There was a clear reminder of Cloughie's nickname - Old Big 'Ead - when his long awaited tribute in Derby was eventually unveiled to family members and VIP's at Pride Park (August 27th, 2010). The canvas covering the sculpture became snagged on his head as officials tried to reveal the statue. There was a nervous pause in proceedings as it took several minutes to free the material.
Old Big 'Ead under cover
Brian's son Nigel commented: "It's appropriate it couldn’t get over his head." He later told the Derby Evening Telegraph: "When the curtain came down and got stuck on Dad's head, the family all looked at each other. We said: 'If it's going to get stuck in one place, then that's where it will be.'"
The sculpture of the Great Man, alongside his former assistant Peter Taylor, is nine-feet high. It stands on a ten-feet high concrete plinth. The eventual unveiling came nearly two years after Nottingham's bronze statue was unveiled by Barbara Clough, accompanied by members of her family. Another statue, in Cloughie's hometown of Middlesbrough, was unveiled by Mrs Clough in 2007.
Speaking after the unveiling, Mrs Clough said Brian would have been amazed by the statue. She was accompanied by her family, including her two sons, Simon and Nigel, her daughter Elizabeth and her grandchildren.
The £125,000 scheme was funded through business sponsorship, unlike the previous statue projects in Middlesbrough and Nottingham, where fans were inspired to launch successful fund-raising campaigns involving a range of special events, including a gala dinner in Nottingham attended by Mrs Clough and her family.
Placed around the base of the statue, in an area now known as Unity Plaza, are a number of compass points with special connections to Cloughie. One of them is Nottingham Forest's City Ground.
For Derby fans, the statue brings back many great memories of Cloughie's success at the Baseball Ground before the Great Man resigned from the Rams after a disagreement with chairman Sam Longson.
Cloughie & league trophy
Clough and his former assistant Peter Taylor enjoyed their first major success together at Derby, where Taylor ended his career after later leaving Nottingham Forest. The memorial sees them holding the league championship trophy, as they did in the photo below from 1972.
Celebrations in 1972
Derby County commissioned sculptor Andy Edwards to make the statue, rather than hold a public tendering process like the schemes in Nottingham and Middlesbrough where public money was involved.
