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Monday, 20 January, 2003, 10:10 GMT
Get well soon, Cloughie
Football legend Brian Clough is recovering from a liver transplant in his native north-east.
Send your get well messages to one of the game's greatest figures.
Clough is one of the most successful and charismatic football managers of all time. He made his name by turning also-rans Derby County and Nottingham Forest into championship winners during the 1970s.
The outspoken boss went on to take Forest to consecutive European Cup victories in 1979 and 1980 before retiring in 1993. Clough is currently recuperating in the north-east after undergoing a successful operation last week. Send your messages to Old Big 'ead.
This debate is now closed. A selection of your e-mails appear below. Get well Brian! I was a 13-year-old Forest fan when you took us to the title - before dominating Europe for a couple of years and building the most attractive side Britain's ever seen. So, it should be no surprise that I, and every Forest fan, wish you a fast recovery. Remember that Post Office your brother ran in Bramcote? Remember the kids who used to come in when you were there on Sunday mornings to buy birthday cards for their mates - and you signed them?
You always wrote "Be Good - Brian Clough". Well, "Get Well Brian Clough", and let's see you back in that Green tracky-top down at the City Ground soon!
Get well soon and take care, from a Walton and Hersham supporter.
As a Liverpool fan you made me detest Forest in the early eighties and dread the matches, until we beat you 5-0 at Anfield. I have nothing but respect, and why you never became England manager, I'll never know! Get well soon young man!!
Brian Clough is a legendary personality. I wish him the very best and hope that he makes a full recovery!
You are the greatest. Have a speedy recovery. As a Forest fan, you gave me so many fantastic memories. Thank you. Having been born in 1980, I'm too young to remember the glory days of Clough as Forest manager, but like every fan, those days are engraved on my memory as if I had been. Brian Clough was a different class of manager, the like of which, we do not see today. His no nonsense approach and practical skills were the stuff of magic. Why he never made it to become the England manager, I'll never know.
Having recently read his autobiography, 'Walking on Water', it gave me a further insight into a great man. I'm glad to see he is on the mend, and hopefully he'll be back to his outspoken ways in no time. Get well soon Brian.
Although not a Forest supporter, you have given me a great deal of pleasure over the years with your Derby and Forest sides, dedicated to keeping the ball 'on the carpet'. I hope you recover fully, soon, as the greatest manager never to have managed England, we need your continuing commentary - they broke the mould after you, Brian, and there's precious few left to tell it like it is.
Wishing you a full and speedy recovery Brian. As a Sunderland fan I wasn't around to actually see you in the red and white shirt but can vividly remember praying that you would become our manager on more than one occasion when the position was vacant, if only! Best Wishes.
Young Man, get yourself out of bed, now!
First game I ever saw Hartlepool 3 V Barrow 2. Cloughie you were brilliant...where did it all go wrong after you left Hartlepool? Bless you and get well soon.
Roy, Birmingham, England
A truly great manager who was never afraid to say how it was.
Get well Cloughy!
Thanks for the memories. You are football. Get well soon. Please feed us more of your poignant football comments. With Love.
After being such a wonderful player and achieving great things as a manager, it is good to see that you are winning another battle. Get well soon, Sir, and take heart from the fact that we are all behind you.
The best manager England never had. Get well soon.
You gave me Forest. They were the biggest club in Europe when I was 9 and when choosing a club that would be "mine" of course I did the easy thing and went for the big one. And I stuck by Forest through thick and thin.
It is great to love a club that much and I owe it to you in many ways. Thanks. And, as you wrote in my copy of your book: be good...
I remember watching big league soccer in my native land Sierra Leone and in the seventies you became my idol in English football. Indeed, your remarkable career in guiding Nottingham Forest to a number of successes was an indicator for my love for you. Hope and pray that God will give you a speedy recovery.
Mr Clough, I have been a Forest fan since I can remember and wish to thank you for your hard work and achievements during your time with us.
I am sorry to hear about your illness, but I wish with all luck that you are back to your very special self very soon.
Even a third European Cup win wouldn't match the greatness of a good and healthy recovery. I wish you all the best.
Sir Brian.
Recently heard you pick your all-time Dream Team on Radio 5 ... it was a joy to hear your forthright views once again ... here's hoping there's more gems from you soon.
Thanks for all the memories from Forest's Glory Years and for the legacy you left at the City Ground.
Wishing you a speedy recovery.
I hope Mr Clough makes a full recovery. Not only is this fellow the greatest ever manager but he is a great character the likes of which we are unlikely to see within the game again.
He is also a good man with strong principles both within and outside the game. The world would be a duller place without Brian Clough so get well "Big Ead".
I hope that you make a full and rapid recovery Brian. You gave this City of Nottingham confidence in itself and showed to the world that we can all achieve what we want with the right will. As a Derby fan all my life (which is still only 26 years) I just missed out on the glory you bought to our club, but was weaned on it by my Dad's stories and numerous videos!
