Brian Clough comes to Nottingham

It happened on January 6th 1975. A fantasy day in this football fan's life. My club, which I'd only just started supporting the season before, had sacked Allan Brown, their manager, after a disappointing start to the season, capped by a home defeat to neighbours Notts County on Boxing Day. Incredibly to us, Forest's new manager was about to be... the most famous personality in football management at the time - Brian Clough.

I was already a season ticket holder, bought on the strength of a fantastic cup run the season before and the brilliance of Duncan McKenzie - ironically sold in the summer to Brian Clough, then of Leeds United.

We Forest fans were all excited at the prospect of Cloughie managing our team but none of us could have anticipated just how brilliant the ride was going to be in the next few years. This blog will trace each match and the events in between from the time Forest returned to the top flight in August 1977 from the benefit of 40 years hindsight. Looking back I still can't believe how lucky I was. Just imagine it. Already a massive football fan, and just 16 years old, I had no responsibilities and few other interests. A football fan could not have wished for better than to witness, from close up, the story of his rather average team being transformed into the best in Europe.

Because I only had the idea of doing this blog after posting a lot of 40-year anniversary stuff during the promotion year to Facebook. I'm a bit late starting this. So here, this post will just squeeze in a quick summary of what that happened from the day Cloughie arrived up until Forest's return to the first division.

Then I'll post a blog for the 40th anniversary of every match Forest played since returning to the top flight. 

Win at Spurs in the Cup

Miah Dennehy

Brian Clough made an immediate impact, as new managers tend to do. The first game he watched - before he'd officially signed the contract, I think - was the F A Cup 3rd round tie at home to Tottenham Hotspur. 23,355 witnessed a very spirited performance by Forest which include a fine game from our young Irish lad called Miah Dennehy. The tricky left winger terrorised Joe Kinnear and the Spurs defence - at least that's how I remember it. Martin Chivers scored for Spurs and David Jones equalised to earn us a replay at White Hart Lane, which would be Cloughie's first official game in charge. Amazingly, Forest won 1-0 in front of almost 28,000 with a goal from Neil Martin. Cloughie, surprisingly dropped Dennehy and, in fact the Irishman would only make three more starts and one appearance as sub in a Forest shirt again - even though he scored two goals in that time. Clough sold him to Walsall in the close season. I bumped into Miah years later whilst working in his home town of Cork. He was a porter at Jury's hotel and we ended up having a few beers together. Now I can drink a few pints but Miah was as fast at drinking as he was on the wing. He also has an almost incomprehensible Cork accent so, after six pints of Murphy's I still have no good idea what he said to me when I asked him why Cloughie had let him go. I think it was just something like "Oy tink derman jus dint loyk me".

Dressing room at White Hart Lane after Cloughie's first game.

In the next round Forest drew Fulham away, where we drew. 25,361 watched the replay in Nottingham, which we drew. The second replay was drawn too. Amazingly, when you consider how these days matches are decided by penalty shoot outs straight away, the game went to a 3rd replay - watched again by over 23,000, where Forest were finally dumped out of the cup. Fulham went on to the final that year, beating Everton away, Carlisle away and then Birmingham in the semi final before losing to West Ham at Wembley.

Miserable first few months

After the excitement of the cup was over, Forest resumed their league campaign under Cloughie with a game against - you guessed it - Fulham (so we played them 5 times in 30 days) and a 1-0 win at Craven Cottage. But that would turn out to be the last win in 80 days and Forest slipped from mid-table to near the relegation zone. Cloughie had found out that this wasn't going to be easy. 

Very predictably, Clough brought in two of his favourites who had followed him to Leeds - John McGovern and John O'Hare. I remember McGovern (or "Kermit" as Forest's fans called him) making his debut against Cardiff City on a very cold and miserable February afternoon. 12,806 braved the weather to watch a very dull 0-0 draw. Apart from a couple of big home games against Aston Villa and Manchester United (their one season out of the top flight) which attracted over 20,000 the crowds dwindled to just over 11,000 by the end of the season as the midas touch of Brian Clough seemed to have faded. Forest finished 16th, six points about relegated Millwall.

The tide turns in 1976

Brian Clough started his first full season at Nottingham Forest with a 2-0 home win against newly promoted Plymouth Argyle. The team that day was already starting to have a familiar look about it:

Middleton, Anderson, Clark, Chapman, O'Kane, McGovern, Lyall, Richardson, O'Hare, Robertson, Bowyer. O'Neill was a sub but wasn't used.

