Watching the tribute to "Old Big 'Ead" on BBC1 last week confirmed my own thoughts on the impact Brian Clough made on football in this country.
In view of this, it now seems even harder to comprehend that we failed to commemorate his passing by the customary minute's silence before a Withdean home game.
As I had not heard of any planned silence, I raised the question about half an hour before the kick-off at the Sheffield United game and was given what I now consider unsatisfactory reasons why there wasn't going to be one.
They included:
1, "We didn't have one for Peter Taylor."
2, "Albion fans paid their respects at Forest the previous Wednesday."
3, "We are preoccupied with the Fatboy Slim album promotion."
My thoughts on these are:
1, Yes, we should have had one for Peter Taylor and two wrongs don't make a right (plus we did stand for Pat Saward).
2, Most fans were unable to get to Forest to pay their respects.
3, One minute's silence would hardly have interfered with the Fatboy Slim promotion.
I don't wish to upset anyone but I have been at many football matches where we have had to stand for a minute for people who have had nothing to do with the club.
I admit Clough was only Albion manager for a few months but Peter Taylor (Mark I), who came with him and stayed on, undeniably set up the club for its most successful years under Alan Mullery.
So Clough was the acorn which grew into the oak tree of top division football for four years and also a cup final.
He deserved this posthumous recognition and I and many other Albion fans are sorry we were not allowed to pay our respects.
-Stuart Ashby, Shoreham
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