The same Dad I'm talking of, a Derby fan through and through, is currently battling against cancer and could need a huge operation. You have brought a lot of happiness and cheer to my family in the past and are now a point of inspiration too. God bless you Brian, get well soon and up the Rams! Get well soon mate. I remember watching you play for Sunderland and for a little fella you weren't half bad, lad.
But as a manager you had no peers: you were the best there ever was, or has been, at getting a quart from a pint pot! The majority of those lads at Forest never realised how lucky they were. I bet they do now! Go on lad! You know you can do it!
Brian, don't let this get the better of you - I want to read your third book! Hope to see you again soon at the City Ground.
Just wishing a speedy recovery to the greatest manager never to take charge of his country... probably the only thing that Derby and Forest fans can agree on!
What the man achieved will never be mirrored. When you look at how hard Man U have found it to succeed in Europe, his back to back wins in the late 70s look even more impressive. Get well soon Cloughie! How could we ever go without those sharp one-liners?
Brian, we'll never forget you at Derby County - we still want you to come back and sort us out and make us great once again! Even after all these years we still follow your every footstep and every word. We know how ill you have been in recent times and we're very happy that you're finally getting better through surgery. Our thoughts and our love will always be with you and your family.
Get well soon young man. We want to see you back where you belong - back in football in whatever capacity, even if it is just sitting up in the stands watching your son play again.
Where would football be without Cloughie? He is football, he is the reason we all love it so much. Without his glorious technicolour where would we be? All the best young man! Every single football fan wishes you the best recovery ever! What about the England job when you are up and about, keep you on your toes.
Just a note to wish you a speedy recovery and to remind you that many, many football fans will be thinking of you and your family at this time. It is very difficult for me to express just how much your extraordinary period of management at Forest meant to an entire generation of fans: you and your colleagues achieved small miracles on a regular basis.
We all want to hear that you're back in the saddle soon, and I hope you'll be able to celebrate promotion with the current gifted and youthful Forest side that Paul Hart has created in your image.
Brian, you are a living legend and long may you continue to be so. You are a one-off, English football has never seen anyone quite like you and there is no one who will have the impact on the game that you have.
You took my team, Derby, from obscurity to greatness and for that I will be eternally grateful. It is just a shame that the chairman of the time didn't have your vision and forced you to complete your quest in Nottingham. My thoughts are with you.
I am a Notts lad born and bred and I would like to take this opportunity to say thanks for the great memories you gave all of us who lived in Notts during your time at Forest. I would like to see some of these so-called great managers of the modern era take a small provincial town like Forest and make them the best team in Europe, not once but twice.
No one did it before you and no one since, that tells a story in itself. We know you can walk on water, all we want from you now is to see you back to your old self. There are many people but only one old big head.
Thank you Brian for transporting me from the Third Division North to the European Cup semi-final against Juventus. What an incredible journey for a life-long Ram. Get well soon.
Brian, you are an inspiration, thanks for all you've done for football, apart from buying our star player in the first million pound deal in the UK (Our Trevor from Blues to Forest!)
England would have won the World Cup again under you without a doubt! I hope you get well soon. The game still needs you, the world still needs you. We need to see you on the TV again!
Here's hoping Brian Clough has a full recovery. It has been a tragedy that England have not had international success for so long when there was a man who could have delivered and he was snubbed. Good health Brian!!
I've nearly finished your book. What a pleasure it is to read. Football has lost some of its romance since you entered retirement. You speak sense and I wish you had been England manager.
As an inspiration to me both in sport and life in general, I just wish you a full recovery. Football needs the opinions and insights that you have shared so lucidly since you retired. See you at the City Ground soon.
Get well soon (Sir) Brian. All our thoughts are with you. You are a true footballing legend and I'm sure all true football fans will agree your achievements with Forest and Derby would get you a knighthood had it been for a different club! Here's wishing you a speedy recovery from your operation. I've always thought the world of you - as a person and as a manager. And what a manager! What you achieved - with what you had at your disposal - was incredible. Without doubt you were the best England manager we never had - and that's coming from an Irishman!
My first words to my first grandson were: "Now see here, young man". I said those as a tribute to you and as he grows up I will explain that to him. Get well soon, Brian. The world badly needs people like you. There are a lot of people rooting for you - and that's how it should be.
Get well soon mate. The world and football still needs you. To the greatest real person that ever walked the City Ground and gave those fortunate enough to be around at the time an insight into genuine genius at work.
You have lifted my spirits more times than I care to mention, now it's our turn to lift yours. From the Forest fans of yore and the people of Nottingham, God bless you mate!
Hi Brian, spotted you a couple of weeks ago at the Ipswich game I believe. Thank you for your legacy, which is currently manifesting itself in Paul Hart. My thoughts are with you and all your family at the moment and look forward to spotting you a few rows behind me in the not so distant future.
As a Derby fan, after your operation, when you're fit and well again I don't suppose you fancy being manager of the Rams again? We need you now like never before! Get well Brian, you are an inspiration to us all.
