Robertson and O'Neill's tribute to 'best of British'

STEPHEN HALLIDAY


IT SAID everything for the legend that is Brian Clough that two of his star
pupils felt able to declare him the greatest British football manager of all
time yesterday as they sat in a stadium still dominated by the legacy of
Jock Stein.

It may be regarded as something of a heresy by some, but only the most
devoted disciples of Stein would feel comfortable in arguing against the
case of Celtic manager Martin O'Neill and his assistant John Robertson that
Clough's achievements were without equal.

Both men were visibly and understandably moved yesterday by the death, at
69, of the man who transformed their playing careers during his almost
illogically successful time in charge of Nottingham Forest.

Robertson was at Celtic's under-21 match yesterday when he received the news
in a phone call from former team-mate Viv Anderson and quickly passed it on
to O'Neill, at a board meeting at Parkhead.

Despite their shared grief, a smile was never far from either man's face
yesterday as they reflected on the incomparable wit and wisdom of an utterly
unique footballing character.

"There have been some brilliant managers, but for me he was the greatest of
all time," said Robertson, the former Scotland winger whom Clough regarded
as one of his favourites. "What he achieved at two clubs which were totally
provincial and not very fashionable, to win two European Cups with Forest
after reaching the semi-final with Derby, it was incredible.

"When you look at what happened to us at Forest, winning the old Second
Division one year, the Championship the next and then successive European
Cups, I don't know anyone else who could have done that. As far as I'm
concerned, he was definitely the best there has ever been. I loved the guy."

O'Neill, who has often regaled us with stories about how he found it much
tougher to earn a place in Clough's affections than Robertson, was just as
fulsome in his tribute.

"I wouldn't disagree with John," said O'Neill. "Brian Clough was absolutely
sensational, a truly brilliant manager. I don't think Brian would disagree
with it either, he would have been the first one to say he was the greatest
of all time.

"He was England's version of Muhammad Ali, a more charismatic man you could
not meet. He had everything. We were extremely lucky to work with someone so
talented and so brilliant.

"While we had some talented players at Forest when he arrived in January
1975, the club could not have dreamed of winning championships and European
Cups if Brian Clough had not been there.

"He could have stepped into any given job. People are talking now about Sir
Clive Woodward moving into football. If someone had asked Brian to go and
manage, say, the England cricket team, it would not have been a problem to
him.

"He felt he knew enough about any subject to go and coach it. One of the
great myths about him was that he was a manager, not a coach, and seldom on
the training ground. The truth is that every day with Brian Clough was a
coaching lesson.

"People ask you to recount a Brian Clough story, but the truth is every day
with him was a Brian Clough story with each one better than the last. God,
he will be badly missed."

Robertson did have his own favourite Clough tale to relate, an acerbic
exchange between the great manager and his striker, Tony Woodcock, at
Forest.

"Tony had decided to grow a beard and the gaffer asked him what it was,"
recounted Robertson. "Tony said 'It's a beard, boss' and Clough asked 'Why
have you done that?' Tony replied 'Just to be a bit different'. Clough
looked at him and said: 'Well son, you be a bit different on Saturday and go
out and score a hat-trick!' "

There was, according to both Robertson and O'Neill, no great secret to
Clough's success. "His simplicity was his genius," said Robertson. "There
was nothing complicated about anything he told you. He had an elephant's
memory and would always pick you up on a little thing you didn't think was
important, but which made a lot of difference."

O'Neill concurred: "He would say something so simple, you wondered why
no-one else said it. He had a great way with words, when he spoke to you, he
told you straight and got the message through every time."

The sorrow felt by the Celtic management team was intensified by their
absence at the end of last season from the 25th anniversary dinner to mark
Forest's first European Cup final victory. "It was the night before the
Scottish Cup final against Dunfermline, so we couldn't go," said O'Neill.
"But the rest of the lads said he looked great and was in terrific form.

"He always expressed a desire to come up here to see us and watch Celtic and
I'm very sorry it didn't materialise. This has shaken us up a little bit."

Like the rest of football, O'Neill and Robertson know they will never see
his like again.

From a Celtic supporting ex miner

Living as I do in Nottinghamshire I know a fair bit about Cloughie. I
remember during the 84-85 miner's strike (here I go on about it again)
Cloughie getting some of the local strikers to clear snow from the pitch
at the City Ground in order to put a bit of money in their pockets.
Bearing in mind that the majority around here, including many Forest
fans, were scabbing, it showed that he didn't give a damn about what
anybody thought of him. He came from the North East of England and had a
lot of respect for what we were trying to do.

          Hail! Hail!

          Tony

Cloughie's classic quotes

Brian Clough seemed to have a great one-liner ready for every occasion. Here
are some of the best...

"Manchester United in Brazil? I hope they all get bloody diarrhoea" - on
Manchester United opting-out of the FA Cup to play in the World Club
Championship.
"I can't even spell spaghetti never mind talk Italian. How could I tell an
Italian to get the ball - he might grab mine" - on the influx of foreign
players.
"I bet their dressing room will smell of garlic rather than liniment over
the next few months" - on the number of French players at Arsenal.
"I wouldn't say I was the best manager in the business. But I was in the top
one" - looking back on his managerial career.
On Eric Cantona's infamous kung fu kick at a fan: "I'd have cut his balls
off."
"If he'd been English or Swedish, he'd have walked the England job" - on
Martin O'Neill.
"I only ever hit Roy the once. He got up so I couldn't have hit him very
hard" - on dealing with Roy Keane.
"Walk on water? I know most people out there will be saying that instead of
walking on it, I should have taken more of it with my drinks. They are
absolutely right" - a typically candid reflection on his drink problem.
"Players lose you games, not tactics. There's so much crap talked about
tactics by people who barely know how to win at dominoes" England's exit
from Euro 2000, explained the Cloughie way.
"We talk about it for twenty minutes and then we decide I was right" - on
dealing with a player who disagrees.
"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" - on not getting the England manager's job.
Guessing who nominated him for a knighthood: "I thought it was my next door
neighbour, because I think she felt that if I got something like that, I'd
have to move."
"For all his horses, knighthoods and championships, he hasn't got two of
what I've got. And I don't mean balls!" Referring to Sir Alex Ferguson's
failure to win two successive European Cups.
Brian wasn't a fan of the women's game: "I like my women to be feminine, not
sliding into tackles and covered in mud."
After a life-saving operation, Clough gets sentimental: "Don't send me
flowers when I'm dead. If you like me, send them while I'm alive."
"I want no epitaphs of profound history and all that type of thing. I
contributed - I would hope they would say that, and I would hope somebody
liked me" - on how he would like to be remembered.