898 and then for football as the home of Derby County from 1895 until 1997. It was commonly referred to as the "BBG".As the name suggests, the stadium was...
. In the same interview, Clough also attacked the club's board of directors for their policies. The following day, Board Chairman Sam Longson apologised to the fans and dissociated himself from Clough's remarks.
That season, Derby failed to retain their title, finishing 7th, but reached the semi-finals of the European Cup, before being knocked out by Juventus
Juventus F.C.
Juventus Football Club S.p.A. , commonly referred to as Juventus and colloquially as Juve , are a professional Italian association football club based in Turin, Piedmont...
3–1 in April 1973, on aggregate. After the game, Clough emerged from the dressing room and told the expectant Italian reporters, "No cheating bastards do I talk to. I will not talk to any cheating bastards." and then questioned the Italian nation's courage in the Second World War. It was these sorts of frequent, outspoken comments – particularly against football's establishment, such as the FA
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
and club directors, and figures in the game such as Sir Matt Busby, Alan Hardaker
Alan Hardaker
Alan Hardaker was an English football administrator for the Football League, a wartime Royal Navy officer, and previously an amateur footballer...
, Sir Alf Ramsey, Don Revie
Don Revie
Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977...
and Len Shipman, along with players such as Billy Bremner
Billy Bremner
William John "Billy" Bremner was a Scottish professional footballer, most noted for his captaincy of the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s. He has since been voted Leeds United's greatest player of all time and has a statue outside the South East corner of Elland Road...
, Norman Hunter and Peter Lorimer
Peter Lorimer
Peter Patrick Lorimer is a former footballer who formed part of the much-admired and feared Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s....
– combined with Clough's increased media profile, that eventually led to his falling out with Rams chairman, Sam Longson, and the Derby County board of directors.
On 5 August 1973, Clough put his name to an article in the Sunday Express which savaged Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
's disciplinary record, stating that Don Revie should be fined for encouraging his players in their unsporting behaviour and Leeds relegated to Division 2. Clough also said that "The men who run football have missed the most marvellous chance of cleaning up the game in one swoop" and went on to say, "The trouble with football's disciplinary system is that those who sat in judgment being officials of other clubs might well have a vested interest."
Days afterwards, Clough was charged with bringing the game into disrepute, but he was cleared after he had later resigned from Derby. In September 1973, Clough travelled to West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
's Boleyn Ground
Boleyn Ground
The Boleyn Ground, more commonly referred to as Upton Park due to its location in Upton Park, London is the football stadium of West Ham United.-History:...
and made a £400,000 bid for Bobby Moore
Bobby Moore
Robert Frederick Chelsea "Bobby" Moore, OBE was an English footballer. He captained West Ham United for more than ten years and was captain of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup...
, a player he admired, and Trevor Brooking
Trevor Brooking
Sir Trevor David Brooking CBE is a football player turned manager, on-air analyst, and administrator.Brooking attended Ripple Infants School and left Ilford County High School with 11 O-levels and 2 A-levels....
. Ron Greenwood told Clough that neither was available but that he would pass his offer onto the board of directors. Clough never told either his chairman, secretary or other board members at Derby about the bid. Longson found out four months later during a chance conversation with Eddie Chapman, West Ham's secretary at the time.
On 11 October 1973, Longson called for both Clough's and Taylor's sackings at a board meeting, but didn't gain the support that was needed to do so. Two days later, following a 1–0 win against Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
, Jack Kirkland demanded to know what Taylor's role within the club was. Kirkland instructed Taylor to meet him at the ground two days later to explain. On the same day, Longson accused Clough of making a V-sign at Sir Matt Busby, and demanded that he apologise. Clough refused to do so, as he vehemently denied making the V-sign in the first place.
In the week before this incident, Longson demanded that Clough stop writing newspaper articles and making TV appearances, and had the grille pulled down on the bar to stop both Clough and Taylor drinking.
