On Brian Clough's death, a common reaction was that he couldn't have succeeded in today's footballing climate, dominated by money and the most powerful clubs. This isn't a particularly warm tribute to the great manager, as though to say he was a relic of his time, a mere one-off lucky enough to have been involved in football at the right time. In the next breath, some go on to say that Jose Mourinho, manager of Chelsea, backed by a billionaire Russian gangster, is the next Cloughie.... Like all great managers (and players), Clough would have succeeded in any era, adapting to the climate as fit. That Clough's achievements dwarf Arsene Wenger's ("Greatest Manager in the World") is testament to this.
The completely invalid point these commentators are trying to make is that there is no place for the individual in this money-dominated game. Brian Clough's individualism though is certainly what set him apart from most. He thrived on being deeply unfashionable, managing two East Midlands clubs, on being contrary and on being unique. He could be no other, he would be no other.
Clough spent most of his playing career at Middlesbrough, where as a striker he notched up a phenomenal strike rate (204 goals in 222 games) before his career was prematurely curtailed by a knee injury. He quickly went into management. At Derby County, he got them promoted into the First Division in 1968 and promptly made his ambition clear: to become English champions. This ludicrous claim came good in 1972, Derby's first ever League title. The next season they reached the semi-finals of the European Cup. Later in the decade, he repeated and bettered this feat, winning the First Division with Nottingham Forest and then the European Cup two years running. These achievements are remarkable, though there is no point romanticizing them. Clough wasn't afraid to spend money when necessary (Trevor Francis was English football's first million pound player and Peter Shilton the game's most expensive goalkeeper at the time) and had plenty of good players at his disposal.
Clough's intransigence played a large part in his formidable success. He did it his way and no other. But it got him into trouble too. He abruptly resigned from Derby, due to the directors trying to tell him what to do. He lasted forty-four days at Leeds, where his domineering temperament clashed with the star players' egos. And of course the FA steered well clear of ever giving him the England job. (Proven winners need not apply. Witness: Graham Taylor, Terry Venables, Glenn Hoddle, Kevin Keegan.) Towards the end of his career there was the famous incident when he gave two invading fans a clip round the ear and a v sign. They all later (literally) kissed and made up.
Would he have made a great England manager? Perhaps not - his experience at Leeds suggests otherwise. Clough was best at getting the most out of average players, rather than already great players. His style was motivational and aggressive, not a style necessary suited to star footballers (imagine someone telling David Beckham what to do), nor to timid players (the clash of Clough's old school personality and Justin Fashanu's unsure homosexuality a case in point).
Unfortunately, Brian Clough rather faded away. After the 1991 FA Cup Final, the only trophy to have eluded him, he sank into alcoholism and retired upon the sad note of Nottingham Forest's relegation amidst allegations of dodgy transfer dealings.
But to sum it all up in a nutshell, Brian Clough as manager won two European Cups, the same as Manchester United and Juventus, one more than Barcelona and two more than Arsenal. I think he would have somehow made it in today's game.
Brian Clough is the last known person in football to have punched and knocked down Roy Keane, and got away with it.
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