“Brian Clough and Nottingham Forest did things that history can never delete.”
Those words came from the coaching legend known as Jose Mourinho, describing the work of Brian Clough, his staff, and his players during a magical run of domination through English and European football.
Clough earned a place in football lore as he turned a club that was, by all accounts, rather ordinary into a football powerhouse. He did this in an era where football was different and so was life. He inspired a city and a nation.
On paper Forest didn’t look like much, but Clough and sidekick Peter Taylor recast and inspired a club that would go on to win a First Division championship (after gaining promotion), two League Cups, and back-to-back European Cups. These achievements were nothing short of miraculous and the turnaround one of the biggest in sporting history. Clough’s Nottingham Forest would do the Mighty Ducks proud.
So you can see that I Believe In Miracles: The Remarkable Story of Brian Clough’s European Cup-winning Team by Daniel Taylor and Jonny Owen is rightly named. It is brilliantly written, capturing the history of Forest as no one has before. The book is quite extraordinary, something that actually matches Clough’s massive personality.
Taylor captured the essence and passion of Clough, a manager that was clearly ahead of his time.
Clough and Forest proved to be the perfect pair even though the early days were not easy. He inherited a team and a program that needed him dearly, but I think he needed them as well. Clough had a roller coaster career in management before arriving in Nottingham and no one could say they predicted the success he had.
The same rollerc oaster journey could describe Forest when Clough arrived. They were a team buried in the Second Division, a club that had lost hope of promotion or even moderate success. Clough slowly turned them into one of the best sides that England or Europe has ever seen.
The book, based on the film of the same name, is one of those that is hard to put down. It is very conversational and personal thanks to exclusive interviews with former players, coaches, and staff. The flow of the story and the quality of the writing is incredible.
No wonder we think that I Believe in Miracles is one of the best football titles of the year.
