Martin O'Neill interview: Nottingham Forest boss on Brian Clough, promotion hopes and Derby
Watch Nottingham Forest vs Derby from 7pm on Monday night on Sky Sports Football
Monday 25 February 2019 18:47, UK
Seeing Martin O'Neill sat in the boardroom at the City Ground evokes memories of one man in particular - mainly because most of the trophies Brian Clough won glimmer in cabinets all around.
It is more than 25 years since the legendary manager left Nottingham Forest but his legacy still rises like a mountain over the club. None more so than for O'Neill, who was a huge part of the iconic side that won the First Division and European Cup twice.
But what advice would his former manager and mentor have given him for his new role?
"I'm not so sure he would have given me any!" joked O'Neill. "He thought he was the best and that no one could compare to him. He was a one-off and an extraordinary, charismatic character.
"He was here for a long, long time as well and he obviously transcended the club in that sense. He was a colossus over it and an inspirational figure.
"He and Peter Taylor were big, big figures here at the time and while we had some great players at the club I don't think we would have had that success without their influence.
"This room holds a lot of good and bad memories for me. Sometimes I would be in here on a Monday morning getting praise from the manager and sometimes I would be getting an absolute rollicking as well!
"The room itself is looking much better than it was in the 1970s, there are some things that have changed in structure but some that will probably remain here for another 200 years."
Sentimentality obviously played a big role in O'Neill's return to the City Ground, having spent a decade there as a player between 1971 to 1981 he returned as manager last month.
O'Neill, now 66, admits the feeling was a little bit special during his first few days back, but since then the reality of day-to-day management has set in. It is very much now about the present, rather than the past.
Live EFL
"In the first week it meant a little bit but once you're into the business of management you have to forget about the past," he said. "Of course, I've told the players to embrace the past and try to aspire to it, but it's time for them to make their own piece of history and to try and get promotion.
"It's a long time since the club have been in the big league and there have been a number of managers, probably too many in recent times, because results mean absolutely everything in this day and age, it's the nature of the business.
"But an opportunity arose for me to come back after a long, long spell away. I had a great time here as a player but those days are gone and stored in the memory bank. I'm here to try and do something about the situation and I'll do my utmost to get that success, because it would mean a great deal if it could happen."
It has been a solid, if unspectacular, start for O'Neill. Six games so far have led to two wins, two draws and two defeats. On Monday things ratchet up a notch when they welcome fierce rivals Derby to the City Ground, with both clubs currently trying to force their way into the play-offs.
Naturally, memories again drift back to Clough, the Baseball Ground and East Midlands derbies by.
"The season after we got promoted [in 1977] we played Derby in the third game and won quite convincingly," recalled O'Neill.
"We also won a couple of big games at the Baseball Ground, and we lost a few as well, which didn't please the manager too much! There are a lot of great memories.
"I've been away from the scene for a little while now and I've only seen the games on TV, but I think the rivalry might be more intense now because Clough was so revered by both sets of fans at the time, and that isn't something you're likely to see too often.
"Derby are in a decent position themselves, games are running out and for us to stay in contention I think we need to win."
But what would the message from his gaffer have been? Clough was a man who wore his heart on his sleeve, whereas O'Neill is a little bit more calm and controlled.
"You need to stay disciplined as much as you possibly can," he said. "You can't let emotions run too high, but obviously that is easier said than done.
"The message will be to play with strength and determination, and to try and win the game."
