The presence of Danny Baker, a man with a supporter’s eye for all levels of the game, encouraged a range of fans to phone in, and the programme benefitted.

That is, until a fateful night in 1997 when Chelsea beat Leicester in the FA Cup with a hotly-contested penalty. A furious Baker laid into the referee, shouted down callers who supported the ref’s decision, and raged at the show’s producer for letting them on air in the first place. It was disturbing but compelling stuff. The BBC, however, took exception and sacked him immediately, fearing, allegedly, that his comments might incite attacks on officials. Baker wasn’t unemployed for long. TalkSport swiftly hired him, no doubt impressed by his confrontational style.

One of Baker’s successors on 606 was Richard Littlejohn whose abrasive approach as a journalist was tempered by a tongue-in-cheek, gently provocative attitude to callers – particularly those with a knee-jerk response to one bad result. His incredulity at those broadcasting their disloyalty to clubs they allegedly supported was refreshing. As time went on however, the thoughtless abuse of managers and referees took up more of the show.

By the time Alan Green arrived, 606 had been stripped of anything approaching humour. “He’s lost the dressing room” and “He’s got to go” being the tired mantra of supporters unable to swallow a defeat and move on. Managers of course, were an easy target. But the people most abused during Green’s tenure, with the active encouragement of the host, were referees. Gradually, Green’s role as a catalyst for discussion changed to cheerleader for angry supporters. I know we’re going back a bit here, but his attitude during the 2006 World Cup was particularly one-eyed, with his abuse of Sven Goren Eriksson the low point.

After England had scraped a late win against Trinidad, Green’s strapline swiftly changed. “What did you think of that performance”, ran his introduction, with palpable disappointment that he could no longer criticise the result. The fact that England’s best World Cup in 1966 started in similar fashion was apparently irrelevant. Callers disputing this view were shouted down or cut off, as the presenter’s ego became the focus of the programme.

The truth is that good news or an alternative to the presenter’s view, is no longer a story in football. To suggest the opposite is to risk the studio “off” button. The presence of Robbie Savage on 606, initially at least, skewed the programme further. Savage, (lest we forget) had a reputation as the team irritant – the one who wound up refs and/or opponents for his own ends. Far from being Green’s foil on the programme, he swiftly became cheerleader to the cheerleader – egging on his mentor to higher levels of abuse. Thankfully, experience (and possibly ballroom dancing) has mellowed the man, who has developed a more tolerant streak.

Supporters hardly help themselves. Knee-jerk anger after a bad result produces abusive and borderline defamatory statements on fans messageboards. During Avram Grant’s unhappy tenure at West Ham, a supporters’ site (KUMB)
published some vitriolic abuse of the manager, along with crude remarks about his religion. Brickbats have been fewer this season with the team top of the League, but the defeat at Ipswich provoked a vulgar attack on one player. And no, the use of asterisks doesn’t make it alright.

Liverpool’s start to 2010-11 was their worst for fifty years, and the messageboard response on redandwhitekop.com was predictable. Mixed with realistic assessments of the Reds’ likely finish and pleas for loyalty were comments from one contributor berating the performance against Blackpool with the words “I’m so sick of losing”. And this, remember, was for less than half a season of misery, not the half century some fans have endured. It’s a similar story this season at Arsenal, who have gone seven seasons without a trophy (my heart bleeds, not). A ‘Wenger Stay or Go’ thread was generated on arsenal-mania.com in early January and at 0-2 against Aston Villa in the Cup, even the well-heeled in the Emirates upper tier were getting mutinous. Many Gooners objected to the Alan-Greenisms aimed at Wenger from their own ranks, but it’s far too easy for people to complain.

Twenty years ago, before messageboards, twitter and Danny Baker, your average fan had to take the bad result and get on with life. Now you can whine 24-7. Surely there must be better things to do at 3.27am on Saturday morning.than discuss the potential sacking of your manager with half a dozen other saddoes? Obviously not, if you’re a Blackburn fan on the Steve Kean thread of www.brfcs.co.uk (509 pages and counting).

While racist chanting has been targeted, other abuse, online, on-air and pitchside, is less publicised. If it was, and if managers and referees took the legal action they were entitled to, then supporters’ intolerance could be successfully challenged. One exception concerned Spurs fans at Fratton Park whose bad-mouthing of Sol Campbell was caught on camera. Four fans received three year banning orders in January 2009, though if the same rigour was applied across the country, magistrates would be snowed under. After all, with security cameras at some grounds that NASA would be proud of, there is no escape any more.

But as long as phone-ins and supporters’ websites follow the pattern of presenters motivated by their own prejudice, an unhealthy intolerance will persist, with potentially serious results for players and referees.

The Deloitte Sports Business Group presents the Football Money League 2012

It emerged back in January that the Welsh players had not been contacted about their views on who should replace Speed. Debate arose around whether the captain of a national side, and its players (who remember are picked by the manager) should determine who manages them.

On one side, it makes sense that the players would like a a manager that they can deal with easily, who is approachable and good at “man management”. For that reason it is obvious that players have a right to choose, or at least be consulted about their management team. Conversely, the idea that player power should be the sole factor in choosing a manager is wrong. It is far too open to abuse of privilege by players hoping to curry favour with the incoming management, indeed players could opt to pick a manager who they know will play them, rather than one who doesn’t.

So, we arrive at England. Four months prior to the start of a major tournament that was due to be Fabio Capello’s swansong, and with a rift having developed between him and the FA over the shambles that was John Terry’s removal as captain (incidentally, I personally feel that if Terry had stepped down himself until either clearing his name or being found guilty then this could all have been avoided), Capello dramatically resigned his position after a protracted meeting at Wembley. We will probably never know the entire content of that meeting, but the fact remains; England are now without a manager, a captain and with potential factions of players (pro-Terry and anti-Terry) and all this with less than four months before the first game of Euro 2012 (which, as we know, will not include a certain Mr Rooney in its starting XI). The England manager job is not the most enticing at the best of times, a cursory glance at its previous holders show that it can be seen as a career-ending, or at least, career-damaging position.

These issues don’t make the England job attractive to a manager, and when coupled to the fact that you might be extremely unpopular with the players, why would you take it? With The FA seemingly making a hash of the issues surrounding England at the moment, should the players be given a chance to choose their manager? It would certainly take out the possible worry of “will the players like me” for any prospective candidate.

