John McGovern

Beginnings Under Cloughie

Montrose-born John McGovern was brought up in Hartlepool and at the age of 19 became the youngest player to appear in all four divisions. He became a football legend when he skippered the Brian Clough-managed Nottingham Forest side that won back-to-back European Cup finals.

A skilful midfield player, he won promotion with Cloughie’s Hartlepool and then followed him to Derby, Leeds and Forest. Not surprisingly, his talks are peppered with absorbing anecdotes about Clough and his partner Peter Taylor. He also has stories about his own experiences as a boss at Bolton, Rotherham and Woking.

John McGovern Style

John’s playing stood out as unique within the world of football. When commenting upon John’s style, Brian Clough is quoted saying “he never stopped going, never stopped running, and he was a reasonably intelligent young man”. When asked about how he felt being inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame, John replied: “it is a fantastic feeling that I have to be inducted into the Scottish Hall of Fame”.

Over the course of his 19-year-long career, whilst playing in the English League, John held two highly successful seasons with Derby County and Nottingham Forest, on top of occasionally featuring with Leeds United, Bolton Wanderers and Hartlepool United.

Honours & Tributes

Whilst with Nottingham Forest, John won the UEFA Super Cup, two Football League Cups, the FA Charity Shield and the Anglo-Scottish Cup. During this period of success, he was Nottingham Forest’s deeply respected captain. As a dedicated central midfielder, John comfortably passed the ball with either foot. Due to his skill, John Robertson was recorded stating “as far as I’m concerned John McGovern is what epitomises what every good side needs”. Over the course of 19 seasons, he played in over 650 senior first-team games.

John has secured two Scottish under-23 caps. He is considered one of the finest Scottish players never to win a full international cap. John travels the world coaching, and has worked in the United States and Azerbaijan. He is an experienced broadcaster, regularly appearing on BBC Radio Nottingham.

Football Management

After leaving active playing, John player-managed Bolton Wanderers and joint-managed Rotherham United with Archie Gemmill, alongside whom he earned the Football League Trophy. With his wealth of footballing knowledge, John has also served as assistant manager for Plymouth Argyle and Hull City, as well as working in media punditry.

John McGovern: Speaker

As a speaker, he frequently discusses the strategies he used to reach and maintain peak performance. John captivates audiences up and down the country, who are football experts and business clients alike.