6 Nov 2008Clough statue unveiled

Football Referees, Players, Managers and Media

A statue of Brian Clough which was paid for by football fans has been unveiled in Nottingham city centre today (November 6th).

Clough attained legendary status for his achievements at Nottingham Forest, who he took up from the old Division Two and then steered to the Division One title and a League Cup victory in the very next season.

He then proceeded to win back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980, while he had also previously established a 42-game unbeaten run in the league which stood until 2004, when Arsenal completed a streak of 49 matches.

Clough was also feted by fans of Derby County after he secured the club's first ever Division One title during the 1971-72 season and reached the semi-finals of the European Cup the following year.

He died in 2004 from stomach cancer at the age of 69, but now he has been honoured with the new 8ft statue, which cost £60,000 and stands near Nottingham's old Market Square.

Son Nigel, a former Forest player and the current manager of Burton Albion, said: "It is an honour and if you look around the country there are not too many statues of people so he must have been doing something right."

The statue, which was designed by sculptor Les Johnson, depicts Clough in typical pose, with his hands clasped above his head.

Clough was also an excellent player, smashing 251 goals in 274 games for Middlesbrough and Sunderland before his career was cut short by injury at the age of 28.

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