Brian Clough. A thank you.



Just wished he had repaid the club for their generosity there by becoming our Manager. He had the opportunity but turned us down.
As an aside, when I was a kid my Mam bought me a train set. I spent hours and hours playing with it as it was a beauty and My Mam told me it had belonged to John McGovern and she had seen it advertised for sale and had bought it off his Mam.
 
Morse said:
You know, it was so long ago I forget! She remembered various well known people coming and going, nothing profound or earth shattering to tell! She passed away in ‘88, and she first told me she’d worked there long before that when I was but a kid. Funny thing was, she never spoke of it and it just came out in a casual conversation about SAFC.
I’m saying ‘Why on earth didn’t you tell me this? Cloughy? Really?’ It just never occurred to her that anyone would be interested.

TBH, back then I hadn’t a clue who Collings was. She’s telling me she worked there, I’m completely blank, wondering what it had to do with footy. Then she explains and talks about Brian, that’s me having an apoplexy.
It’s a pity Mr Clough senior has left us. I’d have loved to contact him and ask if he remembered her. Obviously Clough Jr. won’t remember her!

Oh, and before any sicko asks, no, she didn’t give Nigel Bitty! :lol:
Well, she never mentioned it, anyway...

Another story for you, even if it makes the post too long...
Back in the 80s I used to work as a TV repair technician in a shop, and we’d buy used TVs in, fix them and flog them.
One source was, iirc, on Leechmere industrial estate. It was a trade outlet for DER’s ex rentals, I forget the name, Teleprice, perhaps.

Anyhoo, the young lad who worked there (really nice bloke) was into football in an active sort of way, so we chatted a lot about the lads. One day, I go in to pick up some TVs and he’s talking to this strangely familiar distinguished middle aged chap. I’m introduced to the fella, called ‘Len’, (you can probably fill in the rest...)I join the conversation and we chat at great length about the lads. He was honestly one of the warmest, most down to earth people I’ve ever met.

After a while, Len shakes my hand, nice to meet you, etc. makes his exit, and I comment on what a nice bloke he was. ‘Aye he’s a top bloke, great footballer in his time was Len...’

Me- ‘Wait, was that... Oh shit! That was Len Shackleton, wasn’t it?

I’m sharp as a razor, me. I was too late to get his autograph and our paths never crossed again. Buggeration.
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Wonderful story, though, Morse, la. Unforgettable encounter with a footballing genius.
T_Bone said:
Just wished he had repaid the club for their generosity there by becoming our Manager. He had the opportunity but turned us down.
As an aside, when I was a kid my Mam bought me a train set. I spent hours and hours playing with it as it was a beauty and My Mam told me it had belonged to John McGovern and she had seen it advertised for sale and had bought it off his Mam.
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Many years ago, I was told by someone I won't name, a director at the club at the time, that Clough wanted to come & it was all but a done deal until Cowie torpedoed it. Whether or not that's true, I can't say, but that's what I was told. The gentleman who told me is no longer alive but he was, in my estimation, a trustworthy man, a man of his word & I never doubted he was telling the truth. All water under the bridge, but it would have been interesting, to say the least, had Clough been appointed.
 
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thecloughywobble said:
Wonderful story, though, Morse, la. Unforgettable encounter with a footballing genius.

Many years ago, I was told by someone I won't name, a director at the club at the time, that Clough wanted to come & it was all but a done deal until Cowie torpedoed it. Whether or not that's true, I can't say, but that's what I was told. The gentleman who told me is no longer alive but he was, in my estimation, a trustworthy man, a man of his word & I never doubted he was telling the truth. All water under the bridge, but it would have been interesting, to say the least, had Clough been appointed.
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I seem to remember a story about him meeting our Chairman/ Secretary at Ferrybridge services and making absolutely absurd wages demands which we agreed to, to his absolute dismay........and he still turned us down.
 
T_Bone said:
I seem to remember a story about him meeting our Chairman/ Secretary at Ferrybridge services and making absolutely absurd wages demands which we agreed to, to his absolute dismay........and he still turned us down.
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I guess when you're dealing with a character such as the redoubtable Mr Clough, rumours and stories abound. It's all part of the narrative of legend.
barts45 said:
Would have loved to see him play

And see the comments here 😉
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Likewise.
 
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T_Bone said:
Indeed. Some quote him as saying he would walk up the A1 over broken glass to be our Manager.
I very much doubt that.
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I met him once at the City Ground. Ronnie Fenton was his assistant at Forest and they had signed a mate of mine and I was part of his party invited down. He shook my hand and spoke briefly to us about how he enjoyed living on the
Fens estate in Hartlepool. Ronnie Fenton spent a bit of time with us and was a good laugh.
My mate didn’t make it.
 
Fastest 250 league goals in football at that time, I have that programme somewhere. I was there on Boxing Day 1962 when he was injured. Ironically, due to the second worst winter on record, it was the last home league game until we played Newcastle in early March. My boyhood hero.
 
vinegar hill said:
I was standing about 10 yards away from that,right at the front of the Fulwell End.
A sad day in our history.
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Me too mate. Imagine how potent we would have been with him and Johnny Crossan paired up.
Morse said:
Remember Cloughy clipping pitch invaders round the ear? :lol:
I can’t remember the details, but god it was funny!
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Stood outside the training pitch looking for autographs one day and he stormed out with a face like thunder, brushed me aside like a twig. He was a moody bugger, no question about that. :lol:
 
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Kid Galahad said:
I'm sure it's Arthur's son (Billy?) who took me around the fans museum a few weeks ago, nice bloke, and Cloughie was the business, if only they had let him pay back that gratitude by letting him manage us....
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Yes, Billy is Arthur’s son. He’s set up a website dedicated to Arthur and also does a lot of presentations locally in sipport of dementia.
 

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