The legacy of Brian Clough lives on in 2 young Sunderland fans

I found myself in a strange situation last week. I have been to Nottingham to carry out some research for a new book and to write a blog or maybe two about football in the city. I always enter into situations like tis with a completely blank piece of paper. While walking through the city with my kids, we came across a statue of Brian Clough. They are 9 and 11, so don't have a great deal of knowledge about the man. They asked me who he was. I started to explain.

As a Sunderland supporter, Cloughie means something different to me as a pose to what he means in the city of Nottingham. He was a great player for my club and would no doubt in my mind, have gone on to have scored the most goals for England. His record was 251 goals from 274 appearances for Sunderland and Middlesbrough before injury brought his career to a close.

There are all manner of stories about the legend that is Brian Clough. He was know to speak his mind and had his own way of dealing with players. But the Brian Clough I wanted my kids to know about was the serial winner.

So, what did Brian Clough actually achieve?

There is a lot of focus in the media about his days (and they were only days) as Leeds United manager. But his success came as manager of two unfashionable teams. He took over Derby County when they were in what we now know as the Championship. He and his Assistant Manager Peter Taylor took the team up, won the league and got to the semi-finals of the European Cup. Taking a team like this as far as he did is an amazing achievement. But it wasn't over. After falling out with the Derby board, Clough  had stints at Brighton and the ill-fated time at Leeds before taking over at Notts Forest - and earning the statue in the middle of the city that me and the kids were looking at in wonder.

This was another unfancied team, another team in the Second Division. Just as he did with Derby, he took them up and then won the league. These are feats that are akin to the famous Leicester City Premier League win a season or two ago. Teams just don't break the monopoly any more. But Brian Clough was not finished. That's why the Leicester story resonates, even through the owners can't seem to get it out of their head and have been through too many managers since.

The European Cup, what we now call the Champions League was in his sights. Not only did they emulate the Derby County record of getting to the semi-finals, they won it - two years in a row! Now my older readers will already know this, but those that are as young as my kids will never have seen anything like this in their life. It is uncharted territory. Leicester couldn't manage what Clough did - and he triumphed with not one, but two unfashionable teams.

My youngest, particularly found it fascinating. The fact that a team in a similar position to ours went on a journey that ended up with 2 Champions League wins has him excited about Sunderland's future. I think he's probably the only one.

Is Arsene Wenger deluded?

A 1-0 win against a ten man team from the Serbian league this week was enough for Arsene Wenger to declare that his team have a backbone. Although he was pretty much bound to say this after the criticism his team have faced after last weekend's capitulation against Watford, he seems so out of touch with modern football.

I don't want to see a return to the days of the 1970's and 80's where the toughest teams often won through without playing the game that well. In my lifetime, that really changed when the 1980'a Liverpool team that included Graeme Souness could mix it as well as play some great stuff. Manchester United's dominance through the nineties and noughties was based on this mix, with players that could look after themselves, such as -

• Bryan Robson
• Steve Bruce
• Paul Ince
• Jaap Stam
• Roy Keane
• Mark Hughes

I don't think that it's a coincidence that many of these have gone on to good managerial careers. But Arsene Wenger is completely wrong about his team's fight. Troy Deeney was spot on with his comments about Arsenal having no 'cojones.'

What can Wenger do?

This is an issue that has followed the Gunners for years. The lack of a solid defence and a CDM has cost them countless trophies over the last ten years or so. And it's strange, because the team that won so much for Wenger was built on the solid base of David Seaman, Tony Adams, Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit among others. He has kept the philosophy up front of flowing football, but not built it on a sound platform.

The obvious first thing he can do is sign the right players. But that can't be resolved until January at the earliest - and he hasn't made any strides in getting it right over many transfer windows. If he hasn't seen the issue, or chosen not to deal with it, then the delusion continues. If Arsene Wenger has chosen to leave the club open like this then he is a danger and should be replaced immediately.

But it might not be a personnel issue. The way that his current team play the game might have an effect on the lack of fight shown. Let's say for the moment that he has the right players. Just about all of the first team squad are internationals and were either signed for a lot of money or brought through a well-renowned academy. So it could be argued that he has the right players at his disposal.

The original team (also the Invincibles team) had two Central Defensive Midfielders. Now Wenger seems to prefer one. Just a simple change like that puts more pressure in behind the team, as the full backs cannot get as far forward. Nobody has told them this, so they bombard off and leave too much space in behind. With two CDM's, the centre backs can play further apart, cover the pitch and close down the pressure. Something as simple as this will make a he difference and could change the fortunes of this failing Arsenal team. Let's face it. Something has to change.

10 Players who Reacted BADLY to their Fifa 18 Ratings

It’s that time of the year again. FIFA 18 is out and the top soccer players can’t wait to find out what their ratings are on the popular FIFA game. This amazing video shows people the funny reactions that some of the top football players have when they discover their FIFA 18 rating – LOL !!!

FIFA 18 is the latest in the long line of successful FIFA football games and this edition has thrown up some surprises in terms of ratings. The funny responses that professional players have shows that the FIFA games strike a chord throughout the game of soccer and not just the fans.

It’s in the game – are you?

FIFA 18 is football at its realest. If you are not part of the gam then you should be. The LOL reactions of some of the biggest players in the FIFA universe is a great watch! Get to this video link and you will see how important the ratings are for the likes of –

·         Dele Alli

·         Michy Batshuayi

·         Eden Hazard

·         David Luiz

And all brought together by an engaging commentary. 10 Players who Reacted BADLY to their Fifa 18 Ratings is a great watch for anyone interested in FIFA, Ultimate Team or football at all. Check it out now.

What is the best formation for a football team?

The football season is in full swing. Managers are starting to understand their best teams after the end if the transfer window and the shape of the season to come is upon us. The two Manchester clubs have carried the best form into the international break and sit neck and neck at the top of the league. Pep Guardiola has gone for the style that brought him unheralded success at Barcelona while Jose Mourinho across the city is straying a little from the defensive formula that has followed him throughout his career.

The formations that these two coaches have chosen is the most interesting aspect of the season so far. The signing of Nemanja Matic was the sign that Mourinho was going to cover his defence with a defensive midfielder or two. Pep spent a lot of his summer budget on fullbacks, to go back to the formation that he worked so well at Barcelona – also with a central defensive midfielder ahead of the back four.

There are so many different ways of setting out your team and the ideas of the big managers differ wildly – and not just in the Premier League. Think about how these guys set up their team –

• Antonio Conte
• Zinedine Zidane
• Jurgen Klopp
• Diego Simeone

It looks like both of these managers have a similar formation of 4-2-3-1 and this is the success of the season so far. The Chelsea surge in the league last season was built on three centre backs, wings backs and Ngolo Kante covering. Other teams followed suit. This season four-at-the-back is back in vogue.

The football fan and formations

Social442 is the perfect website to test out the formations you would use for your club and all the big teams in the leagues. Whether you agree or disagree with Pep and Jose, you can try out the different formation with the Social442 Football Formation Creator and have hours of fun in the process.

Think that you can do better than the top two? Give it a go. Have some ideas to help our crystal Palace at the bottom of the league? Well, I’m sure Roy Hodgson will appreciate your help.

But Social442 is about far more than the Formation Creator. You can keep up with all the latest news in the beautiful game. Don’t miss a beat with Social442.

Check it all out at https://www.social442.com/football-news