'Brian Clough shouted at me for barging into the changing room. I remembered to knock every time after that' Colin Todd on the ex-Nottingham Forest boss and his memory of an elephant

""When I joined Sunderland as an apprentice, he was still fighting to recover from the knee injury that would shortly end his career. "He then became my youth coach and all of us had specific jobs to do. I cleaned the first-team dressing room once the senior players had gone home. "One day, the rest of the lads set me up, saying the dressing room was empty, so I walked in, only to be confronted by Brian, some other coaches and a few players.""

""Initially, I was in his bad books," Todd told FourFourTwo. "When I joined Sunderland as an apprentice, he was still fighting to recover from the knee injury that would shortly end his career. "He then became my youth coach and all of us had specific jobs to do. I cleaned the first-team dressing room once the senior players had gone home. "One day, the rest of the lads set me up, saying the dressing room was empty,""

Colin Todd developed under manager Brian Clough from youth level to top-flight success, combining apprenticeship duties with first-team breakthroughs. Todd learned discipline and practical routines, including cleaning the dressing room and adopting stricter manners after a confrontation. Clough progressed from Hartlepools United to Derby County while monitoring Todd's progress at Sunderland, then signed him in 1971 after persistent pursuit. Todd had attempted transfers earlier, and his Sunderland manager Alan Brown facilitated a meeting at Roker Park where Clough secured the move. Todd later won the First Division title with Derby in 1972, shaped by Clough's influence.

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