But neither of those are even close to being English footballs greatest underdog story.

Imagine a club being taken over by a manager that had just failed spectacularly at the best club in England (at the time). 12 weeks later he takes over a struggling second division club. Within five years, they have won promotion, immediately won the top league and then go on to win back to back European Cups. Plus a sprinkling of League Cups too. That’s the story I’m here to tell you today.

Sounds like a fairy-tale, right? Every word of it is true.

Humble Beginnings

Brian Clough took over Nottingham Forest on 6th of January, 1975. Just 12 weeks before, he had been drummed out of Leeds United after just 44 days in charge.

At the time, Forest were languishing in the second division. Their only trophies to that point were 2 F.A. Cup wins, the last one being 16 years earlier in 1959. The F.A. Cup win before that? 1898. Hardly flushed with success.

Old Big ‘Ead, as Clough was known due to his giant ego, immediately set to work. Bringing in players such as John McGovern and John O’Hare who had won the league with him at Derby County. When Clough took over, the team was in 13th place. They finished the season in 16th. Not a great start.

The season after saw a little improvement, finishing eighth.

Return of Peter Taylor

It’s hard to talk about the success of Clough without crediting Peter Taylor. His most successful periods were all with Peter as his assistant. Taylor was a great spotter of talented players and as soon as he assessed the squad in 1976, he had this to say to Clough.

That was a feat by you to finish eighth in the Second Division because some of them are only Third Division players.

Peter Taylor to Brian Clough

Regardless, they got to work. Revamping the squad, bringing in new players, some from non-league clubs (amateur players more or less).

In 1977, they scraped a third place finish and with it, promotion to the first division (now known as the premier league). Amazingly, it was the fifth lowest points total by any promoted team. Making their stay in the top division look like it might be a short one. It was anything but.

Domination

Clough and Taylor recruited amazingly well. They added Peter Shilton, Kenny Burns and Archie Gemmill.

Forest’s league campaign got underway remarkably well. They only lost 3 times in the first 16 matches. Then it got even better. They lost one other game all season, an F.A. Cup defeat in the sixth round. Liverpool, in their most dominant period ever, finished 7 points behind Forest. The newly promoted team were champions of England. They added the League Cup for good measure, a double celebration.

European Cup Entry

Only the league winners entered the draw for the European Cup in those days. An exception was made for the European Cup winners from the year before. In the 78/79 season, that team was Liverpool.

Forest were drawn against them and duly won. Beating them 2-0 at home put them through to the next round and sent Liverpool crashing out. Taylor, sensing the team needed more firepower, convinced Clough to splash out on the first ever £1 million transfer, bringing in Trevor Francis. It was a real statement of intent.

On their way to the European Cup final, Forest knocked out AEK Athens, Grasshoppers of Zurich and Koln. In the final, they faced Malmo FF.

Forest managed to win 1-0. Who scored? You guessed it, new signing Trevor Francis. It was his first goal in Europe for the club. What a time to score it!

In the league, Forest finished 2nd behind Liverpool. However, they did manage to retain their League Cup to complete a double double.

This small team from the middle of England were going places. Not bad when they had been playing in the second division just a few years before.

Back to Back European Cups

Winning the European Cup at that time put you into the European Super Cup. There they faced the might of Barcelona. Over two legs they beat Barcalona at the City Ground 1-0 before drawing with them 1-1 in Spain. The Super Cup was added to the ever growing list of trophies.

In the European Cup Forest beat Oster of Sweden, Arges Pitesti of Romania and East German club BFC Dynamo on their way to the semi-final.

In the semi-final they faced the might of Ajax. The most successful team in Holland and one that had won three European Cups in a row just a few years earlier.

In the first leg, Forest beat them 2-0 at home. Away in Amsterdam, it was another story. Forest lost, but only by one goal. They were through to a second successive European Cup final.

28th of May, 1980. The Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. Home of Real Madrid. Forest face the might of Hamburg. The West Germans have Kevin Keegan, double Ballon d’Or winner in their side for the 79/80 European Cup final.

