The late great Mr Brian Clough took on players who could do a job. Some unknowns, some questionable signings, not necessarily renowned on a nationwide scale but he made them into good footballers, he moulded them into what they could be and according to him “Should be”. He did things his way and installed a unscrupulous almost cast iron stamped will to win on his players via attractive football.
In 1971 Notts forest signed young Irish midfielder, 19 year old Martin O’Neill from Lisburn Distillery. O’Neill took his time to settle in to the Forest side but It wasn’t until 1975 when Brian Clough was appointed as manager that his Forest career took off. Clough made O’Neill the fulcrum of the Forest midfield, a position O’Neill went onto hold down throughout Forest’s golden era.
Mr Clough arguably hit his managerial peak in 1978-79 and 1979-1980 when the Notts Forest squad became footballing gods, etched in history forever winning the holy grail of club football, twice on the trot.
In 1979-1980 a player in that very European cup winning team was a match fit Martin O’Neill, injured for the 1978-79 final, Martin was eager to put in good performance, and on that night he did as Notts Forest retained the title they won the year before, a feat never matched by a UK club since.
Fast forward 15 years. Influenced and touched by Clough and his management style, O’Neill went into management himself after a prosperous playing career, but it took him a wee while to find his feet starting from the very bottom. After managerial spells at Grantham, Shepshed, Wycombe and Norwich a team took a chance on him.
In 1995 division 1 (Now championship) Leicester City appointed Martin O’Neill as manager and at the first time of asking he got them to the english premier league via the playoffs.
One year later in 1996 he (O’Neill) signed a young Irish battling midfielder from Crewe Alexandra, Neil Lennon. Lennon a defensive midfielder by nature held the Leicester ‘fort’ as such and allowed such players as Muzzy Izzet to get forwards to create chances.
O’Neill was starting to get a reputation as a managerial genius, a great tactician of the game started to emerge, he also installed an unbelievable will to win in his players, he was able to get amazing performances out of players who did not seem capable, exactly like Clough used to years before him. O’Neill and his Leicester side started to turn a few heads only 1 season inside the premier league.
It all peaked at Filbert Street with a top half finish in the premier league and 2 League cup wins in 1997 and 2000. Lennon staying loyal throughout featured in most of the major Leicester matches in O’Neills reign. O’Neill left for Celtic in 2000 and Lennon followed a few months later. O’Neill as we know went on to write himself into the Celtic history books.
Fast forward 11 years. Lennon having finished his playing career at Notts Forest went into management, already prepared due to courses etc he joined Celtics coaching staff in 2008 under Tony Mowbray. The rest is history.
Lennon like O’Neill and Clough, has this similar way about him. He obviously has a will to win and he expects that from his players. He talks to the media and like O’Neill and Clough speaks his mind.
The way I see it things are supposed to happen sometimes. Clough to O’Neill, O’Neill to Lennon. The style and ways from Clough where took on board by O’Neill, and the same from O’Neill to Lennon.
In a way the essence of Clough lives on, in O’Neill and also a little in Lennon. Never say die, never give up, do your duty good cause and prioritise winning.
For me Lennon is a Clough and an O’Neill in waiting. He will bring his own ways and means to Celtic, he understands us, but that winning mentality arguably installed by Clough in O’Neill years before, lives on and breathes in Celtic football club inside Neil Lennon.
Comment as you wish my fair Celts.
great read and you could be 100% right….however I think neil lennon will be a bigger success that Mr. O’Neill and i cant wait :)hail hail
Interesting piece. I’d disagree that their media handling skills are similar, O’Neill was more diplomatic than either his mentor or his prodigy, but otherwise there are lots of similarities.
For all that O’Neill is a marvellous manager and will go down in Celtic history, he’s yet to provide that he has the talent that ‘Ol Big ‘Ed had.
There are many men who can rightfully claim to sit at the top table of the British managerial world; Ferguson has a seat there, that’s beyond dispute, Stein would be there for doing it before any of them. On either side his fellow Scots, Busby and Shankly. Ramsey would get there, a World Cup is not to be sniffed at. Dalglish may well be there, still the only man to win two Premierships with different teams. McGrory had a remarkable record and may merit a seat. For me though, in terms of just sheer talent,in terms of an unteachable, infallible ability to see the best in ordinary players and make them winners, at the top of the table, glass in hand, would be Brian Howard Clough, still pound for pound, the finest manager of men that these islands have every produced.