Resignation from Derby County
Eighteen months earlier, in April 1972, Clough and Taylor had briefly resigned for a few hours to manage Coventry City before changing their minds after getting more money from Longson. This time, it was for good. Both Clough and Taylor resigned on 15 October 1973, to widespread uproar from Rams fans, who demanded the board's resignation along with Clough and Taylor's reinstatement at the following home game against Leicester CityLeicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
five days later. That evening, Clough appeared on the Michael Parkinson
Michael Parkinson
Sir Michael Parkinson, CBE is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his interview programme, Parkinson, from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007.- Early life :...
show and attacked football directors for their apparent lack of knowledge of football. Earlier that week Clough, as a pundit, memorably called Jan Tomaszewski
Jan Tomaszewski
Jan Tomaszewski is a retired Polish footballer , who was nicknamed "Tomek" and "The Man That Stopped England", named Best Goalkeeper in the 1974 World Cup in West Germany....
a clown after the crucial World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
qualifier with England at Wembley. Tomaszewski made one or two good saves but also had outrageous luck, doing many thing wrong but getting away with it. When another commentator said, "You call him a clown, Brian, but he saved his side". Clough replied, "Would you want him in your team every week?" to which there was no answer. England did not qualify, as they had managed only a 1–1 draw.
The six years at Derby County had brought Clough to the attention of the wider football world. According to James Lawton, "Derby was the wild making of Brian Clough. He went there a young and urgent manager who had done impressive work deep in his own little corner of the world at Hartlepool. He left surrounded by fascination and great celebrity: abrasive, infuriating, but plugged, immovably, into a vein of the nation."
Brighton & Hove Albion
Such was the loyalty to Clough that along with himself and Taylor, scouts and backroom staff completed the walk out, following the pair for their brief spell with Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
. He proved less successful on the South Coast than with his previous club, winning only 12 of his 32 games in charge of the Division Three
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
side. Whereas eight months earlier Clough was managing a team playing Juventus in the European Cup, he was now managing a club who, just after his appointment as manager, lost to Walton & Hersham
Walton & Hersham F.C.
Walton & Hersham F.C. is an English football club located in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, currently playing in the Isthmian League Division One South. They play in a red and white home kit at Stompond Lane....
4–0 at home in an FA Cup replay. On 1 December 1973, his side lost 8–2 at home to Bristol Rovers. Albion eventually finished in 19th place that season.
Leeds United
Clough left Brighton less than a year after his appointment, in July 1974, to become manager of Leeds UnitedLeeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
following Don Revie
Don Revie
Donald George 'Don' Revie, OBE, , was an English footballer who played for Leicester City, Hull City, Sunderland, Manchester City and Leeds United as a deep-lying centre forward. After managing Leeds United he managed England from 1974 until 1977...
's departure to become manager of England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, though this time Taylor did not join him. Clough's move was very surprising given his previous outspoken criticism of both Revie, for whom Clough made no secret of his deep disdain, and the successful Leeds team's playing style, which Clough was on record as stating to be not only overly aggressive but also effectively illegal in his opinion.
He lasted in the job only 44 days before he was sacked by the Leeds directors on 12 September 1974, after alienating many of Leeds's star players, notably Johnny Giles
Johnny Giles
Michael John "Johnny" Giles is a former association footballer and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s...
, Norman Hunter and Billy Bremner
Billy Bremner
William John "Billy" Bremner was a Scottish professional footballer, most noted for his captaincy of the Leeds United team of the 1960s and 1970s. He has since been voted Leeds United's greatest player of all time and has a statue outside the South East corner of Elland Road...
. During one of the first training sessions he took for Leeds United, he reportedly said "You can all throw your medals in the bin because they were not won fairly." He has the unenviable record of being Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
's least successful permanent manager, winning only one match from six games. Leeds were fourth from bottom in 19th position with only 4 points from a possible 12, their worst start in 15 years. His pay-off was estimated at £98,000, a huge amount at the time.
Clough told Yorkshire Television's Calendar
Calendar (News)
Calendar is a regional television news and current affairs programme, produced by ITV Yorkshire at its studios in Leeds, serving Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and parts of the North Midlands and North West Norfolk...
his short reign at Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
was because of bad results.
Nottingham Forest
On 6 January 1975, Clough made a return to management with Nottingham ForestNottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
, who at the time were in 13th place in Division Two. Clough replaced Allan Brown. Clough's first game in charge was the third round FA Cup replay against Tottenham Hotspur, a 1–0 victory thanks to a goal by Scottish centre-forward Neil Martin
Neil Martin
Neil Martin is a Scottish former football player, who scored 100 league goals in both Scotland and England and won three full international caps for Scotland in the 1960s and 1970s. Known for his strength, power, bravery and commitment, Martin scored consistently in a journeyman career...
.
