"I HAVE A NEW KNEE, HIP AND HAD A TRIPLE HEART BYPASS - I'M READY IF ENGLAND NEED ME FOR 2026"

Brian Clough's go-to centre-half looks back at bollockings from Old Big 'Ead, Derby's glory days and the curious pathway his managerial career followed

- Ian Murtagh

You worked with the great Brian Clough at Sunderland, Derby and Nottingham Forest. How was your relationship with him?

Initially, I was in his bad books. When I joined Sunderland as an apprentice, he was still fighting to recover from the knee injury that would shortly end his career. He then became my youth coach and all of us had specific jobs to do. I cleaned the first-team dressing room once the senior players had gone home. One day, the rest of the lads set me up, saying the dressing room was empty, so I walked in, only to be confronted by Brian, some other coaches and a few players. He shouted, 'What do you think you're doing son, barging in like that? Learn some bloody manners!' I did, and remembered to knock every time after. Brian never forgot that episode.

You won the FA Youth Cup in 1967 during your time at Sunderland...

Clough had left to launch his managerial career at Hartlepool, but he'd bred good habits into us. When we won the final, I had already been playing First Division football, often partnering Sunderland legend Charlie Hurley in defence aged 17 - I did all his running for him!

But Clough kept an eye on you and brought you to Derby in 1971...

I was ready to leave Sunderland and had a couple of transfer requests turned down, but Brian never gave up. One day, our manager, Alan Brown, who by now realised a move was inevitable, phoned me and said, “Get to Roker Park quickly, there's someone I want you to meet.” And there was Brian, waiting for me. My contract was never discussed in those talks. He just sold his Derby dream to me - and of course, it came to fruition.

Leaving Sunderland meant you missed out on one of the greatest days in the club's history when they beat Leeds in the 1973 FA Cup final. Any regrets?