Already this week, senior players such as Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney have taken to social media sites to air their views. They’ve listened to some of the desires of the FA, and have applied logic to them. One such issue is Capello’s apparently poor command of the English language (I know, I never thought I’d see the day when Rio “aaaaaave it” Ferdinand was judging people’s standard of English). The FA desire an English manager, and Messrs Rooney and Ferdinand have realised that, stating as much this morning in their tweets over breakfast. They clearly are not as stupid as people believe and, as Aaron Ramsey said in his frustrated tweet, “I am a grown man and captain of my country, to which I care deeply about…”. I don’t doubt that they could be sensible enough to pick their man (or woman, Hope Powell is a potential candidate in my eyes).

If the players pick their management, then the working relationship should already be sorted, they picked them after all. All that follows is the continuation of that positive working relationship and the results should start coming their way. Look at it with a socialist view; “A happy worker is a productive worker”, by allowing the players to have their say and making them feel valued and appreciated then The FA have sorted any potential player unrest for years to come. Leaving the minimal time spent in the England camp to be dedicated to playing good football and trying to get results. However, football rarely works in such a utopian way. The issue that has now reared its head is the naming of Harry Redknapp as their preferred candidate. That causes all manner of problems to the world of “Football as a business”. Should Daniel Levy see fit, he could protest that The FA and its representatives (because after all, the players represent The FA every time they get a call-up) are trying to entice his manager away from his contract. If Spurs really wanted to, they could throw the phrases “tapping up”, “arbitration” and “compensation” into the mix.

I’ve no doubt that the players would love to work with Redknapp, and that he has the potential to be a very successful manager for England, if given the chance. The problem is, now that he’s been named as the preferred candidate by the players, will he be automatically discounted by an FA committee fearful of reprisals from Levy and Tottenham Hotspur? Player choice cannot work without a degree of oversight from The FA (in the form of at least a guiding hand), but should The FA choose to, they can over-ride the decisions made by players, meaning that we are back to square one and exactly the same system as Aaron Ramsey found himself in last month; expressing their desires, and frustrations, and getting nowhere.

So, is player power a good thing? Well, it works on paper, or in theory. But as I’ve said, it’s open to abuse by both sides. The FA could reduce it to mere tokenism or the players could become so powerful that they allow their personal gain cloud their judgement. However, the bottom line is surely that the players of England couldn’t do much worse than the FA Committee. Who knows, with a bit of progressive (albeit slightly socialist or philanthropic) thinking from the “men in suits” it could lead to something actually working for once.

Andrei Arshavin’s career thus far will most fondly be remembered by fans of Zenit St Petersburg, the player’s hometown club and the team where he remains idolised as a saint. His canonisation into Zenit’s folklore stemmed from the fact that during his time in and around the club’s first team, with his breakthrough season coming in 2000, Arshavin found himself at the centre of a handful of the team’s finest achievements. The Premier League, UEFA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and Russian Cup were all ticked off Arshavin’s bucket list – as his rise to prominence reflected the successes his club were simultaneously experiencing.

Arshavin’s fantastic performances inevitable alerted a number of Europe’s finest clubs to his prowess and as such a move to Arsenal transpired in the winter of 2009. However, as time has passed the relationship between Arshavin and Arsenal’s fans has deteriorated to such an extent that he is more likely to hear himself booed for his performances than he is to witness his name chanted with heartfelt affection from the stands. As his introduction, as a substitute, in the recent Premier League match against Manchester United attests to, lacking the support of your fans can be one of the most debilitating experiences a footballer can possibly experience.

The problems that currently face Arshavin could well be a tipping point, spelling the end of his career in English football. Recent reports have persistently linked the Russian with a move back to his homeland – however it has not been Zenit who have been linked with offering a lucrative option out of England but, the new kid on the block, Anji Makhachkala. Linking the club from the North Caucasus with a high profile Russian talent is an easy assumption to make – as Yuri Zhirkov has shown that the club are now a realistic proposition for the most prominent Russian footballers. While the financial terms that the club can propose would far outweigh any other offer – from home or abroad.

It is perhaps a little too much like wishful thinking to assume that Arshavin’s heart would rule out a move for financial reasons solely to push through a return to St Petersburg. As Diniyar Bilyaletdinov’s transfer to Spartak Moscow and Roman Pavlyuchenko’s move to Lokomotiv Moscow shows that loyalties can often become skewed when desperation sets in. However recent developments could well pave the way for a sensational return for a player who remains an iconic figure within Russian football.

The recent injury to Zenit’s creative maestro, Danny – which will see him miss the remainder of the season, and possibly the start of the following season, thanks to cruciate ligament damage – will see the club without its most important attacking cog. The importance of the Portuguese international – as well as prolific forward Aleksandr Kerzhakov – was evident towards the latter part of last year, where Zenit’s attacking prowess dramatically dipped to the point where they suffered consecutive low scoring draws against Anji and Kuban Krasnodar.

The need for a ‘plan b’ in the absence of Danny means that a space may well be developing within Luciano Spalletti’s squad – and one would imagine that Arshavin is a player firmly on the club’s radar. While Zenit are perhaps not exactly light on midfielders at present, it is a certain brand of talent that is missing – without Danny there’s a need for a talismanic figure who can create a piece of technical brilliance helping to unlock the most stubborn of defences. Arshavin’s form over the past 18 months may well leave some sceptical as to whether he remains capable of such feats however within the uninterested diminutive frame sits a player still capable of moments of sheer spontaneity and brilliance.

The recent migration of Russian talent back to their homeland from western Europe – including the likes of Zhirkov, Pavlyuchenko and Bilyaletdinov – shows that the bubble created in the wake of Russia’s performances during Euro 2008 has burst into thin air. Therefore it seems logical that yet another high profile talent will again plump to move back to the security of home – a move that could well serve to reignite a severely faltering career.

The sticking point remains that with the European transfer window now firmly shut it remains to be seen whether Arsenal will agree to sell a first team squad member without the option to immediately replace them. However with the Russian transfer window set to close on February 24th, there remains time for negotiations to take place between the London club and interested parties. Should a return to St Petersburg be on the cards for Arshavin then the city’s prodigal son will be provided a heroes welcome that will leave few in doubt as to the importance of the player to Zenit’s folklore.

Daniele De Rossi has finally and formally rebutted some of European football’s most storied suitors, committing to AS Roma on a long-term contract following a lengthy period of uncertainty.

Roma, the club De Rossi supported and served as ball-boy before ascending to the playing ranks, received the news with understandable euphoria, but this a development that has gravitas and is much more than a simple good news story.