“I wouldnt say I was the best manager in the business, but I was in the top one !”. B.Clough.
..emmm.. so his best finish is getting just half way up the epl.
oh…… what a legend!
what is next for a legend of such magnitiude …….selling pies at old trafford?
5th place is halfway in a 20 team league?
You need to work on your maths, Hunothy.
Obviously baxterboy doesn’t follow the game much. Go read the facts again, or have someone read them to you if the reading part is an issue. Come back and tell us where you went wrong.
Well baxter, the point I am making is that great managers have an undying need to win constantly. You do not have the suffice neurological football elements in your skull capacity to endure the stated facts and the comprehension to soak up the managerial qualities and trait links that i have layed out. Lennon has every chance to be one of the greats baxter.
Baxter…you’re a fool. take it you’re an undercover hun?
Don’t mean to be pedantic but Tony Mowbray was not the Celtic manager who added Lenny to his coaching staff. It was WGS. Mowbray shafted Lenny.
Touche JimmyCass but arguably he did flourish somewhat under Mowbrays reign.
A bit of wishful thinking I think. Just because a player played under a great manager doesn’t mean that player will be a great manager themselves. I can’t take this article seriously. Its like saying anyone who played under Billy McNeill would be a great manager because Billy played under Jock. Sorry, doesn’t work that way bud! Now if our manager were Martin O’Neill with Lenny as assistant that combination would have worked better. When it comes to important games Lenny has fallen short, and he doesn’t sound too bright when talking to the media. You either have brains or you don’t.
So, basically…..Lennon never proved he has something last season then?
Ah, the old falling short in big games myth. Yes, he made mistakes but 92 points, 2 cup finals for a rookie means that he failed in a lot of big games.
The target for success was the league which he failed in a two horse race against a vastly inferior pool of players. I call that failure, particularly when one of the finals you mention was lost to the same team of inferior players that won the league. A decent manager with the set of players Lenny had at his disposal would have won the league by double digit points. Lets hope he can learn and improve but in most cases you either have it or you haven’t. Ross County, Inverness, inability to win the league and still to win a 2 legged game in Europe against poor opposition shows he just ain’t got it mate no matter how much you like him.
I am purely making comparisons and stating that Lenny has every chance at becoming a great manager. I am not arguing the case that just because a player plays under a great manager he can become one himself, i am saying that the player absorbs some of the styles and ways of the manager /s that they have played under. O’Neill would have took some of the experiences in his time under Clough, as would Lennon from O’Neill.
Great article! Clough, O’Neill and Lennon all legends – but PLEASE don’t refer to us as ‘Notts’ Forest – we are Nottingham Forest, which shortens to Nottm.
Pedantic I know, but it drives us mad! Celtic are the second team for thousands of Forest fans, including me (an English protestant…..)
Ok, hands up, Nottingham Forest, or Nottm Forest. Great to see fans of other clubs commenting. What about Celtics new ex-Forest defender, Wilson, any inside info?
Baxterboy knows his stuff eh! You’ll find Mr Clough achieved 2 European Cup wins!!!! With an unfashionable side and also the first winners not to be champions in their own country. Led Derby County to the old 1st division championship again another miraculous achievement, some folk know nowt.
NL is obviously a good motivator and man manager.
However, I worry about his tactical ability: 4-2-4 away at ITC with the League title in our grasp. Then, to make matters much worse, he blamed the players for losing the game. It was your fault Neil. I’ll never get over that.
The other managers you mentioned all have or had brilliant minds as well. I dont think NL is in their class in that respect.
I hope that he makes me eat my words though.
I find it hard to grasp the notion that one man is the next so and so. Saint Martin would have learned from Clough. Lennon would have learned from Saint Martin.
When that´s infused with that persons ability, personality and vision it becomes that mans not his mentors.
There is lineage, make no mistake, but there is no cloning going on. Unlike Lambert who has borrowed Saint Martins wardrobe!
