Modern footballers have a lot to thank George Eastham for. 2) The League Cup's very own Matthews moment (Stoke City 2-1 Chelsea, 1972) Fittingly, as they received their winners medals, they were also given tankards. In the second half a revived, or possibly incensed, Forest ran in three quicksmart goals to pip Saints to the trophy. Saints went in at half-time a goal to the good, at which point Clough showed his face: popping his head round the dressing room door, he bollocked his team for drinking the previous night. The next day began with Clough, for some strange reason, nowhere to be seen as the teams took to the pitch, Peter Taylor leading Forest out.
Tony Woodcock, not a big drinker, had to be carried to bed. There was no getting round it: the booze had to be sunk. Cue the arrival on a tray of ten pints of foaming ale.
John O'Hare protested, on the grounds that he only drank bitter. Though they might have been slightly taken aback when he locked the door and told them nobody was going to bed before it was all swilled. Thinking it odd, because Clough never bothered talking about the opposition, the players may not have been particularly surprised to turn up and find their manager sitting next to a crate of champagne. The night before the game, Clough ordered his men to meet in a sideroom for a special teamtalk. Buoyed by the success of cracking open the tins before the Liverpool match, Clough decided to take it up a notch before the Wembley showpiece. Six months passed, months which saw Forest reach the final of the League Cup, in which they would face Lawrie McMenemy's up-and-coming Southampton. Eh? But there was method in the madness: the players then snoozed all afternoon, before waking fully refreshed and worry free, easily holding the reigning European champions to a goalless draw and marching on in Europe. Lovely! Then, when they sat down for lunch upon arriving at the team hotel, Clough poured everyone a glass of wine. 1) Cloughie's special teamtalk ( Nottingham Forest 3-2 Southampton, 1979)Įarlier in the season, travelling to an evening kick-off at Anfield to defend a 2-0 first-leg lead over Liverpool in the first round of the European Cup, the Nottingham Forest squad were pleasantly surprised when Brian Clough stopped the bus, ordered the team into a local pub, and bought them all a lunchtime pint.