Clough: Brian Howard (Brian)

1974-1974 (Manager Details) (Manager Details)

Born in an interwar council house in Grove Hill Middlesbrough on 21st March 1935, he started with Billingham Synthonia and Great Broughton Juniors before doing his National Service in the RAF from 1953 to 1955. He joined Middlesbrough on 1st May 1953 but did not make the first team until after completing his National Service, playing nine games and scoring three goals in the latter part of the 1955-56 season. He became a first team regular and a prolific striker for Middlesbrough, scoring one hundred and ninety-seven goals in two hundred and thirteen League games. He then signed for Sunderland, on 1st July 1961, and had scored fifty-four goals in sixty-one League games, before, on 26th December 1962, he injured his knee during a match against Bury after colliding with the goalkeeper. 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 only manage three games before retiring. He had played twice for England, against Wales on 17th October 1959 and Sweden on 28th October 1959, without scoring. He also represented his country three times at Under-Twenty-three level as well as playing for the 'B' team and the Football League on two occasions. Clough became a Manager starting at Fourth Division Hartlepools United, with Peter Taylor as his Assistant Manager, from October 1965. Clough, being only thirty, was then the youngest Manager in the Football League. They guided Hartlepools to a finish of eighth in their first full season, before they both joined Second Division Derby County as Manager and Assistant Manager in May 1967. Derby, up to Clough's arrival, had been frequently involved in relegation battles in the Second Division. Clough brought in several new players,amongst them Roy McFarland, John O'Hare, John McGovern, Alan Hinton and Les Green. 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. In 1968, Derby finished eighteenth, but after signing Dave Mackay and Willie Carlin, Clough and Taylor's management led Derby to become champions of Division Two a year later. Clough was universally seen as a hard but fair Manager, who insisted on clean play from his players and brooked no stupid questions with 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. He took Derby to fourth place in Division One in 1970 but due to financial irregularities, the club were banned from Europe that season and fined £10,000. During the 1971–72 season, Derby tussled with Liverpool and Leeds United for the title. Leading the table by one point having played their last match, having beaten Liverpool 1–0, Peter Taylor took his players on holiday to Spain, 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 history. Clough was not with them at the time. He was in the Isles of Scilly with his family and parents when he learned Derby were champions, on the evening of 8th May 1972. The following season Derby reached the Semi-Finals of the European Cup, but were knocked out by Juventus 3–1 on aggregate in very controversial circumstances. It later emerged that the West German referee had received gifts from the Italian side before the match. Clough himself accused the Juventus team of being "cheating bastards" and then questioned the Italian nation's courage in the Second World War. Clough's frequent outspoken comments against football's establishment, such as the FA and club directors, and figures in the game such as Sir Matt Busby, Sir Alf Ramsey, Don Revie and Alan Hardaker eventually led to him falling out with Rams chairman, Sam Longson, and the board of directors at the club. Clough and Taylor both resigned on 15th 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 City five days later. 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 Albion. He was on a five year contract at £20,000 per year. He proved less successful on the South Coast than with his previous club, winning only twelve of his thirty-two 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. Albion eventually finished in nineteenth place that season. Clough left less than a year after his appointment to become Manager of Leeds United following Don Revie's departure to become the Manager of England. This time Taylor did not join him. Clough's move was 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 faced the huge task of breaking up and replacing the ageing Leeds team that had been so successful for so long. He was also aware that Johnny Giles had been put forward by Don Revie as the man most suited to replace himself. He lasted in the job only forty-four days before he was sacked by the Leeds' directors after alienating many of Leeds's star players, notably Johnny Giles, Norman Hunter and Billy Bremner. He has the unenviable record of being Leeds United's least successful permanent Manager winning only one match from six games. Leeds were placed fourth from bottom with only four points points from a possible twelve, their worst start in fifteen years. He took the appointment on 31st July 1974, brought Jimmy Gordon along as his trainer, quickly signed the charismatic but largely unproven Duncan McKenzie from Nottingham Forest for £250,000 and led out the Leeds team at Wembley for the annual Charity Shield match between Leeds, as League Champions, and Liverpool, as FA Cup winners, on 10th August 1974. The United team was: Harvey; Reaney, Cherry; Bremner, McQueen, Hunter; Lorimer, Clarke (sub McKenzie), Jordan, Giles, Eddie Gray. His discomfort was plain to see and with the dual sending off of his Captain and inspirational leader Billy Bremner and Kevin Keegan the day was the first of many diasasters and embarrassments soon to ensue. Following Bremner's long sentence by the FA it meant that he would be without his services for eleven games and in fact Bremner only played at Stoke City on 17th August 1974 in the opening League fixture, which was lost 3-0, during Clough's