Anyway, I think Lennon is closer to Robertson than O´Neill.
Great response, I like the comment, insightful, opinionated, good stuff.
“Provide the talent that old big head had?”
Getting a ‘totally underdog’ Celtic, (im being honest as nobody expected it that season) to a UEFA Cup Final in 2003 surely puts O’Neill up there or even close, I cant think of another person who played under Clough (forgive me if im wrong and educate me please if you know) who acheived such managerial heights. Plus winning 3 trophies in one season is no easy feat. I do think that O’Neill does have more to give. To what club, who knows.
I agree, I thought St Martin was a shoo in for the Fulham job. Seems like the owner there likes easy types and yes men.
my last comment was in response to STEVE WILSON
It might be simplistic to say because Clough managed a certain way then O’Neill did the same and that Lenny would also follow suit.
There is no coincidence that all have the same mentality though. Clough wanted winners and demanded 100%. O’Neill and Lennon are no different and that is key to their approach to management. It might not have been something passed down from one to another, but it is certainly the reason each have been successful in their careers and why they all worked so well together.
If Clough doesn’t live on in Lennon via O’Neill, then it’s good to know that at least someone with the same mentality is still around.
Both, or all – as Lennon is at early stage – seem to have a low tolerance of misdeameanors. See Jaurez or, I reckon, Stokes for proof of Lennons….my way or highway mentality. Also Fortune being bundled out the door.
The operative (and maybe most important) is who is the Peter Taylor for O’Neil and now Lennon. They don’t appear to have one who can see the wheat through the chaff. Bringing Hartson and Sutton in was an easy upgrade on talent to help out Larsson. Lennon has made some astute pickups (Kayal, Izaguire, Commons, Hooper). Unfortunately, Celtic have joined the legions of clubs who raise players as a cash crop. Its hard to keep continuity from year to year
I reckon Garry Parker is the Taylor.
In a totally off topic rant:
Just had the mispleasure of reading a Daily R*cord. I would have well as been reading a free sheet for R*ngers, Ellis and Whyte.
While the succulent lamb has been downgraded to Lidils Pork Bites the lickspittles are still pandering.
The revamp of the SFA was attacked head on with numerous mentions from our own Spew Heevins of man handling ref’s as something that the complience manager will be looking at.
You could tell by the tone that it was a dig at us for the non action against that Loyal Subject Bougherra and that successful loanee Joof faced when a case was presented to the blazers regarding this act.
The more I think about it, the more I see that the them and Paw Broon not being punished was the last flicking of the V´s to us from a Jurrassic Body that is rotten to the core.
Then I read about this McFadden rumour. FFS I´m glad I´m all inclusive as my bar bill and food bill while I´m comfort eating and drinking would max my visa.
Rant Over.
Out.
LOTW, sunburnt and crappit, Mojorca.
I have never subscribed to the theory of “great managers, producing great young managers”.
O’Neill would have become a manager with or without Brian Clough’s influence.
He would have picked up a ideas. But O’Neill never liked people making comparisons. He was, and is his own man. Telling West Ham and Villa to shove it recently, proved his independence.
From the hundreds to play under him, Gordon Strachan was probably Fergie’s most succesful managerial off-spring.(Hughes, Bruce, McLeish maybe)
Strachan couldn’t abide his methods. He left Aberdeen to get away from him. He also left Old Trafford to drop a division to Leeds to escape Ferguson and his style.
Great managers have it in them. They don’t always hit the ground running, Guardiola-esque, it can take time. But they are all driven from within.
What greats did Jock Stein, Matt Busby, Alex Ferguson play under?
Influences are great, desire is everything.
I believe Lennon has both. He’s made a good start.
Great article – only two things I take issue with
1. It’s Nottingham Forest – never Notts
2. Unlike Lennon, O’Neill wasn’t really the fulcrum of the midfield, he played on the right wing. Clough had John McGovern for that role. O’Neill always wanted to play in the centre but Clough wouldn’t let him. Clough once famously offered O’Neill a choice – either you can play number 7 or number 12 (in those days always the subs number) O’Neill never asked to play in the middle again after that!
Whats Jim Leighton doing in the middle of that transition for MON to Lenny?