Top 28 Brian Clough Quotes

June 7, 2026

This article was last updated by Krishna Gurung on May 8, 2026

An English football player, Brian Clough, was also a manager who was born on 21 March 1935 but unfortunately died on 20 September 2004. He was a striker during his career, and now he is renowned as one of the highest goal scorers. But he could not continue his career due to a serious injury.

Besides his football highlights, he is also remembered for his radio and television interviews to create maximum about the players and other managers. Now, check his top 28 quotes that will encourage you to win.

Brian Clough on field

“That Seaman is a handsome young man, but he spends too much time looking in his mirror rather than at the ball. You can’t keep goal with hair like that.”― Brian Clough

“I want no epitaphs of profound history and all that type of thing. I contributed. I would hope they would say that, and I would hope somebody liked me.”― Brian Clough

“If a chairman sacks the manager he initially appointed, he should go as well.”― Brian Clough

“When you get to a certain age, there is no coming back.”― Brian Clough

“We used to go to the pictures every Saturday night but we had to leave a little bit early and get home and watch Match of the Day – and my wife still complains she missed the last five minutes of every film we saw.”― Brian Clough

“Don’t send me flowers when I’m dead. If you like me, send them while I’m alive.”― Brian Clough

“My values stemmed from the family. Anything I have achieved in life has been rooted in my upbringing.”― Brian Clough

8th of 28 Brian Clough Quotes

“Academically, I was thick. School wasn’t bad, but I was.”― Brian Clough

“I was never, ever physically afraid. My terms of reference were basic and simple: put the ball in the net. That was my job, that’s the way I saw it, and I allowed nothing and nobody to distract me from that purpose.”― Brian Clough

“I like my women to be feminine, not sliding into tackles and covered in mud.”― Brian Clough

“On occasions I have been big-headed. I think most people are when they get in the limelight. I call myself Big Head just to remind myself not to be.”― Brian Clough

“I wouldn’t say I was the best manager in the business. But I was in the top one.”― Brian Clough

Brian Clough with Muhammad Ali

“Players lose you games, not tactics. There’s so much crap talked about tactics by people who barely know how to win at dominoes.”― Brian Clough

“Walk on water? I know most people out there will be saying that instead of walking on it, I should have taken more of it with my drinks. They are absolutely right.”― Brian Clough

“I’ve decided to pick my moment to retire very carefully – in about 200 years time.”― Brian Clough

“Who the hell wants fourteen pairs of shoes when they go on holiday? I haven’t had fourteen pairs in my life.”― Brian Clough

“They say Rome wasn’t built in a day, but I wasn’t on that particular job.”― Brian Clough

“The river Trent is lovely, I know because I have walked on it for 18 years.”― Brian Clough

“When I go, God’s going to have to give up his favourite chair.”― Brian Clough

“Telling the entire world and his dog how good a manager I was. I knew I was the best but I should have said nowt and kept the pressure off ‘cos they’d have worked it out for themselves.”― Brian Clough

“Beckham? His wife can’t sing and his barber can’t cut hair.”― Brian Clough

“Women who choose to stay home and raise their families make one of the most valuable contributions to society. as far as I am concerned.”― Brian Clough

“My early memories are full of football talk around the house, of Dad standing on the terraces at Ayresome Park, of the occasional precious new pair of boots.”― Brian Clough

“Believe it or not, cricket was my first love. I would genuinely have swapped the dream of a winning goal at Wembley for a century against the Australians at Lord’s.”― Brian Clough

“What joy and adventure the youngsters of today are missing as they sit indoors mucking about with― Brian Clough

26th of 28 Brian Clough Quotes

“The RAF allowed me to play a lot of football, but like England later, they failed to recognise real talent when it was under their noses.”― Brian Clough

“To me, scoring goals was just like other boys might regard delivering papers. I just did it – every day.”― Brian Clough

“What young men nowadays don’t realise is that ballroom dancing can be such a source of enjoyment.”― Brian Clough

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Sanjib Sah is an engineer and content writer passionate about sports and athletics. With a background in engineering and a love for all things active, Sanjib brings a unique perspective to the world of sports writing. Whether he is covering the latest trends in sports technology or sharing tips on improving your game, Sanjib's words are always rooted in a deep appreciation for players' hard work and dedication everywhere. In his free time, you can find him hitting the courts or hitting the trails, always looking for new ways to challenge himself and improve his skills.

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