Just shy of 50 years ago, Brian Clough arrived at Nottingham Forest with what he himself described as a “big job” on his hands. The legendary football boss transformed the Tricky Trees and within the space of four years, saw the Club crowned European Cup winners.
A mid-table Second Division side when he first arrived, Clough wasted no time in getting to work with his new employer. The former Middlesbrough and Sunderland striker, who had also managed Hartlepool United, Derby County and Brighton & Hove Albion, had been dismissed from his post as Leeds United boss after just 44 days.
However, in January 1975, he was back in work at the City Ground. And despite his short stint in West Yorkshire, Clough remained confident in his abilities to turn things around for the Reds upon his unveiling, saying: “Now there is one thing in Forest's favour - the Club has me."
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A 2-0 defeat to local rivals Notts County over the Christmas period had ultimately led to the dismissal of Allan Brown, but Clough got off to a good start. His first win in charge came against Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup, before claiming his first league victory away at Fulham just days later.
The team managed to avoid relegation, finishing 16th in the league before recording an eighth-place finish in Clough’s first full season in charge in 1975/76. It was an improvement upon the previous term, but the 1976/77 season marked a turning point.
It was the campaign that saw Forest bounce back to top tier of English football. Clough’s men narrowly secured third place as they sealed the final promotion spot. It also saw the Reds boss at a crossroads, after turning down the offer to return to Derby – the team he’d managed between 1967 and 1973, winning the First Division title in 1973 – at “the very last moment”.
It was a decision that paid off in the end. It didn’t take long for Nottingham Forest to settle back into life in the First Division.
After winning the opening game of the 1977/78 campaign 3-1 against Everton, Clough’s side topped the league come the end of the campaign to get their hands on a first league title in the Club’s history, with four games to spare. And they completed a double after overcoming Liverpool in the League Cup Final – a crown they would go on to retain the following year.
