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A TRIBUTE TO BRIAN CLOUGH 1935-2004
He was the greatest
manager in the history of British football and was also Middlesbrough's
most famous son. On Monday 20th September 2004, Brian Clough sadly
passed away. Here is a small tribute to a great man.
 
The man who guided Nottingham Forest to two European Cup triumphs
commanded enormous respect within the game and always insisted he
should have been given the chance to manage England. Bloody right
as well. During his playing days, Clough was a prolific scorer for
Boro and Sunderland before a knee injury curtailed his career.
Often controversial, 'Old Big 'Ead', as he said he should be called
after landing an OBE, also took Derby County to the title and worked
superbly in tandem with his assistant Peter Taylor, as he became
one of only three men to have won the championship with different
clubs.
In his final season in charge at Forest in 1993, Clough was unable
to prevent the club slipping out of The Premiership but retired
gracefully and kept involved in the game with various aspects of
media work. He also took a keen interest in his son Nigel's attempts
to follow in his footsteps by managing non-league Burton Albion.
But the stuffed shirts at the FA were never going to award the position
to someone as controversial as Cloughie, as they required a 'diplomat'
in charge of the England team and so the outstanding candidate was
sadly overlooked.
Clough also replaced another famous Boro son Don Revie, as Leeds
United manager for a short spell in 1974. He lasted 44 days before
being sacked for amongst other things, telling the players that
they should throw their collection of trophies and medals in the
bin because they cheated to get them.
Brian had a liver transplant in January, 2003, after suffering from
ill health.
"It is with the deepest sadness that we announce that Brian
Clough has died peacefully at the age of 69," said a hospital
spokeswoman. "Brian was an in-patient at Derby City General
Hospital, and his family were with him when he passed away in hospital
on September 20."
The hospital spokeswoman confirmed that stomach cancer was the cause
of death.
 
Cloughie History
1935: Born in Middlesbrough on March 21.
1952: Starts his playing career by joining home town club
Boro.
1955: Makes his League debut against Barnsley. Went on to
score 204 goals in 222 games.
1959: Wins England caps against Wales at Ninian Park and
Sweden at Wembley.
1961: Leaves Boro to sign for rivals Sunderland for £45,000.
Goes on to grab 63 goals in only 74 games.
1962: Forced to cut short his playing days after sustaining
serious knee injury in Boxing Day clash with Bury.
1965: Becomes youngest Football League manager when taking
charge at Hartlepool aged just 29.
1967: Takes the job as Derby County manager and starts march
up the Leagues.
1969: Derby win Division Two.
1972: Derby continue their rise to prominence by winning
the Division One title for the first time in their history.
1973: Rams reach semi-final of European Cup but resigns in
October after running dispute with club's directors - takes Brighton
post in November.
1974: Joins Leeds United as manager in July but only lasted
44 days at Elland Road before being sacked.
1975: Starts long reign as manager of Nottingham Forest.
1977: Wins promotion to Division One with Forest.
1978: Clough wins Manager of the Year award after landing
the League title and League Cup double.
1979: Signs Britain's first £1 million player Trevor Francis,
who scores the winner as Forest lift European Cup against Malmo.
Club also finish second in Division One and retain League Cup.
1980: Forest seal their place in history by retaining European
Cup by beating Hamburg 1-0 in Madrid.
1989: Clough is charged, fined and handed touchline ban for
clashing with fans after League Cup quarter final. Forest beat Luton
to win League Cup.
1990: Clough retains League Cup with Forest for his fourth
success in the competition.
1991: Forest beaten by Tottenham in FA Cup final. Clough
receives an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours.
1992: Forest beaten by Manchester United in League Cup final,
but win Zenith Data Systems Cup against Southampton.
1993: Clough takes charge of final home match in charge at
Forest as Sheffield United win 2-0 to confirm relegation. Also loses
final game in charge away at Ipswich.
1998: Charged with misconduct by The FA for allegedly accepting
unauthorised payments on transfers.
2002: Clough goes under the knife for a liver transplant.
2003: Made an honorary Freeman of Derby and given freedom
of the city.
 