Get well soon Sir Brian! You'll always have a special place in the hearts of all Sunderland fans. How we wish you back in the red and white stripes! If you have half as much strength fighting this illness as you did while you were this country's greatest manager then your recovery will be no problem.
Get well soon, because the sooner we hear your wit and wisdom back in the media the better for all those associated with sport in general.
As a Forest fan of nearly 30 years I would like to thank you for creating many magic City Ground moments and wish you a swift and full recovery from your operation.
You took Forest to two European Cups but in spite of this you will always be loved by Derby County fans. We forgive you!
Get well soon Mr Clough. We'll keep your seat warm in the stand for you, and save your fruitcake as well. Can't wait to see you back with us. My thoughts are with you and your family.
Also a big apology to your son about Saturday after the game. We had a few cross words about Albion's performance but none of us in the crowd had any idea this was going on.
Brian will go down in history as one of the very best man managers in the history of football, such a waste that he was never allowed to prove it as England manager.
Wishing you a speedy recovery Brian. Your teams played the game as it should be played - with disipline, skill, and flair. You had the respect of your players and many neutral fans loved to watch Forest because they knew that they were going to see beautiful football and no 'prima donna' behaviour. Our thoughts are with you.
Good luck Cloughie, you made the football world what it is and showed that you could achieve anything you set your mind to. You have lots of people pulling for you, so all you have to do is go about this battle with the same resolve as the previous ones and you will be fine.
As a Forest fan for more than 15 years I only got to see the last few years of Cloughie's reign as Forest boss. But from what I saw he taught his players to play the game how it should be played - on the floor, to feet, no berating of referees, fairness and above all with a smile on your face.
I think I speak for all Forest fans and probably all football fans when I say I wish you the very best in your recovery from your transplant. Get well soon.
Get well soon Brian. You were a great centre-forward and manager. Two things you should have done: managed the Boro so they could have won something and managed England. Maybe you can manage the Boro after your recuperation, it's never too late.
Get well soon Brian. With your fighting spirit and forward-looking approach you will soon be back among us with your usual forthright comments about your beloved game of football.
I hope the greatest manager of all-time recovers well. No other manager could've taken small-town clubs like Derby and Forest to such greatness.
If it wasn't for the personality clash with the Derby chairman in the 70s, Derby would be bigger than Man Utd!
They will forever be "Brian Clough's Red and White Army". Get well soon Brian - you truly are a legend!
Best Wishes for your speedy recovery to the greatest manager the England side never had. Their loss was our gain though as you concentrated the best years of your life to making Forest arguably the most successful "unfashionable" side the country has ever seen! Get well soon, Big 'Ead!
Dear Mr Clough, I would like to wish you a full and speedy recovery. As a Forest fan I think you are the greatest manager of all time and also a wonderful person. You made mine and my daughter's day when we were lucky enough to get your book signed when we were up visiting in Nottingham. Get well soon sir!
Chin up, young man. You're still the best. Get well soon.
You say Brian made his name at Derby and Forest. As a Hartlepudlian please may I correct you... taking Hartlepool out of the fourth division and into the dizzy heights of the (then) third division should have earned him a medal! Take care, fella. H'pool still miss you.
One of my fondest memories of Old Big 'ead was when he was interviewed in his heyday and the press said to him: "Brian, you are affectionately known as Old Big 'ead, what happens if a member of your staff comes up to you and explains that he has a different idea to you and thinks it may prove a better one?" Cloughie replied almost immediately: "Well young man, that wouldn't be a problem. I would take him to a private room, sit down, talk about it and we'd both agree that I was right."
They broke the mould when they made him, this place wouldn't be the same without him. Get well soon.
To Sir Old Big 'ead, get well soon and all the very best. You are a true legend of the game in so many ways and a genuine personality that is so sorely lacking in today's packaged and sterilised Premiership age.
I wish you a speedy recovery and will always remember you as the greatest goal scorer I have ever seen. As a Forest fan who was lucky enough to be there through the glory days I hope Brian pulls through successfully. So many people have Brian as their inspiration (eg Martin O'Neill). I hope he now sees George Best as his, with his new-found strength to not drink again, as much as respect for the person (and their family) who donated the liver.
And also for his own family and the legions of people who remember Brian for what he achieved and not what drink made him become.
Get well soon mate from all Oxford Fans. You are a credit to football and to this country, wishing you a speedy recovery, get well soon.
All the best for the future, Brian. You are and will always be the best football manager this country has ever had.
Mr Clough, my thoughts, best wishes and prayers go out to you and your family. I hope you make a full recovery.
Hi Brian, just a message saying get well soon mate.
Sad news to hear one of the greatest managers in English footballing history is in poor health. This man guided a number of smalltown clubs to greatness. Nottingham Forest remain the smallest club to become champions of Europe (let alone twice!), masterminded by Cloughie's very own brand of management. Get well soon, Brian.
Our thoughts are with you and your family at this difficult time.
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20 Jan 03 | Football
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After being such a wonderful player and achieving great things as a manager, it is good to see you winning another battle
