Brian Clough memorably led Nottingham Forest to European Cup glory in 1979. During a turbulent March 1980, it looked as if their defence of the trophy was over.
The first half of March 1980 was a testing time for Nottingham Forest. Defeat to a Bolton team that had previously won just one league match was Forest’s 11th loss in Division One, but it would be two defeats in cup competitions that the club had won during the previous campaign that caused the press vultures to circle.
Had Archie Gemmill and Tony Woodcock been replaced effectively? Was £1 million man Trevor Francis proving his worth? Would the signing of maverick Stan Bowles turn out to be a wise move? Along with these questions, there were also financial pressures, with the development of the Executive Stand at the City Ground to be considered.
The ground development was reportedly costing the club £2.5 million, and with the very real prospect of no European football in the next campaign, the pressure was growing. “For Forest, with their expensive new stand to be paid for, the outlook and options are bleak,” David Lacey wrote in the Guardian after the League Cup final defeat to Wolves.
Wins over Oster and Arges Pitesti had set up the last eight clash with East German champions Dynamo Berlin. Whereas Forest had struggled in the run-up to the first leg in Nottingham, their opponents were flying, a 9-1 win over Stahl Riesa in the East German Oberliga another victory in a season that saw the club win the second of ten consecutive domestic titles.
“I’m not bothered about Dynamo’s performances,” Clough stated before the first leg. “The onus is on us and the match has got to be won here. I do not fancy going to Berlin with the tie still in the balance.” Giving his players two days off training prior to the match, Clough hoped the rest would prove beneficial and give him the first leg advantage that he craved.
On a night of disappointment, Dynamo squeezed the life out of Clough’s players, their man-to-man marking blunting any threat from a Forest team described as pedestrian and too predictable. Bowles struggled to make an impact, and without the suspended Viv Anderson, the team lacked the attacking width he provided.
On 63 minutes the nightmare scenario unfolded. A cross from captain Frank Terletzki was controlled by Hans-Jurgen Riediger, and when the forward cut inside and fired beyond Peter Shilton, the visitors were on their way to a classic 1-0 away win. To make matters worse, defender Kenny Burns picked up a booking that saw him suspended for the return leg.
“Nottingham Forest’s hold on the European Cup looks tenuous in the extreme,” Lacey wrote in his match report. Clough was frank in his assessment of what went wrong. “We had difficulty beating their system because we didn't have the brains for a one-off situation. I hope we have them in Berlin. I think we can win out there. That is an honest opinion, not bravado or stupidity.”
The task facing Forest was tough enough. But another mental obstacle was placed in front of Clough, Taylor and the squad when the team lost the League Cup final to Wolves on the Saturday before the match in Berlin. A fatal misunderstanding between Shilton and David Needham saw holders Forest relinquish their hold on one trophy. Would another slip from their grasp four days later?
“Today Forest fly to East Berlin for a match which could end an era,” Lacey stated in his League Cup final report. There was no doubting the significance of the match for Clough and the club. “It will surely be Forest’s best achievement yet in Europe if they manage to win in Berlin against a side which has recently scored 19 goals in two home matches.”
One man in particular had a point to prove. Criticised by Clough after the first leg, and under scrutiny from the press, Francis was feeling the pressure. Nevertheless, shortly before the match in Berlin, Clough approached Francis, asking him where he wanted to play. When Francis replied "up front", Clough agreed, telling his player to make sure he ended the game in the same position.
John Robertson was another player chastised in the media. Under the headline “Last stand for Clough?”, the Observer’s Ronald Atkin questioned the winger. “Robertson, never the skinniest of footballers, now looks distinctly pudgy and the killing edge has disappeared from his dribbling and passing.”
We were soon to discover that news of the demise of Nottingham Forest had been greatly exaggerated. Clough had been bullish in the build-up, insisting Forest would score at least one, thus putting the pressure back on Dynamo. Recalling Ian Bowyer for Bowles, the psychological battle started in the tunnel.
In the superb I Believe in Miracles, Daniel Taylor describes the scene: “It was a bitterly cold night in Berlin and Clough told his players to leave the dressing room with deliberate uprightness, straight-backed and unconcerned by the Arctic temperatures.” Taylor insisted that their opponents were frightened. “They were so nervous that they looked like a bunch of zombies.”
The match would be a triumph for both club and the key personnel that had been partly written off. On 15 minutes, Needham headed down Larry Lloyd’s free kick into the path of Francis, who poked home a crucial away goal. When Francis turned his marker Rainer Troppa to fire home a second after 35 minutes, Forest had turned the tie on its head.
There was more to come. Robertson earned a penalty just three minutes after Francis’ second, and scored from the spot to place a Forest foot in the last four. The winger may have blotted his copybook slightly by conceding a penalty that Terletzki converted after 49 minutes, but after a few nervy moments that included Riediger heading against the bar, Forest had confounded their critics.
“I was especially pleased with the way we did it,” Clough said. “We did not survive by sitting back and scrambling one.” Praising Francis, Clough revelled in silencing the doubters. “We don’t think we are a bad side. We’ve just killed off a team in an away European Cup game which some people thought we couldn't win.”
Forest’s win in Berlin wasn’t a miracle in itself. But it was part of the fairy tale story that was Nottingham Forest winning two European Cups under Clough and Taylor. Just when it appeared that reality would return, and the script would revert to normality, the two men seemed to find a way of prolonging the adventure.
Cologne in 1979, Berlin in 1980, and Hamburg in the final at the Bernabeu. It didn’t matter what side of the Iron Curtain Forest’s German opponents came from; Clough’s underdogs continued to defy the odds.
Prior to the match in Berlin, the obituaries were being prepared. But doubting Clough during his prime was always a risky business. Forest pulled off a victory in Berlin to take the breath away, another step on their journey to a second European Cup.
Excellent blog as usual. These have been keeping me going through these testing times. Also great to hear views on Forest in the early 80’s. Clough and Taylor were at their imperious best during nights like these.
ReplyDeleteVery well written piece that perfectly captures the cracks that had begun to appear in the Tricky Trees makeup - Woodcock sold off far too cheaply and never adequately replaced , opposition becoming wise to Birtles and subsequently his goal tally levelling off. But... salvation in the form of Francis and Robertson who both provided important goals when it looked bleak (we'll gloss over the heartbreak of the Wolves final !) Liverpool infatuated journalists gleefully writing off Forest looked very silly after the Madrid final (pity poor Kevin...)
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