It was an incident characteristic of the wider feud. Their final years seem ultimately to have been poisoned by possession; who was responsible for what, who owned which parts of their success. Robertson’s career was indicative of what they had achieved, his rise was quite extraordinary, so it’s easy to see him as an extension of that wider theme. Smart, Andy (8 October 2018). "New book sheds light on Brian Clough's ill-fated spell in charge at Brighton". Nottingham Post . Retrieved 20 September 2022.

David Lacey on one of Britain's greatest football managers". The Guardian. London. 11 March 2009 . Retrieved 11 July 2009. Brian Howard Clough OBE [1] ( / k l ʌ f/ KLUF; 21 March 1935 – 20 September 2004) was an English football player and manager, primarily known for his successes as a manager with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. He is one of four managers to have won the English league with two different clubs. He is widely considered to be among one of the greatest managers of all time. [2] [3] [4] Paul Hart had a difficult time as manager of Nottingham Forest; his appointment was initially met with some surprise (he was best known for his involvement with the successful academy at Leeds and as academy director at Forest before his internal appointment). The club's financial problems escalated at the end of the 2001–02 season when the ITV Digital collapse almost bankrupted them. [ citation needed] Hart's first season at the helm had been unremarkable as a squad made up mostly of young players achieved a 16th-place finish in Division One. There were fears that Nottingham Forest could go into liquidation during the summer of 2002, [ citation needed] but with the sale of players like Jermaine Jenas the financial situation was brought under control and Forest did better in 2002–03. They finished sixth in Division One and qualified for the playoffs, their best chance yet of returning to the Premiership. However, they lost to Sheffield United in the semi-finals. After a 1–1 draw at the City Ground, they eventually lost out at Bramall Lane 4–3 after extra time, and 5–4 on aggregate, even though they were leading the second leg 2–0. Brian Clough in pictures: Re-live his 44 days at Leeds United". Daily Mirror. UK . Retrieved 11 July 2009.Clough’s role in that success is inarguable and the anecdotes of the time have been repeated so often that they remain imprinted on the game’s soul. Taylor’s contribution isn’t hard to spot, though. Four of the 11 players who started the 1979 European Cup final – Larry Lloyd, Kenny Burns, Gary Birtles and Peter Shilton – had been signed on his recommendation. Burns, of course, was an unlikely reclamation project: signed as a brutish centre-forward from Birmingham, he would become a cultured, secure centre-half under Taylor’s direction. Calderwood's first season in League One as Forest manager started with two new signings in the shapes of goalkeeper Paul Smith and Ghanaian International striker Junior Agogo. Forest won their first four matches of the season, including their opening match against Bradford City. Forest's first defeat of the campaign came in the League Cup first round with defeat at Football League newcomers Accrington Stanley. Calderwood was named League One's Manager Of The Month for August after 7 matches unbeaten, including a 4–0 home win against Chesterfield. The Reds then went four games without a win, with a home defeat to Oldham and were then thrashed 4–0 against Scunthorpe United, yet again at home. In April 1987, Martin Tyler conducted an interview with Taylor in which, tentatively, he asked about his falling out with Clough. The clip can still be found on YouTube and it remains oddly fascinating.

Gorgazzi, Osvaldo (13 February 2005). "Intercontinental Club Cup 1980". RSSSF . Retrieved 5 December 2017. In April 2009, Derby County announced that they would erect a statue of 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. [128] The Brian Clough and Peter Taylor Monument was officially unveiled in a family service on 27 August 2010 and publicly on 28 August 2010. [129] The Damned United [ edit ] Clough was still a popular choice to be given the job of England manager before Graham Taylor's appointment in 1990. [84] Clough himself quipped: "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." [85] He has been called the "greatest manager England never had." [7] In 1977, Clough was reportedly interested in the Everton manager's job, but Gordon Lee was appointed instead. [86] The next 1980–81 season in the European Cup first round, Forest lost 2–0 on aggregate, losing 1–0 both at home and away to CSKA Sofia. [72] McGovern subsequently said the double defeat by CSKA affected the team's self-confidence, in that they had lost out to "modestly talented" opponents. [47] Forest lost the 1980 European Super Cup on away goals after a 2–2 aggregate draw against Valencia, with Bowyer scoring both Forest goals in the home first leg. [73] On 11 February 1981, Forest lost 1–0 in the 1980 Intercontinental Cup against Uruguayan side, Club Nacional de Football. The match was played for the first time at the neutral venue National Stadium in Tokyo before 62,000 fans. [74]

Gordon died, after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease for two years, in 1996, and was described by an obituary in the Independent as “a man of unimpeachable integrity”. It’s tough to find anyone who would say otherwise. a b c d e f g Taylor, Daniel (10 October 2015). "Brian Clough and the miracle of Nottingham Forest". The Guardian . Retrieved 3 April 2018.

In 1977, Forest were promoted to the top flight and the following season won the league title (the first in the club's history), making Clough one of only four managers to have won the English league with two clubs. Forest also won two consecutive European Cups (in 1979 and 1980) and two League Cups ( 1978 and 1979), before Taylor retired in 1982. Clough stayed on as Forest manager for another decade and won two more League Cups ( 1989 and 1990) and reached the FA Cup final in 1991, but could not emulate his earlier successes. Forest were relegated from the Premier League in 1993, after which Clough retired from football. Seven deadly sins of football: Lust – from Antonio Cassano to a Dutch pool party". The Guardian. 21 May 2009 . Retrieved 3 April 2018. Brian Clough was appointed manager of Nottingham Forest on 6 January 1975, twelve weeks after the end of his 44-day tenure as manager of Leeds United. [10] Clough brought Jimmy Gordon to be his club trainer as Gordon had been for him at Derby County and Leeds United. [11] Scottish centre-forward Neil Martin scored the only goal beating Tottenham Hotspur in Clough's FA Cup third round replay first game in charge. [12] In 1989–90, Forest retained the League Cup with Nigel Jemson scoring the only goal in a 1–0 win over Oldham Athletic, but could only finish ninth in the First Division. Despite winning the League Cup, Forest would miss out on European football the following season. Though the ban on English clubs playing in European competitions had been lifted for the 1990–91 season, the only UEFA Cup place went to league runners-up Aston Villa. Three Forest players (Walker, Pearce and Hodge) were named in the PFA Team of the Year for that season. a b "Brian Clough's career information from brianclough.com". Archived from the original on 6 April 2008.When the board decided not to renew Atkinson's contract, several high-profile names were mentioned for the vacant manager's job, including Glenn Hoddle (ex- Swindon, Chelsea and England), Roy Evans (ex- Liverpool) and Brian Little (ex- Leicester and Aston Villa). [ citation needed] The club's eventual choice was 33-year-old former England captain David Platt, whose brief spell as head coach of Italian Serie A side Sampdoria had just ended in relegation. It ends on a poignant note. Taylor rejects the suggestion that he and Clough might ever work together again, but he softens at the prospect of reclaiming their friendship. “Life’s too short to say no to that…”