Brian Clough was frequently asked if he felt he was too young to be a manager when he started out as a manager at Hartlepool at the age of 29. Twenty-seven years later, as he celebrated 18 years as the manager at Nottingham Forest, he was constantly asked if he was too old to be a manager at 56. His answer throughout had been the same, “Age doesn’t matter, its what you know about football that does.”
Clough looked back at this illustrious career and 13 trophies that he had won in that period with pride. Despite Forest’s struggles that season, Clough was confident that he could pull outside from the mire and take them to the heights that everyone expects them to reach. He also acknowledged that time was running out for him, he said: “We’ve had some very good times – and I hope I’m around to see some more in the future.” Clough had won the first division title with Forest in 1978 along with two European Cups, four league cups and two FA Cups.
