'The best in the business'

By Michael Harrold

Brian Clough, who has died at the age of 69 after a battle against cancer, was not a man to let obstacles stand in his way.

European Cups
When injury brought an early end to his playing career, he became the country's youngest manager. After claiming a league title with Derby County FC, the outspoken and unconventional Clough took Europe by storm, winning the European Champion Clubs' Cup twice with unfashionable Nottingham Forest FC.

Thompson tribute
Figures from throughout English football were swift to pay tribute. Football Association chairman Geoff Thompson - whose body often felt the sharp end of Clough's tongue in his heyday - said: "Brian was a unique figure in the game and one of the most successful managers we have ever known."

'A genius'
Trevor Francis, who Clough made the first £1m footballer in England in February 1979 and went on to win two European Cup winner's medals in the following 15 months, said: "We all had the greatest respect for him, he was a genius at what he did."

England player
Clough, born on 21 March 1935, made his name as a prolific striker for his hometown club Middlesbrough FC, then Sunderland AFC, scoring 251 goals in 274 games before injury prematurely ended his playing career. He was capped just twice by England, a disappointment that only fuelled his ambition.

Derby chance
He stepped into management with lowly Hartlepool United FC in 1965 aged 30. After two seasons, he joined second division Derby along with right-hand man Peter Taylor, and the outspoken Clough knew he was going places. He admitted to being "arrogant, flippant, pompous, rude, controversial, outspoken, outrageous," - in short - "I was the best manager in the business".

Outspoken
Clough won promotion within two seasons and led Derby to their first league championship in 1971/72, followed by a run to the European Cup semi-finals. But in 1973 Clough walked out on the club, his media profile having grown too great for chairman Sam Longson. The loyalty Clough earned from his players was shown when they put their own careers on the line to have their manager reinstated, but the split was permanent.

Continental success
After brief spells at Brighton and Hove Albion FC and Leeds United AFC, the latter infamously lasting 44 days, he and Taylor took charge at Forest in January 1975. Again Clough inherited a second division side and moulded them into 1977/78 league champions - before bettering their achievement at Derby and winning the European Cup in 1978/79 and 1979/80, showing a mastery of tactics and motivation despite never having the resources enjoyed by managers at higher-profile clubs.

Unbeaten record
Between November 1977 and December 1978 his Forest side went unbeaten in 42 consecutive league matches, a record that stood until this year, though he was overlooked for the vacant England manager's job in 1977 and 1982. Clough remained in charge at Forest until relegation from the top flight in 1993, though a rift opened with Taylor, who moved on in 1982 and died eight years later.

Outspoken opinion
After retirement, Clough recovered from alcohol problems to write two best-selling autobiographies, a typical mixture of nostalgic anecdotage and outspoken opinion. Even in his final days, he was paying tribute to the Arsenal FC side that had broken Forest's unbeaten record, describing them as "a brilliant and beautiful team".

Legacy remains
Like Arsène Wenger, Clough believed in entertaining, passing football. That he achieved so much success doing so, while emerging as a personality that transcended football, ranks him with the greatest figures in the English game's history.