Sir Matt Busby - Pioneer of the modern Red Devils

Matt Busby left Manchester City (As a player) and joined Liverpool in 1936. He found no success with the Citizens besides an FA cup win, he found a better option with the Merseyside reds and decided to make the move (Yes, the only two clubs Matt Busby played for are United's biggest rivals). 

Second World War disrupted a small part of a great footballing story. In 1939, a 20-year-old youngster named Robert joined Liverpool from Bishop Auckland. He couldn't make his debut because of the war as he was serving the British Army. But he took great admiration from the man who was mastering a similar role as him, in Sir Matt. 

Young Robert played left-half and Sir Matt played right-half. Both players were known for their smart passing range and ability to knit attacks with their forward lines. English history always wonders how amazing Liverpool's midfield would've been with these two playing together, but that never happened. Yet, a friendship was formed that lasted an eternity. 

By the way, some of you might've recognized already, but just in case you didn't, this Robert guy was none other than Robert "Bob" Paisley. 

Sir Matt quit football during the war and trained the army Corps, where he laid foundation stones to one of the greatest managerial careers ever. 19th February 1945 - Sir Matt signed up to serve Manchester United, a few weeks after rejecting a managerial offer from Liverpool. 

The man landed United their first league title in 41 years (in 1952), which was the first of five he won with the club. The team was nicknamed Busby Babes and just when everyone thought United were on the cusp of breaking every English record ever, 1958 happened. 

No fan, footballer, family or a club in general ever deserves to face such a tragedy. As the legend has it, club stalwart Harry Gregg, who passed away this February, heroically saved Sir Matt from the wreckage. 

This incident ate the man completely. He was devastated and contemplated quitting his position out of guilt. The great Jimmy Murphy was expected to take charge of the club, but he continued as Sir Matt's assistant. 

Rebuilding took time, but United roped in some footballers who went on to have a great piece of history for themselves. Denis Law, George Best, David Herd came to the club and United went on to win the European Cup in 1968, a final fondly remembered for Best's heroics. 

He quit the following season and also served as the club director and played a crucial role in signing a fellow Scottish legend for Manchester United named Alex Ferguson. He passed away aged 84, in 1994.

"Matt Busby is without the doubt the greatest manager that ever lived. I am not saying I THINK he is the greatest manager, I am saying he IS the greatest manager. Facts can prove that." - said his greatest rival Bill Shankly, indeed a beautiful tribute after all the ferocious battles they had. 

Sir Matt's life was a dramatic movie, much like our lives in some or the other way. A connection with three rival clubs, a near death experience, mental trauma and the glory which followed. Indeed legendary, the man was something else. 

Ruud Krol - A revolutionary fullback of his times

Barcelona's desperation to get players from Ajax has not finished, and it might never. Ajax was as important as La Masia for Barca and among the many they roped in, Johan Cruyff and Johan Neeskens were hands down the best. But Barcelona weren't satisfied having acquired these two from Ajax in the 70s, they wanted someone else, someone who rejected Barca as many times as Marco Reus rejected big clubs, especially Munich. 

Ruud Krol was the most versatile defender in the Dutch team of the 70s, one of the greatest of all time as well. He loved playing at left-back, but could play in any of the midfield positions and also did a great job as a sweeper. Dogged, energetic, filthy strong - he got hold of some of the best wingers back in the day. Barca, as one would expect, were super impressed. 

The legend has it that even Ajax were convinced with the amount Barca were willing to shell, yet, Krol remained unperturbed. His love for the club remained intact and his payment increments throughout his career weren't as impressive as some of the other great defenders of the generation. He just wanted to play football. 

His versatile nature proved to be pivotal in Netherlands' legendary "Total Football" Tactics, which saw them reach the World Cup finals twice in 1974 and 1978. The Dutch were irrepressible, but just couldn't clear the final hurdle. But he did win the European Cup (Champions League) three times in a row with Ajax, the first-ever team to do so. 

Once Cruyff and Neeskens left Ajax, things got difficult in Europe for the side but they continued their domination Eridivisie. The great Barca team which never won a Champions League back in the 70s would've absolutely loved this man in the backline, but his love for home was never under sale. 

He did leave Ajax though, after 12 years with the club, winning every honour possible. He spent four years at Napoli and two more with Cannes. His managerial career wasn't as glittering, but he was one of a kind and was the defensive heart of Dutch's golden generation. 

Controversial yet colorful story of Brian Clough

In the summer of 1976, an 18-year-old journalist Duncan Hamilton was given an opportunity to interview Brian Clough - One of the most prolific British strikers of all time and was beginning to make a name for himself as a manager, having just joined Nottingham Forest after winning the league title with Derby. 

