Product Description

He's British football's philosopher manque. The most successful England manager we never had and a genuine footballing legend. To many, an outspoken working class hero. To others - mainly his targets - he was a bolshy northern gobshite. Never less than opinionated, often controversial and always eloquent, here we present Brian Clough, in his very own words...On himself: 'I wouldn't say I was the best manager in the business. But I was in the top one.' On Roy Keane: 'I only ever hit Roy once. He got up, so I couldn't have hit him very hard.' On the FA: 'I'm sure the England selectors thought if they took me on and gave me the job I'd want to run the show. They were shrewd, because that's exactly what I would have done.' On being nominated for a knighthood: 'I thought it was my next door neighbour, because she thought if I got something like that, I'd have to move.' On handling players: 'We talk about it for twenty minutes and then we decide I was right.' On drink: 'Walk on water? I know most people out there will be saying that instead of walking on it, I should have taken more of it with my drinks.' Duncan Hamilton is the author of the acclaimed Provided You Don't Kiss Me: 20 Years with Brian Clough, for which he won the William Hill Sports Book of Year Award in 2007. He was the Nottingham Evening Post's Forest reporter during the club, and Clough's glory years. He is now deputy editor at the Yorkshire Post.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15515 in Books
• Published on: 2009-03
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 128 pages

About the Author
Duncan Hamilton is the author of the acclaimed Provided You Don't Kiss Me: 20 Years with Brian Clough, for which he won the William Hill Sports Book of Year Award in 2007. He was the Nottingham Evening Post's Forest reporter during the club, and Clough's glory years. He is now deputy editor at the Yorkshire Post.

Customer Reviews

The Top One
"I wouldn't say I was the best manager in the business. But I was in the top one."

So reads the first quote on the back of Duncan Hamilton's "Old Big 'Ead" - and many of the posters for the soon-to-be-released film adaptation of "The Damned Utd".

In the past few weeks it seems as if column miles, not column inches, have been devoted to Clough and 'Cloughisms'. Many of those dwelling on the latter have, like a local radio station, simply repeated the same track listing, just in a (slightly) different order.

"Old Big 'Ead" is different. Unsurprisingly.

'Unsurprisingly' because it's been put together by Hamilton, author of the wonderful "Provided You Don't Kiss Me". That earlier book described Hamilton's time reporting on Clough and Nottingham Forest during his time at the Nottingham Evening Post in the 1980s - and deservedly won about every sports writing award worth winning. Also - I'm not ashamed to say - it brought tears to my eyes.

As did this. (More on that later...).

Yes, all the tabloid favourites true fans know off pat are there ("I only hit Roy [Keane] the once. He got up, so I couldn't have hit him very hard.") as they should be. But it's clear that Hamilton has also dug deep into his own notes, newsprint and memory to dredge up what amounts to far more than the 'Wit and Wisdom' of the title - if anything this is a one man oral history.

One quote I'd never read before, and still sticks with me, is: "I received a Get Well telegram from someone which read: 'Didn't know you had one.'" He'd just had heart problems.

That's a reminder of how divisive Clough was back in the day - something today's nostalgia can't really cope with - but this little book captures admirably.

So, on to those tears.

Throughout the book Hamilton begins each chapter - Hartlepool, Derby, Forest, Peter Taylor, Directors, Drink and others - with a short but pithy precis of what's to come. And the book ends with a coda in the same vein. It's matter-of-fact, simple, heartfelt and wistful. But after Brian's voice has come to life over so many pages the last three words (from Hamilton) are really quite affecting.

And I won't spoil them.

Who knows whether Hamilton will ever write another book about his time with Clough? But if not this feels like a fitting goodbye. The Damned Utd