Former Nottingham Forest boss Brian Clough believes Sir Alex Ferguson was wrong to sell Jaap Stam and replace him with ageing French defender Laurent Blanc. Speaking in the latest issue of FourFourTwo magazine, Clough also admitted that he has had a little smile on his face watching Manchester United's poor early-season form.
"I believe Alex dropped a clanger getting rid of Jaap Stam, a popular, efficient defender. There is no logical reason in footballing terms why Stam went and a slower Frenchman took his place," said Clough, before adding United's woes haven't exactly upset him.
"It does give me a wry smile that United are discovering this season that they can't win everything. It may be that they will come good in the spring – as they often do – but it's a closer contest than many thought it would be last August."
Clough, who won the European Cup two years in a row with Forest, says he'll have a little chuckle if Ferguson fails to win the Champions League this year. "If Alex doesn't do it and has to make do with that solitary European success in 1999, I'll take a closer look at the porcelain memento that hangs on a wall in my lounge. It's got Robin Hood, Sherwood Forest and Nottingham Castle in the background and contains the information that Forest won the European Cup two years in a row – something United have not done yet."
Filed by Tom Grealis
