Very little can tarnish Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest legacy, but Stuart Pearce once felt that a decision the iconic manager made in the 1991 FA Cup final cost the Reds the trophy.
Some feel that Clough’s Forest achievements are the best ever in British football, making his place in Forest history undisputed, alongside his reputation in the wider game.
He wasn’t always flawless, as showcased when Clough passed up the chance to sign Kevin Keegan, but the body of work that the Forest legend put in at the City Ground, namely the two European Cups, put him at a level above any criticism from Reds fans.
Clough’s Forest players have occasionally aired their grievances about his methods, including Pearce, who reflected on his manager’s decisions in Forest’s chance at FA Cup glory in 1991.
Stuart Pearce disagreed with Brian Clough’s FA Cup final team
Despite working together for almost a decade, Pearce had issues with Clough due to how he was treated in the Forest manager’s final season at the club, the year the Reds were relegated from the top flight.
However, an interview with These Football Times in 2020 revealed that Pearce had been questioning his boss before these issues, pointing to Clough’s team selection for the 1991 FA Cup final.
Pearce said: “I believe that Clough picked his favourites, instead of the best side on that day […]. We were surprised at his choice […], particularly as in the past Clough had even selected his strongest side for testimonials.”
One of the surprises may have well been the absence of Nigel Jemson, who had played a crucial role in getting Forest to the final after scoring a hat-trick against Southampton to get his side into the quarter finals.
Jemson also scored the winner in the League Cup final the season prior, making Clough’s snub even harder to take for the striker who still still struggles with the decision to this day.
Nigel Jemson on Brian Clough’s FA Cup final snub
It would’ve been difficult for anyone to be told that their contributions werent enough to be selected for the cup final, but Jemson’s recount of the event on the Under The Cosh podcast highlights the particularly brutal circumstances.
Jemson said: “His assistant told me during the week that I’m playing. We went down and trained at Bisham Abbey on the Friday, and no one knew the team. So we get back on the coach and […] he [Clough] comes through to Pearcey [Stuart Pearce] with this old piece of paper and walks back down without saying anything.
“Pearcey looked at it and [looking surprised] said: “This is the team. There’s going to be three people disappointed,” because at the time there were only three subs. He said: “[…] Jemmo [Jemson], you’re not playing, you’re left out.” I was the fourteenth man and only fourteen went down.
“[…] We get back to the hotel and all the media are there, I’m coming off [the coach] crying my eyes out and he [Clough] grabs me and tells me to have a picture with him. He’s laughing, smiling and I’m crying my eyes out and it ends up on the back page of the papers! […] I’ve still not gotten over it.”
Forest lost the 1991 final to Tottenham despite playing well, something that Jemson will be particularly frustrated about, given that he wasn’t given the chance to contribute.
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