In 1965, he took the manager's job at Fourth Division Hartlepools United and appointed Peter Taylor as his assistant, the start of an enduring partnership that would bring them success at several clubs over the next two decades.

An eight-month spell in charge of Third Division club Brighton & Hove Albion followed, before Clough (without Taylor) returned north in the summer of 1974 to become manager of Leeds United.

Brian Howard Clough was born on 21 March 1935[7] at 11 Valley Road, an inter-war council house in Grove Hill, Middlesbrough, North Riding of Yorkshire,[8] He was the sixth of nine children of a local sweet shop worker, later sugar boiler and then manager.

Clough played for Great Broughton Juniors and, while working for ICI, Billingham Synthonia (scoring three goals in four games[16]) before his national service in the RAF between 1953 and 1955.

In July 1961, one of Clough's transfer requests was finally accepted and he moved to Boro's local rivals Sunderland for £55,000 scoring 34 goals in the 1961–62 season.

In a match against Bury at Roker Park on 26 December 1962, in icy conditions and torrential rain, Clough was put through on goal and collided with goalkeeper, Chris Harker.

Hartlepools were perennial strugglers and had repeatedly had to apply for re-election to the Football League, having finished in the bottom two of the Fourth Division five times in the past six seasons.

On 15 November 1966, the then chairman, Ernest Ord, who was known for playing mind games with managers, sacked Clough's assistant Peter Taylor, claiming he could not afford to pay him anymore.

Manchester City did temporarily top the league after playing their last match, but had a slim chance of winning the title due to outstanding fixtures between the clubs directly below them.

Then, in early September 1972, after the team had defeated Liverpool 2–1 at the Baseball Ground, Clough criticised the Derby County fans, stating that "They started chanting only near the end when we were a goal in front.

That 1972–73 season, Derby failed to retain their title, finishing seventh, but reached the semi-finals of the European Cup in April 1973, when they were knocked out by Juventus 3–1 on aggregate.

[25] During the first leg in Turin, Clough was aggrieved by the performance of the match referee, whom he believed had been influenced and possibly bribed to favour the Italian side.

In September 1973, Clough travelled to West Ham United's Upton Park and personally made a £400,000 bid for Bobby Moore, a player he long admired, and Trevor Brooking.

Longson found out four months later during a chance conversation with Eddie Chapman, West Ham's secretary at the time, but by then Clough was no longer the Derby County manager.

On 27 April 1972, less than two weeks before taking Derby to the league title, Clough and Taylor had briefly resigned for a few hours to manage Coventry City before changing their minds after Longson offered them more money.

That week, Clough, as a television football pundit, memorably called Poland goalkeeper Jan Tomaszewski a "circus clown in gloves" before the crucial World Cup qualifier with England at Wembley.

Leeds were fourth from bottom in 19th position with only four points from a possible twelve, their worst start since their last relegation campaign fifteen years earlier.

[38][39] Describing this televised interview as the culmination of the bitter rivalry between the two men, journalist Roger Hermiston stated: "It was like watching a bickering couple about to get a divorce.

[42] Forest won Clough's first game in charge, an FA Cup third round replay against Tottenham Hotspur, with Scottish centre-forward Neil Martin scoring the only goal.

[41] It was in this season Clough made McGovern long standing club captain, taking over from a game in which Bob Chapman and Liam O'Kane were both injured.

[55] This kept Forest in the third promotion spot in the league table and dependent on Bolton Wanderers dropping points in three games in hand in the fight for third place.

[61] They defeated Liverpool 1–0 in the 1978 Football League Cup Final replay, despite cup-tied Shilton, Gemmill and December signing David Needham not playing.

[42] After clinched a decent fifth place in the 1982-83 season, the next campaign 1983-84 the club -returning to the continental competitions after two years- was defeated by Anderlecht in the UEFA Cup semi finals in controversial circumstances.

[90] Peter Taylor, Clough's friend and long-time assistant at Hartlepools, Derby, Brighton and Forest, retired from football in 1982, bringing to an end their partnership.

In a tabloid article, Clough called Taylor a "snake in the grass" and declared that "if his car broke down and I saw him thumbing a lift, I wouldn't pick him up, I'd run him over.

Former Premier League chief executive Rick Parry, who led the investigation into Clough, said: "On the balance of evidence, we felt he was guilty of taking bungs.

"[99] A former Forest chief scout Alan Hill confirmed Clough had made illegal payments to players and backroom staff in breach of FA rules.

Clough was a lifelong socialist,[106][107] often appearing on miners' picket lines, donating large sums to trade union causes, canvassing for his local MP and being the chairman of the Anti-Nazi League.

[108] On two occasions, he was approached by the Labour Party to stand as a parliamentary candidate in general elections, but he declined in order to continue his managerial career in football.

During the 1980s the Clough family went on to mentor a couple of underprivileged youngsters from Sunderland, brothers Craig and Aaron Bromfield after a chance encounter in the North East prior to a Forest fixture.