Apart from Jones. V or Barton. J maybe, but usually people avoid crossing words with Stuart Pearce.

A few days back there was a series of heated telephone discussions between him and Arsène Wenger over the useage of Walcott for the upcoming UEFA Under 21 Championships after his run outs for the senior team. But as that first linked article mentioned Psycho won the argument and the new boy wonder will be in Sweden from June 15th.

» I’ll post more about the Under 21′s when – and if – I find any related footie and music from it, but for now some music about the ex-Notts Forest skipper and this one done by “The Merry Men” which they entitled after his (I would imagine unwanted) nickname:

[See post to listen to audio] » The Merry Men – Psycho Additional to that – a song as mentioned in a previous post that Pearce used to play at Forest just before he went on the pitch: [See post to listen to audio] » The Clash – White Riot

Yes yes I know that's from when he played for Coventry, but the fringe. The fringe...

Additional to the additional:
As also mentioned by Fredorraci, (the author of Sport Is A TV Show) in the comments in that previous post – here is a piece he wrote in August last year about the influence of football on the making of London Calling.

EXTRA TIME: More Stuart Pearce-ing…
(ok I’m going to slap myself for that one)

Via Flickr: The man himself astride a Raleigh Dirt Cross bike in an advert for the Nottingham built conveyance.

Via YouTube: Pearce takes on a Dirt Cross bike riding kid in a television ad for the aforementioned bicycle.

The gentleman of the left also said that you can’t win them all…

Pictured above is Cloughy leading out Leeds United during his 44 day reign when the faced the Shankly led Liverpool side in the 1974 Charity Shield.

This match was notable because:
- It was Shankly’s last game in charge: He had retired after the previous season where Liverpool had won the FA Cup.
- Brian Clough was sacked 34 days later after Leeds had P7 W1 L3 D3.
- It was the first Charity Shield to be televised: And the country got to see…
- Billy Bremner and Kevin Keegan getting into fisticuffs: After they were sent off both of them took off their shirts and flung them onto the Wembley track. The FA fined them 500 quid and were both banned for a massive 11 matches.

The match ended in a 1-all draw and they took penalties to decide. The game was won after Leeds chose their goalkeeper (the big looking bruiser David Harvey, above left in the pic behind Bremner) to take a pen. He blasted it over the bar.

- -

Enough of the filler, let’s get back to the original ego and a couple of songs done by one J.J. Barrie which the Wikipedia entry tells me were done in 1980. For what reason is unknown. It would have been nice to have the interweb back then. So many things that happened in years gone by are now lost in time.    Update: More info here.

[See post to listen to audio] » Brian Clough and J.J. Barrie – It’s Only A Game [See post to listen to audio] » Brian Clough & J.J. Barrie – You Can’t Win ‘Em All

Some of the postings and reviews I’ve read have either forgotten or not mentioned this. Please remember when you do go and see it that most of what happens is from the imagination of the author – and subsequently the screenwriters.
And by the looks of the trailer below it might be one of the better football movies.

Click here to watch the Trailer

But this post isn’t about that, or about his 44 days at Leeds.

This is a blatant attempt to pull some traffic here because of the interest in the current subject.

Cloughy was one of those who easily divided opinions. To some he was an arrogant big mouth. To others he was the best man never to be the manger the England team. I am with the former and although I recognise that he was one of the best English managers, he wasn’t for the top job.

Club-wise he was outstanding and those of use longer in the tooth will remember his days at Forest.

Again I’m not going to write all that much about him because that’s not what F&M does. There are plenty of other places which will fill your needs on that.

We are here for the music and about a few tunes done about him »

The Toy Dolls did this one in 1989 about the incident when a fan ran onto the pitch (after Forest beat QPR) and Brian gave him a cuff round the ear:

[See post to listen to audio] » The Toy Dolls – Cloughy Is A Bootboy - Lyrics Cloughy’s Lads Are Full O’ Gloom Coz Cloughy’s In The Changin’ Room Why Can’t He Nick Off & Leave Them Be? He Screams & Yells & Just Because Cloughy Knows That He’s The Boss Cloughy’s Rough & Tough Cloughy’s Barmy Cloughy’s In A Huff & Tense Cloughy’s Teeth Begin To Clench A Cloughy Fan Asks For His Autograph “Can Yer Sign This Brian?” He Nuts Him First & Smacks Him Next Nobody Makes Cloughy Vexed Cloughy Is The Chief Cloughy’s The Gaffa Cloughy Is A Football Hooligan Now Cloughy’s Only At His Prime With His Fist In Yer Nose When The Referee Blows Full Time Brian Brian Kicks & Slaps & He Shouts Oi! Brian Brian Cloughy Is A Bootboy The Judge Tells Cloughy To Keep Calm He’s Up For Grievous Bodily Harm Cloughy Stands And Begins To Yell Cloughy Must Have A Screw Loose Coz Cloughy Says He’s Gonna Cruc Ify The Cops When He Gets Out The Cell Cloughy Is A Football Hooligan Cloughy Is A Football Hooligan He Kicks & Slaps, He Thumps & Cracks He Nuts & Smacks And Shouts Oi!

