Clough's Conquest: Forest's Rise to European Glory | Part Two
It Was What It Was : The Football History Podcast
The Overlap
4.9 • 667 Ratings
🗓️ 23 September 2025
⏱️ 56 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In this episode of It Was What It Was, co-hosts Jonathan Wilson and Rob Draper continue their deep dive into Brian Clough's transformative tenure at Nottingham Forest. This second part of a four-part special, captures the thrilling journey as Forest ventures into the European Cup, starting from their incredible 5-1 victory over AEK Athens and leading up to their historic final against Malmö. Expect to hear detailed anecdotes and insights revealing Clough's unique management style, key matches and significant strategic decisions, including the controversial but ultimately successful signing of Trevor Francis for a British record fee. Join us to explore how a team from the second division ascended to the pinnacle of European football.
00:28 Introduction to Nottingham Forest's European Journey
01:26 Forest's Rise to European Dominance
01:46 The Quest for the European Cup
03:36 Strategic Moves and Key Decisions
10:02 Facing Liverpool in the European Cup
12:42 The Tactical Genius of Clough and Taylor
26:17 The Aftermath and Moving Forward
26:38 Unbeaten Streak and Chairman Change
27:35 European Cup Drama: Forest vs. AEK Athens
28:19 Clough's Management Style and Larry Lloyd Incident
30:55 Training Anecdotes and Managerial Hypocrisy
37:39 Trevor Francis Joins Forest
40:51 League Cup Final and European Cup Quarter-Finals
42:25 Semi-Final Showdown Against Cologne
48:37 European Cup Final Against Malmö
55:27 Forest Crowned European Champions
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I saw Brian afterwards and I started walking along with him and we got near to the exit |
| 0:11.9 | and we heard one of the gatekeepers chatted to his mate about the match. Easy game that, |
| 0:16.9 | they weren't much. And Brian gave him a right bollockocking he slaughtered the fella and not in a quiet way |
| 0:23.4 | people were looking around the fella must have felt about two feet tall well welcome to it was what it was |
| 0:30.1 | I'm Rob Draper I'm here with Jonathan Wilson that quote is from Stan Anderson who was a friend |
| 0:35.5 | and former playing colleague of Brian Clough, |
| 0:38.6 | who's talking to Brian Clough after one of Forrest's epic games, a 5-1 win over Ike |
| 0:44.2 | Athens in the European Cup. And it demonstrates, I think, the volatility of Brian Clough |
| 0:49.7 | that he could really erupt at people. But I think maybe with some justification in this |
| 0:53.9 | sense, I mean, |
| 0:54.3 | they had just produced an incredible display against what were a really good European side and |
| 0:59.9 | people were beginning to become a bit dismissive of it. So that explains a quote. And Nottingham Forest |
| 1:06.0 | are back in Europe and what better time is to look at the extraordinary rise of Nottingham Forest. |
| 1:12.3 | One of the most astonishing stories in football of how they become the dominant team in Europe. |
| 1:17.4 | And who better to guide us through that than the biographer of Brian Clough, Jonathan Wilson. |
| 1:22.3 | That is a book. Everybody should read one of the top football books of all time. |
| 1:27.0 | We're in part two of our series on Forest Rise, so do go back and listen to part one. |
| 1:32.3 | At the end of part one, Notting Forest were the league champions, something quite sort of |
| 1:36.0 | extraordinary its own right. |
| 1:37.2 | They'd come up from the second division, not as champions, and had basically beaten everyone |
| 1:41.6 | in the first division. |
| 1:43.3 | They've won the league title and they're now going into the European Cup. |
... |
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