De Rossi’s future had been riddled with doubt. Despite ‘Giallorosso’ literally coursing through his veins, (his father, Alberto, is a former player and Roma’s current Primavera coach), there have been question marks over a potential move away with just months remaining on his existing contract.

Personal difficulties had tainted life in Rome for De Rossi. Divorce and a mafia-style slaying of his father-in-law casting a long shadow over what should have been ‘la dolce vita’ for a Roman playing in Rome. On the pitch, ill discipline, including a propensity to brandish an elbow, blighted his career; earning the scorn of Roma’s tifosi and indeed Italy’s national coach, Cesare Prandelli. For a time, the man dubbed as Roma’s ‘capitano futuro‘ looked destined to follow Mario Balotelli in seeking solace away from the peninsula.

Conveniently, both Manchester clubs have long been admirers of De Rossi and his breathless brand of midfield dominance. Unerring combativeness, vision and deft creativity a rare and highly attractive combination. It is believed that De Rossi spoke at least with Manchester City prior to renewing with Roma, and only a prevailing ambivalence towards Serie A football in England could have kept this development from grabbing more mainstream column inches.

Ultimately, De Rossi shunned City, and the many trappings to accompany a ‘Bosman’ deal, and this aspect alone should serve as a mighty fillip for Roma’s new regime, who in 2011, became the first ever Serie A club to fall into non-Italian ownership. Bostonian Thomas Di Benedetto lead an American consortium to usurp the Sensi family who had presided over Roma for almost two decades. And in this resultant state of flux, doubt surrounded the future of Roma’s old guard such as De Rossi and Totti as an influx of imported talent descended on Rome.

Under Rosella Sensi, Roma’s last ower,  the club existed amidst a fair amount of chaos, but amongst all this, Sensi nonetheless offered Francesco Totti unremitting supporting and maybe too much power than was good for any player to enjoy. ‘New Roma’ however sought out Fabio Capello’s former lieutenant Franco Baldini to help mastermind a metamorphosis from perennial underachievers to earnest scudetto chasers, and in doing so, sought to address internal imbalance within the club.

From the outset, Baldini was vocal in downplaying Totti’s influence and it soon became clear that his Roma would be built on meritocratic principles rather than revolving around the whim of one protagonist – a sea change that would affect De Rossi?

Such were Daniele De Rossi’s credentials, the apparent certainty of him inheriting Totti’s mantle meant that he was afforded the monicker, ‘capitano futuro’. But with he future of Roma’s captaincy likely to represent a stark contrast to the past, it was conceivable that De Rossi could fail to be enamored by all that would accompany the armband, certainly if he envisaged and desired a level of influence enjoyed by Totti throughout the Sensi years.

However, regardless of all peripheral issues, the politics, polemics and private grief have all seemingly been reconciled to Manchester’s detriment and Roma’s gain, and given the raft of reasons to divorce himself from Rome, De Rossi’s action speaks volumes for the legitimacy of Roma’s American dream.

Predictably, the speed and scale of change within Trigoria, Roma’s training base, has taken time to meld into something fluid and functional. Results ebbed and flowed while the fan’s patience has been somewhat tested – and in some cases, exhausted – a consummately easy feat considering the weight of expectation bought about ambitious new owners and Luis Enrique, the manager with both Barcelona and Real Madrid in his DNA.

But by some strange quirk of fate, last Sunday saw Roma’s promise come to fruition with a demolition of Inter Milan 4-0, and fittingly, shortly after the tie Roma formally announced that De Rossi was to remain a Roma player with a lucrative 5-year contract.

Crushing Inter aside, Daniele’s contract renewal serves to embellish Roma’s brave new footballing direction. Furthermore, the message this sends to tifosi cannot be underestimated. On occasions, this season has witnessed disillusioned fans attend training sessions and even airports to voice their disapproval after questionable performances. So, if the prodigal son, a native Roman, has rubber-stamped the direction being chartered by primarily non-Italians, (Baldini aside), it speaks volumes.

In Rome, the crowd is not only the twelfth man, but the fulcrum by which success or failure can hinge such is the extent to which fan’s ire can destabilise clubs within Serie A.

Clearly, Roma face an exciting, albeit bumpy future under the stewardship of Luis Enrique and Franco Baldini. Barcelona like ball-playing principles expedited by technicians such as Erik Lamela, Miralem Pjanic and Bojan Krcic suggests the curva sud faithful will have much to relish.  And in Daniele De Rossi, Roma retain the important and intrinsic link between the city and the pitch, while retaining a much needed iron fist to fit within their silk glove.

Yes, Roma’s revolution may take time to realise its true promise, but the noises emanating from Rome are unreservedly positive and this is an unfolding story which is well worth watching.

Hold the BackPage returns for another week as Willie Gannon and Tom Fox join Neil Sherwin to talk about the latest Premier League action, England’s latest international debacles, and buying football merchandise.

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This week’s pod kicks off with a look back to last weekend’s Premier League action as Willie does his bend to defend Howard Webb’s penalty giving antics at Stamford Bridge. There’s a look at the Liverpool and Tottenham game, as well as Manchester City’s return to winning ways.

Of course the big game of the weekend is United against Liverpool and the lads discuss the great odds on offer from Setantabet.

In the second half of the show, the focus shifts to the international stage as Harry Redknapp remains firmly in line to be the next England manager, while there’s discussion on who should replace John Terry as captain.

To wrap up, the lads chat about football merchandise in light of the FAI releasing yet another Ireland shirt, and they reveal a little too much in terms of their own personal collections.

Don’t forget, you can subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or RSS!

Also if there is anything you would like to hear on the show in future simply drop us an email, tweet or comment on Facebook.

Although the two clubs may be chasing different ambitions, Manchester United v Liverpool remains one of the biggest Premier League fixtures every season.

This weekend is no exception as Man United chase their 20^th league title and Liverpool look to mount a challenge for fourth place. In addition to this, Luis Suarez is expected to return to Liverpool’s starting lineup after serving his eight match ban for allegedly making racist comments towards Man United’s Patrice Evra.

There’s no doubt that the spotlight will be firmly on Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra come 12.45pm on Saturday afternoon. Irish bookmakers, Setantabet.com are offering some enticing specials for the fixture on Saturday.

“Manchester United v Liverpool is always a match that generates a huge amount of interest from football fans around the world. Just last season, Man United overtook Liverpool’s  record of 18 league titles by claiming their 19^th league title,” said a spokesman for Setantabet.

“There’s nothing more Liverpool fans would love than to derail Man United’s title challenge while maintaining their challenge for fourth place.”

