Too Good to be Forgotten

Too Good to Be Forgotten is a footballing story viewed through the prism of three remarkable North East men: Brian Clough, Bobby Robson and Lawrie McMenemy. The book revisits ten special years from 1975 to 1985, and examines the striking similarities in three wise men who made the ordinary become extraordinary.

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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.