"Who the fuck are you?", asked Clough, to which he replied " I'm here for the interview you promised me, I've brought my letter". Hamilton mentions in his book *Provided You Dont Kiss Me* that the effort it took to not stammer and not get fazed was humongous - I feel ya man! 

Clough loved a drink and a conversation with people he likes and he doesn't connect with many. "Would've offered you a drink if you weren't a kid", Clough exclaimed, giving the young man an orange juice and sipped his favorite wine. 

Clough connected with people who liked cricket, ones who belonged to North-East England (For some reason) and Hamilton qualified in both categories. Clough kept shooting questions at Hamilton for three minutes about his personal life, before giving the journo a chance to do so, for 19 minutes. 

The young journalist had one strong feeling watching the confidence of the legend that is Brian Clough - This man was up for something very huge. It was almost like he knew he was destined for greatness, and boy, what he achieved with Nottingham Forest and Derby can never ever be forgotten. 

Hamilton was one of the luckiest to have witnessed the Forest Fairytale unfold, with Clough wearing the director's hat. 

From second division of the English tier, he made Derby and Forest crawl up to the top division. He made them win the top division title as well, which made him "ONE OF THE FOUR MANAGERS IN ENGLISH FOOTBALL HISTORY TO WIN THE LEAGUE TITLE WITH TWO CLUBS". English football fans who didn't know, sink it in, and he did it with clubs who were in second division when he took over. 

The pinnacle of Clough's legendary career was in 1978 and 1979, when the man went another notch and took Nottingham Forest to the European everest, the European Cup (Champions League now). Not once, but twice, in a row. 

His better half in his managerial career, Peter Taylor retired in 1982. Taylor was the most influential figure in Clough's cabinet and after him, despite spending 11 more years with Forest, Clough was never the same. He retired in 1993 when Forest were relegated. 11 years later, drinking problem took his life after a failed lives transplant. 

Clough was one of Football's most glorious characters, a story worthwhile knowing. Passionate, angry, dedicated, affectionate - He showed all the extreme emotions giving no fuss about anything. His ending wasn't as glorious as the middle bits were, but he was the man who made even Bob Paisley worry a lot of times (Which in itself is a great compliment). 

Gynaecologist turned manager, Carlos Bilardo was the unsung hero of 1986

Dr. Carlos Salvador Bilardo's story is something Indians can relate to. While pursuing his medical education (Became a gynecologist later on), he also found some time to play football and he was pretty good at it. Once great opportunities started coming thick and fast, Football was his first priority and his medical career didn't last long. 

A very crafty midfielder in his days, he spent six seasons with Estudiantes from 1965 to 1970, in what turned out to be one of the most successful spells of the club's history. From 65-70, Osvaldo Zubeldia managed the side and once he stepped down, Bilardo took charge for the first time in his career as a manager. 

He spent nearly six seasons as a manager with them in four different spells. But right after his third spell, which finished in 1983, he was named Argentina's head coach and what followed was perhaps the greatest 7-odd years in the country's football history. 

Bilardo's adaptation of the 3-5-2 formation was better than any other in history. The man was not just successful in implementing this pretty risky formation, he also took Argentina to the finals of the World Cup in 1986 and 1990, winning it in 1986. 

The risk associated with this formation is the defense "Can" get exposed very badly once the centre-back turns a sweeper and if both wing-backs aren't in the best of defensive positions. He marshaled the side quite amazingly and with five goals coming from the great man Diego Maradona, Bilardo became the second Argentine manager to lift the World Cup.

He continued in his position till 1990, where his side lost in the final to the same team against whom they won in the 86 final, West Germany. He then spent a season with Spanish club Sevilla and a 7th placed finish didn't see him continue further. 

His style of Football needed top-class Footballers, which he only found with the Argentine national side. When he got what he wanted, he produced something unforgettable.  

The man has been pretty ill lately and spends most of his time in the hospital. He also had a brain surgery last year and since then his condition remained just about stable. 

Helenio Herrera and his revolutionary "Catenaccio"

"Catenaccio" is often misinterpreted by the current generation football lovers. 

Firstly, it isn't an all-out defensive mechanism like the ones Diego Simeone or Jose Mourinho set up, although the emphasis is majorly on nullifying attacks by forming a defensive chain backed up by strict man-to-man marking. 

Another important feature of this formation was the role of a sweeper, who would pick up pieces during defensive duties and launch an attack with the help of overlapping fullbacks or the midfield wings. 

