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Bloody Southerners - Clough and Taylor at Brighton


RamNut

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Just finished reading this book by Spencer Vignes.

it tells the history of their careers before, during, and after their spell at Brighton.

It is quite a shocking in that it can hardly be described as an affectionate portrait of Brian.

Peter fairs better as a result of staying on when brian went to Leeds, and slowly building the foundations of a team that really blossomed under Alan Mullery.

it was amazing to remember than in october 1973 Cloughy was waving to the baseball ground faithful from the front row of A stand and trying to win a power battle with sam longson. But by mid november he was appointed manager of third division Brighton. His nine months there reads like a dress rehearsal for the even more spectacular car crash at Leeds.  The book pulls no punches whatsoever, and makes you wonder what would have happened if they had stayed at Derby. I had always imagined years of triumph and glory. But reading this, you can imagine that it might somehow have all imploded. 

It reads as a brutual account of a brief period of time. It describes a manager who seemingly didn't really want to be there, and found it difficult to adjust to life after Derby.

peter taylor, on the other hand, stayed nearly three years (which surprised me). Although he is also criticised for his managerial style during the initial 9 months with brian, his reputation is redeemed and enhanced for staying loyal to brighton and working hard to eventually build the basis of a successful team.

 There are many interesting snippets. Peter ward started off with borrowash vics - i didn't know that. Barry 'for missing the target from there you want bloody shooting' butlin played for them both again - at forest and brighton. Ricky Marlowe - another Derby reserve in 71-72 also went to brighton. And Peter taylor signed joe kinnear too! 

Interesting book if you lived through those turbulent times. Still trying to make sense of it all.

Well worth reading.

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Just finished reading 'With Clough by Taylor' which seemed likely to offer an interesting perspective. 

This was the book that allegedly started the rift. I remember reading somewhere that BC was angry that taylor hadn't told him he was writing a book, and that Taylor was supposedly cashing in on Clough's name. I read it when it first came out in 1980 but it has just been re-issued. But its not 'Clough by Taylor'. Its 'With Clough by Taylor'. In other words its their joint story in Peter Taylor's own words. 

its an interesting book covering the entire history of their friendship and partnership from Cloughies trial match at Middlesbrough, to the European cup win just prior to the start of the decline. Its their joint history. Its covers all the key moments including the early days at hartlepool when taylor took a huge pay cut to join brian as his assistant; the move to Derby; the resignations and the possible return in 1977; etc etc.

There are bits in the book which might have riled Brian but ultimately it is an honest and affectionate portrait of Cloughie from a time before the legendary and terminal split.

The massive influence of harry storer - Derby's former manager - on them both is interesting to re-discover.

Apparently Clough could have been signed by Derby as a player. Taylor tipped off Harry Storer about this amazing new unknown striker, but Storer was inhibited by a lack of available funds.

There are some great snippets. For example, when taylor was managing Burton, apparently out of the blue Cloughie phoned. "I hadn't heard from Brian in four years until he telephoned my home and came straight to the point....."i've been offered the managership of hartlepools and i don't fancy it. But if you come i'll consider it". Then he banged the phone down". What ? Brian is such a strange and unique character. 

Another gem: Peter states that "the Baseball Ground has always appealed to me.Nottingham is my birthplace but i feel more at home in Derby, a real football town". And this was written at the height of their success with Forest! 

And finally - one comment i was particularly pleased to read concerned Les Green. I has always narked me that Les Green was virtually written out of Derbys glorious history. Graham Richards absolutely ( and unjustly) slagged him off in the 1984 audio BBC Radio Derby Centenary story. It was a horrible assassination job on a great player by non-expert too fond of the sound of his own voice.

 Taylor states " i took him (les) to hartlepools in 1965 and then signed him for Derby from Rochdale for £7000. He never missed a game for two years and during that time - and i speak as an ex-keeper - he was the best goalkeeper in the world". Kinell. Praise indeed and a slightly better epitaph for the players family to savour. RIP Les Green.

nice one Pete.

 

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just finshed reading 'Champagne Memories, and how Brian Clough changed my life' by colin shields

well is looks like someone got there first @ronnieronalde and after reading it i can understand why a publisher might be reluctant to go there twice.

this is the story of Colin Shields, a five foot three inch football fan from Alfreton. Colin was one of those Derby fan season ticket holders who defected to watch Forest after Clough and Taylor resurfaced up the road. Colin somehow managed to weedle his way into Brian's inner circle such that he got unprecedented access to the great man. The book is full of fabulous anecdotes from Forest's glory years.

there was the time when Colin took a box of small cigars up to Brian's hotel room and he said he would give him the money when he got downstairs; or the time when a bunch of people were with Brian in a restaurant and he decided that they should all have pizza!; or the time they carried some big bags of laundry to the cleaner's whilst on holiday in Majorca and then had a sit down. Great stuff.

Due to the unprecedented access we also learn that brian enjoyed a wide variety of food including chinese take-away, fish and chips and indian food....and Italian and even seafood. It seems as though he liked all food. However he didn't like anyone to fiddle with the knobs on his car radio. The author was also close to peter taylor as well, and once bumped into him in Majorca after the split. When the time was right he told Brian that he'd seen Peter, and Brian said "is he alright", and he said "yes". 

He liked to give Brian and the players boxes of pork pies in return for all the privileged access, free seats, and rides on the team bus. Unfortunately the players flushed all the pastry down the toilet. 

Which gives me an idea......

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7 hours ago, RamNut said:

just finshed reading 'Champagne Memories, and how Brian Clough changed my life' by colin shields

well is looks like someone got there first @ronnieronalde and after reading it i can understand why a publisher might be reluctant to go there twice.

this is the story of Colin Shields, a five foot three inch football fan from Alfreton. Colin was one of those Derby fan season ticket holders who defected to watch Forest after Clough and Taylor resurfaced up the road. Colin somehow managed to weedle his way into Brian's inner circle such that he got unprecedented access to the great man. The book is full of fabulous anecdotes from Forest's glory years.

there was the time when Colin took a box of small cigars up to Brian's hotel room and he said he would give him the money when he got downstairs; or the time when a bunch of people were with Brian in a restaurant and he decided that they should all have pizza!; or the time they carried some big bags of laundry to the cleaner's whilst on holiday in Majorca and then had a sit down. Great stuff.

Due to the unprecedented access we also learn that brian enjoyed a wide variety of food including chinese take-away, fish and chips and indian food....and Italian and even seafood. It seems as though he liked all food. However he didn't like anyone to fiddle with the knobs on his car radio. The author was also close to peter taylor as well, and once bumped into him in Majorca after the split. When the time was right he told Brian that he'd seen Peter, and Brian said "is he alright", and he said "yes". 

He liked to give Brian and the players boxes of pork pies in return for all the privileged access, free seats, and rides on the team bus. Unfortunately the players flushed all the pastry down the toilet. 

Which gives me an idea......

I got to know Colin quite well, he's a nice man.

He certainly was among a small group of Brian's closest friends, although the "access" he had didn't even come close. I'll try to get hold of it as I imagine it will be a bloody good read though.

I got a message the other week from someone very close, didn't know whether to smile with pride or to break down in tears.

"you knew him better than almost anyone still alive" - how lovely is that?

It's not the publishers not wanting to touch it, they are as desperate as me to see it in print, it's not getting permission from Nigel or Simon that is stopping it from being out. Until that comes I'm in limbo.

It still doesn't sit well that people like Colin/Duncan Hamliton have made money from selling their stories though. I see why but it just leaves a bit of a sour taste. The memories and time spent with him was payment enough.

 

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