Clough made fewer TV appearances whilst Forest manager, and toned down the outspoken comments he had made earlier at Derby. After finishing 8th in the old Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
, in his first full season in charge alone, in July 1976 Clough was joined by his old assistant Peter Taylor from Brighton, who had just missed out on promotion from the old Third division.
Together, Clough and Taylor transformed the club's fortunes rapidly: the first success at the club came in Clough's second full season (1976–77
1976-77 in English football
The 1976–77 season was the 97th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League revamped the tie-breaking criteria for teams level of points, replacing the traditional goal average tie-breaker with one based on goal difference to try to encourage more scoring...
) when they won promotion to Division One, finishing third. In their first season after promotion they won the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
, beating Liverpool 1–0 in a replay at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
, and were crowned champions of Division One, finishing seven points clear of nearest challengers Liverpool.
This made Clough the first manager since Herbert Chapman
Herbert Chapman
Herbert Chapman was an English association football player and manager. Though he had an undistinguished playing career, he went on to become one of the most successful and influential managers in early 20th century English football, before his sudden death in 1934.As a player, Chapman played for...
to win the English League Championship with two different clubs. Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
has since become the third person to achieve the feat (Liverpool and Blackburn). During the 1978–79
1978-79 in English football
-FA Cup:Manchester United had seemingly pulled off a remarkable comeback against Arsenal in the 1979 FA Cup Final to make the score 2–2 after being two goals down, but a last-minute goal from Alan Sunderland saw Arsenal lift the trophy with a 3–2 scoreline...
season, on 9 February 1979 Clough signed the 24-year-old Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
striker Trevor Francis
Trevor Francis
Trevor John Francis , is a former footballer who won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest and played for England 52 times. He was England's first £1 million player...
, Britain's first £1 million footballer. Forest retained the League Cup with a 3–2 victory over Southampton, but finished as runners-up to Liverpool in the league. The season was rounded off with victory in the European Cup
UEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
final, thanks to a 1–0 victory over Malmö FF
Malmö FF
Malmö Fotbollförening, also known simply as Malmö FF, are a Swedish professional football club based in Malmö. The club is affiliated with Skånes Fotbollförbund and play their home games at Swedbank Stadion. The club colours, reflected in their crest and kit, are sky blue and white...
. A year later, Clough guided Forest to a second successive European Cup after victory over Hamburger SV
Hamburger SV
Hamburger Sport-Verein, usually referred to as HSV in Germany and Hamburg in international parlance, is a German multi-sport club based in Hamburg, its largest branch being its football department...
and a third successive League Cup final, though this time they were defeated by Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
1–0.
Despite winning the European Cup twice, Clough regarded his greatest achievement to be the record breaking unbeaten run his team set between 26 November 1977 and 9 December 1978, the team went undefeated for 42 league games – the equivalent of a whole season, beating the previous record of 35 games held by Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
. The record stood until August 2004, a month before Clough's death, when it was bettered by Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, who went on to play 49 league games without defeat.
It was not until 1988–89
1988-89 in English football
The 1988–89 season was the 109th season of competitive football in England.-Hillsborough disaster:On 15 April, a crowd crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough killed 94 people and injured more than 300. A 95th Liverpool supporter died in hospital...
that Clough and Forest would enjoy another major trophy success, this time over Luton Town
Luton Town F.C.
Luton Town Football Club is an English professional football club based since 1905 at Kenilworth Road, Luton, Bedfordshire. The club currently competes in the fifth tier of English football, the Conference National, for the third consecutive season during the 2011–12 season.Formed in 1885, it was...
in the League Cup again. For a time, Forest were on course for a treble that season, but ultimately had to settle for third place in the league. Defeat in the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-finals was in a replay after the first game abandoned shortly after kick off due to the Hillsborough disaster
Hillsborough disaster
The Hillsborough disaster was a human crush that occurred on 15 April 1989 at Hillsborough, a football stadium, the home of Sheffield Wednesday F.C. in Sheffield, England, resulting in the deaths of 96 people, and 766 being injured, all fans of Liverpool F.C....
. Clough had to manage the team from the stands in the latter half of the season as he was serving a touchline ban after hitting three supporters who had invaded the pitch at the end of a match against QPR. A year later, Clough guided Forest to another League Cup victory with a 1–0 over Oldham Athletic.