This system was invented and first implemented by Austrian manager Karl Rappan in the 30s and 40s, but a slightly tweaked implementation in Italy saw Nereo Recco's Inter Milan attain great heights in Europe. Yet, the best implementation of this tactic came from Helenio Herrera during his time with Inter. 

Helenio had guided Atletico Madrid and Barcelona to league titles in the 50s and also took charge of the Spanish international team. He had some struggles with the Spanish team, which predominantly had players from Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. His previous connections with the Catalan club didn't help him with these Madrid-based players, especially Alfredo di Stefano. 

Two year stint with Spain came to an end in 1962 and he joined Internazionale a couple of months later. Football was about to witness a storm in the next few seasons, previously matched only by the great Real Madrid side of the 50s. 

His Catenaccio version saw a 5-3-2 formation which gave a better scope for counter-attacks. His side would defend with their lives at stake but they were never shy of scoring goals. In the three triumphant league campaigns under him, Inter scored 58, 68 and 71 goals respectively in each season (34 games per season). And defensively, boy they were unbeatable. 

He came close to winning the iconic treble on occasions and perhaps was one of the most deserving of all to do so. With 3 Serie A titles, 2 Intercontinental cups and 2 European Cups in 6 seasons, Herrera earned a cult status with the club. 

Of all the top clubs in those years, it was Celtic who bettered this tactic and defeated Inter 2-1 in the 1967 European Cup final. This defeat saw Inter lose its invincible attitude and Herrera quit his job in 1968, after going through his first trophy-less campaign with Inter. 

Many experts believe Dutch's "Total Football" or Barcelona's "Tiki Taka" tactics were born from this system created by Celtic's legendary team under Jock Stein, which in a way shut the doors for Helenio and Catenaccio. 

His career graph flattened after leaving Inter and he was forced to quit after suffering a heart attack in 1974. This was the time Inter hired him back to regain their top status and although he did come back a few years later, he didn't last long. 

In an interview with Simon Kuper, he took a dig at the managers who tried to copy Catenaccio.

He claimed that the managers after him copied his style badly and emphasised largely on defense, which according to him was not Catenaccio.

Kuper dedicated a chapter to the great man in his iconic book "Football against the enemy", where he keeps mentioning how important it is to treat your team as a family. Three years after the book was released in 1994, Herrera passed away in his residence in Venice, aged 87.

Being tactically astute was one thing, but the man was equally good with his man-management, something you see quite rarely in the sport. A controversial yet pragmatic genius, often hailed as a once in a generation personality, his mark on the game was indelible. 

Celtic's unsung hero, the "Human Torpedo"

Before the second World War, Scottish League's playing standard was pretty good. Great attacking teams, managers who had no clue what park the bus meant, one can only wonder how fun it must've been for those fans who had the privilege to watch those classic Celtic-Rangers games of those generation live. Rangers, FYI, were unplayable those days. 

Some great names have graced Scottish history in this time, none more iconic than James McGrory. A lot of footballers who played during those times, had a whole different mentality, playing conditions and managerial upbringing. It's difficult to compare them to the stars of the next generation, but McGrory so easily qualifies as one of football's absolute GOATs. 

Just some stats before diving deep into his career - 396 goals in 378 matches in the Scottish league, 538 goals in 534 professional games, 55 career hatricks. British record (Till date) for most goals in professional and league football, British record in most hattricks (Till date) and the only player to score 8 goals in a single league game in British football. 

At 5'6', he was a very tiny stature for most defenders. I read some article on Scottish league's history where the writer mentioned how the league historically had some tall and well built defenders, and assumed average height of those defenders could be around 5'9" Oor 5'10". Despite that, his heading prowess was just staggering and earned him the nickname "Human Torpedo".

A tragic incident happened in 1924, his father passed away and he had a game against Falkirk on the same day as the funeral. He was all of 20, but made a huge call to play football and then attended the funeral (Some say he didn't attend). 

After his father's death, he scored his first goal of the 1924/25 season against Falkirk and despite missing out a few months starting from November due to an ankle injury, his goal-scoring touch got way better. In the following season, he won his first league title with the club, first of many more to come. 

He scored a whopping 49 goals in the season and in 1926/27, where he registered 48 goals, he also scored a whopping seven hattricks (Yes, in one season). Silverware unfortunately wasn't very kind, with Rangers winning 8 of the 9 seasons after 1924/25, the other winner being Motherwell. 

