Roy Keane: Cloughie would never have expected me to make it in management

Roy Keane yesterday relived his favourite moments with "the greatest" boss Brian Clough - including the day he made the entire first team squad squeeze into a five-a-side goal.

The Sunderland manager reckons he'll feel the "spirit" of Brian Clough tonight when he returns to Nottingham Forest for a Carling Cup clash. Keane took time out yesterday to pay a warm tribute to the "genius" who "gave Forest their history", and gave him his big break in football in the early 1990s, as he prepared for a night packed with memories.

Keane's own managerial style owes a lot to Clough's methods - and although they were unusual, they made him a better boss than even Sir Alex Ferguson, he says.

"It will be great to go back to Forest as a manager," he said.

"I meet other players who played under him and we have all got our own stories, but he was a genius, an absolute genius, and certainly the best manager I played under, without a shadow of a doubt. I am probably the last person Cloughie would have expected to become a manager because my off-field life wasn't exactly perfect at the time.

"We were there a few weeks ago for a friendly and you still felt as though Brian Clough was there.

"The great managers are remembered for what they leave behind rather than what they are doing at the time.

"You look at Forest for what he's left behind and you see a brilliant stadium, great history, trophies, the way they play football - he was just a genius.

"I remember the day after my debut against Liverpool as a kid, he summoned me to his office.

"He asked what my name was. Then he gave me his shoes to polish. He was deliberately bringing me back down to earth. If I did that today I think I'd have the shoes thrown back at me.

"On the way up to that game I was at his house, and he gave me a pint of milk and said, 'drink that lad'. I said, 'I don't like milk'. He said, 'you had better drink it - I am putting the bottles out.'

"He was also really generous. I went to a charity night with him and some young players and at the end of it he just gave me £50 for going. Didn't have to.

"It was the first time I had seen one of those.

"His training was simple, five-a-sides and sprint competitions. He made us all get in a five-a-side goal one day which I thought was brilliant. We are all crammed in this goal for no reason. If someone did that today, you'd be thinking, how has this lad got his Pro Licence?

"We were all squashed in there like a giant game of twister.

"You always knew he was around the training ground because Del Boy his dog was with him. I loved that.

"Some of the lads would hide, and had fear, but I just had the greatest respect for him. He would send the young players around giving Del Boy a walk!

"He was hard but fair. I like that way. I had one or two incidents under him, like in Jersey on tour when I was sent home. It was a drinking session with a female hockey player who I think was married.

"To cut a long story short an argument happened and there was an incident.

"I was only defending myself. He had my boarding card ready for me to fly home.

"Then he used to play me off in the press, saying I was being greedy, always asking for more money. I knew what he was doing.

"He made me wait two-and-a-half years for a pay rise when I had been doing well and playing for Ireland.

"After six months negotiating with the club, he stepped in and said, 'just give him what he wants'. The contract was done in an hour.

"But he made me wait for the rise and work harder and I can see why he did that." Keane is convinced Clough would be a great, even in the modern era.

"I'm pretty sure he wouldn't like what's going on in the game now with fitness coaches taking over and ProZone, weights, dieticians, pasta and bananas. He kept it so simple.

"He might not be able to get away with things now, like going on the pitch and smacking a few fans, although many people applauded him for it.

"I don't remember many Forest fans running on the pitch!"

Keane will not rest any Sunderland stars tonight, learning his lesson from last season's 3-0 defeat at Luton.

CLOUGH V FERGIE: WHO'S THE BEST?
BRIAN CLOUGH (AT DERBY)
1972 League champions

(AT NOTTINGHAM FOREST)
1978 League champions, League Cup winners
1979 European Cup, League Cup
1980 European Cup, European Super Cup,
1989 League Cup, Simod Cup
1990 League Cup
1992 Zenith Data Cup

ALEX FERGUSON (AT ST MIRREN)
1977 Scottish Div One

(AT ABERDEEN)
1980 Scottish Premier Division
1982 Scottish Cup
1983 UEFA Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Scottish Cup
1984 Scottish Premier Division, Scottish Cup 1985 Scottish Premier Division
1986 Scottish Cup

(AT MAN UTD)
1990 FA Cup, Charity Shield (shared)
1991 Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Super Cup
1992 League Cup
1993 Premier League, Charity Shield
1994 Premier League, FA Cup, Charity Shield
1996 Premier League, FA Cup, Charity Shield
1997 Premier League, Charity Shield
1999 European Cup, Premier League, FA Cup, Intercontinental Cup
2000 Premier League
2001 Premier League
2003 Premier League, Charity Shield
2004 FA Cup
2006 League Cup
2007 Premier League, Charity Shield
2008 European Cup, Premier League, Community Shield

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