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One of the name makers in the whole of the football history is Brian Clough; he brought a relatively small club out from the shadows of the Second Division to the First Division title – not once, but two times in a decade.
Brian Cough was also among the distinguished few managers to have won the European Cup; and he did it twice in successive years.
English football is will most probably never see another Brian Clough as a manager – he was one of a kind.
Clough took Derby County and Nottingham Forest to such a high level that they would not have expected at all, and thus became a legend in the Midland’s,
Clough’s career in management started at the age of just 30 with the Hartlepool United; he started his game to fame when he was declared the youngest manager in the Football League. He had an in-born talent for taking goals and had even played in the North East for Middlesbrough and Sunderland. Unfortunately, he had landed up with an injury, forcing him to retire early from the game.
Clough helped Hartlepool from an almost ground-level position in Division Four to a more decent eight in just two years. He then left Victoria Park and moved onto join Derby County.
The Rams returned back to the First Division for the first time since 1953 when they became the champions of Division Two in 1968-69. Their first season since their flight up the ladder, Derby became fourth, their highest in twenty years.
After the next two seasons, The Rams topped the First Division Championship, beating Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City by just one point.
Clough’s team reached the semi finals and in 1973, he left the Baseball Ground following an argument with the club.
A fortnight later, he became the manager at Brighton. Later, he left the place to lead the Leeds United after Don Revie’s call up to the national post. His assistant – Peter Taylor, took charge of the Seagulls for another two years, after he left.
Clough stayed at Ellan Road for 44 days after which he had to leave following certain difficulties with the players. However, he came back to the managerial post at Midlands wherehe took over Derby’s local rivals – Nottingham Forest.
In two years, Clough got promoted to the First Division and in 1977-78 Nottingham Forest won the League Championship, their only one ever; stopping Liverpool from getting their hat-trick title under Bob Paisley.
Viv Anderson, Tony Woodcock, Peter With, Martin O’Neill and John Robertson were all involved in Clough’s fame.
Liverpool lost its hat-trick win the following season in the European Cup to Forest who lifted the trophy ultimately. Liverpool was out of the match in the First Round and Forest played against Malmo in the finals, owing to the only goal from Trevor Francis who saved the match.
Clough repeated Paisley’s feat, leading the Reds of Nottingham to a winning defense of European football’s biggest prize the next year; the winning goal by John Robertson, against Hamburg. Clough and Anfield (his renowned counterpart) are the only managers in English football to win successive European Cups.
Clough won the title for one of the three League Cups with Forest in 1979; after which the other two was won in 1980 and 1990 respectively.
Clough’s team achieved a third place in Division One that period on three occasions and they went on to reach the semi-final of the UEFA Cup. That finally lost over tow legs to Anderlecht wherein there were asked an unavoidable penalty decision.
After witnessing Hillsborough disaster in 1989, Clough led on to manage Forest (at the FA Cup final) At Wembley in 1991.
Clough’s side lost and could not reach any other final due to which he then returned as manager of Nottingham Forest after 16 yrs of service when the team wasransferred from the Premier League in 1993.
According to Clough, football was known for its quote “Football should be played in a particular way”; summed up by: "If God had meant football to be played in the air he would have put grass on the clouds."
There is a possibility that Clough’s unique style and forthright approach may have stopped him from managing England, which he liked. However, his achievements stand out specially considering the opposite party of that time.
He won matches against the so-called big boys of English football at two separate clubs and made a matchless mark in Europe
