Brian Clough

There's not a lot that hasn't already been said about Brian Clough, a man that has gone down in history for being one of the greatest football managers of all time but it wasn't until I watched 'The Damned United' that I became interested in Brian.

He had success everywhere he went (besides Leeds and Brighton) winning trophies and doing the almost impossible; winning the European Cup with Nottingham Forest twice in consecutive years, something that to this day rarely ever happens. He oozed charm and charisma, yes he was arrogant but he was a winner, he knew the game inside out and knew how to get what he wanted. He was a breath of fresh air in an era that had seen nothing quite like him before.

I think its unfair to call him a celebrity football manager but he was, he loved being on camera and was never shy to express his opinions on this and that, unafraid to trample on other peoples views, he 'was' the first football celebrity.

But that's just the gloss, he used his status in the media to his advantage, merely a tool at his disposal. What truly brought him success was his phenomenal man management skills, nearly all the players he ever managed have at some point said he was something special in the dressing room and out on the training field. His philosophies regarding football where years ahead of the time. His teams played with style and discipline, also, it should be said Clough's teams were not always made from the best players but he always managed to bring out the best in them.

One of the things that I recognize, looking back, is that he saw Football for what it was, he saw the faults, the greedy fat cats who ran football, he foresaw what football was one day going to become. Everything that is now wrong with football at some point in his life Clough saw it coming and perhaps, unwillingly, helped it on its way . By his own admission he said that he would never really have survived outside of football but I'd like to think he could have, he was clearly something special.

Thinking about Football today, I actually think Brian was one of a kind, even now there is no one quite like him, perhaps Jose Mourinho has a bit of a young Clough about him but I think he lacks the loyalty Brian showed during his career.

It would be wrong of me not to mention that not all of Brian's success was by his own hand, Peter Taylor, his best friend and assistant manager, was a key figure at his side. Some even say Brian was just the face and Taylor was the shrewd operator, perhaps this is true. Clough never really had much success on his own but I think that was more down to his terrible drinking problem. But, regardless the two were certainly a great team.  

One of the biggest disappointments in English football is that Brian never had a shot at managing the England team, he really was the best English manager England never had.