"We thought he was indestructible," were the words
of former player Garry Birtles as the tributes began in memory of
the late Brian Clough. "He should have been England manager.
It's the biggest disgrace he didn't get that job as he deserved
it thoroughly. He was just one of those all-time greats."
His death was perhaps not unexpected but it still came as a shock
to the footballing world he once ruled with a steely resolve and
a unique sense of humour.
Birtles received a phone call from Brian's son Nigel, earlier on
Monday, confirming Clough Snr's passing, and understandably, while
the tears flowed, so did the memories.
"When I heard, it was just like a bolt from the blue,"
stated a saddened Birtles, who played under Clough at Forest between
1978 and 1980.
"He was upset, I was upset and it's just been a major shock. When
somebody like Brian Clough dies, it's hard to put in words how you
feel about it. It's like a member of your own family dying. We thought
he was indestructible, but he's not. He's probably the greatest
manager of all time and it's so sad, not just for Forest supporters,
ex-players, but for football in general."
Another former player, Duncan McKenzie, said of Clough: "We
thought he was immortal. I will always be grateful for what he did
for me."
Birtles added: "He was just unbelievable in management and
in life. He was one of those characters who would walk into a room
and there would be an immediate hush. Even before he died I still
called him gaffer. He said 'call me Brian', but you just couldn't
do it. Even people like John Robertson, Martin O'Neill and Trevor
Francis, they were the same. He was one of those guys you were in
awe of. His legacy to football, Nottingham Forest and Derby County,
will be there forever. He had strange methods that probably wouldn't
work today, but they were methods that did work then."
When asked about those methods, Birtles replied: "I think
we were the only team who got fined if we didn't go out for a drink
on a Friday night! Before one of the games I played in, which was
the League Cup final against Southampton which we won, the night
before we got to a London hotel about eight o'clock. Brian said
'right, there's food in that room and whatever you are drinking,
be it champagne, bitter or lager, it's all in there and as much
as you like. So at 12 o'clock we go to bed absolutely hanging. I
was on all fours going up the stairs. We were 1-0 down at half time,
but won the game 3-2. Then before a semi final of the European Cup
against Ajax, we were down where the canals are and the ladies of
the night, and there's Peter Taylor trying to get into this sex
club, bartering with the owner to get us in cut price. That was
the atmosphere he created, but he took the pressure off you. That's
what it was all about."
 
Mackenzie was with Clough at Leeds United and he said: "He
was box office - wherever he went. I will be eternally grateful
for everything he did for me. He completely broke the mould. He
had a totally different style of management from anything I have
seen before or since. He looked at the bigger picture and is probably
the best manager who ever lived. He was an amazing man."
Mackenzie acknowledged that Clough "ruffled feathers everywhere"
but maintained: "There was always a sense of amusement behind
the brashness. That was the way he was."
Mackenzie reiterated his gratefulness towards Clough and acclaimed
his man management skills. He said: "He handled so many players
who weren't particularly confident when he got hold of them. He
made Martin O'Neill believe in himself and took him to another level.
Look at him now. He didn't take the coaching, he would wind players
up having little battles and sometimes tried to ruffle feathers
and other times tried to pick people up."
He claimed Nottingham Forest's domination of the game as a lesser
club will never be repeated, saying: "It is totally impossible.
We have moved on to a game of high finance. You will never get a
team from the lower echelons to come through and dominate again.
It's the end of an era. Nobody was bigger than the club and the
players were all humble. They were eternally grateful for everything
he had done for them. People talk of Shankly, Paisley, Busby, Wenger
and Ferguson - Cloughie is up there with them."
Former Forest defender Kenny Burns has hailed Clough as the greatest
manager England has seen. Burns was in the teams that Clough led
to consecutive European Cup wins in 1979 and 1980 - an achievement
he believes makes him England's greatest. Burns said: "I think
he is probably the greatest English manager. I don't think he will
go down as 'one of' the greatest. He is the greatest English manager.
I know Sir Alf Ramsey won the World Cup but what he did at Derby
and Forest, nobody could hold a candle to that."
Clough also unexpectedly took Derby to the semi-finals of the European
Cup before he joined Forest. But Burns believes Clough expected
success of his teams.
"That was something special but I think he expected it," Burns
added. "He knew we could do it. I don't think we had a team talk.
He just said 'get the ball, keep it, and if you've got the ball
they can't score'. We had players in the team who could score goals
from any part of the pitch. He knew everything you could know about
football."
Burns was initially a striker, but Clough brought him to the City
Ground and transformed him to a centre-back.
"He saw things that nobody else could ever see" Burns
added. "That was the beauty of the man, he knew when
players needed freshening up, he knew a player was tired from their
body language and he could do things to get people on their toes."
And the former Scotland international believes Clough leaves a legacy
that will never be matched.
"What he's done for football is second to none, nobody will
ever do what that man has done. He has transformed football at Derby
County. He was respected and worshipped by all the supporters. The
players who've played for them have never come out say anything
against him because he was respected by everybody - and he respected
his players. He always had an opinion - he wasn't frightened of
that. Every day he lived to the full. I think he's enjoyed every
day of his 69 years."
Clough had been a season-ticket holder at Eton Park, the home of
Conference side Burton Albion where son Nigel is player-manager.
Brewers chairman Ben Robinson said: "We feel deeply sorry
- football has lost one of its legends. But equally, we feel privileged
he spent his final years supporting his son and the club."
Meanwhile, despite the death of his father, the Albion manager is
expected to lead Burton into action at Barnet tomorrow night.
Former Derby County captain Dave Mackay lauded Clough as a "one-off"
in football management. The ex-Scotland international, who followed
Clough's footsteps in guiding the Rams to the old First Division
title, insists nobody could copy his former boss' style.
Mackay told the Press Association: "He was a complete one-off.
He was unlike any other manager I had played under, such as Bill
Nicholson at Tottenham. His team talks could be quite ferocious
but he was unique - a brilliant manager who was respected by everyone
who played under him. Lots and lots of former players have tried
to follow his style in management but nobody could get anywhere
near him. Nobody was like Brian Clough. Peter Taylor and him were
a fantastic coupling. Brian would have a go at a few players and,
when he left, Peter would be left to make players feel better. The
way he ran the team was superb and his style was impossible to copy.
I doubt there will ever be a manager like him again. It is a sad
day for the game and he will be badly missed."
 
