Cracking post mate!!!! And just to add, 2 posts in 4 years!!! Keep posting mate if you're gonna come up with stuff like that!
On his short England career, after his final game sat in the dressing room and England had been turned over by Russia I think. Bill Wright - the captain and with about 100 caps is reported to say "that Russian center-forward is very good" Clough was said to reply "No he isn't, it's simply that you're past it" He was never picked again. (Clough I mean). According to fans who say they were there when he got crocked, the crowd that day must have been in excess of 200,000. All standing exactly in line with the incident on the Bury penalty spot. By the way, Bob Stokoe (player manager of Bury at the time), stood over the injured Clough and snarled "get up and stop play acting" x
I was at his home debut against Stoke. Won 2 - 1 having been one down at half-time. My two overriding memories of the day were Amby Fogarty scoring 2 goals - great, and Charlie Hurley missing the game through injury - gutted. I'm afraid that Cloughie passed me by that day, but I was only 7!
Even when he became a journalist he gave you something to think about. In one early article he addressed that Charlie Hurley had been criticised for having a bad game. Clough pointed that when you are an outstanding talent it takes a bad game to get you noticed. It made me stop and think.
I love that! I was just about to say that Cloughie was ahead of his time. But he wasn't. He was a man for every time. He was a great player. A great manager. A great pundit. A great quote. And if he were around today, he'd still tick every one of those boxes. Legend!
I also saw just about every home game he played for us and I remember him missing a penalty once and everyone was in shock, even the next day the whole topic of conversation was " Cloughie missed a penalty " nobody could believe it because he was so prolific. I also remember going to his house after his injury against Bury, our school was just around the corner to where he lived . I remember knocking on his door and when he answered it he was on crutches, me and my mate were speechless then I drummed up the courage to say " can we have your autograph Mr Clough ?" To which he replied " certainly young man ". A true gentleman and a great player, only wish he'd became our manager, we would have gone all the way if he had,but it wasn't to be.
Think I saw every home game he played,and several away.What a presence ! To add to the already written he often seemed to tackle his own team mate to get the ball off them to then smash the ball at the goal.His distribution out to the wings was great to watch-often seemed to hook the ball over his own shoulder for eg Harry Hooper to run on to ,and then be right on the spot for the centre.I thought the sun shone out of his rear end.He was absolutely dynamite,but I recall one short spell when he was out of the side supposed to be injured,but I thought at time he had lost a bit of form -prob hadn't scored for a couple of games and a young Irish ladwas put in for a few matches-did great-but you couldnt leave Cloughie out and on his return he scored 2 or 3 and was off like a train again never to stop until his injury.\i had a season ticket in the Wing Stand just about level with where BC went downn,and then Hurley missed a penalty. A nightmare match for SAFC.and everyone. One of his goals I always remember was away at Charlton Athletic-the vaalley. Ball in our end-we broke away-Cloughie in his own half put the ball through the legs of CH Marvin Hinton,an E ngland CH-ran near full length of pitch and hammered it i.Think we drew 2-2.He would be priceless today Bit like Harry Kane in some ways but the finished article,like a Shearer with brains. Don't write often but Must pay respects to a SAFC great.
I was there when he made his comeback in the reserves after his long lay off with knee ligament damage. Don't know what the gate was exactly, but there were thousands there. The team had been promoted in his absence and after that run out in the reserves he then played 3 games in Div One, but sadly his knee wasn't up to it and he quit.
Thanks for all the replies. Its been a great read. I have learnt a lot. Comm doing a serious thread. What ever next?
