Brian Clough is number 15 in 90min's Top 50 Great Managers of All Time series. Follow the rest of the series over the course of the next three weeks. You can find Ed Alexander's Brian Clough career overview here.
Brian Clough was a masterful man-manager. He just knew how to get the best out of each and every one of his players.
Combine the Yorkshireman's coaching skills with the superb talent at his disposal and you have a magical combination. Yes, Clough was the architect of Nottingham Forest's miraculous rise from Second Division mediocrity to kings of the continent, but he would have been unable to do so without a stellar squad that could turn his dreams into reality.