Derby County 1970–1973: Brian Clough’s First Miracle

Before Nottingham Forest made him a legend, Brian Clough’s Derby County 1970–1973 wrote the first great chapter in his extraordinary career. In just four seasons, Clough and Peter Taylor turned Derby from second-tier strugglers into champions of England — a side built on belief, brinkmanship, and the white-boot wizardry of Alan Hinton. It was football’s most chaotic fairy tale — and its first Clough miracle.

It can be easy to see Brian Clough’s Derby County title winners as a prototype for what was to come.

After all, within a decade he and Peter Taylor were to achieve the same again – and more – with another unfancied second tier East Midlands club.

He also did so using many of the same players – signing John McGovern, Archie Gemmill, John O’Hare and Colin Todd for both Derby and Nottingham Forest. And in maverick left winger, set piece specialist and white boot pioneer Alan Hinton, Derby had their own John Robertson.

The four-horse race played out like a Sky Sports’ scheduler’s wet dream, as the climax was spread over multiple finishes

But to do so would be to under-estimate the achievement. Turning Derby County from second division journeyman to title-winners was an extraordinary thing, even allowing for it being arguably the most democratised period of English football (between 1959 and 1976, no team retained the First Division title).

Until Brian Clough’s arrival, Derby County had been struggling in the second tier after being relegated from the top-flight in 1953.

Clough and Taylor had cut their managerial teeth at Hartlepools United – shortly before it became singular and then ultimately United again. It was a risk on both parts. Clough was untried at 30 bar some youth team coaching during his recovery from what was ultimately a career-ending knee injury at Sunderland. Hartlepools were perennially up for re-election. While Clough and Taylor did not take Hartlepools up – they did improve fortunes enough to finish 8^th (they would be promoted the following season) and to attract Derby’s attentions.

Clough had almost left the previous November after chairman Ernie Ord sacked Peter Taylor saying he could not afford him. Clough was subsequently sacked for not accepting it, but the board ultimately backed Clough and Taylor – sacking Ord instead. This would not be Clough’s last bit of boardroom brinksmanship.

Indeed, his stormy relationship with Derby County chairman Sam Longson became an increasingly destructive sideshow which brought the Clough era to a premature end.

By then of course, Clough had not only delivered promotion – after a disappointing first season in charge – he consolidated Derby’s position with a fourth place finish in the first season back in the top-flight in 1969-70 and two years later would win the title.

That win was all the more extraordinary given the sides they were up against and the opportunities their rivals had to win at the death. Indeed, the culmination of 1971-72 season – a four-horse race between Derby, Leeds United, Liverpool and Manchester City – played out like a Sky Sports’ scheduler’s wet dream, as the climax was spread over multiple finishes.

First Manchester City beat Derby to finish their season on 57 points.

Then Derby, a point behind, beat Liverpool to grab top spot and end their season on 58 points.

Clough and Taylor were having an underwhelming season in charge of Brighton before Clough took on his ill-fated, Liz Truss-style 44-day reign at Leeds

But both Leeds on 57 points and Liverpool on 56 points and a better goal ratio had one more game left and could win the title. Liverpool though could only draw with Arsenal while Leeds - needing only to avoid defeat against Wolves to complete a first ever league and FA Cup double - lost. In the process, Leeds lost the title by a single point for a second consecutive season. It meant Derby’s three title rivals all finished one point behind on 57pts.

Symmetry fans may also note that Nottingham Forest were relegated that season.

But even as Clough and Taylor were creating history, cracks were already starting to appear. Incredibly just a few games before they clinched the title, Clough and Taylor had seemingly agreed to walk out on Derby to join Coventry City. They never did, in all likelihood their interest being used as part of some more Clough brinksmanship.

Derby finished 9^th the following season, though did enjoy a run to the European Cup semi-finals – only to controversially lose to Juventus. Amid accusations Juventus had bribed the referee, Clough described the Italians as ‘cheating bastards’ – adding to increasingly long list of people Clough appeared to be at war with. That chiefly included the FA, Don Revie’s Leeds, Derby chairman Longson – not helped by Clough’s habit of buying players without informing the board – but even at one point stretched as far as his own fans.

Come October 1973 breaking point had been reached. Longson moved to sack Clough and Taylor – prompting Clough to attempt oust Longson as he had Ord from Hartlepools. This time though the board backed the chairman and Clough was gone.

In a since-published letter explaining his decision to sack Derby’s most successful ever manager, Longson highlighted Clough’s attacks on the FA, his threats to leave the club and him allegedly giving the Harvey Smith V sign to Sir Matt Busby (Clough himself later said the send-off was aimed at Longson).

Longson also cited the distraction of Clough’s burgeoning media career – and ironically as his sacking played out, Clough still found time to make his infamous description of Polish goalkeeper Jan Tomaszewski as a clown before a man-of-the-match display ended England’s hopes of qualifying for the 1974 World Cup.

Despite the huge unpopularity of dismissing Clough – the players demanded his reinstatement – initially Longson appeared vindicated.

Derby turned to Dave Mackay – a player who Clough had signed to help guide Derby’s promotion efforts and who incredibly jointly won the football player of the year award in 1969 as a second-tier player. And in 1974-75, Derby were champions for a second time.

While Mackay’s side was built on Clough’s legacy – the likes of Colin Boulton in goal, PFA player of the year Todd, Gemmill, Hinton and Kevin Hector all again starring – it was supplemented with the flair of Francis Lee and the goals from midfield of Bruce Rioch.

While this was going on Clough and Taylor were having an underwhelming season in charge of Brighton – surreally having chosen to drop two divisions to manage the third division side – before Clough took on his ill-fated, Liz Truss-style 44-day reign at Leeds.

However, not for the first time Clough had the last laugh. Though Derby followed their second title win with a creditable fourth place finish in 1975-76, their run of top 10 finishes was over, Mackay was sacked in 1977 and Derby were relegated in 1980.

By then of course Clough and Taylor were riding high in neighbouring Nottingham, adding two European Cups to the league success they had delivered for Forest. And by this time Clough had learnt how far he could push his brinksmanship without his employers despairing – or vice-versa – to give Forest the legacy Derby never had.

How We Ranked Them

We have five categories of greatness from our five-star All-Time Greats category at the top to our one-star Blinkered Greats category at the bottom. We toyed with our middle category of Touch of Greatness, but the magic of Clough was enough for us to push Derby up to.

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TRUE GREATS

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Listen To The Podcast

Join hosts Graham Dunn and Jamie Rooney — with Sunderland fan Phil Craig — as they relive Derby County 1970–1973, Brian Clough’s first great team. From second-tier strugglers to league champions, it’s the story of belief, brinkmanship, and one of football’s most brilliant managers in full flight.

👉 Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Podcasts.

Double title winner and the only ever Derby player to win the PFA player of the year award, Colin Todd capped a hugely successful career by playing a dozen games for the Us in 1984. This was to set a precedent as Spurs stalwart Steve Perryman ended his career with a 17 game stint at the Manor two years later.

Further Listening

Phil Craig also joined us for a look at Don Revie’s Leeds United. Once we had settled – we never did – whether it was Revvy or Reevy, we dive into one of his super-colourful reign at Leeds. While he was both hugely successful, Leeds did finish runners up a remarkable number of times. Not only did the miss out on the title to Derby (and the double) in 1972 by a point, they did so the previous year – largely down to Jeff Astle scoring one of the most offside goals in history. This is worth watching partly for the brilliant Barry Davies “Leeds will go mad and they have every right to go mad” commentary, but mostly for the realisation the referee is Dave Coaches from Gavin & Stacey.