Nottingham Forest is obviously a club I know very well, having moved there from Boro in 1981.
I spent two years at The City Ground and as soon as I became aware of their interest, my head was turned.
Brian Clough was the Jose Mourinho of his generation and it was hard to resist going to work for him.
Boro got to the quarter-final of the FA Cup that season but in the summer the entire midfield moved on. Craig Johnston went to Liverpool, David Armstrong went to Southampton and then I moved to Forest.
Bobby Murdoch played a big part in my development as a youngster and he was named Boro manager that summer, but my mind was already made up to move on.
On reflection, it didn’t work out at Forest as well as I’d have liked. I was maybe a bit young and a bit immature for such a big move.
I don’t think I was ready and I wish I’d have moved to Forest in my mid-20s instead, in hindsight.
But I played 60-odd games for them and I’ll be forever grateful to the club and to Cloughie for giving me that opportunity.
It wasn’t the most comfortable of two years at Forest, working under Cloughie. He was a tough task master - especially for that stage in my career.
I remember the first time I met him. He used to wear that green sweatshirt that he almost became synonymous with.
I had a wry smile when he turned up at the car park when I travelled down to Nottingham with my mum and dad.
He was very charismatic, a larger than life character who had a massive reputation. His teams always played the correct way and had a great disciplinary record - they followed his orders to the word.
He was part of the old generation of football managers but he had a clear philosophy.
There’s so many stories about Cloughie and my time at Forest - here’s one that I always remembered.
At the time we weren’t doing very well in the First Division and were probably third or fourth, and that wasn’t good enough for Cloughie.
We were getting a bit of stick in the papers from the likes of Jimmy Greaves.
We were on the training ground on the Friday and came back in to find 20 names on the squad list, which was a shock.
We attended the pre-match meal in the hotel which was usually steak. We were all sat around this big table, and then Cloughie walks out with a massive tray of chips.
We didn’t know what was going on, and then Cloughie walked around the players and pointed at some of the lads saying “you can have chips”, while others “couldn’t have chips”.
He was obviously pointing to the players that weren’t playing. It’s safe to say I got chips that day.
Cloughie was always forthright with his views and didn’t shy away from controversy. He was an opinionated manager but very successful.
I suppose the closest manager in the modern game to Cloughie is Mourinho. When I watch him, sometimes he can be very charming but when things aren’t going his way he can spit his dummy out.
Mourinho is compulsive listening - and he reminds me a lot about Cloughie.
Looking ahead to today’s match, and Boro have a massive challenge on their hands against Forest. Dougie Freedman has come in and hit the ground running.
I think they already had a really good group of players who were massively under-achieving, so it’s no real surprise.
Yesterday Forest announced losses of nearly £23m last season and part of that has to be down to the wage bill. The club must still be carrying some real big earners.
Stuart Pearce obviously was in the dugout at the start of the season and he started well, but then hit a dreadful run that cost him his job.
Now Dougie has enjoyed a similarly good start - and he’ll have to keep that going. That’s the nature of the game and if things don’t go right then you can be quickly on your way.
I know Forest lost at Charlton in mid-week which was a bit of a shock, but that epitomised the Championship. Anyone can beat anyone on their day.
I think Boro have a massive task this afternoon. There’ll be added pressure on Boro being at the top of the table and I’m sure that will be used by Freedman and Forest as extra motivation.
Boro don’t have a great record at The City Ground - I think they’ve won only once in the last 42 years.
I was there a couple of times with Boro, once with Tony Mowbray and another with Aggers (Steve Agnew) before Tony was appointed.
But records are there to be broken and I’m sure it won’t affect Boro’s preparation.
This is the start of a massive few games for Boro when they play Ipswich, Derby and Bournemouth.
If Boro can come through those games and still be anywhere near the top, then they’ll be in a really strong position.
It’s still all to play for - but today’s match at Forest is a massive one.
In last week’s column I said that the Coventry job could be perfect for my friend Tony Mowbray, and that’s the way it seems to have worked out.
He will take charge of his first game against Port Vale today and I’m sure he’ll be looking forward to getting back in the dugout.
I’ve sent him a text since the announcement was made this week, and he’s contracted there until the end of the season.
I’ve seen a couple of his quotes saying that he’s delighted to be back in the game, and I know he’s been itching for this for a while.
If he can do well from now until the end of the season then I’m sure a longer offer will be on the table in the summer.
I’m presuming that he sees this as a great opportunity to turn Coventry around, but it’s always important that a new manager hits the ground running.
If he can get a win in his first game then that gives everyone a bit of confidence and builds a bit of momentum.
It was nice to see him receive so many good wishes from Boro fans this week.
Tony is an inconic figure at Middlesbrough and everyone of course recognises him as the local lad who led the club from liquidation back into the top league of English football.
I’ve also said many times that he did a good job as Boro manager in some difficult circumstances, trying to reduce the wage bill and get rid of some of the big earners.
I wish him all the best at Coventry.
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