In 1991 Forest reached their first FA Cup final under Clough against Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. With typical idiosyncrasy, Clough selected 2 players Lee Glover
Lee Glover
Edward Lee Glover is a retired footballer, turned manager.His career started with Nottingham Forest in 1987, where he remained up until 1994, when he joined Port Vale. Two years later he signed with Rotherham United, staying with the Millers until 2000...
and Ian Woan
Ian Woan
Ian Woan is an English former professional footballer and current assistant manager at Watford. He played as a midfielder from 1985 until 2004, starting in non-league football. Signed by Nottingham Forest in 1990, he played for the club for 10 years, including a spell in the Premier League...
with only a handful of league games behind them and left England international Steve Hodge
Steve Hodge
Stephen Brian Hodge is a retired English footballer who enjoyed a high-profile club and international career in the 1980s and 1990s.- Playing career :...
on the substitutes' bench preferring the young Roy Keane
Roy Keane
Roy Maurice Keane is an Irish former footballer and manager. In his 18-year playing career, he played for Cobh Ramblers in the League of Ireland, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, before ending his career at Celtic in Scotland....
in the starting line up. After 90 minutes with the score at 1–1, Clough did not go on to the pitch to encourage or advise his players before extra time, but remained on the bench. Tottenham won 2–1 with an own goal by Des Walker
Des Walker
Desmond Sinclair "Des" Walker is a former England international footballer who is best remembered for his spells with Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday...
in extra time. Keane later admitted in his autobiography that he was injured and shouldn't have taken part in the game.
They reached the League Cup final again in 1992, but lost 1–0 to Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
The 1992–93
1992-93 in English football
The 1992–1993 season was the 113th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:This season saw the birth of the FA Premier League. This meant a break-up of the 104-year-old Football League that had operated until then with four divisions....
season was Clough's 18th with Forest – and his last. They were one of the 22 clubs in the new Premier League, but the sale of key players like Teddy Sheringham
Teddy Sheringham
Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham MBE is a retired English footballer, and the father of footballer Charlie Sheringham. Sheringham played as a striker, and had a successful career at the club level, winning almost every domestic honour available with his clubs, most notably the Treble with Manchester...
and Des Walker
Des Walker
Desmond Sinclair "Des" Walker is a former England international footballer who is best remembered for his spells with Nottingham Forest and Sheffield Wednesday...
, combined with the manager's increasingly uncontrolled alcoholism, saw the club's fortunes take a sharp decline and they were bottom virtually all season. Just before a 2–0 defeat against Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
confirmed the club's relegation after 16 years in the top flight, Clough announced his retirement as manager.
Clough's time at Forest saw him at odds with the late Justin Fashanu
Justin Fashanu
Justinus Soni "Justin" Fashanu was an English footballer who played for a variety of clubs between 1978 and 1997. He was known by his early clubs to be homosexual, and came out to the press later in his career, to become the first professional footballer to be openly gay...
whose goals and then confidence dried up as he failed to fit in with the playing and lifestyle demands of Clough. When Clough discovered Fashanu's homosexuality he barred Fashanu from training with the side. Clough recounts a dressing down he gave Fashanu after hearing rumours that he was going to gay bars. "'Where do you go if you want a loaf of bread?' I asked him. 'A baker's, I suppose.' 'Where do you go if you want a leg of lamb?' 'A butcher's.' 'So why do you keep going to that bloody poofs' club?"'
Links with other jobs
As well as the England manager's job, Clough was linked with a string of other vacancies during his 18 years as Nottingham Forest manager.In 1977, he was reportedly interested in the Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
manager's job, but Gordon Lee
Gordon Lee
Gordon Lee may refer to:*Gordon William Lee, former Alberta politician*Gordon Lee , American comic book store owner charged with distributing obscene materials*Gordon Lee , U.S...
was appointed instead.
Following Mike England
Mike England
Harold Michael "Mike" England, MBE was a popular Welsh footballer and manager.-Playing career:Born Holywell, Wales, Mike England was a tall commanding centre-half, who could also play effectively as a centre-forward. He played for Blackburn Rovers, Tottenham Hotspur, Cardiff, and for the Wales...
's resignation as manager of Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
in 1987, Clough was offered the position as manager of Wales on a part-time basis, something later done with John Toshack
John Toshack
John Benjamin Toshack OBE is a Welsh former footballer and manager. He is currently the manager of Macedonia. He has also managed several others clubs including Swansea City, who he took from the Fourth Division to the First in four seasons.As a player, he is remembered for being part of the...
