Editing Brian Clough (section)

=== <!-- READ THIS BEFORE CHANGING TO HARTLEPOOL Known as Hartlepools, with an 'S', at the time -->Hartlepools United===
After a short spell coaching the [[Sunderland A.F.C. Reserves and Academy|Sunderland youth team]], in October 1965, Clough was offered the manager's job at <!-- READ THIS BEFORE CHANGING TO HARTLEPOOL Known as Hartlepools, with an 'S', at the time --> [[Hartlepool United F.C.|Hartlepools United]] (from 1977 the club became known as Hartlepool United). He accepted and immediately asked [[Peter Taylor (footballer, born 1928)|Peter Taylor]] (then managing non-league [[Burton Albion F.C.|Burton Albion]]) to join him as his assistant. At the age of 30, Clough was then the youngest manager in the league. Hartlepools were perennial strugglers and had repeatedly had to apply for re-election to the Football League, having finished in the bottom two of the Fourth Division five times in the past six seasons. Such was the club's perilous financial state in the [[1965–66 Hartlepools United F.C. season|1965–66 season]], Clough had to tour local pubs raising money to keep the club afloat and even applied for a coach driver's licence to drive the team to away matches.

On 15 November 1966, the then chairman, Ernest Ord, who was known for playing mind games with managers, sacked Clough's assistant Peter Taylor, claiming he could not afford to pay him anymore. Clough refused to accept it so Ord sacked him as well. However, there was a boardroom [[coup d'état|coup]] where the other board members refused to ratify the two sackings and which instead saw Ord ousted as chairman. Both Clough and Taylor were reinstated. Hartlepools' fortunes gradually improved and the club finished in a creditable eighth place in [[1966–67 Hartlepools United F.C. season|1966–67]]. Their Hartlepools team featured three players who would play for Clough and Taylor at other clubs in the future: [[Les Green]], who would be goalkeeper in Derby's promotion-winning side of 1969, [[Tony Parry]] who Clough signed for Derby in 1972 in what is seen as a helpful gesture to his former club who needed funds from transfers and a 16-year-old [[John McGovern (footballer)|John McGovern]], who would later be signed by Clough at Derby County, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest, winning several major trophies in the process. On 14 May 1967, the two men then joined [[Football League Second Division|Second Division]] side [[Derby County F.C.|Derby County]] as manager and assistant manager. They took charge on 1 June 1967. In the following season, Hartlepools were promoted for the first time in their history.