The spokesman continued, “One can’t ignore the fact that with Luis Suarez expected to return to Liverpool’s starting lineup, all eyes will be on the reunion of Evra and Suarez.

“A few months ago, Suarez lost his temper at Craven Cottage after constant jeering from Fulham fans. Now Suarez will walk into a hostile atmosphere at Old Trafford and face an antagonising 90 minutes in front of Manchester United fans.

“The atmosphere may be too much for the Liverpool striker and therefore we’re offering a price of 12/1 for Suarez to be booked for a tackle on Evra. There’s also great value for punters to bet on Evra or Suarez to be booked @ 7/1.”

The past few fixtures between these two clubs have been extremely close with little to separate the sides, with the last league game between the pair finishing 1-1 last October.

Will we see the same this weekend?

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Manchester United v Liverpool Specials

Suarez or Evra to be sent off                                  16/1

Evra to be booked for a tackle on Suarez          14/1

Suarez to be booked for a tackle on Evra          12/1

Evra man of the match                                          14/1

Suarez man of the match                                     5/1

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Royson Drenthe has come off the bench eight times in the Premier League for Everton this season.

Royston Drenthe has undoubtedly sparkled and frustrated in equal measure since joining the club back in August. His chequered past and questionable attitude precedes him, and explains (much like Louis Saha’s injury problems before Moyes signed him) why such a naturally talented player is plying his trade at Goodison Park.

David Moyes, like with Saha, has shown shrewdness in picking up a bargain. However, if anybody truly expects Drenthe to be anything other than a short-term move then they will be sadly disappointed. In a rigidly negative tactical set up that demands work ethic over skill, the wildcard option will never truly flourish. See Diniyar Bilyaletdinov, a talented ball player ostracised to left wings or benches. The key question remains unanswered: Why does Moyes bring in skill players and try to change them when he clearly values natural workhorses more strongly? Earlier this season he spoke of Drenthe’s limitations: “We want [players] to entertain, but for the right reasons…Sometimes in the Premier League, the harder side of it is defending”.

Drenthe’s supposed inability to defend corners cannot detract from some great moments so far this season. As well as a 30-yard screamer against Fulham, his direct running has often caused havoc and his danger around the box is unquestionable, with several brilliantly drilled balls along the six-yard line that the geriatric Saha could never reach immediately springing to mind. Even when off-form, such as during his disappointing performance in the victory over Manchester City, Drenthe provided a spark with a driving run drawing in defenders before a lay off to Baines that led to Darron Gibson’s winning goal.

His bottom line stats are impressive. Drenthe has started 7 Premier League games (albeit finishing only two of them) and has come off the bench in 8, always between minutes 54 and 73. Overall, he has scored twice and achieved five assists. By way of contrast, in 101 Premier League starts for Everton his teammate Steven Pienaar has achieved 9 goals and 16 assists. Pienaar’s ball retention and hard work is impressive but his figures, however, are not.  A goal every 11.2 games and an assist every 6.3 clearly illustrate this. Even if I was to wrongly count all of Drenthe’s fifteen Premier League appearances as starts, he would still average a goal every 7.5 games and an assist every 3.

Steven Pienaar has scored 9 goals in 101 Premier League starts for Everton

It could be argued that upon Landon Donovan’s return to the MLS at the end of the month, Drenthe will be given a run of games on the right wing. However, with the return of future-right-back Seamus Coleman as the reliable and hard working option, Royston will likely be avoiding splinters on the bench once more. And who could blame him for being a little annoyed, having lost his place firstly to Donovan, a loan signing only available for two months and then to a former player in Pienaar who had left in search of riches before begging to return a year later.

Sadly, on Saturday it is likely that the spark that Everton have often lacked this season will sit once more on the bench, kept away from the pitch due to his rash decisions, rushes of blood and occasional taste for playing questionable passes in dangerous positions. Steven Pienaar will start, his return to link up with Leighton Baines having been met with delight from Everton’s manager and fans. However, Pienaar is truly a percentage player, with his poor record of goals and assists masked by his ability in holding the ball, turning in circles and constant hard work. He is also aging at 29, in contrast to Drenthe’s room for improvement at 24. No disrespect to Pienaar, but he sums up Moyes perfectly. Moyes is an adequate but truly overrated manager outside of Goodison Park, a negative tactician who adores ageing players and bemoans the lack of entertainment his team has offered this season whilst leaving his wildcard option on the bench, choosing to bring Phil Neville on for Tim Cahill while his team are drawing against Wigan.

So the “fancy dan” Double-R Drenthe would probably be best off elsewhere, as much as I’d love to see him stay. You will struggle to find a player with such natural ability available and obtainable for no transfer fee, but under a manager who values perspiration over inspiration he will never truly succeed. Drenthe is a wildcard, a footballing madman even, equally capable of winning games alone and frustrating you in to submission. But isn’t it the surprise factor and the hope of entertainment that puts backsides on seats? If so, then no wonder there are more than ten thousand of them empty at Goodison Park these days.

Bucharest had always been the center for football in Romania, and it was Venus București who had dominated the league from the 1920s to the late 1930s. The league was suspended during the mid-1940s due to the war and the restart witnessed the rise of a team outside of the Romanian capital, FC UTA Arad. During the same time, Steaua was founded under the name ASA București, as the club was affiliated to the army.

While teams outside Bucharest dominated Romanian football in the 40s, Steaua were busy renaming themselves, first to CSCA(Central Sports Club of the Army) and then to CCA(Central House of the Army).

Success did not elude CCA for long as they picked up their first trophy, the Romanian Cup, in 1949 by defeating CSU Cluj. The 50s proved to be the beginning of a long period of capital clubs’ dominance over Romanian football. The conception of Dinamo București in 1948 was a big boost to football in Bucharest as the two capital clubs won six league titles in the following decade. The early 60s were completely dominated by new boys Dinamo București as they clinched five consecutive titles. This was the onset of a dark period in the history of Steaua București. The Militarii managed to win just three league titles over the next twenty years as their city rivals had got an iron grip over the Romanian league. During this dry period the club changed name yet again, this time to CSA Steaua București.

The Armymen finally tasted success in 1985 by winning the league by a mere two points and ousting city rivals Dinamo from the throne of Romanian football. This successful league campaign was coupled by the rise of two future Steaua legends, Victor Piţurcă and Gheorghe Hagi. Piţurcă was not the youngest player around, at the age of 28, but his experience and composure in front of goal proved to be imperative in Steaua’s national success. On the other hand, another Bucharest based club, Sportul Studenţesc, was witnessing the rapid growth of Romania’s most prolific player of all time, Gheorghe Hagi. These two contrasting players had their breakout seasons in 1984-85 as Hagi and Piţurcă scored 20 and 19 goals respectively.