. Clough was keen on the chance to become an international manager, however the directors of Nottingham Forest refused to let him split his loyalties.In April 1986, Clough had declared that he intended to spend the rest of his managerial career with Nottingham Forest.
In June 1986, when interim manager Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
rejected the offer of managing the Scotland national football team
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
on a permanent basis (he had been in charge since the sudden death of Jock Stein
Jock Stein
John 'Jock' Stein CBE was a Scottish association football player and manager. He became the first manager of a British side to win the European Cup, with Celtic in 1967...
nine months earlier), Clough was linked with the job of Scotland manager, but the vacancy was filled by Andy Roxburgh
Andy Roxburgh
Andy Roxburgh is a former Scottish football player and coach. He has been UEFA Technical Director since 1994.- Playing career :...
(a long-serving member of the Scotland coaching set up) instead. Clough had also been linked with the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
job the previous year, before it was filled by fellow Englishman Jack Charlton
Jack Charlton
John "Jack" Charlton, OBE, DL is a former footballer and manager who played for Leeds United in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and was part of the England team who won the 1966 World Cup...
.
Rift with Taylor
Clough's relationship with Peter Taylor, his friend and long-time assistant at Derby, Brighton and Forest, was damaged permanently on 21 May 1983 over the transferTransfer (football)
In professional association football, a transfer is the action taken whenever a player under contract moves between professional clubs. It refers to the transferring of a player's registration from one professional association football club to another. In general, the players can only be...
of John Robertson. The two fell out when Taylor, who had retired in May 1982 but then became manager of Derby six months later, signed the Forest winger without telling Clough beforehand. Robertson's transfer was contested, with the fee set by a tribunal, although Robertson was injured soon after joining Derby and never found his form. The rift had not been repaired by the time Taylor died in October 1990, but Clough and his family attended Taylor's funeral. When the assistant coach at Forest telephoned Clough to inform him of Taylor's death, he did not say anything and put the phone down. He allegedly cried heavily after this and his bad feeling over the unreconciled rift increased Clough's already heavy drinking. Clough dedicated his autobiography in 1994 to Taylor and when he was given the freedom of Nottingham he also paid tribute to him, as he did in September 1999 when a bust was unveiled of himself at the City Ground.
Retirement
Clough retired as manager of Nottingham Forest in May 1993 to be succeeded by then Leyton OrientLeyton Orient F.C.
Leyton Orient F.C. are an English professional football club in East London. They currently play in Football League One and are known to their fans as the O's.Leyton Orient have spent one season in the top flight of English football, in 1962–63...
manager, and European Cup-winning Forest player under Clough, Frank Clark. Clark was able to achieve an instant return to the Premiership when the club finished Division One runners-up at the end of the 1993–94 season.
Much of Clough's retirement was spent concentrating on his fight against alcoholism, an addiction that had plagued him since the 1970s; his battle was chronicled in part by Duncan Hamilton
Duncan Hamilton (journalist)
Duncan Hamilton is a British author and newspaper journalist and two-time winner of the prestigious William Hill Sports Book of the Year award....
. He considered applying for the job as manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
on the resignation of Graham Taylor
Graham Taylor (football manager)
Graham Taylor OBE is a football pundit, ex-football manager, and a former player. He is best known as the manager of the England national football team, as well as being manager of Watford, a club he took from the Fourth Division to the First in the space of five years, then from bottom of the...
in October 1995. Nothing came of it, however, and Clough's managerial career was over. Nottingham Forest honoured him by renaming the City Ground
City Ground
The City Ground is a football stadium in the West Bridgford area of Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Trent. It has been home to Nottingham Forest Football Club since 1898, and has a capacity of 30,602 ....
's largest stand, the Executive Stand, the Brian Clough Stand. Clough was made an inaugural inductee of the English Football Hall of Fame
English Football Hall of Fame
The English Football Hall of Fame is housed at the National Football Museum, currently being relocated to Manchester, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of the all-time top English footballing talents, as well as non-English players and managers who have become...
in 2002 in recognition of his huge impact as a manager.
