JOHN WRAGG reflects on the relationship between Brian Clough and the boy he called The Bairn or The No9…

JOHN WRAGG
IT SEEMED like a good idea at the time. A very good idea. I’d put my business card into the top pocket of my jacket ready to give to Brian Clough.
I knew Malcolm Allison very well and he knew Clough. I was moving jobs from Manchester to work in the Midlands and I had to get to know Cloughie.
So I asked Malcolm if he’d have a word for me, give me a reference, smooth the way a bit. After a game at the City Ground I seized my chance.
“Brian, I’m Joh...