Three Wise Men from Football’s Golden Era

By Ben Dobson

Too Good to Be Forgotten is a footballing story viewed through the prism of three remarkable men: Brian Clough, Bobby Robson and Lawrie McMenemy.

The ten years from 1975 to 1985 was the last sustained period in which the hegemony of the major big-city football clubs in England was challenged and, at times, usurped. These were days when young fans could follow their dreams, a time when your local side might – just might – become a contender on the global stage.

The book revisits that golden ten-year span and examines the idiosyncrasies and striking similarities in these three wise men of the North East – three of the greatest-ever English football managers – and how, in the form of three unfashionable, provincial clubs, they made the ordinary become extraordinary. Not only did they deliver success on the pitch but a sense of pride in the communities of the towns and cities they put on the map. In doing so, they offered lessons in management and leadership that still resonate today.

Too Good To be Forgotten gets under the skin of three of British football’s greatest managers and the methods they used to achieve similar but differently brilliant things. It includes:

A deep dive into the iconic 1970s and 80s era of English football and what the achievements of these great men meant to three provincial clubs, two cities and one town and their communities
First-hand accounts from former players of all three clubs, from loyal club servants to international stars
The recollections of Ipswich, Forest and Southampton fans who speak about the special nature of their time in the footballing sun
A detailed season-by-season analysis of the years of the three clubs’ greatest successes
The thoughts of Lawrie McMenemy himself on what this period means to him, plus memories of his close relationships with his two good friends
An analysis of the remarkable similarities and subtle differences between the managers, how the football hotbed of the North East formed them, how they achieved extraordinary results and the lessons they taught us, which are still influencing managers today

Ben Dobson worked with athletes in sport for 32 years and has been a compulsive sports fan for almost half a century. His sports writing has appeared in The Cricketer and other sports outlets. Ben’s first book, Chasing Rainbows, is a sideways look at the purgatory which is the lot of the English sports follower, based on his own life experience, asking why well-adjusted adults should let sport take over their lives.

Please contact Jane Camillin: jane.camillin@pitchpublishing.co.uk – 07813 093260