Arguably the best manager to ever grace the game, and that’s just talking about his quotes alone, is Brian Clough. Clough is a legend of the game, best known for his revolution of East Midlands sides Nottingham Forest and Derby County.
“The River Trent is lovely, I know because I have walked on it for 18 years.”
It was at Nottingham Forest where the great man won back to back European Cups. The only other side in England to achieve this to this day is Liverpool.
“I wouldn’t say I was the best manager in the business, but I was in the top one.”
The above is perhaps his most famous quote, from a man who, let’s just say, was not short of confidence, but with good reason. He managed to get his Nottingham Forest side promoted from the old Second Division into the now Premier League, finishing first in his first season in the top flight in 1977/78, something which had never been done before and hasn't been repeated since.
“They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, but I wasn’t on that particular job.” This quote sums up both Clough's arrogance but also very much fitting to the work he was pulling off at Nottingham Forest.
There have been arguments made for this season's Wolves being one of the most successful sides to be promoted to the Premier League, but there’s no comparison compared to Clough’s Forest. The Premier League betting suggests that Wolves aren’t quite capable of bringing European football to Molineux next season, sitting at 50/1 to achieve a top-six finish this term, but it will almost definitely be part of their ambitions to finish in the top seven in the 2019/2020 campaign.
Clough's 44 days at Leeds United were, without shadow of a doubt, the lowest points in his managerial career. Having told the players to "throw away all the medals" they'd previously won, because of the way they had won them, Clough's approach didn't sit well with the current crop of players. These bleak times potentially hindered his chances of being the England head coach.
Clough was never considered for the England national team, as the FA wanted candidates who would not speak out of turn – quite frankly the opposite. It leaves you thinking about what possibly could have been during an era where England really did struggle on the international stage.
“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 what I would have done.”
One of his most iconic quotes was: “If God had wanted us to play football in the clouds, he’d have put grass up there.”
He was a firm believer of playing football the right way, on the ground and it brought him great success. The man will always be spoken of highly, perhaps not at Leeds United, but certainly in the East Midlands.
“Don’t send me flowers when I’m dead. If you like me, send them while I’m alive.”