"common nationality a hallmark of success"

[Dan Sarf]

Interesting piece about possible reasons why The Greatest League In The World is failing in Europe.

"It helped that every Forest player in that ’79 final was British. It meant they could read Clough and, much of the time, intuit the inflections of his voice and mood."

Is it just a coincidence that the best Hibs teams have always been made up of local boys (sometimes guided by masters of the game from overseas like Sauzee and Latapy)?

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/memories-of-brian-clough-reveal-just-what-english-clubs-in-europe-are-missing-a6679541.html

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There are international teams that can't claim to be fielding eleven players all of the same nationality these days.

The main reason Forest enjoyed that period of success (all too brief, alas) was that Brian Clough was a very good manager and coach, at least in the short term.

[Dan Sarf]

There are international teams that can't claim to be fielding eleven players all of the same nationality these days.The main reason Forest enjoyed that period of success (all too brief, alas) was that Brian Clough was a very good manager and coach, at least in the short term.

Good point! (Slightly shocking too.)

[Smartie]

There are international teams that can't claim to be fielding eleven players all of the same nationality these days.

The main reason Forest enjoyed that period of success (all too brief, alas) was that Brian Clough was a very good manager and coach, at least in the short term.

Including the current world champions.

I'm not buying this "nationalistic" argument, although when it comes to leadership communication is always key. I've often wondered how easy it is for a foreign manager to communicate subtleties and nuances to a dressing room that contains players with many different native tongues.