In the early 1990s, Clough was implicated in the "bungs" scandal in English football
Football in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
involving then Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
manager Terry Venables
Terry Venables
Terence Frederick "Terry" Venables , often referred to as "El Tel", is a former football player and manager, as well as being a media pundit. During the 1960s and 70s, he played for various clubs including Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Queens Park Rangers, and gained two caps for England...
and chairman Alan Sugar
Alan Sugar
Alan Michael Sugar, Baron Sugar is a British entrepreneur, media personality and political advisor. From humble origins in the East End of London, Sugar now has an estimated fortune of £770m , and was ranked 89th in the Sunday Times Rich List 2011...
and particularly the transfer of Teddy Sheringham
Teddy Sheringham
Edward Paul "Teddy" Sheringham MBE is a retired English footballer, and the father of footballer Charlie Sheringham. Sheringham played as a striker, and had a successful career at the club level, winning almost every domestic honour available with his clubs, most notably the Treble with Manchester...
from Forest to Tottenham. Clough was alleged to have received illegal payments during transfer negotiations and making illegal payments to players.
In August 2000, a tribute website was set up in honour of Clough with the backing of his family. The website www.brianclough.com is also the official site of the Brian Clough Statue Fund. This raised money for the statue of the master manager which was erected in Nottingham's Old Market Square on 6 November 2008.
In January 2003, the 67-year-old Clough underwent a liver transplant; 30 years of heavy drinking had taken its toll and doctors said that Clough would have died within two weeks without a transplant, as his liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
was severely damaged and cancer had been found in it. The transplant gave Clough a new lease of life for the next 20 months; he took up light exercise again and appeared happier than he had for many years.
Clough's reputation for never sitting on the fence and strong views on all manner of football issues translated into a column which he wrote for Four Four Two magazine up until his death.
Personal life and family
Clough was a life-long socialist, often appearing on miners' picket lines, donating large sums to trade union causes, and being the chairman of the Anti-Nazi LeagueAnti-Nazi League
The Anti-Nazi League was an organisation set up in 1977 on the initiative of the Socialist Workers Party with sponsorship from some trade unions and the endorsement of a list of prominent people to oppose the rise of far-right groups in the United Kingdom. It was wound down in 1981...
. On two occasions he was approached by the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
to stand as a parliamentary candidate in general elections, although he declined in order to continue his managerial career in football. During the 1979 general election campaign when it looked very likely that Margaret Thatcher would become Prime Minister, he told a meeting that he had not come to make a speech to them but just to tell them that "If my taxes are cut, you bloody lot are going to pay for it."
On 4 April 1959, Clough married Barbara Glasgow in Middlesbrough. They went on to have three children; Simon, born in 1964, Nigel
Nigel Clough
Nigel Howard Clough is an English former footballer and the current manager of Derby County. Playing predominately as a striker, but later in his career was used as a midfielder, Clough was capped by England 14 times in the early 1990s....
, born in 1966 and Elizabeth, born in 1967. Nigel Clough
Nigel Clough
Nigel Howard Clough is an English former footballer and the current manager of Derby County. Playing predominately as a striker, but later in his career was used as a midfielder, Clough was capped by England 14 times in the early 1990s....
, himself a professional football player and manager, latterly with Burton Albion
Burton Albion F.C.
Burton Albion Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire. The club's home ground is the Pirelli Stadium, having moved from Eton Park in 2005...
, in January 2009 followed in his father's footsteps by taking over the management position at Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
.
A lover of cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
, he was good friends with Yorkshire and England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott
Geoffrey Boycott OBE is a former Yorkshire and England cricketer. In a prolific and sometimes controversial playing career from 1962 to 1986, Boycott established himself as one of England's most successful opening batsmen...
.
Death and legacy
Stomach cancer
Gastric cancer, commonly referred to as stomach cancer, can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus, lungs, lymph nodes, and the liver...
on 20 September 2004, on Ward 30, in Derby City Hospital, at the age of 69, having been admitted a few days earlier. Such was his popularity, fans of Derby County and Nottingham Forest, usually the fiercest of rivals, mourned together following his passing. A memorial service was held at Derby's Pride Park Stadium
Pride Park Stadium
Pride Park Stadium is an all-seater football stadium located on the Pride Park business park on the outskirts of Derby, England. It is the current home of Football League Championship club Derby County, who moved to the stadium from the Baseball Ground upon its opening in 1997...
on 21 October 2004 which was attended by more than 14,000 people. It was originally to have been held at Derby Cathedral
Derby Cathedral
The Cathedral of All Saints , is a cathedral church in the City of Derby, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Derby, and with an area of around is the smallest Anglican cathedral in England.-History:...
