Why Leeds sacked Brian Clough after 44 days
Brian Clough is one of the greatest English managers of all time, but not because of his time in charge of Leeds.
During his managerial career, he won the First Division once with both Derby and Nottingham Forest as well as two European Cups and four League Cups with the latter club.
It wasn't all plain sailing though, with those two hugely successful spells separated by a considerably less one up north.
Leeds' rise to the top under Don Revie
Clough took over a Leeds team that had become one of the best in England under the leadership of Don Revie.
When Revie was made player-manager in 1961, the club were struggling in the Second Division, but within three years they'd gained promotion and were challenging for the First Division title.
After missing out a few times, they finally won it in 1968/69 before doing so again in 1973/74, also winning the League Cup in 1968 and the FA Cup in 1972.
Those triumphs caught the eye of the FA, who made Revie the new England manager in the summer of 1974.
Brian Clough's time in charge of Leeds
Despite the huge amount of success that he enjoyed at Derby, there were many who felt Clough wasn't the ideal replacement for Revie.
He'd struggled since taking charge at Brighton in 1973 after falling out with the Derby chairman and had always been highly critical of Leeds in his regular work as a TV pundit, calling for them to be relegated due to the "dirty" football they played under Revie.
Despite that, the club shocked the footballing world and offered him the job, and he didn't change his views after taking it, reportedly telling his new players they could throw their medals in the bin "because they were not won fairly."
Unsurprisingly, he quickly alienated players and splashed the cash to bring in new ones, further damaging the moods of those from the Revie era.
With an unhappy and incoherent squad, he wasn't able to pick up where his predecessor left off, winning just one of his first eight matches, and losing three of them.
After the eighth of those games, a 1-1 draw with local rivals Huddersfield, the Leeds players met in the dressing room and held a vote of no confidence in their boss, with most wanting him to leave the club.
The board, who had been far from impressed by Clough themselves, gave the squad their wish and sacked him just 44 days after he took over.
Leeds' results under Brian Clough
- 10/08/1974 - Liverpool 1-1 Leeds (6-5 on pens) - Community Shield
- 17/08/1974 - Stoke 3-0 Leeds - First Division
- 21/08/1974 - Leeds 0-1 Queens Park Rangers - First Division
- 24/08/1974 - Leeds 1-0 Birmingham - First Division
- 27/08/1974 - Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Leeds - First Division
- 31/08/1974 - Manchester City 2-1 Leeds - First Division
- 07/09/1974 - Leeds 1-1 Luton - First Division
- 10/09/1974 - Huddersfield 1-1 Leeds - League Cup
Brian Clough's post-Leeds career
Clough's time at Leeds had damaged his reputation, but not enough to stop Nottingham Forest from offering him a job a year later.
He rebuilt that reputation and then some there, establishing himself as one of the best managers England had ever seen.
During his 18 years in charge, he made the club English champions once and European champions twice, being one of only four managers to win a top flight title with two different clubs.
