James Lawton: Clough's secret – the swift right-hander
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.As I was saying, Roy Keane's lambasting of his Manchester United colleagues in his new autobiography, written with the skilled sporting polemicist Eamon Dunphy, is offering tremendous value for those intrigued by the nature of this fiery, often outrageous figure.
However deplorable you considered his behaviour when leaving the Irish team during the World Cup, there could no questioning the ferocity of his contribution to the team's presence there, nor his moral right to make judgements on the shocking under-performance of his United colleagues last season. For myself I never saw a performance from him that was less than an epic of professional commitment.
But, of all his most recent outpourings, I put most value on the extraordinary story of when he gave up a goal at Nottingham Forest. Brian Clough, Keane reports, walked into the dressing-room and punched him in the face. This is surely one of the pearls of football autobiography.
It also clears up a mystery once posed by another of Clough's players, Archie Gemmill. The little Scotsman, at a loss to explain why Clough's players produced such prodigious effort, said. "I just can't put my finger on it. He doesn't flatter us, he doesn't scream at us, he doesn't really spend that much time with us. But, God knows, when that first whistle blows you know everyone is busting a gut for him."
Keane suggests, after so long, that there is nothing quite like the prospect of a swift right-hander to concentrate the mind – and the competitive spirit.
Coincidentally, 24 hours after Keane's revelation, the old warhorse Clough was roundly lecturing Arsène Wenger on Arsenal's shocking disciplinary record. No one could do so on firmer ground. Clough's Forest won the First Division title and two European Cups and were the most disciplined team around. Any lapse of professionalism was fined to the maximum, and after one off-colour performance, the magnificent professional Dave Mackay was told he was a "disgrace to the game".
Anyone who knew Mackay would have questioned Clough's sanity right then. The incident occurred at Derby County, where the players took an axe to the boardroom door the day Clough was sacked. Clough, of course, had also won the First Division for Derby. Wenger, for all his glory, should value the advice.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments