Leeds United and Nottingham Forest will resume hostilities in the Premier League in the latest chapter of a rivalry that stretches back to the remarkable rivalry between Don Revie and Brian Clough.
There was a changing of the guard in English football over the course of the 1970s as Don Revie’s famous Leeds side began to fade at the end of the decade, with Brian Clough’s Forest rising to win consecutive European Cup titles in 1979 and 1980.
Leeds will travel to the City Ground for the 11th fixture of the 2025/26 Premier League season in search of their first top-flight win away at Forest since Revie was in charge in 1971.
Clough oversaw a disastrous spell in charge of Leeds, having replaced Revie in 1974. He left the club after just 44 days before taking over as Forest manager at the beginning of 1975.
As Leeds prepare to face Forest in a must-win clash, Revie’s words from the famous interview between the two titans of English football highlight the scale of the club’s mistake in appointing Clough, overlooking Johnny Giles in the process.
What did Don Revie say about Brian Clough replacing him as Leeds United manager?
Yorkshire Television secured a major coup on the night that Clough left his role as Leeds manager, by convincing both Clough and Revie to appear in a special interview, chaired by Austin Mitchell.
The resulting 30 minutes are some of the most captivating television you can hope to witness, as Revie and Clough debate the fallout of Clough’s short time at Elland Road.
However, the interview opens with Revie admitting that anyone would have struggled to fill his shoes. But the Leeds icon believed there was still enough quality to compete for honours.
Revie said: “Being very, very honest, I think it was a very difficult job for anybody to do. But I do feel that the players at Leeds United who won the championship last year, could possibly go on and do things this year.”
He continued: “I think the players were there to do the job. Now, whether after six matches they’re going to be judged on six matches, I don’t know.
“But all I can say is that I was with these players, most of them, for 10, 11 years. I was managing for 13 and a half, and I basically think that they’re good enough to win a trophy this season.
“Last season, we had an awful lot of injuries and suspensions, and we played without four and five and six players, right from the very first match. I knew the players. Clough, as he calls me, Revie, didn’t know them. And I knew how to handle them and how to juggle them about, and he didn’t have time to do that.
“But the players are there, and they’re dedicated professionals, and I had no trouble with them for 13 and a half years.”
Don Revie recommended that Johnny Giles replace him as Leeds United manager
Clough instantly isolated himself from the Leeds playing squad, which featured legendary figures such as Billy Bremner, Eddie Gray and Peter Lorimer, by telling the players to throw their medals in the bin, having won them through cheating.
The negative sentiment in the dressing room was exacerbated by the fact that Johnny Giles had been recommended to replace Clough, only to be overlooked by the Leeds board.
Reflecting on this decision, Revie continued: “My personal opinion is I stated at the time, before Brian took the job, I won’t call him Clough because I wouldn’t take him down like that because I think it’s a sad night for anybody to get the sack as a manager in any football, in any job.
“Nobody likes to see this happening in football at all. I openly stated before anybody took the job, when I took the England job, that I felt that Johnny Giles was the man for the job.
“Only because he knew our system, he knew how I worked, he knew how the staff worked, he knew how the players reacted to things. He knew everything because he’d travelled all over Europe with us, he’d played in matches, a great player, a great thinker of the game.
He continued: “I recommended Johnny Giles for the job before anybody else was recommended at all, before anybody’s name was mentioned.”
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Failure to appoint Johnny Giles was Leeds United’s biggest mistake
Revie’s opening statement was proven true, as Leeds made the European Cup final in 1975, where they suffered a cruel and controversial defeat.
However, by the end of the decade, Leeds were a long way from title contention as Clough lifted his second European Cup title.
That is not to say that dismissing Clough was a mistake, as it is hard to imagine how the relationship between the playing squad and the famously contrarian manager could have worked.
But Leeds’ decision to overlook Giles had long-lasting consequences for the club. Giles enjoyed success in his managerial career, nearly steering the Republic of Ireland to the 1978 World Cup and winning promotion with West Brom.
Having missed out on Giles, Leeds also fell into the trap of trying to make up for the mistake retrospectively, as the club suffered relegation under Allan Clarke before both Eddie Gray and Billy Bremner failed to guide Leeds back to the First Division.
Ultimately, it took the appointment of Howard Wilkinson to break the stranglehold of the Revie era on Leeds. But if the club had appointed Giles in the first place, they might not have fallen so far and so fast from the pinnacle of English football.
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