A crowd of 51,000 watch Forest repeat the feat of a year before. Winning the game 1-0, they become back to back European Champions.

In the league they trail behind in fifth place. The League Cup is finally lost when Forest lose in the final to a heart breaking defensive mistake.

Still, the European Cup and European Super Cup are safely tucked into the trophy cabinet.

Decline & Peter Taylor Exit

Forest would never climb the heights again. The squad is slowly broken up and replaced. Primarily to capitalise on the huge values of the players. The new younger side does not challenge for trophies. Clough and Taylor later admit it was a mistake.

Peter Taylor retires in 1982, leaving with this statement:

For many weeks now I don’t believe I’ve been doing justice to the partnership and I certainly haven’t been doing justice to Nottingham Forest the way I felt. And consequently after a great deal of thought, there was no option. I wanted to take an early retirement. That’s exactly what I’ve done.

Peter Taylor on retirement

A slow decline set in at Forest. Decline relative to the heady heights they had seen over the previous few years. Three third place finishes in the league during the 80’s were the best they could muster. In 89, they gave one last cup hurrah, winning the League Cup yet again. Clough’s son Nigel scored 2 goals for his dad’s team as they saw off Luton Town 3-1.

In the F.A. Cup of 1989 Forest were going well too. In the semi-finals they faced the might of Liverpool. A neutral venue was chosen. Hillsborough, home of Sheffield Wednesday. What happened that day still haunts the people of Liverpool and Sheffield. 96 Liverpool fans were trapped in a crush and died. When the replay eventually took place, Liverpool ran out 3-1 winners in an extremely emotional game.

Relegation & the end of Clough

In the 1992/93 season, Forest were relegated and Clough resigned. The season was the first ever rebranded as the premier league. It would be Clough’s last as a manager.

He died in 2004, at the age of 69. The architect of English footballs greatest underdog story may be gone, but he will never be forgotten.

The Greats on Clough:

I walked all the way [around Nottingham on a visit in 1996] and when I saw the stadium I thought: ‘Are you kidding me – this club won the European Cup? Twice?’

Jose Mourinho – Two time European Cup Winning Coach

The game is full of bluffers, banging on about ‘rolling your sleeves up’, ‘having the right attitude’ and ‘taking some pride in the shirt you’re wearing’. A manager or coach who trades in those clichéd generalisations – and there are many of them – is missing the point. Brian Clough dealt in detail, facts, specific incidents and invariably he got it right. Playing for him was demanding. I loved it.

Roy Keane on Brian Clough

He’s won two leagues with provincial teams, not the big guns, and he’s won the European Cup twice in a row with a provincial team. He was eccentric at times but I don’t think there was anything wrong with that.

Sir Alex Ferguson – Former Manchester United Manager

Sources:

Brian Clough and Peter Taylor (wikipedia.org)

When Nottingham Forest retained the European Cup (theguardian.com)

Nottingham Forest 78 – 80 (nationalfootballmuseum.com)

Brian Clough (uefa.com)

Header Image (pixabay.com)

The post English Footballs Greatest Underdog Story (It’s not Leicester City) appeared first on That I Didn't Know.

The mysterious Montague stood at 5 feet 10 inches (178cm) and weighed 220lbs. He could drive the ball over 300 yards with ease.

In a time at the tail end of the great depression John Montague lived a life of fast cars, tailored suits and movie star friends. It helped that he was easily the best golf player anyone had ever seen. Soon, stories about him began to emerge. Everyone wanted to meet him.

The Legend of the Mysterious Montague

John was famously tight lipped about his background. The only thing he wanted to do is play golf. And boy did he play well.

Actor Richard Arlen, who had starred in the academy award winning movie Wings (1927) met Montague for the first time in Palm Springs. There, at the O’Donnell Golf Club. Par there was 70. Montague shot rounds of 61 three times and then a round of 59. Arlen was fascinated by this barrel chested goliath of a man.