The following season was pretty much the same story. Steaua won the league by 9 points and Piţurcă and Hagi continued to terrorize defenders across Romania. This time out, it was not just the Romanian League that was added to their trophy cabinet. Steaua had a sensational European campaign as they won Europe’s most prestigious tournament, the European Cup. Piţurcă continued to impress with his eye for goal as he scored 5 goals in the tournament, the brace against Anderlecht and a solitary goal against Kuusysi being the most crucial ones.  Steaua’s dominance over the Romanian League continued to blossom in the 1986-87 season.  The Army Men sat atop the table right from Matchday 3 up until the end of the season, also managing to remain unbeaten throughout the season.  It was in the winter of this season that Steaua managed to sign Hagi from Sportul Studenţesc on a contract that allowed the Romanian attacker to play just one game for Steaua, the European Super Cup final.

The game was to be played against Dynamo Kiev at the Stade Louis II in Monaco. Hagi scored a stunning free kick to help Steaua pick up a memorable 1-0 victory. French newspaper L’Equipe very rightly summed up this match as a win for the “legs, muscles and nerves” of Steaua București over the “heads” of the Ukrainians.  This stellar performance made Steaua hold on to Hagi, somehow managing to retain his services. Sadly for Steaua, their hopes of retaining the European Cup were shattered prior to Hagi’s arrival as Anderlecht managed to get their revenge by knocking out the Romanians in the Second Round.

Looking for redemption and boosted by the arrival of Hagi, Steaua looked set to get back the European Cup in 1987-88. Having a fairly easy route to the semi-finals, Steaua finally faced stiff competition in the form of Portuguese champions Benfica. Following a cagey goalless draw in Romania, Benfica disposed of the Romanians with a confident 2-0 victory at home. Hagi had a great tournament as he ended up finishing as the joint top scorer of the tournament. The league continued to be Steaua’s forte. Although Dinamo proved difficult to deal with, Steaua finally won the title by a point.

The 1988-89 season marked the last season where Steaua would be considered a threat in European football.  Hagi and Marius Lăcătuş showed Europe just how attacking the Romanians were as they disposed of Sparta Prague, Spartak Moscow, IFK Göteborg and Galatasaray by scoring a total of 22 goals en route to the final. Up against one of the greatest teams in the history of the sport, Arrigo Sacchi’s AC Milan, Steaua were treated to a highly memorable thrashing. This 4-0 loss to Milan signaled the end of Steaua’s joy run in Europe’s elite competition. The club has managed just one semi-final appearance in a European competition over the next two decades.

National glory did not elude the Militarii as they won the 1988-89 season. The following season was a nail-biter as they lost the league by just one point to city rivals Dinamo București.  After a decent showing at the 1990 World Cup, Hagi made the blockbuster move to the Spanish capital to play for Real Madrid.   The 90s were just a continuation to Steaua’s glory years. The likes of Ilie Dumitrescu, Ilie Stan, Ion Vlădoiu and Sabin Ilie helped Steaua maintain their reputation as one of the most attacking teams in Romanian football. The club added six more league titles to the trophy cabinet in this decade.

The dawn of the new millennium was the beginning of the end of Steaua’s glory days. No European glory, a controversial owner and just three league titles clearly shows us just how drastically the club has dropped. Bucharest itself, seems have have lost its footballing talents as the none of the city’s clubs have managed to win a league title in the last last five years, something that hasn’t happened since the 1930s. The one thing that is in favour of historic clubs like Steaua, is the fact that the clubs that have clinched the title over the last few years have been unable to maintain any sort of consistency. The likes of Unirea Urziceni have gone from Champions League football to complete dissolution. Hopefully, this period will be nothing but a small blemish and Steaua will return to dominate Romanian football once again.

Clough: a suave and outspoken realist who loved the media’s attention, who was the fastest to score 250 goals in English league football and who coached in such a simple way that his ball-playing philosophy, no nonsense man management and short individual coaching instructions took precedence over set-piece routines and, what he saw as, meaningless phrases like high lines and zonal marking; Taylor: a shy, optimistic and bumbling shadowman who disliked the limelight, who was not a particularly renowned goalkeeper with the likes of Coventry and Middlesbrough and who was one of the most influential assistant managers in the history of football with his eye for talent, invisible ball match practices (that Arrigo Sacchi would later popularise) and near-infallible gut instinct.

Brian Clough first met Peter Taylor at a probables v possibles trial match for Second Division Middlesbrough in the summer of 1955. The 27 year old Taylor, who was born in Nottingham and was seven years older than Clough, had previously played for Coventry so was on the probables team while Clough, who was from Middlesbrough but with no professional experience by the age of 20, was on the possibles team. For the locally sourced Clough, though, it was not the most glamorous start to what would soon blossom into a international career: Middlesbrough’s manager, Bob Dennison, was not wholly sure of the striker and but for the intervention for Taylor, who was an inevitable signing given Middlesbrough’s lack of goalkeeping options and who was one of the best people for Dennison to ask the opinion of given that he was consistently playing within touching distance of Clough during the trial match, Clough would not have been signed by Dennison. It was the start of a football-obsessed friendship, where the two would spend hours upon hours discussing the merits of the game with the odd dose of their mutual deadpan humour, and a highly-successful association.

Despite what would soon become his trademark optimism, Taylor never believed he would play for England, which was in part down to the fact that the likes of Eddie Hopkinson, Colin McDonald, Alan Hodgkinson and Ron Springett were well ahead of him in the pecking order but also because of Middlesbrough’s lowly position, but Clough, such was his confidence, realistically believed he could become an international striker. This was all the more remarkable, regardless of Clough’s incredible potency (scoring 251 goals in 274 matches for Middlesbrough and Sunderland between 1955 and 1964), when one considers that Clough was up against household names like Derek Kevan, Gerry Hitchens, Roger Hunt, Jimmy Greaves and his unselfish and celebrated strike partner at ‘Boro, Alan Peacock. However, winning just two caps as a 24 year old in 1959 was as good as it got for Clough, who was unfortunate to be operating while the conservative Walter Winterbottom was in charge of England, and Sunderland’s Boxing Day fixture against Bury on 26 December, 1962 would prove to be a turning point in Clough’s life.

