Brian Clough

Just thought I would post a thread about characters from the past. I thought I would start with Brian Clough who was a complex character but a very successful one. I have read a few books about him now both the Damned Utd and Provided You Don't Kiss Me and they are both great reads as is his aubobiography. A character who would not fit in with todays game but it some ways would be perfect for giving some of the prima donnas a kick up the arse. But there was more to his management than just bullying or giving out. Anyway, anybody got stories about Clough or little anecdotes or just memories of one of the greatest managers the British game has produced.

The Damned United is fabulous , I think he was on a hiding to nothing going into that job with the way he dismissed Revie and his teams acheivements

One anecdote I heard from somewhere is that after a woeful performance by his team, he stuck his head into the dressing room where they were awaiting his fury, and just said "Sorry lads, my mistake, I picked the wrong team. I didn't realise you were all cr@p." Then he went home.

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Originally Posted by gustavo

The Damned United is fabulous , I think he was on a hiding to nothing going into that job with the way he dismissed Revie and his teams acheivements

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Great book alright. As is the other one mentioned by Neil. Easily the most interesting charachter involved in British football history. I think only Cruyff could match him elsewhere.

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Originally Posted by gustavo

The Damned United is fabulous , I think he was on a hiding to nothing going into that job with the way he dismissed Revie and his teams acheivements

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I wasn't aware until this weekend that there was film made of the book. It's due out in March.

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Originally Posted by The Good Son

I wasn't aware until this weekend that there was film made of the book. It's due out in March.

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I wasn't aware of it until this post...

Michael Sheen is Clough , seems to be a good man for impersonating people , saw a brief clip somewhere he has the accent down anyway , I think Colm Meaney will be Don Revie too :D

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Originally Posted by Dodge

I wasn't aware of it until this post...

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Something in some paper, (very vague, I know), about the actor that plays Giles.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1226271/

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Originally Posted by The Good Son

Something in some paper, (very vague, I know), about the actor that plays Giles.

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Didn't immediately recognise the name to my shame but he played Git in I Went Down.

Very good cast in it, looking forward to Colm Meaney playing Revie, and Timothy Spall as Peter Taylor & Jim Broadbent as the chairman, brilliant!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hx47R...eature=related

Cloughie is one of my football heroes - a great man, a legend

What he did with Derby and Forest we will never see that again

haven't read the Damned United yet - but seen the M Bragg interview with the writer - he certainly is an impressive writer, but I would be worried of some inaccuracies in the story - or am I wrong?

Its a work of fiction its a novel so its not meant to be read as a history of that time.

The "facts" are based on other people's autobiographies (Peter Taylor's a fair bit) but obviously huge amount of license taken.

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Originally Posted by Dodge

The "facts" are based on other people's autobiographies (Peter Taylor's a fair bit) but obviously huge amount of license taken.

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Am I mistaken but did Giles kick up a fuss when Damned came out, he didnt come out of it very well.

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Originally Posted by beautifulrock

Am I mistaken but did Giles kick up a fuss when Damned came out, he didnt come out of it very well.

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"Some parts originally in the book were excised from the film; Johnny Giles' court action against Faber resulted in any reference to him being removed from future editions of the book, and his removal from the film."
From here -
http://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/The-...td/13201819570

I presume that's not entirely accurate though, as Peter Mc Donald is still advertised as playing Giles in the film.

I'm two-thirds of the way through The Damned United and am really enjoying it so far.

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Originally Posted by bennocelt

What he did with Derby and Forest we will never see that again

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His son, Nigel, is being touted for the Derby job. Tough steps to follow in.

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Originally Posted by OwlsFan

His son, Nigel, is being touted for the Derby job. Tough steps to follow in.

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He's gone to Derby.:(:(

Mourinho would be close to him today.

Read Damned United a few months ago and reading Dont Kiss Me at the moment.

Fav story about Cloughie was the time a reporter asked him what happens when a player disagrees with him. Cloughie said "Well young man, we go into my office and discuss it for twenty minutes and then agree that I was right".

On Frank Sinatra - "He met me once"

"I wouldn't say I was the best manager in the business. But I was in the top one". A natural genius.

Tough man: According to Wikipedia, when Clough joined Derby he only kept on 4 players and fired the club secretary, the groundsman and the chief scout along with two tea ladies he caught laughing after a Derby defeat!!

Clough was a genius
NF
Promotion to the top tier 1977 (Liverpool won League and euro cup)
League winners 1978 (Liverpool won euro cup)
Euro Cup winners 1979 (knocked out Liverpool 1st round)
Euro Cup winners 1980 - Last English team to retain cup

This record with a small club was unbelievable and will never be achieved again. I think that Forest are the only team in Europe with more Continental success (2) than domestic success (1). (I only included Liverpools record at the time to emphasise how great Forest's achievements were)

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Originally Posted by Shilts

Clough was a genius
NF
Promotion to the top tier 1977 (Liverpool won League and euro cup)
League winners 1978 (Liverpool won euro cup)
Euro Cup winners 1979 (knocked out Liverpool 1st round)
Euro Cup winners 1980 - Last English team to retain cup

This record with a small club was unbelievable and will never be achieved again. I think that Forest are the only team in Europe with more Continental success (2) than domestic success (1). (I only included Liverpools record at the time to emphasise how great Forest's achievements were)

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You can add in two league titles at Derby County (who could well have won the European Cup too). And he was a phenomenal goal scorer before injury ended his playing career early.