He did win another title in 1935/36, before leaving the club to manage Kimarnock in 1937. It took a lot of time for him to get settled as a manager, nearly 18 years to give you a number (Including 6 years of second World War). Luckily he did win a league trophy with his boyhood club Celtic as he became the first man in their history to win the league as a player and manager. 

His managerial career wasn't a spectacular one, but he paved way for Scotland's most iconic managerial figure, Jock Stein, in 1965. He was associated with Celtic football for another 14 years as Public Relations Officer, before quitting in 1979. He passed away three years later, on 20th October, 1982.

Arsenal, perhaps the best British club of those times alongside Rangers, showed great interest in buying McGrory and even offered him a blank cheque. He would've become the highest paid British football of the generation, but later on after retirement, he said "McGrory of Arsenal never sounded as good as McGrory of Celtic".

The thing about McGrory was, he was just too nice. That's what didn't help him much as a manager, but he garnered love of most football lovers across the country, which went beyond club rivalries. 

A true hero of Scottish football and perhaps the greatest ever to have donned the Celtic jersey, James Edward McGrory lives on in the memory of Footballing folklore. 

Football's ultimate revolutionary - Johan Cruyff was beyond special

Scottish maestro Jock Stein laid foundations for Total Football, Rinus Michels made it popular courtesy some outrageous talents under his mentorship. But when you talk about Total Football and the Dutch connection, Johan Cruyff cannot go unmentioned. 

Without a hint of a doubt the greatest Dutch Football personality of all time, Cruyff's impact on the game, as a player and manager, was umatched, not even the likes of Pele and Maradona come close. 

When Michels returned to Ajax in 1965, he had some outrageous ballers like Cruyff and Neeskens, who were still pretty young and needed grooming. Ajax nearly got relegated a couple of seasons prior to Michels' arrival and that's where the Total Football's most spectacular era started. 

To explain in blunt terms, total Football means versatility - every footballer should be able to play in more than one position, tactical awareness of the highest order and most importantly, this style considers Football as an art. If you had no creativity, Ajax was never a place to be in. 

Cruyff and Neeskens developed a lethal partnership, one which many footballers dream to have. Ajax became the first Dutch team to reach European Cup final in 1969 and won the trophy three times in a row from 1971-74. Netherlands too were doing great under Michels (He was managing Ajax and Netherlands at the same time). 

Cruyff's ability to make those cunning switches - sometimes go on the left, sometimes on the right, sometimes a bit deep but mostly central - made him untouchable. He could cut past full-backs with ease on the wings, find spaces between center-backs while assuming the number 10 role and had a proper striker's instinct, always getting himself in the right positions. He was like four players in one body. 

Pele and Maradona excelled and perfected what they knew, Cruyff was the one always keen on exploring new things, making Football innovative and decorative to watch. For him, Football was a beautiful painting or romantic movie, and the way his brain saw Football made everyone fall for his charm. 

He made some great memories with Barcelona as a player, but it was his time with them as a manager that changed the club forever. Pep Guardiola, who spent most his playing days under the Dutch legend, described Cruyff's managerial stint with Barca like this - "Johan Cruyff painted the chapel and Barcelona coaches since merely restore or improve it". 

Barcelona won the league just once in 14 seasons before Cruyff stepped in as a manager in 1988. He wanted to build motivation back in the team and picked up most of his future stars from La Masia, the famous youth academy. He also sold 15 players in the first two windows. 

When he first presented his idea of a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 formation, most of his players were shocked. His idea was to play with 4 defensive players and throw six on the attack. 

Tracking back was an important facet, but unlike Cattenaccio, this one was a cold-blooded attacking system which involved keeping possession and finding gaps with creativity. Most importantly, his ideology was to never allow the ball go past their midfield, which is why he packed those positions with the best possible personnel. 

The dinks, flips, outrageous chips and quick-passing Xavi and Iniesta excelled in our generation, Cruyff was one of the pioneers of those dark arts. Eusebio (Not the Portuguese one) recalls how Cruyff would always applaud and appreciate his players' efforts to do something different, no matter how foolish it could look when it doesn't work. 

He inspired them, made it work and in what turned out to be the greatest season in the club'shistory, under the stewardship of El Flaco, Barcelona won their first ever Champions League title in 92. A trophy long overdue, finally fell in the cabinet with a Ronald Koeman free-kick winner in the final. 

Barcelona's deadlock of doing well in Europe was broken by this man and he did so in the most spectacular fashion possible, which laid inroads for some of Spain and Dutch's greatest attacking outlets in the coming seasons. 

His contribution to Football was much more than making it look pretty. As a player and coach, he helped the ones around him grow from nothing to something and impacted more lives in Football than anyone I can remember.