Clough's Conquest: Forest's Rise to European Glory | Part Three
It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast
The Overlap
4.9 • 667 Ratings
🗓️ 30 September 2025
⏱️ 56 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of It Was What It Was, co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper continue the story of Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest, following on from their European Cup victory in the last episode. This third part of a four-part special covers the 1979-80 season, looking at how Forest overcame obstacles both on and off the pitch to claim their second successive European Cup. Within the season there are some highs and lows, from overcoming unexpected challenges, and navigating crucial European fixtures to dealing with internal instability and controversial management methods. From high-profile transfers to unforgettable European nights, tune in to discover how this extraordinary team went on to write another chapter in their illustrious history.
00:00 Introduction and Setting the Scene
01:03 Nottingham Forest's European Campaign Begins
01:28 Key Transfers and Management Decisions
07:47 Unexpected Challenges and Controversies
20:31 European Cup Quarter-Finals
28:52 The Importance of Team Camaraderie
30:19 Challenges and Strategies in European Matches
32:38 Player Management and Injuries
36:23 Prepping for the European Cup Final
42:49 The Final Match Against Hamburg
51:03 Post-Match Reflections and Legacy
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Even relaxing around a lunch table, players were terrified as said anything that might upset |
| 0:11.7 | Brian Clough. Nobody knew what mood he was going to be in. He liked to keep people on |
| 0:16.3 | edge. Well, welcome to It Was What It Was. I'm Rob Draper. I'm here with Jonathan Wilson and we are celebrating Nottinghamen Forests to return to Europe, still celebrating it. We're three parts in and we are focusing on their astonishing rise to be the best club in Europe under Brian Clough. And that was Asa Hartfordford who is one of the star signings of the |
| 0:38.6 | Forest side and for this season that we're about to look at the 1979, 80 season, an extraordinary |
| 0:44.3 | defence of the European Cup by Nottingham Forest and it does indicate the slightly darker side |
| 0:50.9 | of Brian Clough the way he managed through fear. Clearly, a true genius, |
| 0:55.8 | but I think not always the best man to be working for. That said, when you have all the medals, |
| 1:01.1 | you're probably quite pleased at the end of your career. But where we left it, they were European |
| 1:05.4 | champions. They had just beaten Malmo in the final, in Munich in 1979. And this In this 1979 80 season Jonathan, they're going to come |
| 1:14.5 | back into a first division campaign. They've been champions two years before. We're going to look at |
| 1:18.9 | how that goes and they've got to defend their European Cup. So how do they prepare? Does he stick |
| 1:24.7 | with the same side or does Cluffy try to shake it up a bit? |
| 1:28.5 | No, he shakes it up. |
| 1:29.6 | So Archie Gamel leaves. |
| 1:31.2 | We mentioned in the last part that he'd been left out for that 1979 final because Clough felt he was injured. |
| 1:38.1 | He and Martin O'Neill both missed out. |
| 1:40.1 | Both said they were fit, but Clough would not take a play he had any doubts about. |
| 1:44.8 | And that's, I think, yeah, Gemmell is a pretty voluble character. |
| 1:50.9 | Let's its displeasure be known in pretty forceful terms. |
| 1:53.4 | And that's probably one of the reasons why he sold to Birmingham for 150 grand that summer. |
| 1:57.9 | The big signing is Ace of Hartford, who they get from Manchester City for half a million, |
| 2:03.3 | and he effectively takes Gamble's place. Clough said he would do the team a power of good, |
... |
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