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Roy Keane and Martin O’Neill can bring the good old days back to Nottingham Forest

By Karl Harrington

MADRID, SPAIN - MAY 28: Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough (R) and assistant Peter Taylor look on before the 1980 European Cup Final between Hamburg SV and Nottingham Forest at Santiago Bernabau Stadium on May 28, 1980 in Madrid, Spain, The 1980 European Cup was the last trophy that Clough and Taylor would win as a partnership. (Photo by Duncan Raban/Allsport/Getty Images).
MADRID, SPAIN - MAY 28: Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough (R) and assistant Peter Taylor look on before the 1980 European Cup Final between Hamburg SV and Nottingham Forest at Santiago Bernabau Stadium on May 28, 1980 in Madrid, Spain, The 1980 European Cup was the last trophy that Clough and Taylor would win as a partnership. (Photo by Duncan Raban/Allsport/Getty Images). /
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Nottingham Forest confirmed Roy Keane will join Martin O’Neill at the helm, as the club looks to emulate an iconic duo.

The City Ground yearns for the return of floodlit European evenings and a pair of old-school, no-nonsense managers in the dugout. While the former may seem like a lifetime away, the latter is upon us as Roy joins his old pal in what are familiar surroundings for both men.

O’Neill spent almost a decade under Brian Clough and Peter Taylor at Forest and was an integral part the golden generation that won a couple of European Cups, two League Cups and a First Division title. Clough predicted O’Neill would follow him into management, and the Northern Irishman’s League Cup triumphs with an unfancied Leicester City were certainly feats reminiscent of his tutor.

Keano also played for Clough after he plucked him from Cobh Ramblers for just £47,000 in his last genius signing. Developing under Clough at such a tender age, naturally, had a major effect shaping Keane as both a player and a manager.

In Keane: The Autobiography, Roy details the time Clough got his hands on him after an error early in his career.

"“When I walked into the dressing room after a game, Clough punched me straight in the face. ‘Don’t pass the ball back to the goalkeeper,’ he screamed as I lay on the floor, him standing over me. I was hurt and shocked, too shocked to do anything but nod my head in agreement. My honeymoon with Clough and professional football was over.”"

But the ‘Irishman,’ as Clough always refered to him,  idolizes his former mentor. He is quick to say he was his best ever manager he ever played under, and shares more than a few similar traits as a manager.

Will Keane and O’Neill prove a success in Nottingham?

Clough and Taylor took Forest from Division Two to European glory in just two years, but of course Nottingham’s latest duo aren’t expected to mirror such feats. The board, managers, fans, and players alike have one clear goal: re-establishing Nottingham Forest as a Premier League side.

While the O’Neill and Keane era may have ended on a slightly sour note with the Republic of Ireland, there is no doubt the pair overachieved at times. The Boys in Green beat World Champions Germany on their way to Euro 2016, where they gallantly went toe-to-toe with the French in the last 16. And although they didn’t manage to qualify for the recent World Cup, they did finish ahead of Wales and Austria to make it to a play-off.

In the end, the football at the Aviva Stadium just became a bit too drab. It’s fair to surmise that the onus will again be on not conceding goals rather than scoring them with their latest project; but as Clough would say, ‘football can’t be negative if you pick up points.’

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At the very least there will be a few more quick-witted one liners around the City Ground and a lot less privileges taken. Many will argue that Clough’s abrasive manner isn’t congruent with success in the modern game; but if there is one place it will be appreciated it’s Nottingham, where Big ‘Ead’s spirit still lives on.

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