Brian and Peter: A Right Pair - 21 Years With Clough and Taylor

Author: Maurice Edwards

Brian and Peter: A Right Pair - 21 Years With Clough and Taylor

When Peter Taylor joined Burton Albion in 1962, it changed Maurice Edwards’s life for ever. The two became firm friends. When Peter introduced Maurice to his great friend Brian Clough, shortly after the pair of them had taken up their first managerial appointment at Hartlepool United, an association was formed that was to endure for over 20 years.
The achievements of the Clough-Taylor partnership are well known. But the stories that Maurice Edwards has to tell, of life behind the scenes at each of the clubs they worked for, have remained untold until now. As referee, scout and trusted friend, Maurice was privy to many of Taylor and Clough’s dealings with clubs, managers and individual players, and is uniquely placed to reveal the details of what made their relationship so special, and so successful.
Here are the stories of how the major signings of Clough and Taylor’s careers were made, from Trevor Francis, the first £1 million player, to Peter Shilton, a goalkeeper Taylor had admired for years. Then there are the ones that got away, Kevin Keegan and Alan Hansen among them. Peter and Brian worked as a team: Peter the supreme judge of players and team dynamics, Brian the charismatic front man at ease with everyone from tea ladies to directors.
This absorbing personal memoir of a life in football sheds new light on the years that Peter and Brian spent working together and is sure to appeal to fans of all clubs.