Next up is one that I don’t have clear info on. I’m sure that the name of the artists and the title of the song have got swapped, but I may be wrong. Some sampling of Brian talking included in:

[See post to listen to audio] Give Us A Kiss – Sorted For Clough

Lastly, for now is this one which was done around the time of the 1991 FA Cup Final… the one cup he could never win…

[See post to listen to audio] » Fat and Frantic – Brian!

- Songs above provided by Through the seasons before us – an NFFC Blog.
- Next up with be the conclusion to this journey of Clough with a couple involving the man himself.

Everyone I’m sure is familiar with what happened with Justin Fashanu.

It was sad when his own brother, John Fashanu, shunned him after he came out.
Plus the way the scummy tabloids went after him. Well… no surprise there…

But probably worst of the lot was at the hands of Old Big ‘Ead.
This is from The Justin Campaign:

…”Put up for adoption, aged three, when his parents divorced, Justin and younger brother John grew up in a leafy Norfolk village and both signed for First Division side Norwich City. Justin broke into the team aged just 17 and soon became a superstar, scoring the Goal of the Season against Liverpool in 1980 and 19 goals in 40 games during the 1980/81 campaign.

In 1981, Justin became Britain’s first black £1 million player when he joined Nottingham Forest, managed by Brian Clough. The move was a disaster: Justin didn’t fit their style of play, his form suffering after he discovered his homosexuality and became a born-again Christian in search of ‘forgiveness’, if not a cure.

Clough took exception to Justin’s style, spirituality and sexuality, famously confronting him at the training ground:

Clough: “Justin, where do you go if you want a loaf of bread?”

Fashanu: “The baker’s.”

Clough: “And where do you go if you want a leg of lamb?”

Fashanu: “The butcher’s.”

Clough: “So why do you keep going to that bloody poofs’ club?”

Clough banned Justin from the club, but the Football League ruled that there was no evidence supporting the suspension and Justin returned to training, to find that he still was not wanted.”

I read somewhere that Cloughy saw him and called the police to get him escorted off the ground.

Some years later Clough wrote of his regretful treatment in his autobiography.

At some point around this time (1981-82) for some reason* Justin decided to go into a recording studio and do a single.

*When is there ever a good reason for a football player to sing !

I’ve only got the A Side, would like to complete this and post the B side, even if it’s just an instrumental.
By the looks of the single cover below Justin beat Eddie Murphy at his game by a good few years.

[See post to listen to audio] » Justin Fashanu – Do It ‘Cos You Like It

Bit of an unfortunate title there…sounds a bit like Eddie Murphy too.

- The article I read was about a football team that’s been named after him – The Justin Fashanu All Stars. With the aim of promoting the inclusion of openly gay players in football. The team is sponsored by Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim).

- I also read some comments by John Amaechi, the first NBA baskeballer to come out as gay about Justin:

…”I don’t think you can take anything away from the abject bravery of what he did. I just think that he entered the storm completely alone.”

    “I looked at his experience as a bench mark for how bad it could get, because it wasn’t just the fans – a lot of what went on was the absolutely abominable news coverage.”
…

Even 10 years after Fashanu’s death, there are many adamantly insisting there are no gay players in Premier football.

» Full article

- To finish here is an audio clip done by Inter Ference talking about Justin and all the events at that time:

[See post to listen to audio] » Inter Ference – Justin Fashanu

If you found this track via the Hype Machine and were expecting music but instead heard talking, I hope that you looked further and read about Justin Fashanu and his vilification.
It doesn’t matter how you live your life and it’s nobody’s business but your own.

» The Justin Campaign

I can understand footballers wanting to starve off retirement, because as we’ve seen when you finally stop there is a danger of going on a downward spiral. Some are fortunate, some are forward thinking and plan ahead and either go into coaching or sit there on the couch looking at Gary’s permanent tan.

“Don’t call me Andy !” was one of those who wanted to keep turning out. Wanted to keep on knocking them in.

Other strikers who used to be in the headlines have also tried to stay on the pitch and eventually end up turning out for some 3rd Division team in the Leyland DAF Trophy. It is a sad sight and it was beginning to look like it was going that way for Cole, so it is good thing that the realisation has set it. Maybe it should have triggered before his last move because it has now left a bit of an unwanted postscript on what was a dazzling career.

But it doesn’t matter either way. Despite people’s memories of him, sadly he’s not talked about or seen in the same light as other legendary Newcastle or Man Utd strikers. The records will still show that Mr A. Cole was indeed outstanding on the field – as discussed here by the Guardian’s Rob Smyth back in February 2007.

As it seemed to happen with other strikers, when they had their face plastered all over the magazines and on the television, Andy – as he was known back then – also took to the recording studio to try out a pop career.

