Soccer Updates

Archive for the ‘Football Legends’ Category

We at Soccer Updates have decided we are going to write about all those past football legends like George Best, Cantona, Brian Clough, Bill Shankly and so many other football legends that have given us so many golden memories over the years. My personal all time favourite football legend is for me the best manager ever and that is old big head himself, the famous great Brian Clough.

Brian Clough was born on 21 March 1935 and died on 20th September 2004 and with his death a void was left because Brian Clough wasn’t just a great manager, he made us laugh, he was an entertainer but with Peter Taylor he was even more, he was a genius and a Legend of Football, he was Brian Clough. Old big head as Brian Clough was known was an amazing forward as well scoring 197 goals for Middlesbrough in only 213 matches and 54 goals in 61 matches for Sunderland and how Brian Clough would let his players know those stats for years to come.

Brian Clough had to retire with a serious leg injury and became the youngest manager at Hartlepool but it was in 1967 that he and Peter Taylor would weave their magic at Derby County. Jeeeez who else but Brian Clough and Peter Taylor would think of bringing in an over the hill Dave Mackay in as Captain and Willie Carlin to join the likes of O’Hare, McGovern, Hector, McFarland and Hinton.

Brian Clough and Taylor took Derby County up into the top division and they finished 4th in their first season back but more was to come. In 1971/72 Derby County fought it out with Liverpool and Leeds for the Title and Derby beat Liverpool to go top but all Leeds had to do was draw at Wolves to win the Title but they lost and Brian Clough and Derby County were League Champions, the magician had performed his first miracle, watch below at how great that Derby County team were under Brian Clough and Peter Taylor in Brians own words.

Being Brian Clough he fell out with the Derby County board and he and Peter Taylor handed in their resignations and to Brians disbelief they accepted it. He went on to manage Brighton and then of course the infamous 44 days at Leeds United but Brian Clough had the last laugh at Leeds United when he and Peter Taylor joined forces again at lowly Nottingham Forest and my God Brian yet again turned a small club into a team of world beaters.

Brian Clough guided Nottingham Forest to the League Title in 1977/78 and to two European Cup wins in 79 and 80, an amazing feat that no English Manager has ever surpassed or equalled not even the almight Fergie. Brian Clough OBE, it should have been Sir Brian Clough because I know no other manager that could have won 3 Titles with such ordinary clubs, no offence to Derby County or Nottingham Forest.

Brian Clough along with Peter Taylor transformed players like John Robertson and then made Trevor Francis the first English 1 Million pounds signing but that was rewarded with a sweet header in the European Cup Final, crossed in my none other than that magical winger Robertson. Forest in those years were a joy to watch, they went 42 matches unbeaten and that record was only just recently beaten by Arsenal. Watch below at a few of the great moments of that Nottingham Forest team that Brian Clough and Peter Taylor created.

Peter Shilton was of course another of the great Brian Clough and Taylor signings and although a lot of people say Brian Clough ruled his players with an iron fist with his discipline style most of his players loved him as was shown when the Derby County players went on strike when he left. Brian Cloughs downfall was his pride and his drinking and Brian Clough has admitted he made a huge mistake resigning at Derby County, my guess is under Brian Clough and Peter Taylor Derby County and not Liverpool would have dominated the 70’s but hey just look at the honours Brian Clough has won as a manager.

In April 2009 Derby County announced it will be building a statue at Pride Park of both Brian Clough and Peter Taylor and it will be unveiled in August 2010, there are already statues of Brian Clough at Middlesbrough and Nottingham. To be honest there is so much more I could write about this remarkable genius and true football legend but I will end it by saying thank you Cloughie for the memories, to me you always will be the Greatest

Yes even greater than Ali and every time I hear your name I will smile and recall the golden days of the game that you made beautiful. I will end this blog with Brian Clough making us laugh as only he could, R.I.P you Crazy Diamond, your memory lives on forever.