They became firm friends. Eventually, Arlen suggested he became a member at Lakeside Golf Club in Burbank. This course was and still is surrounded on all sides by movie studios.

Anyone who was anyone played their golf here and still do. From Howard Hughes, Douglas Fairbanks, Oliver Hardy and Humphrey Bogart, the list was endless.

It was here that the legend of the Mysterious Montague would cement itself.

The Legend Grows

On the course, nobody could beat Monty. He outdrove everyone, hit his approach shots close and putted like a demon.

Bing Crosby tried to take him in a match. Bing was a great golfer and sometimes played 36 holes a day. He lost. Sat in the bar afterwards, Bing decried his bad luck. Monty was not having it. He announced confidently to the room that he could beat Bing over one hole using a baseball bat, a rake and a spade. He wouldn’t even need a golf club.

Bing seized upon it and they were off back out to the course. On a par four hole Monty hit the ball 350 yards with the baseball bat. He then used the shovel to hit the ball within 10 feet of the hole and finished off by putting for a birdie using the rake like a pool cue. Bing could only par the hole.

Another story has Monty hitting a bird from a telephone wire 175 yards away using a three wood. Not only did he hit the exact bird he pointed at, he was so precise, he snapped its neck!

George Von Elm, one of the best players of the era called him “the greatest golfer I ever saw”. And this was a man who played with Bobby Jones regularly!

Feats of Strength

It wasn’t just on the course where Monty excelled. His feats of strength were legendary. Walking into a bar one night, he saw his friend Oliver Hardy. Grabbing the 300lb comic actor by the shirt with one hand, he lifted him up and sat him on the bar before asking “what’ll you have?”.

Another time a driver got annoyed with him, thinking he had been cut off by Monty. Monty got out of the car without saying a word, walked to the front of the gentleman’s car and lifted it off the ground. Once he had placed it back down he walked around to the side window.

“What did you say?” he asked. The gentleman wisely drove away, no fight left in him.

John Montague could out drink, out eat, out golf and out fight anyone it was said. His stories became more and more embellished with each retelling.

Curiously though, he never put himself in the spotlight. he was very content to be a legend within the local community and nothing more.

Grantland Rice and Recognition

Unfortunately for Monty, Lakeside Golf Club was unlike any other. Word would always get out from here. This time it would be in the form of Grantland Rice.

Rice was a journalist by trade. Which is underselling it. He was a sports business and the most famous journalist in the country. Rice richer than most of the stars he wrote about and had his column syndicated to over 100 newspaper.

Grantland had heard all the stories about John Montague and took them all with a pinch of salt. Until the day he played golf with him.

During a round with Monty, Oliver Hardy and others, Rice was mesmerised. Everything he saw John hit was perfect. On the last hole he only had to shoot par to claim the course record. Then a strange thing happened. John Montague, purposefully hit a ball into the woods before retiring for the day.

Rice asked him why. “I don’t want the notoriety” came the reply.

Grantland Rice left the course that day convinced he had just played a round with the greatest golfer of all time.

He had to write about him.

I have played several rounds with John Montague in California and I’ll take him as an even bet against any golfer you can name—over a championship course.

I played with him at Lakeside, Riviera and other hard courses around Los Angeles and he handled most of the long par-4 holes, from 430 to 450 yards, with a drive and a niblick [9-iron] over soft fairways. He has the grip of doom in his hands, which are like active steel. He has the ability to concentrate with a keen, alert mind.

He would be murder in an amateur championship—here or in Great Britain—and a distinct threat in any open.

Grantland Rice, Column from January 18th, 1935

This was the recognition that John Montague dreaded.

Further Recognition and Court Case

More articles soon followed. Prominent journalists of the time flooded the papers with stories of Montague’s feats. Everyone wanted to know who the Mysterious Montague was.

Time magazine sent a reporter and a photographer to interview him. Monty rebuffed them both. The reporter had to make his story from facts already know about him, while the photographer only got a picture by hiding behind a tree to take it.

