How Clough lives on at Celtic

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.