It was the soccer sensation of the decade when Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough smashed through the £1m barrier in his record-breaking signing of striker Trevor Francis. JOHN BRUNTON looks back to 30 years ago to the story that had every football fan in the country talking

YOU had to hand it to Forest boss Brian Clough; he never did things by half. And that he demonstrated 30 years ago yesterday when he signed Birmingham City striker Trevor Francis – the first £1m move in English football.

More to the point, it was at least twice the previous record.

But the real genius of it all was how Clough, and his deputy Peter Taylor pulled the whole thing off, given Coventry City were also chasing the St Andrews star.

On the face of it, the Coventry offer was in fact more attractive.

But the Clough masterstroke was simply this; allowing the 25-year-old forward to continue playing in the summer – on a loan basis – for the American league side Detroit Express.

The previous summer this had earned Francis £30,000, chicken feed by comparison with today's mega-pay packets, but a fortune in the late 70s.

This caveat swung it – coupled with the undoubted fact he was more likely to keep in the England spotlight with the Reds than he was with the Sky Blues.

True enough, Coventry were offering similar terms. Indeed, the Detroit side was run by Jimmy Hill, the BBC-TV commentator and Coventry general manager.

But continued England fame and success was undeniably the spur.

Indeed Ron Greenwood, then managing the national side, had described Francis as "the next Kevin Keegan."

As Greenwood put it: "It depends on where he goes and with whom he works."

And beyond doubt, the inspirational Clough/Taylor duo were at the apex of their game.

Forest was

the

club to be with.

The news of the signing was broken in a front page Evening Post story.

It actually amounted to £1.1million including Francis' £45,000, another similar sum to the Football League Provident Fund as well as VAT.

The real story, as ever was Clough.

As the Post said: "Clough rescued Forest from the relative obscurity of the Second Division, 'tamed' Kenny Burns, Francis's old Birmingham team-mate, and built the most successful side Nottingham has ever known."

But, again true to form, Clough insured that, in all matters, he kept the upper hand. So he kept Francis waiting while he finished a game of squash.

Brushed up and ready to make history, Francis went to the City Ground to sign but, upon his arrival, there was one notable absentee.

"When I went to the City Ground, it was a big day for myself and a big day for the club and I suppose the whole game," Francis said.

"I waited with Peter Taylor and chairman Stuart Dryden but the manager was nowhere to be seen.

"We had to wait for him to finish his game of squash.

"When he arrived, I was very pleased with the deal and I was very pleased to sign. I knew I was going into a very good team."

Nonetheless, despite Clough's reputation, he and Taylor had been having a tough time securing the right signing that season.

Even their initial bid for Francis had been turned down by Birmingham.

But behind-the-scenes negotiations didn't end, and eventually Clough and Taylor pulled off the coup.

It was the size of the deal that made Greenwood think it would be a millstone for Forest.

Francis recalled: "At the time it all but doubled the transfer record. It captured the imagination of the public and media and was the subject of so many headlines.

"That was also because I was playing for Brian Clough, one of the greatest forwards this country has ever seen."

Francis was a popular signing though his later time with the Reds was dogged by an Achilles injury.

He was eligible to play in the 1979 European Cup final where his header, from an awkward out-swinging John Robertson cross hammered into the Malmo net just before half time.

The investment was paying off.

Francis's goal, in Munich, secured Forest their first European Cup with a 1-0 win. But he was also in the side that lost 1-0 in the 1980 League Cup final to Wolves.

Injury kept him out of the 1980 European Cup final, which Forest won 1-0 against Hamburg in Madrid.

Francis scored 28 goals in 70 appearances for the Reds.

His departure to Manchester City, for £1.2m in September, 1981, was a shock and Francis admits he would have loved to had stayed longer.

"I would have loved to have been there longer because it was a fantastic experience playing with so many good players."

Subsequent years saw him play for Sampdoria, who bought him from City for £700,000. He helped the side win the Italian Cup in 1985.

He later played for Atalanta, Glasgow Rangers and Queens Park Rangers before turning to management.

In 1991 he steered Sheffield Wednesday to League Cup final success.

Later, under his guidance, the Owls reached both the FA Cup and League Cup finals, losing both to Arsenal.

In 1994, Francis retired as a player, and was later sacked by Wednesday after they finished 13th.

Even now, many fans, blame the action of management in dismissing Francis for the start of the club's decline.

He left Sheffield for his old club, Birmingham City and from there went on to Crystal Palace, which he left in 2003.

During his 52 appearances for England, Plymouth-born Francis scored 12 goals.

But his winning goal in that 1979 European Cup final has gone down in Reds folklore, ensuring he has a treasured place in the club's history.

Despite multi-million pound transfers these days, Francis will always be known as the first million pound player.

He would rather be remembered across the country for his European Cup-winning heroics.

But he has found throughout the last three decades, and probably for the next three, being the first seven-figure transfer is a difficult tag to shake off.

And he has the persistence of the legend that is Clough to thank for that.