“Clough had me running errands and fixing his drinks. Occasionally we’d meet in the corridors and he’d say, ‘Cut that bloody hair, young man, it’s too long!’” Paul McGregor on coming through at Forest under Old Big 'Ead

Paul McGregor celebrates after scoring for Nottingham Forest vs Lyon in the UEFA Cup on 21 November 1995.

Every footballer who played under Brian Clough has more than a story or two about the former Nottingham Forest boss’ unique style of management.

But in Paul McGregor, Old Big ‘Ead also had a unique footballer to contend with.

The former Forest striker was known as ‘The Britpop Footballer’ as his passion for the sport was matched by his love of music. The Liverpool-born star was part of a band called Merc during his playing career and would later form Ulterior after he hung up his boots.

McGregor’s Clough experience

Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough, November 1992 (Image credit: Alamy)

McGregor broke through into the Forest first-team at the tail end of Clough’s managerial career, but that didn’t mean he escaped the two-time European Cup winner’s attention.

“Occasionally we’d pass each other in the corridors and he’d say, “Cut that bloody hair, young man, it’s much too long!”,’ McGregor tells FourFourTwo. “As part of the YTS scheme, we cleaned the senior pros’ boots and I was in charge of Nigel Clough’s. He used to tip me really well – he gave me £400 as a Christmas bonus once. I was earning about £75 a month, to put that into perspective.

Burton Albion player manager Nigel Clough and his father Brian Clough pose with the FA Cup trophy in 2003. (Image credit: Getty Images)

“The first-team had some big characters back then – the likes of Roy Keane, Teddy Sheringham and Stuart Pearce – so you had to be thick-skinned with the banter if you ever got invited to train with them.

“It was a different time, but they were unbelievable players and I was pinching myself to get to do that as a job while mates of mine were leaving school and going to work.”

Clough left the club in 1993 after Forest were relegated from the Premier League and although McGregor was still a teenager then, he knew just how much of a momentous occasion it was.

“It was the end of an era. Brian had been at Forest almost all of my life. Over the previous couple of years, he’d come to like me as I was scoring loads of goals in the youth teams.

McGregor in action for Forest (Image credit: Getty Images)

“He would have me running errands and fixing his drinks. But he was also not in the greatest shape, health-wise. The club had a crumbling empire vibe and it was no great surprise when he left, although it was tragic the way it happened.

“The whole city kind of went into mourning. Frank Clark took over as manager and he was good for me. He started to give me opportunities in the first team over the next few years.”