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Leicester like Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest - Martin O'Neill

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Leicester: The Impossible Team - a 5 live Sport Special
Date: Wednesday, 23 March Time: 19:30-21:00 GMT
Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio 5 live and online

Former Leicester City manager Martin O'Neill says he can see shades of the Nottingham Forest side that became English and European champions in the 1970s in the current Foxes team.

Leicester, bottom of the Premier League a year ago, are five points clear at the top with seven games to go.

O'Neill played for Brian Clough's Forest when they won the top-flight title in 1978, a year after promotion.

"I see a lot of similarities," he said in a BBC Radio 5 live special.

Nottingham Forest

"There are players I can identify with who are similar in roles they are playing for each side - Riyad Mahrez is a very creative player a bit like John Robertson, your outfield genius, Jamie Vardy looks like Tony Woodcock.

"They are similar with the two players at the back, with Larry Lloyd and Kenny Burns, you could go right through the side and see similarities.

"It is remarkable in this day and age - when big clubs with a lot of money to spend are ruling the roost - for Leicester to come and win this championship would be an almighty achievement."

Republic of Ireland boss O'Neill, who managed Leicester for five years from 1995, was speaking on 'Leicester: The Impossible Team', a 5 live Sport Special to be broadcast on Wednesday.

The 64-year-old was an integral part of the Forest squad that followed up their league title win with back-to-back European Cup victories.

Leicester

Forest's achievements during that period are largely considered one of football's greatest success stories, and O'Neill believes Leicester City winning the title would be comparable.

"Without question there is romance about the story - people are talking about it all over Europe," he added. "I was in France recently for a Uefa meeting and it was the talk of the evening, people are really taking note.

"It is a great story and if they do it, it would be the story of the century."

'Foxes title would outshine Forest's achievements'

Leicester City
Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez have been in exceptional form for Leicester this season

West Brom boss Tony Pulis thinks Leicester winning the title would eclipse Forest's 1978 title victory.

"This is a bigger achievement because the difference between the finances are massive compared to what they were when Cloughie was managing Forest," he said.

"I am hoping and praying they do it for everyone outside the top six football clubs. It gives everyone that bit of hope, that freshness and I think it makes this league the best in the world.

"It is brilliant for British football, brilliant for the Premier League and brilliant for everyone connected."

From League One to the top of the Premier League

Andy King
Andy King (right) has been with Leicester City since 2004, helping them rise from League One to the Premier League

A Leicester title win would be a particularly memorable achievement for the club's longest serving player.

Andy King, 27, came through the Foxes' youth system and the midfielder has played for them in League One, the Championship and now the Premier League.

He already has title-winning medals from the lower two divisions.

"I can remember playing away at Stockport," he said. "It was the second game of the season in League One and we drew 0-0, Matt Oakley launched a shot late on over the bar and into a river behind the stadium.

"Ultimately we got promoted that year and the rest, as they say, is history.

"There's still 21 points to play for this season. It will be a nice story for everyone but we don't want to think about that. We are just concentrating on our football."

Leicester: The Impossible Team is a 5 live Sport Special that will be broadcast on Wednesday night from 19:30-21:00 GMT

Foxes midfielder Andy King will describe the journey the club have been on and Marcello Lippi, Italy's World Cup-winning coach, will give us the insight on boss Claudio Ranieri.

Martin O'Neill, Tony Pulis, captain Wes Morgan, Gary Lineker and the Hollywood film producer who is planning to make Jamie Vardy: The Movie will also give their thoughts on the team that stands on the threshold of the Premier League title.

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138 comments

  • Comment posted by U13174198, at 11:51 23 Mar 2016

    A lot of credit must go to Pearson for keeping them up last season. Winning 7 of their last 9 games, was a springboard for the team leading into this season.

  • Comment posted by FootieFan81, at 12:01 23 Mar 2016

    I agree that Leicester winning the PL eclipses what NF did under Clough. Take nothing away from NF and mindful they went on to win the EC too but the manner in which football has changed with commercialisation and advantage to top clubs, Leicester would be the greatest sporting upset of all time. Their achievements are great and have renewed a lot of faith in football, if only for one year.

  • Comment posted by U16217506, at 13:20 23 Mar 2016

    @ 26 Cloughie's quotes

    On disagreements with players: “We talk about it for 20 minutes and then we decide I was right.”

    My all time Fav from BC :

    “Rome wasn’t built in a day. But I wasn’t on that particular job.”

    Priceless & sadly missed

  • Comment posted by bazinga, at 12:21 23 Mar 2016

    Apart from ranieri gives the plaudits to his team but cloughy would have said it was all his doing

  • Comment posted by Dave, at 12:35 23 Mar 2016

    Whatever happens now what Leicester have achieved this season is incredible.

    Having said that, there's 21 points still to play for & this whole crowning a team as champions before the season has ended has a whiff of Liverpool a few years ago, when countless articles were written about the "champions elect".

    I hope I'm wrong.

