Brian Clough and Stuart Pearce are two of the most iconic people to ever represent Nottingham Forest Football Club.
It was Clough who plucked Pearce from Coventry City as an unknown quantity and made him one of the best left-backs that England has ever seen.
There isn’t much that Pearce hasn’t done at the City Ground. As well as playing for the club for a number of years, he’s also managed the club on a couple of occasions.
They really don’t make them like Pearce anymore. He was a tough-tackling player who famously played on as a West Ham player with a broken leg in 2000.
The man with 78 England caps to his name played 522 times for Forest and is currently sitting in fourth place on the all-time list.
Pearce might be thankful to Clough for bringing him to Forest but it seems as though they didn’t always agree on everything.
What Brian Clough did that made Stuart Pearce have a vendetta against him
Pearce was Clough’s captain for many years in the Forest team, leading the Reds to a couple of League Cup titles and two Full Members’ Cup titles too.
Forest were beaten in the 1991 FA Cup Final – the one trophy that eluded Clough – with Pearce scoring the only goal for the Reds in that 2-1 defeat.
It wasn’t all sweetness and light between the pair though and in 1993, Pearce later admitted that he held a real grip against Clough.
The legendary manager claimed that Pearce could have done more to lift morale with the club struggling in the Premier League and the defender took offence.
He said during an interview with Four Four Two in 2003 “He was spot on. I had a wrangle with him pre-season which I felt let down by. Now, I’ve got my side of the story, he’s got his, and I’m quite happy to state my case and let other people judge.
“I felt out with him for the whole season, really. I had a groin operation, so I couldn’t help that. But I had a very poor season – possibly the worst I had as a professional – purely because of the fact my mind was taken off of the game and I had a personal vendetta with the manager.
“I could have done more for the morale of the team and I could have done more physically, but that just shows me that if you’re not 100 per cent right mentally when you go on a football pitch, then your standards are going to drop, no matter who you are.
“I felt let down by Brian. No doubt he will have a different view, but I’m reasonably confident that I had good reason to feel aggrieved after working with him for eight seasons.
“I will keep my mouth shut about exactly what went on between me and him – it was private – but I honestly don’t believe I was in the wrong.
“My reaction after the argument might not have been ideal from the club’s point of view, so the answer to your question, he was right, yes.”
Clough died a year after this interview and the world never got to hear Clough’s side of the story from his point of view.
However, it didn’t tarnish the pair’s relationship and Pearce of course has the utmost respect for a man who did so much for him.
Forest would love a player like Pearce in the current squad
For fans of a certain age, Pearce will be remembered as the best player to ever play for the club.
In terms of footballing ability, Pearce had so many strings to his bow. He could pass, he could tackle and for a left-back, Pearce knew where the back of the net was.
The left-back cared about Forest and in that sense, the club does have Ryan Yates in the current squad who copies that particular trait.
However, having a player like Pearce is something that hasn’t been evident for a number of years and it’s a shame that the type of full-back that he was is somewhat redundant now.
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