Martin’s Forest through and through
CLARK KNOWS O’NEILL CAN BRING BACK GLORY DAYS
IT’S BEEN a long and sometimes tortuous journey – but Martin O’neill is back in his spiritual home at Nottingham Forest.
Former City Ground team-mate Frank Clark (right) wonders what their famous boss Brian Clough would make of O’neill, 66, being handed the reins to a kingdom that once produced the miracle of two European Cups on the back of landing the First Division title.
“It’s fair to say Martin endured a love-hate relationship with Cloughie,” recalled Clark. “Brian dealt with his players differently, whether they were his favourites or not, to get the best out of them.
“He was quite hard on Martin because he knew that he could take it. Martin always had a lot to say for himself and would bite back.
“Having at one stage trained to be a lawyer before he came into football Martin was always opinionated. He would stand up for himself and never be afraid of the consequences.”
But even O’neill’s renowned silver tongue couldn’t procure the Northern Ireland star a starting place in the 1979 European Cup-winning side – something that Clark feels still hurts him almost 40 years later.
“Martin had to be content with being a substitute in the first European Cup victory and that was partly my fault,” explained Clark.
“Against Malmo in Munich there was myself, Archie Gemmill and Martin competing for one remaining spot in the team. We had all been injured and so Cloughie had decreed that only one of us would start.
“We knew that Trevor Francis (English football’s first £1million transfer) was going to play. He actually made his European debut in the final because until then he had been ineligible.
“None of us knew who was going to play until the morning of the game and Brian went for me.
“I know that rankled Martin for a long time because no one could have imagined that Forest would be back in the final in 12 months’ time.
“Fortunately he stayed at the club and played in the victory against Hamburg in that final.”
O’neill had to play the support role in Clough’s sides, unlike now as he becomes Forest’s 11th manager in eight years. “As a player he often became frustrated because John Robertson was usually the focal point of our attacks,” said Clark, who has also managed Forest.
“Martin was expected to bomb up and down the right and do the hard graft. He was a very good player, a very good athlete who worked very hard. Playing wide on the right wasn’t his favourite role. He always felt he was better employed inside as a more orthodox midfielder.”
And Clark says that his old teammate has also put in the hard miles to end up at the City Ground as boss.
He added: “Nothing was handed to Martin on a plate. He has done the heavy lifting. He was never gifted an opportunity to manage a big club straight off.”
Clark does not believe O’neill’s age is an issue, adding: “It depends on the individual. Have they still got the desire? The zest, the energy? Knowing Martin, he definitely has.”