Offers flooded in to Monty. $50,000 to play Bobby Jones. An offer to compete in the British Open. All were rebuffed.

In June 1937, the American Golfer ran this headline:

An Appeal to Mr Montague

Today, the mystery surrounding him has reached such proportions as to become a menace to the reputations of those whose business is golf.

We ask Mr. Montague to give the golfers of this country, a large percentage of which we represent, a fair opportunity to judge the true merits of his game. Such judgment can only be made by his appearance in competition.

It seemed the Mysterious Montague was destined for fame, like it or not.

July the 9th, 1937 – End of the Line

John Cosart was the New York State police inspector. After seeing pictures of John Montague, he had become convinced that this man was none other than LaVerne Moore. A wanted criminal from New York. In August 1930, Hana’s restaurant had been violently robbed by four men wearing masks and brandishing revolvers. Elizabeth Hana had been forced to empty the safe while her father, Matt Cobb was knocked unconscious. The robbers escaped with $750 (just over $11,000 in todays money).

Unluckily for the robbers, the police were nearby looking for bootleggers running alcohol, so when a car shot by, they gave chase. Two of the robbers were in a Ford and in a desperate bid to escape, they switched off their headlights. The driver died when they inevitably crashed. The passenger was arrested.

The two other robbers escaped but were pulled over by state police a little while later. The passenger identified himself as Lawrence Ryan and managed to talk his way out of the situation. A few days later the driver turned himself in. In the car were a set of golf clubs, a drivers license and a draft notice. The police were sure that Lawrance Ryan was actually LaVerne Moore (a.k.a. John Montague).

Arrest and Acquittal

The Mysterious Montague was arrested. His Hollywood friends including Oliver Hardy and Bing Crosby, paid for his defence. Montague fought his extradition from California to New York, but in time he had to go back and face the music.

The trial was a sensation. His two surviving accomplices had already been tried, convicted and jailed.

In court one of them claimed Monty was the fourth robber, the other that he wasn’t. Monty’s mother claimed him to have been home that night asleep. She also claimed she saw nothing wrong with how the day after he had suddenly packed up and left, headed west to seek his fortune playing golf.

His fame and notoriety brought back a verdict that shocked the judge. Monty was acquitted and carried from the courtroom on the shoulders of his supporters.

Free, Famous and Supremely Talented

At 34 Monty was finally free to be the best golfer in the world. Unfortunately for him, it was not to be. During his legal troubles and trial, he had put on a lot of weight and hadn’t played golf in nearly two years.

A month after the trial he played an exhibition match with none other than Babe Ruth. It attracted such a large crowd that the event had to be cancelled after just nine holes.

It would prove to be the highlight of Monty’s career. After legally changing his name to John Montague, he got Wilson Sporting Goods as a sponsor for a tour abroad. They dropped him when he returned to the USA.

In 1940 he qualified for the U.S. Open but after his first two rounds he had missed the cut, shooting an 80 and an 82.

John never went onto the Pro Tour and made most of his money playing trick shots and exhibitions for crowds but the further away from the court case, the less people wanted to know him.

He married Esther Plunkett, a wealthy socialite and they lived happily for a time, until she died suddenly in 1947.

As his fame ebbed, he disappeared from the celebrity scene, living the last few years in a residence motel in California. There he died, aged 68, in 1972.

Grantland Rice, 3 months before his own death in 1954 had this to say about the Mysterious Montague:

A great many will tell you that Montague, originally a Syracuse boy, was overplayed. That isn’t true.

What’s the truth? Who can tell. But it’s one hell of a story.

Sources:

Montague the Magnificent (smithsonianmag.com)

John Montague, Fugitive Golfer (forgottennewsmakers.com)

John Montague (wikipedia.com)

The strange case of John Montague (chicagotribune.com)

The Mysterious Montague (goodreads.com)

Image Header (pixabay.com)

The post The Mysterious Montague – The best golfer you’ve never heard of. appeared first on That I Didn't Know.