  • Comment posted by U14797313, at 13:23 23 Mar 2016

    Clough's management style was an enigma. He motivated players who had been, in several instances, written off professionally. He did this without the current scientific infrastructure available to modern management. Rainieri inherited a team who won 7 games late on in the last season, some would argue a successful squad, although not title winning in potential. Clough was a 'one off' genius

  • Comment posted by oldman by the sea, at 11:49 23 Mar 2016

    I hope they win the PL this season and show that money can't buy everything.

    Too many teams just start to look good and the rich sides come and asset strip and then loan the newly bought assets out or treat them as subs.

    Go Leicester - show them what you can do, and I hope your players don't jump ship come the summer for promises of riches elsewhere

  • Comment posted by U12892785, at 11:53 23 Mar 2016

    Couldn't you have waited a couple of months to make this programme? The story doesn't have an ending (good or bad) as yet...

  • Comment posted by BaggiosPonytail, at 11:37 23 Mar 2016

    I can't see Leicester winning the Champions League next season!

    Winning the league this season would be a fantastic achievement though.

  • Comment posted by cmac, at 16:47 23 Mar 2016

    Ah, the Notts Forest of years ago, back when football was actually enjoyable and players were allowed to tackle, diving etc was scarce, teams did not head to the corner with minutes left, corners & penalties were taken from correct place, and there were very few selfish prima donnas demanding hundreds of thousands of pounds a week, they were the days indeed. anyhoo, i hope Leicester win it !!

  • Comment posted by Topside Highbury, at 13:01 23 Mar 2016

    Brian Clough, also never put up with his players disagreeing with the ref. They had to accept all decisions in silence...quality manager.
    Good luck Leicester hope you win it. (Unless Arsenal do! Which we won't)

  • Comment posted by U16313608, at 12:09 23 Mar 2016

    There is no comparison other than Leicestershire, where I come from, being in the same East Midlands region.

    In Clough's day any half-decent team was in with a shout because of the lack of the "money factor".

    Today, such a feat is remarkable in that teamwork can overcome high-priced individuals playing for their egos.

  • Comment posted by Fed_up_with_moaning_minnies, at 11:52 23 Mar 2016

    I really hope they do it. Whatever happens this season, they have been a breath of fresh air. This is a wake up call for all the clubs that feel they are entitled to sucess...it has to be earned.

  • Comment posted by U15078702, at 12:53 23 Mar 2016

    Cloughie's classic quotes...

    “I want no epitaphs of profound history and all that type of thing. I contributed – I would hope they would say that, and I would hope somebody liked me.”

    On disagreements with players: “We talk about it for 20 minutes and then we decide I was right.”

    “I wouldn’t say I was the best manager in the business. But I was in the top one.”

  • Comment posted by TT, at 16:20 23 Mar 2016

    It will be amazing if Leicester win it on a shoestring when everyone in football is obsessed with money, tho Leicester will never break the transfer records like Clough did.

    Talking of which I heard Shearer compare Leicester to his sugar-daddy mercenary Blackburn side the other week. How completely oblivious to the real world would you need to be to think it's even vaguely similar?

  • Comment posted by HurstFox, at 14:04 23 Mar 2016

    As a Leicester fan I really shouldn't, but I have to admit to a great deal of love and respect for Brian Clough. When they made him, they broke the mould.
    I see no need to say one achievement is better than the other. Success coming to the East Midlands is wonderful and I hope Forest are back where they belong in the Premier League so we can have some good East Midlands derbies.

  • Comment posted by U14882456, at 13:32 23 Mar 2016

    @ 19 Everyone buys team to some extent. Not since the 30's really have teams fielded mainly local lads all brought thru the club. Celtic 67 the exception that proves the rule.
    Clough spent when he had to - Shilton, Francis, Anderson, but he (well Peter Taylor) also trawled the lower leagues for players unwanted or unspotted by others and created a team rather than a collection of individuals

  • Comment posted by mc1805, at 13:32 23 Mar 2016

    You need to remember that Clough not only won the League and European Cup with Forest, but he had also already done won the league with Derby shortly after promotion. At a time the league was dominated by Manchester Utd, Leeds and Liverpool.

  • Comment posted by Dozyduffer, at 12:26 23 Mar 2016

    As a Man Utd fan, I really hope Leicester do it, just not at Old Trafford if we are chasing a top 4 spot, to do it in your last home game against Everton would be amazing in front of the same fans who followed you in League 1 not so long ago.
    And who is to say they cant compete in the Champions League. They would take clubs by surprise with their pace and lack of a need for pointless possession

  • Comment posted by U16098308, at 12:07 23 Mar 2016

    For your information, Martin O'Numpty and BBC hipsters, the bloke holding the Division 1 trophy with Clough was called Peter Taylor. It was Clough and Taylor's Forest, not Clough's Forest. Clough was nothing without Taylor; check his record with/without Taylor if you don't believe me. And let's see how many Champions Leagues LCFC win before we start comparing the two teams.

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