And as it always seemed to happen with other strikers too – it didn’t.

But mad props to you Mr Andrew for doing a rap song that had some.. interesting lyrics, but also some positive ones:

I’m sharp like a razor / Speed to amaze ya / Beat ya like Ali did Joe Frazier

“United forever / Whatever the weather / Less than a hundred per cent? Never!

“Seven-point-five mill record-maker / Rapping on the mic I’m a record-breaker / Got my kicks from hitting the net / Never from drugs: You bet!”

Also has a line in the song about saying no to racism. This was something that Andy was at the forefront. Can’t find the full lyrics but you can listen for yourself:

[See post to listen to audio] » Andy Cole – Outstanding

-> There’s obviously a video too.

-> Only a few weeks ago there were some Notts Forest fans who were campaigning to get his single into the charts. (When it was first released it failed to make the top 40.)

-> More photographs including the one above can be found in the Gallowgate Gallery

-> Show Racism The Red Card

ADDITIONAL:

The posts in the last few days were songs about footie players and this one is by a footie player.

There was a song done in Andy’s barcodes days in which his 40th goal for Newcastle was celebrated. I’m including it here because it continues the songs about… theme but because of the badness(?) (is that a word ?) of the song it means that Cole, if he does make the F&M team, it would be on the bench.

[See post to listen to audio]
» Harry Palmer – The Andy Cole Song

Oh this is bad… Or is it so bad that it’s good ? No. It’s really really bad.

It’s on a par with Soccer Superstar, maybe even worse…?

(I just listened again to remind myself of how bad it was. Why did I just do that ? )

Nottingham Forest fans – you would do well by disowning and disavowing all knowledge of this one.

It’s got to be a pisstake…has to be tongue in cheek… can’t be an actual serious thing can it ?

The more I listen to it (yes more self inflicted harm) the more incredulous I get.

Remember that Father Ted episode ? The Song for Europe one ? When Fathers Dick Byrne and Cyril McDuff do their bombastic song (7min,30 secs in). Well this one is very much like that one.

It starts out ballad-like with just the piano and the singer begins to warble along with some spectacularly corny lines which will make you cringe and by the end of the song be curled up on the floor.

Ah man how could he do it…

I was going to describe a bit more about the song and even transcribe some of the lyrics but I can’t. It hurts too much. You have to click below and listen for yourself:

[See post to listen to audio]
» Josh Richards – On The Road

ARRGHH! !!

‘They’ in this case are Nottingham Forest, who had more successes with the European and League Cup.
During Old Big ‘Ead’s reign they won 14 cups (that total includes some really obscure competitions though, such as the Leagu… I mean.. The Nuremberg Tournament and Trofeo Colombino Cup.) If you count only the major cups then it is 8.

This is only a hypothetical, as mentioned I don’t know the whole story of how it came about: … Sometime back in 1978 somebody at Notts Forest (maybe) decided that they release a single to celebrate their success.

Around that time Forest were dominating the cup competitions (apart from the FA one), they had won the 1978 League Cup after a replay and then went onto win it again the year after – and then did the same with the European Cup.

They must have took note of the Spurs/Chas & Dave winning combination (!) and were influenced by this.

So hands up everybody who can name a famous band or artist from Nottingham. No Google cheating here, off the top of your head name one. Hard isn’t it. Remember that it was the mid to late 70′s too.

Again somebody at the club maybe stumbled onto this fact, or remembered their appearance on a big TV talent show in 1974 and their subsequent Number 1. There was a local band made good. Maybe they would be interested in recording something with them…

Opportunity knocked forPaper Lace and after winning on the show in ’74 their single: “Billy Don’t Be A Hero” went straight to the top of the charts.

I went looking for a video of the single on YouTube and found it. (The song was about Billy going off to fight in the American Civil War – How a pair of English songwriters came to write about this subject is a puzzling one.)
But I then also found what looks to be a re-recorded 80′s remixed version – a disco version at that, by the same group. Go and watch and compare the two, you’ll see what I mean. The newer one is very bizarre.

I’ve wandered off. Back to the Forest and their meeting of minds:

The band had two other singles in the top 10 of the same year but by the end of 1974 they had already faded. Until four years later when this happened along.
Snippet from Wikipedia:

“The ‘Nottingham Forest March’ (‘We Got the Whole World in Our Hands’) was released in 1978 on 7 inch vinyl. This was a joint collaboration between the group Paper Lace and Nottingham Forest Football Club and features the fans singing as well as the team of the time. Changes to the lyrics included “We’re the best team, in the land / We’re the best damn team, in the land” amongst others.”

» Paper Lace & Nottingham Forest FC – We Got The Whole World In Our Hands

I heard that many Cub Scout groups took a hit out on them after this – Stealing their repertoire !

Extra Time:

» An interview with Phil Wright (the drummer).

» Download the Commodore 64 computer game: Brian Clough’s Football Fortunes. (You’ll need an emulator to play it.) The forerunner to all football management games ?