, but had to be moved because of demand for tickets.
In August 2005 the stretch of the A52
A52 road
The A52 is a major road in the East Midlands, England. It runs east from the junction with the A53 at Newcastle-under-Lyme near Stoke-on-Trent via Ashbourne, Derby, Stapleford, Nottingham, West Bridgford, Bingham, Grantham, Boston and Skegness before terminating on the east Lincolnshire coast at...
linking Nottingham and Derby was renamed Brian Clough Way. His widow Barbara expressed her gratitude to Nottingham City Council, saying: "Brian would have been amazed but genuinely appreciative". Since the opening of the Nottingham Express Transit
Nottingham Express Transit
Nottingham Express Transit is a light-rail tramway in the Nottingham area in England. The first line opened to the public on 9 March 2004, having cost £200 million to construct. The scheme took sixteen years from conception to implementation...
system, tram No. 215 has been named Brian Clough.
After a long process of fund-raising, his home town of Middlesbrough commissioned a statue of Clough, which was unveiled on 16 May 2007. Although there was a movement to erect a statue in Grove Hill
Grove Hill, Middlesbrough
Grove Hill is a housing estate and is in the Clairville ward of Middlesbrough, in the borough of Middlesbrough in the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England.- Notable residents :*Brian Clough , footballer, manager...
, his birthplace, the site chosen was Albert Park, Middlesbrough
Albert Park, Middlesbrough
Albert Park is an open access, free public park, located in Middlesbrough, in the borough of Middlesbrough and the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England....
through which he usually walked on his way from home to Ayresome Park
Ayresome Park
-External links:**-References:...
, Middlesbrough's former stadium.
In December 2006, the Brian Clough Statue Fund in Nottingham announced it had raised £69,000 in just 18 months for a statue of Clough in the city. The winning statue was selected from a choice of three designs in January 2008. The site chosen for the statue is at the junction of King Street and Queen Street in the centre of Nottingham. On 6 November 2008 the statue was unveiled by Mr Clough's widow Barbara in front of a crowd of more than five thousand people.
In 2007/8 a redevelopment scheme building new houses on the old Middlesbrough General Hospital site named roads after famous ex Middlesbrough F.C. players including, Willie Maddren
Willie Maddren
William Dixon 'Willie' Maddren was a football player for Middlesbrough Football Club between 1968 and 1979.-Footballer at Middlesbrough:...
, George Camsell
George Camsell
George Henry Camsell was an English football player, most notably for Middlesbrough.Born in Framwellgate Moor, Durham City in 1902, Camsell played for Durham City before signing for Middlesbrough on 6 October 1925 for the sum of £500. His debut was against Nottingham Forest on 31 October 1925...
and Clough.
Derby County and Nottingham Forest competed for the inaugural Brian Clough Trophy
Brian Clough Trophy
The Brian Clough Trophy is a football trophy competed for whenever East Midlands rivals Derby County and Nottingham Forest play each other . The trophy is named after Brian Clough, who managed both clubs to great success...
at Pride Park Stadium on 31 July 2007. In future, any league, cup or friendly game played between Derby and Forest will automatically become a Brian Clough Trophy game. Proceeds from the game will go to charities in the East Midlands.
In April 2009, Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
announced that they would erect a statue of the former Rams managers Clough and Peter Taylor, at Pride Park
Pride Park Stadium
Pride Park Stadium is an all-seater football stadium located on the Pride Park business park on the outskirts of Derby, England. It is the current home of Football League Championship club Derby County, who moved to the stadium from the Baseball Ground upon its opening in 1997...
, with sculptor, Andy Edwards, who previously produced the Steve Bloomer
Steve Bloomer
Steve Bloomer was an English footballer and manager who played for Derby County, Middlesbrough and England during the 1890s and 1900s. Bloomer remains a legend at Derby County and the club anthem, Steve Bloomer's Watchin', is played before every home game...
bust already in the stadium, commissioned for the statue. The Brian Clough and Peter Taylor Monument was officially unveiled in a family service on 27 August 2010 and publicly on 28 August 2010.
Honours
Derby CountyDerby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
- Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
: 1968/69 - Watney CupWatney CupThe Watney Mann Invitation Cup was a short-lived English football tournament held in the early 1970s....
