"I wouldn't say I was the best manager in the business, but i was in the top one."
Ten years has passed incredibly quickly since football lost one of its biggest ever characters and my club Nottingham Forest lost the man who undoubtedly put it on the map.
Many Forest supporters will probably be able to tell you exactly where they were at the moment they heard the news of Brian Clough's passing on the 20th September 2004. I certainly can. I had just started at university. I had been in Leeds a matter of days, and a fairly insignificant welcome session ended with me recieving a text message telling me the news. I remember nothing at all about the hour in the room which preceded it, but I will take that feeling of reading that text to the grave. I could take you to that room now. My biggest regret to this day as a Forest fan was that I couldn't get back to Nottingham for the game against West Ham, the first at the City Ground since Clough's death. I watched the game on television in a Horsforth pub, with tears in my eyes at the significance of the moment. We won that match, but just eight more wins all season meant that we were relegated at the end of the season. Those were dark days for the team but we seem to be finally back on track; top of the Sky Bet Championship on the tenth anniversary of that sad day.
Last Sunday the club began its period of marking the anniversary with the game against Derby County. It seemed fitting that the fixture gods had brought together the two clubs with which Clough will always be most associated. He is arguably the reason why the rivalry is so fierce between the two sides of the stretch of the A52 which now bears his name. The game itself wasn't particuarly memorable, they rarely are, apart from a few flashpoints, but the afternoon was never going to be about 90 minutes of football. The minute's applause after ten minutes was observed by fans of both the clubs which Clough loved so much, and save for the three idiots that invaded the pitch during the second half, all in attendance behaved themselves and respected the man and the occasion. It was a timely reminder that while Nottingham Forest and Derby are rivals, we're not enemies. I am glad I was there to pay my respects.
You don't need me to tell you about Clough. We all have our stories and memories of him, even those of us who never met him or even saw any of his Forest teams play. My Dad once asked him for a handshake at East Midlands Airport following a European away game. Clough replied "course you can, big fella". I must have heard the story a thousand times, but the enthusiasm is still there when my dad tells anyone who will listen as if it made his life.
There will never be another manager like him. There will certainly never be an opportunity for a club like Nottingham Forest to rule Europe twice, certainly not without billions of pounds of investment.
Stuart Pearce has led us to the top of the table, and although we're only seven games into the league season, it's difficult not to think of how fitting it would be to mark such a significant year - it's also the club's 150th anniversary in 2015 - with promotion back into the top flight. There's a long way to go, but you just never know.
Saturday 20 September 2014
Tuesday 16 September 2014
UEFA Champions League predictions
The UEFA Champions League returns this week, as Real Madrid aim to become the first team to retain the title in the Champions League era, and the first in the competition as a whole since AC Milan in 1990. Carlo Ancelotti's men will face competition from the usual suspects in the shape of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, PSG, and in the group stage they will face another potential contender in Liverpool, back in the competition for the first time in five years.
As well as the elite, there are teams simply happy to take their place in the tournament. Malmo are in the group stage for the first time, as they dream of emulating their 1979 side, who reached the European Cup final before losing to Nottingham Forest. The Bulgarian champions Ludogorets didn't even exist then, and their fairytale rise to Europe's top table was completed by a sensational play-off victory over Steaua Bucharest, where defender Cosmin Moti became their penalty-saving hero. Progression to the knockout stage from either club would represent a huge shock, but their participation can only be a good thing to appease those who believe the Champions League is a closed shop for anyone but the very biggest clubs.
Here is Behind The Goal's predictions of how the groups will finish. Admittedly, some are easier than others to predict, but while first place in the group is so important, no games can be taken lightly.
Group A:
1. Atletico Madrid
2. Juventus
3. Olympiakos
4. Malmo
Group B:
1. Real Madrid
2. Liverpool
3. FC Basel
4. Ludogorets
Group C:
1. Benfica
2. Bayer Leverkusen
3. Zenit St Petersburg
4. Monaco
Group D:
1. Arsenal
2. Borussia Dortmund
3. Galatasaray
4. Anderlecht
Group E:
1. Bayern Munich
2. Manchester City
3. AS Roma
4. CSKA Moscow
Group F:
1. Barcelona
2. Paris Saint-Germain
3. Ajax
4. Apoel Nicosia
Group G:
1. Chelsea
2. Schalke 04
3. Sporting
4. Maribor
Group H:
1. FC Porto
2. Athletic Bilbao
3. Shakhtar Donetsk
4. BATE Borisov
English clubs:
I expect all four Premier League teams to reach the round of 16 at the very least, although that could be where Liverpool and Manchester City find out the hard way just how important winning the group is. Facing a group winner in the first knockout round may be a step too far for Liverpool, whereas City may need a lucky draw. Arsenal are well placed to reach the quarter finals, but probably no further.
