Morning all.
So, being from a family of Forest fans (except my mum who supports Leicester)...I'm well versed in the glory days of the Clough era. It's all I heard growing up, the incredible team of the late 70s and how they shocked English football by coming up from the 2nd Division to winning the title before conquering Europe.
A truly amazing achievement. While its early days and I maintain that we can't win the title without some heavy investment, can we achieve the modern day equivalent - a top 4 finish?
Before Forest fans say "hang on how is 4th place equivalent to winning the tile!?" - well trophy wise of course it isn't.
But consider the fact that the landscape of English football is unrecognisable from 1977. Would Clough be able to, on limited funds, achieve the same feat, including European glory, with a newly promoted side these days? Not for me. Too much money in the game now and it's why we won't win the title in my opinion.
However what Leicester are doing has to be considered as the closest possible thing to that Forest scenario. Consider the following;
1. The entire team that faced Chelsea on Monday cost less than Diego Costa. We beat them 2-1 and are 20 points in front of the champions
2. Like Peter Taylor at Forest, Steve Walsh has unearthed incredible talent. He went to watch Ryan Mendes 4 years ago but it was Mahrez who caught his eye. An unknown Algerian player with 6 months left on his deal. No one wanted him. We got him for £400k
3. Leicester have an incredible team spirit. They never know when they are beaten. I understand the Forest team that got promoted were the same.
4. Many people now consider top 4 to be a trophy in itself because of the revenue generated from the champions league and the reward of playing against Europes elite. While not directly comparable, it would allow us to play in the equivalent of the European Cup which Forest did after winning the league.
So can Leicester do a Forest or at least as close as anyone can get to repeating a similar feat in today's money dominated footballing world?
Can Leicester do a Forest?
posted on 19/12/15
comment by Nevsaysagoal2city (U5194)
posted 1 hour, 1 minute ago
Arro Clough achieved what fergi did on no money a great manager so do not belittle him i love CR but no where near Clough, He is up there with the best in history. If he had been England manager old big head would of won us the world cup.
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Are you having a laugh? Winning two European Cups at a time when Ipswich were UEFA Cup winners and Villa also won the European Cup, is still a great achievement but it wasn't unheard of because Ipswich and Villa did similar.
If he was so good, and did what Fergie did, he would have continued it but it was another decade before he won anything! Not like Fergie at all! Oh and Aberdeen even won the European Cup Winners Cup, it wasn't that hard back then obviously!
posted on 19/12/15
Show some class you halfwit
posted on 19/12/15
Clough was a great manager lets be fair arro. He wasnt quite in the same league as Fergie for me who rebuilt teams time and again because cloughs success to a large extent relied on Taylor. Fergies success relied on no one but himself largely
But lets not undermine what clough did at derby and forest, remarkable achievements for their time
posted on 19/12/15
Clough did it with Derby and Forest, not just one club (and in any case, no one held that against Fergie...)
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Held what against Fergie?
He managed to overthrow the big two in Scotland for season after season winning leagues and cups. Nobody has overturned the big two in the league since. He then beat the mighty Real Madrid with little old Aberdeen to take the Cup Winners' Cup. M
Then he moved to Man Utd. And you know the rest.
Fergie >>>> anybody else
posted on 19/12/15
I think Fergie's money at Utd played a part too!
posted on 19/12/15
Of course. But he earned that right at Aberdeen. Ranieri had an open cheese book ffs at Chelsea.
Well played so far Leicester. Season's only just beginning tho.
Don't be surprised to finish behind Chelsea. Anyone know the odds for that?
posted on 19/12/15
Agree with Shinji, what Fergie achieved at Aberdeen was unreal. Definitely Clough like with what he had to spend.
At United he walked into a mess of a club who had been in decline for sometime by their standards. He didn't throw money around when he walked in and got them winning silverware in no time.
Class of 92 certainly helped but he had an eye for class signings - schmeichel, cantona etc
posted on 19/12/15
Clough = Best England Manager we never had.
posted on 19/12/15
Five points clear at the top. FIVE. Something tells me Christmas will be very merry in Leicester!
posted on 22/12/15
First off - well done so far to Leicester - good to see Wes Morgan leading you to better things and the big clubs struggling!
Memo to arro - BC did do a bit after 1980...
Top flight record - only finished below 9th once 1981-1992, three 3rd places.
2 League Cups, 2 full members cups, 1 League Cup final, 1 FA Cup final, 2 FA Cup semi finals.
1 UEFA Cup semi final, robbed of a final v Spurs when a bribed ref ruled out a winning goal by Paul Hart.
As Wikipedia points out, six Wembley finals in 4 seasons (1989-92), winning 4. (Tell me ma, me ma...)
Without Peter Taylor, Clough showed his managerial skills by building two or three good sides over the decade, with players like Hodge, Davenport, Jemson and an early 1990s side featuring the likes of Crossley, Pearce, Walker, Nigel Clough, Stone, Woan and Keane.
Considering that he'd lost the vital foil of Peter Taylor and was drinking far too much by the time it all went wrong in 1992-3, Brian Clough should get far more credit for his post-1980 record as Forest manager.