- Born
- Died
- Birth nameBrian Howard Clough
- Nicknames
- Cloughie
- Old Big 'Ead
- Height5′ 9½″ (1.77 m)
- Considered by many to be the best manager the England national team never had, Brian Clough's professional football career began when aged 16 he signed for hometown club, Middlesbrough F.C.. Working his way up through the ranks, he made his full first-team debut in a league match against Barnsley in September 1955. Over the following six seasons he scored 197 goals in 213 league appearances, a fantastic record by modern standards. It was during this period that he earned his two England caps, both in 1959 against Wales and Sweden.
In 1961 he moved to Sunderland where he continued his prolific strike-rate, scoring 54 times in 61 games. At the age of 30 though, a clash with the Bury goalkeeper resulted in an injury which forced him to retire.
Looking for new challenges, Brian decided to go into management, gaining experience at Hartlepool for two seasons before taking the job at Derby County, where he led them to the league championship in 1972 and the European Cup semi-finals a year later. His tenure ended when he resigned after a dispute with Derby chairman Sam Longson.
More success was to follow though. After unsuccessful stints at Brighton and Leeds United, he took the top job at Nottingham Forest where he won them 11 trophies, including the league championship in 1978 and the European Cup twice in 1979 and 1980. His extraordinary success with the club made him the public and the press's first choice to manage the under-performing England national team, but the English Football Association would not employ him under any circumstances. Bobby Robson even offered to resign twice in favour of Clough during the 1980s but his resignation was rejected on both occasions.
In May 1993, after 18 years at Forest, Brian retired from football. He suffered from ill-health in his later years years and underwent a liver transplant in early 2003.
- IMDb mini biography by: Jack Logan
- SpouseBarbara Glasgow(April 4, 1959 - September 20, 2004) (his death, 3 children)
- Children
- Football manager; who managed Hartlepool United (1965-1967), Derby County (1967-1973), Brighton & Hove Albion (1973-1974), Leeds United (1974) and Nottingham Forest (1975-1993). Won back to back European Cups in 1979 and 1980; won the Football League championship in 1972 and 1978, and also won the League Cup in 1978, 1979, 1989 and 1990.
- Son, football manager Nigel Clough.
- Father of three children: Simon (b.1964), Libby (b.1967), and Nigel Clough (b.1966).
- He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1991 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to Association Football.
- In his playing career, Clough played for Middlesbrough (1955-1961) and Sunderland (1961-1964). He scored 251 goals in 274 appearances. He won two caps for England in 1959.
- I wouldn't say I was the best manager in the business. But I was in the top one.
- One reason I never became the England manager was because the FA thought I would take over and run the show. They were dead right.
- Rome wasn't built in a day... but I wasn't on that particular job.
- [on his disdain for women's football] I like my women to be feminine, not sliding into tackles and covered in mud.
- I can't even spell spaghetti never mind talk Italian. How could I tell an Italian to get the ball? He might grab mine.
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