The last English team left will in my opinion be Chelsea. The semi finals is the very least I expect them to reach, maybe even further. Jose Mourinho's squad is twice that of Roberto Di Matteo's which won the European Cup in 2012, but as that season proved, anything can happen in cup football.
Dark horses:
This is surely the year that Juventus pose a bigger threat in the competition. Massimiliano Allegri's Serie A champions have flattered to decieve in Europe of late. Their group could have been a lot worse, and with perhaps a bit of luck in the draw, the bianconeri could reach the later stages. If - and it's a big if - Roma can get out of their group, maybe they could progress to the last eight, but in Manchester City and Bayern, their first hurdle couldn't have been more difficult.
Winners:
Last season I told friends I thought Real Madrid would win the title, and they did. This year I will tell all of you the same. My prediction is for Carlo Ancelotti's side to make Champions League history and retain the European Cup in Berlin in June.
As well as the elite, there are teams simply happy to take their place in the tournament. Malmo are in the group stage for the first time, as they dream of emulating their 1979 side, who reached the European Cup final before losing to Nottingham Forest. The Bulgarian champions Ludogorets didn't even exist then, and their fairytale rise to Europe's top table was completed by a sensational play-off victory over Steaua Bucharest, where defender Cosmin Moti became their penalty-saving hero. Progression to the knockout stage from either club would represent a huge shock, but their participation can only be a good thing to appease those who believe the Champions League is a closed shop for anyone but the very biggest clubs.
Here is Behind The Goal's predictions of how the groups will finish. Admittedly, some are easier than others to predict, but while first place in the group is so important, no games can be taken lightly.
Group A:
1. Atletico Madrid
2. Juventus
3. Olympiakos
4. Malmo
Group B:
1. Real Madrid
2. Liverpool
3. FC Basel
4. Ludogorets
Group C:
1. Benfica
2. Bayer Leverkusen
3. Zenit St Petersburg
4. Monaco
Group D:
1. Arsenal
2. Borussia Dortmund
3. Galatasaray
4. Anderlecht
Group E:
1. Bayern Munich
2. Manchester City
3. AS Roma
4. CSKA Moscow
Group F:
1. Barcelona
2. Paris Saint-Germain
3. Ajax
4. Apoel Nicosia
Group G:
1. Chelsea
2. Schalke 04
3. Sporting
4. Maribor
Group H:
1. FC Porto
2. Athletic Bilbao
3. Shakhtar Donetsk
4. BATE Borisov
English clubs:
I expect all four Premier League teams to reach the round of 16 at the very least, although that could be where Liverpool and Manchester City find out the hard way just how important winning the group is. Facing a group winner in the first knockout round may be a step too far for Liverpool, whereas City may need a lucky draw. Arsenal are well placed to reach the quarter finals, but probably no further.
The last English team left will in my opinion be Chelsea. The semi finals is the very least I expect them to reach, maybe even further. Jose Mourinho's squad is twice that of Roberto Di Matteo's which won the European Cup in 2012, but as that season proved, anything can happen in cup football.
Dark horses:
This is surely the year that Juventus pose a bigger threat in the competition. Massimiliano Allegri's Serie A champions have flattered to decieve in Europe of late. Their group could have been a lot worse, and with perhaps a bit of luck in the draw, the bianconeri could reach the later stages. If - and it's a big if - Roma can get out of their group, maybe they could progress to the last eight, but in Manchester City and Bayern, their first hurdle couldn't have been more difficult.
Winners:
Last season I told friends I thought Real Madrid would win the title, and they did. This year I will tell all of you the same. My prediction is for Carlo Ancelotti's side to make Champions League history and retain the European Cup in Berlin in June.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)