The Liverpool boss’s battles with Clough defined an era
BOB PAISLEY’S battle with Brian Clough became the most absorbing clash in English football after Nottingham Forest were promoted to the First Division in 1977. In 330 minutes of football against Forest, Liverpool scored just one goal and their firstround European Cup elimination at Clough’s hands in 1978 hurt deeply. Paisley’s competitive instinct left him loathing this team. When he spoke to reporters after a goalless draw at Anfield sent Liverpool out of Europe, he said Forest only wanted to repel, not create. ‘They defend well. It’s not easy to break down any team which concentrates on that.’ Clough said that he appeared at Anfield one day in 1980 to try to buy Terry McDermott, and that Paisley opened his fridge to offer him a beer. ‘There was mould inside it, so I said, “Let’s have a cup of tea instead”.’
Paisley told a story of getting ready to go home one day when there was a knock on the office door and he found Clough outside, in an old tracksuit holding a bottle of whisky. ‘He wanted us to talk football over a drink,’ Paisley related. ‘I told him I couldn’t because I was going home for my tea. ‘Eventually he got up and said he was going to watch Tranmere.’