The conditions were nothing short of dreadful: icy with a torrential downpour of rain and hailstones, which made the pitch, at best, unplayable. The game should have been called off, which was made all the more remarkable when the nearby Middlesbrough’s match against Norwich was postponed, but Clough’s fate was sealed. On 27’, Len Ashurst hit a trademark through ball for Clough to beat the offside trap with. The pair had telepathically connected with this move numerous times in Clough’s stay at Sunderland, but it was not to have the euphoric ending that it had usually promised. Onrushing, Chris Harker, Bury’s goalkeeper, dived for the ball and his shoulder crashed into Clough’s right knee. Innocuous, it seemed, given this type of collision happens constantly in football, but Clough could not stand up despite his best efforts. From this, Clough completely tore both his medial and cruciate ligaments in his right knee and had his whole leg in plaster for the next three months. The striker would spend the next eighteen months, following the plaster removal, in brutal rehabilitation but without his pace, Clough never made a serious comeback and was left in a state of limbo and incredible distress.

Taylor, meanwhile, became manager of Burton Albion at 34 years of age in 1962 and won the 1964 Southern League Cup. By 1965, Clough realised that while he would never have the ecstasy of a goalscoring feeling again, media work and management still offered him a footballing outlet. From this, the 30 year old Clough was offered the chance to take over at Fourth Division side Hartlepool United after a season in charge of Sunderland’s youth team. Realising that he would become the youngest manager in Britain, that he would have to tour pubs and clubs to raise money (such were the financial circumstances, Clough even applied for a coach license to drive the team on away days) and that he would have to deal with Hartlepool’s notorious chairman, Ernest Ord, Clough knew he could not go it alone and asked Taylor to join him. Such was Taylor’s value in Clough’s eyes, Clough personally drove to Burton and declared:

“I’ve been offered the managership of Hartlepool and I don’t fancy it, but if you’ll come, I’ll consider it.”

Ord, though, was not happy with Clough for this as he knew he could not mould Clough (in hindsight, incredibly ironic given Clough’s hatred of ‘suits’, but Clough had not yet completely blossomed into the incredibly publicly opinionated and self-revelling individual ) with Taylor around, so Taylor, humorously, doubled up as a makeshift physio. The duo performed admirably in incredibly tough financial circumstances that were not helped by Ord’s interference and Taylor’s inspired scouting was never so necessary. Two notable examples at Hartlepool included John McGovern, who debuted at just 16, and Les Green, a 24 year old goalkeeper Taylor managed at Burton. Both would go on to reappear for the duo in future years and played a key role in Hartlepool’s promotion to Division Three in 1967. That, along with Clough’s growing reputation within the media through television appearances, led to interest from Derby and having seen off Ord, who ludicrously sacked Clough and Taylor on 15 November, 1966, only for the senile chairman to be ousted by the boardroom in a coup that re-instated the duo and allowed them to lead Hartlepool to promotion, led to Clough believing that he was ready for the next step.

Derby, seemingly, were far from a massive step-up, having been rooted in the Second Division for over ten years and the fact that their chairman, Sam Longson, appointed Clough and Taylor on the back of a recommendation from a North-East journalist, Len Shackleton, reflected the chaotic environment the duo had entered. Clough, though, looked to thrive in this set-up, knowing he could manipulate the ambitious Longson in his favour, and did not fear the shadows of his predecessors, Tim Ward and Harry Storer. Like all of Clough and Taylor’s jobs, though, it was going to take time to turn things completely around and initially, they saw it as, at least, a five-year project. So, mass rejuvenation took time to gel, with Clough and Taylor not rating many of the stagnant squad that greeted them upon arrival. From this, the likes of Green, Roy McFarland (would become Derby’s first player for twenty years to play for England, against Malta on 3 February, 1971), Alan Hinton, McGovern and John O’Hare all arrived in 1967/1968 and only Kevin Hector, Alan Durban, Ron Webster and Colin Boulton were retained from the original squad. Remarkably, Clough also fired the club secretary, the groundsman, the chief scout and two tea ladies. Somewhat unsurprisingly, the immediate results of these dramatic changes was not immediate: Derby finishing 18^th.

Fearless: Mackay takes on the notorious Billy Bremner

The signings of Dave Mackay and Willie Carlin took Derby to the next level in 1968/1969, though. Mackay was 34, finished as a full back and had agreed to become player-manager of Hearts. Clough’s pulling power, though, with an exciting, yet incredibly ambitious and somewhat unrealistic, vision of Derby becoming First Division champions within two seasons fascinated Mackay. Clough and Taylor saw that while Mackay had clearly lost the marauding pace that made him one of the cornerstones of Bill Nicholson’s double-winning side in 1960/1961, he had retained his other strong points: leadership, a brilliant reading of the game, well-timed tackles and classy passing. Therefore, they planned to use him as a libero. It proved inspirational: Mackay winning the Football Writers’ Player of the Year award and playing a huge role in Derby rising seventeen places to win Division Two on the back of a phenomenal 22-match unbeaten run.  With Clough building a settled group, with ‘originals’ like Hector even performing brilliantly, the squad that won promotion was permitted the chance to lead Derby’s title tilt (in the days where some promoted teams could, realistically, compete for the title).

Derby finished an admirable fourth, boosted by the club record £100,000 mid-season signing of Terry Hennessey from Nottingham Forest and the £60,000 coup of Archie Gemmill (Taylor had recommended him to Clough, who stayed the night at Gemmill’s house in a bid to convince him not to join Everton), and qualified for the 1971 Fairs Cup. The pressure that Clough and Taylor, along with Longson and his expenditure, placed on eachother to deliver success was clearly evident, though: Taylor suffered a heart murmur before the game against Wolves on 9 January, 1971. It was one of the first turning points in their relationship, with Clough bringing in George Pycrof as a temporary replacement and only visiting Taylor once at the Derby Royal Infirmary – although this was owed, in part, to his phobia of hospitals from his knee injury in 1964. However, Derby’s gung-ho attitude with finances and Clough’s previous sacking of the club secretary eventually caught up with them when there was an unexplained gap of £3,000 in season ticket income and a payment of bonuses to Mackay outside the terms of his contract. From this, Derby were fined £10,000, disqualified from Europe for a year and brought it Stuart Webb, Preston North End’s efficient secretary, to assist with the financial running of the club.