: 1970 - First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
: 1971/72
Nottingham Forest
- First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
: 1977/78 - FA Charity ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
: 1978 - League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
: 1977/781978 Football League Cup FinalThe 1978 Football League Cup Final was the eighteenth League Cup final, and was contested between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest. The initial match resulted in a 0–0 draw at Wembley Stadium on 18 March 1978...
, 1978/791979 Football League Cup FinalThe 1979 Football League Cup Final took place on 17 March 1979 at Wembley Stadium. It was the nineteenth Football League Cup final and the thirteenth to be played at Wembley. It was contested between Nottingham Forest and Southampton. Forest were the hot favourites to win being the holders of the...
, 1988/891989 Football League Cup FinalThe 1989 Littlewoods Cup Final was a football match played on 9 April 1989 between Nottingham Forest and the 1988 League Cup winners, Luton Town at Wembley Stadium. Nottingham Forest claimed victory in the 29th League Cup final with a 3–1 victory...
, 1989/901990 Football League Cup FinalThe 1990 Littlewoods Cup Final took place at Wembley Stadium on 29 April 1990, and was contested between Nottingham Forest and Oldham Athletic. A single Nigel Jemson goal gave Forest the cup, equalling Liverpool's then-record of four wins.... - European CupUEFA Champions LeagueThe UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
: 1978/79, 1979/80 - European Super CupEuropean Super CupThe UEFA Super Cup is an annual football game between the reigning champions of the two cup competitions organized by UEFA: the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League...
: 1979 - Full Members CupFull Members CupThe Full Members Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992....
: 1989, 1992 - Anglo Scottish Cup: 1977
- Football League Centenary TournamentFootball League Centenary TournamentThe Football League Centenary Tournament was held from April 16 to April 17, 1988 at Wembley Stadium to celebrate the 100th birthday of the Football League...
: 1988 - Nuremberg Tournament: 1982
- Trofeo Colombino Cup: 1982
Individual Awards
- English Manager of the Year: 1978
- Sunderland Solid Gold XI
The Damned United
The story of his short spell in charge of Leeds has been adapted into a film called The Damned United starring Michael SheenMichael Sheen
Michael Christopher Sheen, OBE , is a Welsh stage and screen actor. He trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, England and made his professional debut opposite Vanessa Redgrave in When She Danced at the Globe Theatre in 1991...
, released in 2009, and based on David Peace
David Peace
David Peace is an English author. Known for his novels GB84, The Damned Utd, and Red Riding Quartet, Peace was named one of the Best of Young British Novelists by Granta in their 2003 list...
's novel The Damned Utd
The Damned Utd
The Damned Utd is a novel by British author David Peace. The main plot depicts a fictionalised account of Brian Clough's brief spell as manager of Leeds United football club in 1974.-Plot:...
. The publishers of the novel were successfully sued by Irish midfielder Johnny Giles
Johnny Giles
Michael John "Johnny" Giles is a former association footballer and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s...
who wrote, "Many of the things Peace talks about in the book never happened and for that reason, I felt it necessary to go to the Courts to establish that this was fiction based on fact and nothing more."
The book includes a scene with Clough in the Elland Road car park burning Don Revie's old desk. There is no factual source for this. The Clough family have expressed disappointment at the publication of the book.
Manager
| eam | at | rom | o | Record | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||||
| Hartlepools United Hartlepool United F.C. Hartlepool United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Hartlepool that currently play in League One. The team won promotion to League One in the 2006–07 season... |
 |
1 Oct 1965 | 1 May 1967 |
|||||||
| Derby County Derby County F.C. Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English... |
|
1 Jun 1967 | 15 Oct 1973 |
|||||||
| Brighton & Hove Albion Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system.... |
|
1 Nov 1973 | 30 Jul 1974 |
|||||||
| Leeds United Leeds United A.F.C. Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system... |
|
30 Jul 1974 | 12 Sep 1974 |
|||||||
| Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest F.C. Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship... |
|
6 Jan 1975 | 8 May 1993 |
|||||||
| Total | 1319 | 594 | 340 | 385 | ||||||
External links
- brianclough.com
- Brian Howard Clough – Facebook Fan Page
- Brian Clough timeline
- BBC Obituary
- BBC quotations by Clough
- Brian Clough on BBC Tees
- Nottingham Forest's double European Cup win
- Brian Clough Autobiography Walking on Water
- English Football Hall of Fame Profile
- Brian Clough Quotes
- Full Managerial Stats for Leeds United from WAFLL