Frank Clark was one of Cloughie's greatest signings in the summer. A free from Newcastle United. 

Things didn't go too well after that and three defeats on the trot followed by a 0-0 draw at Fulham saw us drop into the relegation zone on 11th October. Crowds had dropped to below 11,000 too so things were bleak.

The tide finally started to turn when Clough gave Martin O'Neill a start at home to Southampton. Forest won that one 3-1 and with O'Neill cementing his place in the team, Forest rose up the table, scoring lots of goals as they did to excite the fans. Nine wins in their final 15 games saw them close in on the top six but they finished 8th.

Colin Barrett was signed towards the end of the season adding another piece of the jigsaw.

Peter Taylor rejoins Cloughie

If 6th January 1975 is a fondly remembered date for Forest fans, then so should 16th July 1976. It was the day Peter Taylor was finally persuaded to resign his post at Brighton & Hove Albion and rejoin his old friend, Brian, at Nottingham. It was, after all his home town.

The season started slowly and after a 3-1 home defeat to Wolves (in front of 17,222 fans) Forest were 17th in the table. But then, starting with a 4-3 home win against Hereford United (their only season in the second tier) Forest went on remarkable run of exciting home wins. With Terry Curran on fire and Barry Butlin being replaced by new signing Peter Withe and Larry Lloyd eventually replacing Sammy Chapman.

Sept 11th 1976 Nottingham Forest 4 Hereford United 3 (12,081)

(Butlin, Bowyer 2, Roberston)

Middleton, Barrett, Clark, McGovern (Anderson), Chapman, Bowyer, Curran, O'Neill, O'Hare, Butlin, Robertson.

Sept 25th 1976 Nottingham Forest 5 Carlisle United 1 (12,479)

(O'Hare, Bowyer 2, Barrett, Withe)

Middleton, Barrett, Clark, McGovern, Chapman, Bowyer, Curran, O'Neill, O'Hare, Withe, Robertson.

Oct 9th 1976 Nottingham Forest 6 Sheffield United 1 (17,801)

(Butlin, Bowyer 2, Curran, Anderson, Withe)

Middleton, Anderson, Clark, McGovern, Lloyd, Bowyer, Curran, O'Neill, Withe, Butlin, Robertson.

Oct 23rd 1976 Nottingham Forest 5 Burnley 2 (15,281)

(Butlin, O'Neill 2, Curran, Robertson (pen))

Middleton, Anderson, Clark, McGovern, Lloyd, Bowyer, Curran (Barrett), O'Neill, Withe, Butlin, Robertson.

Nov 6th 1976 Nottingham Forest 3 Blackburn Rovers 0 (12,977)

(Bowyer, Withe, Haslegrave)

Middleton, Anderson, Clark, McGovern, Chapman, Bowyer, Haslegrave, O'Neill, Withe, Robertson, Woodcock

23 goals in 5 home games took Forest to 6th place and notice too there the arrival of another key name on the team sheet: Tony Woodcock.

Clough and Taylor were at it again and a run of five wins on the trot in March and April seemed to signal that Forest were going up as they sat in 3rd spot.

However, agonising defeats at promotion rivals Chelsea and then, worse, at home to relegation strugglers Cardiff City seemed to kill all hopes as Bolton Wanderers lurked in 4th place with three games in hand.

Forest won their last two games and then had to wait for Bolton to play three more games.

Forest were only handed promotion after a huge favour by already promoted Wolves. They went to Burnden Park, home of Bolton Wanderers, who only really needed a draw to look certain to overtake Forest for the 3rd promotion slot. Amazingly, they blew it in front of over 35,600 fans. Even with Bobby Gould in goal as substitute goalkeepers (this was before the days teams kept goalie subs on the bench) Wolves clung on to an amazing first half goal to win 1-0.

Bolton had to win their last game of the season at Bristol Rovers by 15 goals to steal promotion. Of course, even if they had done so there would have been a big inquest. Bolton ended the season with a 1-1 draw and Forest were up. Looking back, one is tempted to think that that amazing goal rush at home earlier in the season was key to going up.

So that was it. Forest were back in the First Division. What exciting times were ahead! But first the small matter of the County Cup Final.

Algis Kuliukas

Perth
12th August 2017