Cloughie's Best Quotes
"If God had wanted us to play football in the clouds, he'd have
put grass up there." On the importance of passing to feet.
"Manchester United in Brazil? I hope they
all get bloody diarrhoea." On Man Utd opting-out of the FA Cup to
play in the World Club Championship.
"I can't even spell spaghetti never mind talk Italian. How could
I tell an Italian to get the ball - he might grab mine." On the
influx of foreign players.
"I bet their dressing room will smell of garlic
rather than liniment over the next few months." On the number of
French players at Arsenal.
"Who the hell wants fourteen pairs of shoes when you go on holiday?
I haven't had fourteen pairs in my life." On the contents of Posh
Spice's missing luggage.
"I wouldn't say I was the best manager in
the business. But I was in the top one." Looking back at his success.
"On occasions I have been big headed. I think most people are when
they get in the limelight. I call myself Big Head just to remind
myself not to be." Old Big 'Ead explains his nickname.
"At last England have appointed a manager
who speaks English better than the players." On the appointment
of Sven Goran Eriksson as England manager.
"If he'd been English or Swedish, he'd have walked the England job."
On Martin O'Neill.
"Anybody who can do anything in Leicester
but make a jumper has got to be a genius." A tribute to Martin O'Neill.
"The ugliest player I ever signed was Kenny Burns." A Clough complement
for a talented player.
"Stand up straight, get your shoulders back
and get your hair cut." Advice for John McGovern at Hartlepool.
"Take your hands out of your pockets." More advice, this time for
a young Trevor Francis as he receives an award from the Master Manager.
"The Derby players have seen more of his balls
than the one they're meant to be playing with." On the streaker
who appeared during Derby's game against Manchester United.
"I only ever hit Roy the once. He got up so I couldn't have hit
him very hard." On dealing with Roy Keane.
"Walk on water? I know most people out there
will be saying that instead of walking on it, I should have taken
more of it with my drinks. They are absolutely right." Reflecting
on his drink problem.
"I'm dealing with my drinking problem and I have a reputation for
getting things done." A comment which speaks for itself.
"Don't send me flowers when I'm dead. If you
like me, send them while I'm alive." After the operation which saved
his life.
"Players lose you games, not tactics. There's so much crap talked
about tactics by people who barely know how to win at dominoes."
Reflecting on England's exit from Euro 2000.
"We talk about it for twenty minutes and then
we decide I was right." On dealing with a player who disagrees.
"It was a crooked match and he was a crooked referee. That was a
tournament we could and should have won." On the 1984 UEFA Cup semi-final
Forest lost to Anderlecht.
"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." On
not getting the England manager's job.
"You don't want roast beef and Yorkshire every night and twice on
Sunday." On too much football on television.
"If a chairman sacks the manager he initially
appointed, he should go as well." On too many managers getting the
boot.
"I thought it was my next door neighbour, because I think she felt
that if I got something like that, I'd have to move." Guessing who
nominated him for a knighthood.
"For all his horses, knighthoods and championships,
he hasn't got two of what I've got. And I don't mean balls!" Referring
to Sir Alex Ferguson's failure to win two successive European Cups.
"I like my women to be feminine, not sliding into tackles and covered
in mud." On women's football.
''That Seaman is a handsome young man but
he spends too much time looking in his mirror, rather than at the
ball. You can't keep goal with hair like that." On England goalkeeper
David Seaman.
"I've missed him. He used to make me laugh. He was the best diffuser
of a situation I have ever known. I hope he's alright." On the late
Peter Taylor.
"He's learned more about football management
than he ever imagined. Some people think you can take football boots
off and put a suit on. You can't do that." On David Platt's first
season as Forest manager.
"He should guide Posh in the direction of a singing coach because
she's nowhere near as good at her job as her husband." Advice for
David Beckham.
"Barbara's supervising the move. She's having
more extensions built than Heathrow Airport." On moving house in
Derbyshire.
On Eric Cantona's infamous kung fu kick at a fan: "I'd have cut
his balls off."
On how he would like to be remembered: "I
want no epitaphs of profound history and all that type of thing.
I contributed - I would hope they would say that, and I would hope
somebody liked me."
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