Taming the Crazy Gang, a blank contract & David Currie - the legend of Clough

Goalkeeper Mark Crossley spent astir of his profession astatine Nottingham Forest aft making his debut successful 1989 - and that meant he sewage a beforehand statement spot successful nan world of Brian Clough.

The double European Cup-winning manager, 1 of nan awesome characters successful nan history of nan English game, was Crossley's leader for nan first 4 seasons of his career.

He recounted immoderate of his favourite tales from those years connected nan Sacked successful nan Morning podcast.

From taming Vinnie Jones and Wimbledon to playing for 'AC Hunters' and a flashy BMW, this is conscionable a sensation of nan stories Crossley tells.

You tin perceive to nan afloat type of 'Mark Crossley connected Life pinch Brian' here.

"I had six years pinch him. For me, he was nan only one. He was erstwhile quoted saying, 'I'm not nan top head successful nan world, but I'm decidedly successful nan apical one'. I was successful awe of him," says Crossley.

"People say, 'well, you were conscionable frightened of him', but I don't deliberation it was being scared. He had specified a monolithic presence; simplicity was nan cardinal - and trust."

"Wimbledon intimidated group - they were very bully astatine it. They won an FA Cup by doing it. Intimidation. The Crazy Gang," Crossley recalls.

"They came to our spot and walked past nan dressing room and were banging connected nan door. They were nan first squad we came crossed pinch nan ghetto blaster.

"So nan gaffer is doing his squad talk and nan music's coming up nan corridor. Pretty loud. ‘It must beryllium love’ by Madness, I tin moreover retrieve it.

"He said to his adjunct manager, Alan Hill, 'Hilly, Hilly, what's that noise?' Hill said, 'it's nan Wimbledon dressing room boss. They've sewage nan euphony on'.

"'I'd for illustration you to spell and inquire them to move it down,' Cloughie says. So Alan Hill walks down and knocks connected nan doorway and Vinnie Jones comes to nan doorway successful conscionable his slips.

"'Our manager's not excessively happy astir nan euphony and has asked if you could move it down, please' he says.

"But of course, it goes moreover louder. He sends Alan Hill backmost down and Vinnie's laughing successful his face.

"The euphony is now truthful loud. So Cloughie gets up, walks consecutive into their dressing room, barges past Vinnie, picks up nan ghetto blaster, smashes it connected nan floor. 'Now play your music, Wimbledon'.

"And we battered them 4-1."

After Crossley's first 3 games, erstwhile they defeated Liverpool, Newcastle United and Coventry City, nan goalkeeper was past fixed an unexpected other match.

"As I was leaving nan dressing room, Cloughie says, 'my location tomorrow morning, bring your boots and it would thief if you bring your gloves arsenic well. Don't beryllium late'.

"So I sewage nan groundsman, Chas, to thrust me. I knocked connected nan backmost doorway and his woman Barbara answers.

"Cloughie comes downstairs and said, 'thank you for agreeing to play for Simon's squad this morning. They haven't sewage a goalkeeper and I thought you'd do'.

"So I've conscionable played against Coventry successful beforehand of 30,000 nan time earlier and now I'm playing for AC Hunters successful Division Five of nan Derby Sunday League.

"We get changed successful nan aforesaid dressing room arsenic nan opposition, who are from Nottingham. One of them looks astatine maine and goes, 'what's he doing here? That's our young keeper!'.

"Anyway, we spell 3-0 up. The squad we're playing were horrific and I look complete and I thought, 'I cognize that fella complete location who is moving nan statement pinch a bib successful his manus alternatively of a flag'.

"Five ft two, bald head... it was double European Cup victor Archie Gemmell!

"Long communicative short, AC Hunters sewage nan points taken disconnected them and fined 50 quid for playing nan ringer successful that crippled - and Cloughie he took nan 50 quid retired of my costs to salary nan fine!"

Clough was renowned for spending small clip pinch nan players during nan week, but delivering elemental and clear messages to them nan time of games.

"We only saw him connected a lucifer time and it was very brief. He ne'er coached. It was 4-4-2 backmost past and he utilized to make it arsenic elemental arsenic possible.

"'So goalkeeper, what’s your job?' he'd say. 'Stop nan shot from going successful nan goal. That's what I salary you £200 a week for'."

Crossley continues.

"'Full-back - extremity crosses and erstwhile you get nan shot back, play forward, preferably to a reddish shirt'.

"'Centre-backs, caput and footwear it arsenic acold distant from my extremity arsenic possible. You deliberation you tin play, but you can't'.

"'Wingers, hit your full-backs, transverse nan shot into an area wherever my centre-forward tin people a goal. Centre-midfield players - 3 touches maximum, play forward, people maine 5 goals a play and beryllium bully successful some boxes'.

"Centre-forward, your occupation is to get clasp of nan shot and support it and erstwhile you've sewage it, walk it to personification that tin play football."

Not everyone sewage nan message, though. And nan fable of David Currie lives intelligibly successful Crossley's mind aft each these years.

"I deliberation it was QPR astatine location and nan shot sewage played into David Currie, who we'd signed from Barnsley, but he mislaid it connected nan halfway line. They went down nan different extremity and scored.

"As I've thrown nan shot backmost to nan halfway line, I tin spot nan gaffer connected nan halfway statement pinch nan number 10 aloft, which was David Curry's number. 'Off, off. We don't flick nan shot astatine this nine son', he was saying to him!"

There is much from nan Currie files, though...

"David was from Barnsley for illustration me, truthful we shared lifts. The adjacent time astatine training, he parked successful nan gaffer's spot. I didn't opportunity anything," recalls Crossley.

"The gaffer asks whose car is successful his spot and Currie puts his manus up. The gaffer goes to him, 'have you bought an location successful nan Nottingham area yet?'

"He said, 'no boss, I haven't, but I'm looking'.

"Cloughie said, 'let maine extremity you location son. Don't bother'. And that was much aliases little nan extremity of David Currie."

Currie was sold to Oldham aft 8 games.

Clough offered Crossley a caller statement aft nan youngster had surgery into nan team. The connection was connected a blank expanse of paper, which Clough would capable nan specifications of later. He was fixed 5 minutes to determine whether to sign.

"I went to get nan statement nan adjacent greeting and location were immoderate keys successful nan envelope," says Crossley.

"Carol his caput said it was for a car, which I really wanted. It was a marque caller BMW XR3i, a achromatic 1 pinch a achromatic soft apical roof.

"The statement said twelvemonth one, £500 a week, which was a decent wage. Year two, £500 a week. Year three, £500 a week. Year four, £500 a week.

"Underneath successful nan prize section, 'Elizabeth's car'. 'Who's Elizabeth?' I asked Carol.

'''His daughter', she said. 'She bought that car, she didn't for illustration it, truthful he's giving it to you'.

"So I get my costs astatine nan extremity of nan month. There was a conclusion and it said, 'Elizabeth's car, £135'. So he didn't springiness maine nan car, I conscionable took complete nan monthly payment!"