Brian Clough night on BBC 2

grenache

The Damned United on now, to be followed by The Greatest Manager England Never Had in 15 minutes. I love watching documentaries on Cloughie, a fascinating character that, the ultimate entertainer. Not a bad manager either.

mike65

Now Son, you may think you were being helpful. But you weren't. Not really. My life stooooorrie or at least that particulaaar part of it is, in fact on BBC Twooooo.

Paully D

He was fantastic as a player at Sunderland, such a shame his career ended at the club through injury at such a young age. It's a shame he never become the manager of the club as it almost, almost happened, what might have been eh?

Some described him as ''hated by the small minded and powerful and loved by those who see football without the politics''. That was very true IMO.

It was a disgrace how he never got the England job: ''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." The same is true of the FA even to this day.

His discipline and style wouldn't go astray among some of the big headed and spineless footballers who infest the game these days.

Unfortunately, we'll never see someone of his ilk again.

An absolute legend, and someone that we can all identify with IMO.



“Don't send me flowers when I'm dead. If you like me, send them while I'm alive.” - Brian Clough.

Sorry Brian, but you deserve to be respected long after you're gone!

CoalBucket

A legend.

"Provided you don't kiss me" is a great book and insight into the man.

As the great man said

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

ScummyMan

Just watched The Damned United, fascinating insight into his 44 day Leeds career.

Disgrace that he never got the England job, one of the greatest managers ever imo.

Mr Alan

Great manager (except toward the end of his career).

However he was a horrible man.

Mars Bar

Very interesting documentary that was!

The sound editor should be shot though. Spent the whole thing with the remote in my hand turning it up and down!

Paul Tergat

I didnt like The Damned United film but I enjoyed the documentary.

grenache

Mr Alan wrote: »

Great manager (except toward the end of his career).

However he was a horrible man.

In public he could be stern yes, but not horrible. Privately he was considered to be very pleasant.

losthorizon

TBH While his achievemnets were noteworty I doubt he would have made a good england manager. I just doubt he could hack working with the FA as his employer. Also I dont think he could have managed a really big club either because the way he treated players just didnt go on at bigger clubs. He was a manager for mid-size clubs. He didnt strike me as a very nice human being either.

Paully D

Mr Alan wrote: »

Great manager (except toward the end of his career).

However he was a horrible man.

He was far from horrible. Here's just a few stories:

I remember a small crowd waiting at Roker Park to greet Cloughie and his Forest team off the team coach. A little lad, about 8 years old approached BC as he got off the coach and asked if he could have some autographs.

"We can do better than that son. Go and ask your dad if you can come with me to our dressing room." said BC.

The lad came back with as beaming smile as his dad had said yes. Cloughie then put his arm round the lad's shoulders and took him into the dressing room with him.

I think we were stuffed (Collymore hat-trick?) but I don't remember much about the game, I just kept thinking about the smile on that lads face.

A few years ago I took my nipper, who was 7 at the time, up to the hotel for hopefully some autographs. Cloughie spoke to him and said 'Have you a Grandad?' and my nipper replied 'Yes'. Cloughie then said to him 'How about a kiss for an old Grandad cos I'm one?' My nipper kissed him on the cheek and Cloughie took him round the Forest team and got their autographs.

He was a star that day.

He will be forever, for me.

Brian Clough's family own a newsagent here in West Bridgford and he was often in the shop. He was there quite recently and seemed incredibly bright and happy which makes today's news even more shocking.

My youngest son has no real concept of the fact that a couple of years ago an utter football legend gave him a Teletubbies comic for being brave when he was curled up in his pushchair struggling with tonsilitis. It's in his box of special stuff for me to give him and tell him about when he's older.

That's just three of many, many similar stories.

Just because the man didn't take **** from egotistical twats doesn't make him a horrible man. It's a pity there isn't more like him.

Mr Alan

In 1994, five years after the Hillsborough disaster, a game at which Clough was present, he wrote in his autobiography: "I will always remain convinced that those Liverpool fans who died were killed by Liverpool people."

It was pointed out to him by horrified families that Lord Justice Taylor had vindicated the fans, but the great man would not relent. Indeed on the Clive Anderson chat show he went even further. "It was nothing to do with the police", he said. "It was the fans. They were drunk. They killed their own."

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The above is copied from another site, but it should give you an idea as to why I think he was a horrible man.

It should also be noted that on the day both he & Dalglish were asked to address the crowd over the pa system & he refused to.

He was arrogant & self absorbed, in a bad way. He saw no harm in using horrible lies to gain a bit of publicity for his book & then refuse to apologise for more than a decade after until finally, he was made to or he'd lose one of the last earners he had (writing for 4.4.2 magazine who demanded he apologised after Liverpool fans started boycotting their publication).

So people can go on about how good a manager he was, it's much deserved, however as a person, he wasn't worth the steam off my piss.

jaykay74

Is that word for word alan or paraphrased ? I would be interested in real evidence not some fan site sh!te. Not saying its not true what you say but hate hearsay. Purplemonkeydishwasher...

So it was RAWK then. Fair enough