time with the club. Clough was also not best pleased that he had inherited a team lacking the services of Norman Hunter and Allan Clarke, who both missed the opening fixture and also the first home game of the season, on 21st August 1974, against Queens Park Rangers, which was also lost, by 1-0, due to suspension. To find his team bottom of the League with no points and no goals scored and four goals conceded, should have been a dent to his pride as he had fourteen full internationals at his disposal, which excluded the injured Mick Jones and Eddie Gray. The team of Harvey; Reaney, Cooper; Bremner/Bates, McQueen, Cherry; Lorimer, Madeley, Jordan, Giles and McKenzie should have been good enough to do much better and thankfully the return of Hunter and Clarke and the introduction of two of Clough's ex-Derby reliables, John McGovern and John O'Hare, who were signed for a total of £125,000, was enough for United to gain their first points of the season with a one-nil home win over Birmingham City on 24th August 1974 courtesy of a strike from Allan Clarke. Terry Yorath was introduced for his first game of the season and his goal was enough to gain a point in the return fixture at Loftus Road against Queens Park Rangers on 27th August 1974. Although Allan Clarke was on the scoresheet again it did not stop another loss, this time at Maine Road on 31st August 1974 where Manchester City took the points with a 2-1 win. On 7th September 1974 lowly Luton Town were the visitors to Elland Road and, although Allan Clarke scored, United could only manage a disappointing draw and were nineteenth in the table with just four points after six games. Peter Lorimer was on the mark as United were held 1-1 in the Second Round of the League Cup by Second Division Huddersfield Town at Leeds Road on 10th September 1974. On the following Thursday 12th September 1974, the Chairman of the Directors, Manny Cussins, detecting a great deal of unrest and apprehension from the players at a meeting with them, called a special board meeting and it was agreed that the club would part company with Clough. The press reported that'player power' was behind the dismissal but Cussins said it was for 'the good of the club'. Clough commented 'I think it is a very sad day for Leeds and for football'. However, he left the club an extremely wealthy man as his pay-off was estimated at £98,000, a huge amount at the time. Clough told ITV Calendar his short reign at Elland Road was due to bad results. The story of his short spell in charge was adapted into a film called 'The Damned United' for release in 2009, based on a book of the same name. On 6th January 1975, Clough made a quick return to management with Nottingham Forest, who at the time were an unremarkable Second Division club, where he 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. In July 1976 Clough was joined by his old assistant Peter Taylor from Brighton. They 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. However he failed in his ambition to manage the national side, being turned down for the England job in 1977. During the 1978–79 season, on 9th February 1979 Clough signed the Twenty-four-year-old Birmingham City striker Trevor Francis Britain's first £1 million footballer, although Clough insisted that the fee was actually £999,999. 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 Malmo FF. A year later, Clough guided Forest to a second successive European Cup after victory over Kevin Keegan's Hamburg and a third successive League Cup final, although 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 26th November 1977 and 9th December 1978, the team went undefeated for forty-two league games, the equivalent of a whole season. The record stood until August 2004 when it was bettered by Arsenal, who went on to play forty-nine 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 and a defeat in the FA Cup Semi-Finals. 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 a supporter who had invaded the pitch. A year later, Clough guided Forest to another League Cup victory with a 1–0 triumph over Oldham Athletic. In 1991 Forest reached their first FA Cup final under Brian Clough but lost 2–1 to Tottenham Hotspur. They reached the League Cup final again in 1992, but lost 1–0 to Manchester United. The 1992–93 season was Clough's eighteenth with Forest, and his last. They were one of the twenty-two 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 sixteen years in the top flight, Clough announced his retirement as Manager in May 1993 to be succeeded by then Leyton Orient 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 which had plagued him since the 1970s. He considered applying for the job as manager of Wolverhampton Wanderers on the resignation of Graham Taylor in October 1995. However, nothing came of it 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. Owing to Clough's declining health when the case was put together, he was never formally charged by the FA. He was given the freedom of Nottingham and on receiving the recognition he acknowledged his debt to Peter Taylor. He also paid tribute to him, in September 1999 when a bust was unveiled of himself at the City Ground. Clough was never successful as a Manager without Peter Taylor. In January 2003, the sixty-seven-year-old Clough underwent a liver transplant. Thirty 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 within it. The transplant gave Clough a new lease of life for the next twenty months and he took up light exercise again and appeared happier than he had for many years. Brian Clough died of stomach cancer on 20th September 2004, in Derby City Hospital, at the age of sixty-nine, 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 21st October 2004 which was attended by more than 14,000 people. It was originally to be held at Derby Cathedral, but had to be moved due to demand for tickets.