1971/1972 reflected the chaos that had gripped Derby behind the scenes, with the Rams finishing a disappointing 9^th following a failure to put together a consistent run, and Taylor’s scouting nous seemed to take a hit: vehemently refusing to sign the then 16 year old Steve Powell, the local hot prospect and soon to be club hero, which was only averted by Clough personally sanctioning the signing behind Taylor’s back. Colin Todd was also signed, for £160,000 from Sunderland, and Derby produced a brilliant season in 1972/1973 to win their first ever top-level title. It was particularly sweet for Clough, having held off the threat of Don Revie and Leeds who he despised for their cynical brand of football and Revie’s seemingly unprovoked distaste for Clough despite the pair growing up just minutes from eachother in Middlesbrough. Having won their final game against Liverpool 1-0, Taylor took the squad to Majorca while Clough and his family headed to Sicily as they awaited the results of Leeds and Liverpool’s final matches the following week (owed to fixture congestion). Liverpool, who needed a win, drew 0-0 against Arsenal at Highbury and Leeds lost 2-1 at Molineux to a fired-up Wolves outfit.

However, what should have led to a period of domination was undone by inevitable boardroom strife. Firstly, Longson was not happy about Clough taking his family with him to a pre-season trip to the Netherlands and West Germany so Clough refused to go and let Taylor take charge. Then, Clough and Taylor signed David Nish for £225,000 from Leicester without consulting the board, which led to Jack Kirkland, a leading club director, placing an informal embargo on the pair spending six-figure sums again. Unsurprisingly, the 1973/1974 season was not a great success: Derby finishing 7^th, Clough suffering a bout of depression when his mother, Sally, died and Derby being cheated by Juventus, who were later proved to have bribed the match officials, in a 3-1 semi-final aggregate defeat in the European Cup. That season, Clough did not hold back in his comments, having proving himself as one of the country’s great managers, and led personal attacks on the establishment: Sir Matt Busby, Alan Hardaker, Sir Alf Ramsey, Don Revie and Len Shipman. However, questioning Italy’s courage in World War Two and calling Juventus “cheating basterds” did not aid Clough’s popularity within the boardroom and this, along with Clough’s and Taylor’s post-match drinking, was beginning to irk Longson.

Happy Families: Taylor, Clough, Longson and Shackleton upon Clough's appointment

Remarkably, Clough was once Longson’s muse and the man he lavished gifts, including bottles of Scotch, club shares and salary increases upon, and this annoyed Taylor. Taylor never once received a salary increase and constantly had his role and importance questioned by Longson, but Taylor, too, was starting to tire of Clough and his arrogance. After all, Clough was the one constantly appearing on ITV (would go on to infamously call Jan Tomaszerwski a “clown” before the crucial World Cup qualifier against England at Wembley on 17 October, 1973; Tomaszerwski went on to produce a man-of-the-match display to earn Poland a 1-1 draw), writing for the Express and receiving the credit for Derby’s incredible resurgence with numerous Manager of the Month awards. Following one last fall-out with Longson, who was furious to learn that the pair had made a tongue-in-cheek £400,000 offer for both Trevor Brooking and Bobby Moore in September, 1973, and board criticism over Clough’s public distaste for Revie and Busby, Clough, Taylor and their whole backroom staff resigned on 15 October, 1973.

No one could have seen the next step coming. On 1 November, 1973, Clough and Taylor were appointed as manager and assistant of Third Division Brighton and Hove Albion. The fact that they returned to management so quickly was a surprise in itself, but with a lowly Third Division side seemed, at best, implausible. The chairman, Mike Bamber, though, gave the pair significantly higher wages than they had been on at Derby and the aim of the spell was simply to get more fans into the stadium. It worked: Brighton’s average attendance tripled to 16,500 for Clough’s first match against York at the Goldstone Stadium on 3 November. It naturally proved a strange period, with Clough displaying little interest (went to New York City to watch the Muhammed Ali and Joe Fraizer fight, instead of a match against Cambridge) and signing only a handful of players. Brighton finished 19^th, winning just twelve of thirty-two games in 1973/1974, but incredibly, Clough’s next move was all the more bizarre.

Revie became England manager at the end of the 1973/1974 season, having won his second title with Leeds, and despite, or maybe because, of his hatred of Revie’s philosophy with Leeds, Clough applied and took over at Elland Road in July, 1974. While the move was incredibly surprising, it was clear that Clough saw it as the ultimate challenge and way to affirm his legacy: highlight how brutal Revie’s methods and practises were, implement his own ball-playing philosophy and then replicate and outdo Revie’s achievements with a similar group of players performing in a more admirable fashion. There was one key component missing, though, and that was Taylor. Deciding that he was ready for another crack at management at 46 years of age and with his family settled in Brighton, Taylor agreed a two-year contract to replace Clough as manager at Brighton. Clough thought little of it, but the pair would not speak to eachother for the six months following their parting at Brighton.

It was not to be a successful time for Clough and he failed to win over the dressing-room, notably the key figures of Billy Bremner and John Giles, with his impassioned pleas to win in a more dignified manager. Clough won just one match out of six games in his 44 days in charge, struggled under Revie’s shadow, toiled without Taylor’s influence (new signings John McGovern and John O’Hare seriously struggled) and was sacked, with a massive £98,000 pay-off, on 12 September, 1974. Clough’s next move was crucial, with his nomadic career blighted and an outspoken reputation preceding him. He swallowed his pride and turned to Taylor and vowed to tone down his comments and television appearances (following the disastrous and needless live confrontation with Revie on Austin Mitchell’s Calendar on the night of Clough’s sacking from Leeds). Taylor, though, vowed to honour his contract with Brighton but did have an informal agreement with Clough that he would soon join him.

Clough took over at Division Two side Nottingham Forest on 13 January, 1975. Forest were in 13^th place when Clough took over and went on to finish 8^th in 1974/1975 and in 1975/1976, but with Taylor’s arrival in the summer of 1976, Forest took off. Forest finished 3^rd to win promotion to the First Division in 1976/1977 and made some ingenious signings: Larry Lloyd for just £60,000 from Coventry, Kenny Burns (a “one-time fighting, hard-drinking gambler who was a stone overweight” but went on to become the league’s Player of the Year) for £145,000 from Birmingham, Peter Shilton for a brave £250,000 from Stoke, Gemmill for £20,000 and John Middleton from Derby, and Garry Birtles for £2,000 from Long Island. Amazingly, before the flurry of transfers, Clough had been the first to have been interviewed to replace Revie as manager of England in the summer of 1977 but the FA instead decided on the safe option of Ron Greenwood. Unperturbed, Clough and Forest won the 1977/1978 title, finishing seven points clear of second-placed Liverpool, and the League Cup in a 1-0 final replay against Liverpool. It was a remarkable achievement for Clough, putting him, at the time, in an exclusive pantheon alongside Herbert Chapman as the only manager to have won an English First Division title with two different clubs, and he won the Manager of the Year award for the only time in his career.

