Brian Clough - the legend
There's a great story on the Derby Evening Telegraph site this week about Brian Clough and Peter Taylor. It's from a new book about Peter Taylor by his daughter Brenda Dickinson and co-authored by Stafford Hildred called "For Pete's Sake" – The Peter Taylor Story (Volume One: The Backstreets to the Baseball Ground).
Personally I love the part where Roy McFarland turns to his Dad and asks him what he thinks. His Dad says: 'if they want you that badly son, I'd sign' and then Brian says: well said, Mr McFarland, you're dead right. Now do what your father says, son'. Classic. Here's a quote from the website, from the book...ANYONE who thinks football management is glamorous should have been with dad and Brian as they started work on the massive rebuilding job that Derby needed. On that first day of that very first season, the mission took dad on a long drive to the south coast to catch the only night match, Torquay United versus Tranmere Rovers. He wanted to take another look at a young player who had impressed him when Tranmere had visited Hartlepools the previous season. Dad thought he had spotted a real gem or as he preferred to call the 18-year-old centre half, 'an uncut diamond'. His name? Roy McFarland.
Dad turned up his collar and pulled his hat down to do what he could to conceal his identity as he joined the fans behind the goal for the Third Division match. He never liked to advertise his presence but he was keen to see how the young Tranmere defender handled the experienced Torquay centre forward Jim Fryatt, who was a handful for any centre half. "That night, he gave young McFarland the run around," said dad. "It gave me a lot to think about. It's easy spotting a good player and I still knew he was that but putting someone else's money where your mouth is makes it a very different experience". Dad noticed that McFarland had not lost his remarkable composure under pressure when there was plenty of panic around him. He had a cultured left foot and there was a ruthless efficiency about his play that dad warmed to. The 'killer instinct', he called it. And "he was as brave as a lion," said dad, "the sort of guy you want on your side when the going gets tough."
Dad told Brian and the response was instant and unquestioning. A trip for the two of them was arranged to Tranmere's next home game against Reading the following Friday. Dad phoned their manager, Dave Russell, for an appointment a couple of hours before the game. He was happy to see them but curious as to the reason for the visit. Dad tried to pretend he wanted to take a look at wing-half John King but he soon realised Russell was not taken in by his deception. After the game, dad and Brian convened in Dave Russell's office and revealed that it was indeed young Roy McFarland they were interested in signing. Russell laughed off their first offer of £9,000 and only started to take them seriously when dad and Brian raised their offer towards £20,000. "Then we stopped haggling and asked to use the phone," said dad. "We pretended we needed to get in touch with the chairman to go over £20,000. Brian pleaded down the phone to be allowed to go to £24,000 for the lad and it sounded as if (chairman) Sam Longson was being very hard to convince to shell out so much on an untried youngster. In fact, Brian was talking to himself." Brian had dialled his own office number and all he could hear was the phone plaintively ringing on unanswered but Dave Russell didn't know that dad and Brian could and would have spent far more. He concluded that £24,000 for a young lad was a very good night's business.
They shook on the deal and then set off on the difficult part of the negotiation, persuading a life-long Liverpool fan to say goodbye to his home city and sign for struggling Second Division side Derby County. That night, Roy was on his way home from playing for Tranmere with his cousin, John Rowley, and had no idea he was about to make the biggest decision of his life. "I was tired after the match and got home, had a cup of tea and got off to bed," said McFarland. "It must have been about half twelve when my mum shook me and woke me up and said the manager was downstairs with two blokes who wanted to talk to me. I came downstairs in my pyjamas and Dave Russell was there with Brian, who I recognised as a well-known footballer and Peter, who I didn't know. Brian and Peter just went at it for what seemed like hours. They wanted me to sign and I just kept saying 'I would really like the weekend to think about it'. "But that was not what they wanted to hear, they weren't having that at all. They kept saying 'take your time, we can stay here all night'. They were just wearing us out but I was determined not to sign".
"They told us all about how they were building a team and without doubt, even then, I knew they were so determined that things were going to happen. I knew if I went with them, it would be an exciting journey. I turned to my dad and said 'what do you think?' My dad's exact words were 'if they want you that badly son, I'd sign'. I didn't say yes, I didn't say anything else. Peter was up first and then they were both out of their seats. Brian said 'well said, Mr McFarland, you're dead right. Now do what your father says, son'. I always say it was Peter who signed for Derby County, not me. He put a pen in my hand and, I kid you not, he still had hold of my arm as I signed. "I don't know whether he signed or I signed. It's Pete's signature written with my hand. I was bewildered. They had about six forms for me to sign and just kept whipping one away and shoving another under my nose. It all happened so fast. Once they'd got my signature, they thanked mum and dad and assured them I'd made the best decision I'd ever make."
