Brian Clough used to untie Roy Keane's football boots for him after games because he "idolised" the young Keano, according to former Nottingham Forest midfielder Scott Gemmill.
At the end of the game, Clough would normally be on his knees, offering to untie Keane’s boots for him, because he idolised Keane.
In a fascinating interview with Henry Winter in the Daily Telegraph, Gemmill recalls Keane's intensity and hunger when he first arrived at the City Ground and Cloughie's devotion to the young Corkman. Gemmill remembers Clough saying to Keano "run hard on the pitch and if you can’t run any more I’ll come on and carry you off myself."
Keane's first autobiography portrayed Clough in a favourable light. However, the main interactions between the pair seemed to consist of Clough calling Keane 'Irishman' in the snarling Yorkshire tone and Keane asking Clough if he could head home to Cork for a couple of days. In the book, this request was usually acceded to and was followed by an inevitable row in a chip shop.
Inexplicably, Clough's typically eccentric act of devotion, untying Keane's boots in the dressing room after games, didn't make it in the book. That time, Clough boxed him the stomach after a costly under-hit back-pass in the FA Cup did make it in.
Keane's fervent intensity made an impression on Gemmill when he first saw him.
I played in the game when Roy came over from Ireland: Scarborough away in a trial game. Roy and I played in midfield. Roy asked to play on the right and I wouldn’t let him. Whenever I bump into him, that’s the first thing he reminds me of! He struggled to get over that one! Even as a young player he was very demanding, very quick to let you know if standards weren’t being reached.
