at the club, and it was a very difficult time for me. And I spent about six months at Leeds not being involved in the squad, and even in those days they used to have the players names on the back of the squad tracksuits. Well I was there six months and I never got a track suit with my name on the back of it. I think that was a big hint from the club that I didn't really belong there." Clough's reign was only 44 days but even after his departure, McGovern, O'Hare and trainer Jimmy Gordon were tarred with being part of the Clough regime. McGovern declined offers Leeds accepted for him to join Carlisle United and Norwich City. Clough did not forget any of the three men and soon returned to take all three in early 1975 to his new club, Nottingham Forest. Nottingham Forest Brian Clough became manager of Nottingham Forest on 6 January 1975 twelve weeks after the end of his 44-day tenure as manager of Leeds United. Clough brought Jimmy Gordon to be his club trainer as Gordon had been for him at Derby County and Leeds United. McGovern was aged 25 at the time. Clough signed McGovern and O'Hare in February with McGovern debuting on 22 February 1975 in a 0–0 home league draw v Cardiff City. Forest were 13th in English football's second tier when Clough joined. They finished that season 16th. The season after Forest finished eighth in Clough's 1975–76 Football League first full season in charge. It was in this season McGovern became long standing club captain taking over from a game in which Bob 'Sammy' Chapman and Liam O'Kane were both injured. Peter Taylor on 16 July 1976 rejoined Clough becoming his Assistant Manager as he had been when winning the league at Derby. Taylor included being the club's talent spotter in his role. After assessing the players Taylor told Clough "that was a feat by you to finish eighth in the Second Division because some of them are only Third Division players". Together Clough and Taylor took Forest to new heights with McGovern the club captain throughout the success the two brought to Forest. Their first trophy at Forest was the 1976–77 Anglo-Scottish Cup. Forest beat Orient 5–1 on aggregate in the two-legged final played in December 1976. Clough valued winning a derided trophy as the club's