Big week for Cloughie junior. Got off to a very bad start with the home defeat to QPR on Saturday and I'm sure a defeat at OT tonight will very very quickly forgiven once they beat Forest on Friday night.

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Originally Posted by SligoBrewer

He's gone to Derby.:(:(

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Having always been a fan of both Brian Clough and Nigel Clough I was sorry he took up the post. I was there the night he was unveiled as manager and the whole town was at fever pitch point. So much history, talk of the Clough dynasty associated with the club and so much nostalgia. I took in my first game at Pride Park for the League Cup Semi with Manchester Utd and Nigel was presented to the crowd. The atmosphere suggested only one result here and it had as much to do with the new manager arriving. Derby County won 1-0.

I didn't think this was the right move for Nigel Clough though. He spent 10 years at Burton Albion and last season he started to really achieve as manager makng the Conference lay offs and this season he has taken to the top of the table and well clear. The move to Derby ,given the history and expectations of the club, is a difficult one.

Further to his first game in full charge in which Derby lost 2-0 at home to QPR and the side has returned to its most inept of performances he has his work cut out.

On the film production. In order to replicate the Baseball Ground for the purposes of the film production the football ground of Saltergate at nearby Chesterfield was used. Its a favourite ground of mine and I'm presuming its one stand of this they were using to replicate the Baseball Ground. That been the biggest stand with the asbestos roof. The entire stand was also painted green as part of the filming process.

I'll look forward to seeing that film.

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Originally Posted by Harpsbear

I didn't think this was the right move for Nigel Clough though. He spent 10 years at Burton Albion and last season he started to really achieve as manager makng the Conference lay offs and this season he has taken to the top of the table and well clear. The move to Derby ,given the history and expectations of the club, is a difficult one.

Further to his first game in full charge in which Derby lost 2-0 at home to QPR and the side has returned to its most inept of performances he has his work cut out.

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I agree that he has indeed got his work cut out but surely this is one of the main reasons he has taken the job. Also I think it's a wonderful situation for him as at least the local support is very much behind him, mainly due to their respect for his father. This should give him the time to put his own mark on the struggling Rams, time which a lot of managers these days do not get. Remember Big Sam at Newcastle last season he was a dead man walking from the start as the idiotic Toon support hated him before a ball was kicked. Derby have the best supporters in England in my opinion and an average home attendance of about 30,000 to see a poor Championship side would testify to that. They also look set to break the record for biggest away support at OT tonight with 12,500 expected to travel. If Clough isn't a success there I don't think he is cut out for that level because he will get everything in the way of backing from both the fans and background staff at Pride Park.

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Originally Posted by seand

You can add in two league titles at Derby County (who could well have won the European Cup too). And he was a phenomenal goal scorer before injury ended his playing career early.

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Clough only won one title with Derby (1972), he walked out a year later before Derby won the league again in 1975 under Dave Mackay. Clough went to Brighton first before managing Leeds for 44 days at the start of the 74/75 season.

Clough always regretted leaving Derby.

He WAS a phenomenal goalscorer but in the Second Division.

Derby were cheated in the European Cup Semi Final in 1973 against Juventus when the Italians (and German player Helmut Haller) bribed the German referee.

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Originally Posted by stojkovic

He WAS a phenomenal goalscorer but in the Second Division.

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An incredible record. 251 goals in 274 league games.

I finally got around to watching 'I Believe In Miracles' which I Sky plussed on BT a while back. Brilliant documentary on Forest's first European Cup win.

Aer Lingus were their carriers for the 1979 final in Munich. They showed that clip of Martin O'Neill schooling Adrian Chiles, Patrick Vieira and Fabio Cannavaro near the end of it actually.

I've just started reading 'Provided You Don't Kiss Me' also which is mentioned on here a lot. I was surprised that it was actually the author that said those words to Brian Clough and not the other way around! Kind of strange he'd title the book that, if you know what I mean. It seems really good though.

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Originally Posted by DeLorean

I've just started reading 'Provided You Don't Kiss Me' also which is mentioned on here a lot.

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I finished The Damned United last night, enjoyed it overall, peaks and troughs.

Yeah I liked it too. I suppose it was hard to know exactly what was fact and what was fiction, but I think the amount of research that must have went into it suggests that the majority might have been somewhere near the truth.

Yeah, I think it was in the neighbourhood or very close throughout, but everyone's eyes and ears recall differently.

Giles - http://www.theguardian.com/football/...s-leeds-united

Stronger words from Giles - http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/f...h-2132719.html