Clough then sought to take Forest to the next level, while still brilliantly utilising youth products like John Robertson and Tony Woodcock. Consistent expenditure was something Clough had not been afforded the chance to do at Derby, but at Forest, with lesser debt (before the ill-fated Executive Stand), the backing of Stuart Dryden and increased gate receipts, that was not the case and Clough signed Trevor Francis from Birmingham City for a British record fee of £1 million. Forest performed admirably in 1978/1979: retaining the League Cup after beating Southampton 3-2, going a record 42 games unbeaten between 26 November, 1977 and 9 December, 1978, finishing 2^nd behind a stellar Liverpool side in the league and winning their first ever European Cup (beating Liverpool ((won previous two finals)), AEK Athens, Grasshopper, Köln on the way to the final). The final would see Francis partly-justify his fee, in his European Cup debut following a three-month competition delay over his signature, with a brilliant finish on 45’ to defeat an injury-ravaged Malmö FF 1-0.

Forest went on to retain the competition in 1979/1980, joining an exclusive pantheon alongside Real Madrid, Benfica, Internazionale, Ajax, Bayern Munich and Liverpool, having beaten Öster, Argeş Piteşti, Dynamo Berlin, Ajax and Kevin Keegan’s Hamburg on the way to a remarkable second European title. Even though Forest lost in the League Cup final to Wolves and finished 5^th in the league, their continental achievement was nothing short of outstanding - despite Forest’s seeming unprecedented expenditure (common misconception as key players like Viv Anderson, Martin O’Neill, Ian Bowyer, Gary Mills and John Robertson were either brought through Forest’s youth system or arrived on nominal fees before Clough’s appointment). It was as good as it got for Clough and Taylor, though, and would be the last major trophy win of their careers. Complacency began to grip Taylor, who would only go on one scouting trip per week rather than four in a firm belief that the squad could stay competitive for years yet, and the likes of Ian Rush and Kevin Keegan were among those who fell through the net as youngsters in Taylor’s otherwise glorious portfolio. Taylor was an anachronism, though, and realised that:

“It’s as important in football as in the stock market to sell at the right time.”

From this, Birtles was sold to Manchester United for an incredible, given that he arrived at Forest for just £2,000 in 1977, £1.25 million in 1980. Trevor Francis’ inflated deal in 1978 had set transfer fees to new precedents but even still, just twelve years later, Sir Alex Ferguson would pay £1 million for Eric Cantona. It was Taylor’s career masterstroke, with Birtles struggling under the weight of expectation for United and re-signing for Forest for just £300,000 in 1982. Taylor, though, began to lose his touch in the inflated market and the likes of Asa Hartford (£500,000 in 1979; failed to fit into Forest’s high tempo playing style and was sold after just three games to Everton for £500,000), Stan Bowles (£250,000 in 1979; incredibly unprofessional and constantly clashed with Clough before being sold for £100,000 to Leyton Orient in 1980), Peter Ward (£400,000 in 1980; scored an average 7 goals in 33 matches between 1980 and 1983), Ian Wallace (£1.25 million in 1980; scored 36 goals in 134 games between 1980 and 1984) and Justin Fashanu (£1m in 1981; moved to Notts County for just £150,000 in 1982 after just 3 goals in 32 games for Forest, following a fall-out over his sexuality with the old-school Clough) proved disastrous signings. Forest declined: finishing 7^th in 1980/1981, embarrassingly went out in the first round of the European Cup to CSKA Sofia, and finished 12^th and went out to Wrexham in the 3^rd round of the FA Cup in 1981/1982.

Sadly, Taylor’s and Clough’s friendship and association was firmly ended at the end of the 1981/1982 season with Taylor’s unauthorised ‘auto-biography’, With Clough, which focused mainly on the figure of Clough and his upbringing, and even had Clough on the front cover of  the first edition. Taylor decided to, temporarily at least, retire from football at the age of 54 and believedthat Clough’s distaste of the book smacked of double standards given his celebrity and media activities. Unfazed, Clough began a relentless assault on his one-time best friend and called him a “rattlesnake” and declared, following Taylor’s suprising move to manage Second Division Derby, who would ironically knock Forest out of the 1983 FA Cup fifth round, six months later:

 “We pass each other on the A52 going to work on most days of the week, but if his car broke down and I saw him thumbing a lift, I wouldn’t pick him up. I’d run him over”.

Despite Clough’s League Cup wins in 1989 and 1990, neither were quite the same again. Clough rapidly descended into alcoholicism, badly lacking his drinking partner who kept him at a somewhat consistent stable level, and made numerous uncharacteristically eccentric moves: re-signed a flagging and injury-ridden John Robertson in 1985; hit three supporters in a pitch invasion at QPR on 19 January, 1989; played the inexperienced Ian Woan and Chris Glover, and the injured Roy Keane, in the 1991 FA Cup final against Tottenham where a shaken Clough walked out holding Terry Venables’ (both would soon be implicated in the 1993 bungs scandal) hand and refused to give his team a team-talk before the beginning of extra-time; and rapidly losing control of the dressing-room and footballing matters as Forest were relegated in Clough’s final season in 1992/1993. Taylor performed admirably with Derby under dire financial circumstances, though: leading them to 16^th and the FA Cup 5^th round in 1982/1983, but retiring from football for good in April, 1984 with Derby bottom of the Second Division but avoiding bankruptcy thanks to making the FA Cup quarter-final.

Sadly, when Peter Taylor died on holiday in Majorca on 4 October, 1990 at the age of 62, Brian Clough had yet to make-up with him after a bitter war of words that lasted over eight years. It was no coincidence that Clough’s rapid public deterioration and increased drinking occurred from this moment on and when informed by Taylor’s family, Clough could not speak for hours, wept heavily and could not bring himself to sit near the front of Taylor’s funeral. It was an incredibly poignant and remorseful end to a twenty-seven year partnership that saw Taylor help launch Clough’s football career and Clough, deep down, seriously value Taylor’s managerial and scouting input in his incredible success as a manager. Perhaps the scale of their seemingly unlikely friendship was best summed up by Clough’s closing words when he received the Freedom of Nottingham in 1993:

“My only regret is that my mate is not with me”