Source: Daily_Mail
Gary Mills ready to put York City back on the football map in FA Cup clash at Bolton.
You've a lot to learn, young man: Mills was schooled by the legendary managerial duo Brian Clough and Peter Taylor at Nottingham Forest[LNB]Gary Mills can still remember the day he signed for Brian Clough. 'I was 14 and Forest had a game that night,' he said. 'The boss took me into the dressing room and stood me in front of Terry Curran, who was popular and a bit of a star.' [LNB]Mills has perfected the voice now, it's almost as good as Michael Sheen. Close your eyes and the great man is there. 'Cloughie said "Terry, do you know who this is?" and Terry looked at me and said "no". The boss said "this is the lad who is going to take your shirt off you in a couple of years." [LNB]'He brought me in again afterwards and the boss said "Terry, you did ok tonight" and then he turned to me and said "are you better than him son?" I shrugged my shoulders and said "yeah, I think so" and Cloughie laughed and said "see, there you go Terry. I told you he'll take your place."'[LNB] Mills became the youngest winner of the European Cup at the age of 18, playing in the victory in Hamburg, but his education under Clough started four years earlier. 'I'm not a great believer in Academies,' he said. 'I made my debut at 14 in the Central League for Forest and in those days you played grounds like Anfield on a Saturday afternoon, so mine was against Joey Jones, who I'd seen on Match of The Day. [LNB]'Little did I know he was nurturing me to be a man to play at 16. You can't do that anymore and players don't grow up quickly enough.'[LNB] Not that Clough was not afraid to bring the teenager back down to size when he felt the need, just as his first million pound signing was to find on his first day. Mills recalled: 'About four games in, I went on a run and hit a shot from outside the box. We came in at half-time and he absolutely went for me, and says "if you ever shoot again like that when you can pass the ball, I'll chop your balls off. You might as well learn that now." That was him. At 14, he treated me no differently to anyone else. [LNB] Man and boy: Gary Mills (back row second right) with Forest and the European Cup[LNB]'The classic was Trevor Francis, first million pound player. He signed on the Friday and the following day, he was playing for the youth team against Villa on a field near Nottingham. [LNB]'We had been playing about 15 minutes and he stopped the game, walked on the pitch towards Trevor and shouted over "where's your shinpads?" Trevor says "I don't wear them" and Cloughie says "you do if you're playing for me, now get off, get some on and you can play again." [LNB] In the line of fire: Clough was notaverse to having a word with theteenage Mills[LNB]'So Trevor had to run off, scramble around for a pair and after about five minutes he came back on. That was Trevor's welcome to Forest. The boss was sending a message that he might have cost £1 million but he was no better than any other player.' [LNB]That was more than 30 years ago, butthe influence of Clough is clear on a manager who cut his teeth andbuilt a club at Tamworth. He left earlier in the season to take up YorkCity's offer to try and rebuild a club with a proud FA Cup history. [LNB]Theystill talk about the day Arsenal were put to the sword at an icyBootham Crescent, and when Liverpool were nearly toppled in the nextround. Like his mentor, Mills and his assistant Darron Gee are buildinga football club, trying to return them to the Football League after aseven year absence. [LNB]Millssaid: 'I am proud of what we did at Tamworth but it is smaller thanthis fantastic club and it is a fantastic opportunity. [LNB]'Iwas battling with a lot of former Football League clubs and York areone of those. We want to get the club back to where they belong and putYork on the map again. It is a city that should have a Football Leagueclub but talk is talk. We have to deliver. [LNB]'On my first day I stood at the backof the stand and I had shivers down my spine because it is a properfootball ground with a history. [LNB]'Strangely,this was last place I played as professional. I still remember it. Iknocked ball up the line and my hamstring came away from the attachmentand that was it. Horrendous, still got the scar. [LNB]'Idid play a few conference games last year and I keep asking for aplaying contract but the chairman is refusing. Darron, my wife Julieand all my mates keep saying I am too old but I still love playing.' [LNB] Preparation for their tripto Bolton may have been hampered by the weather, with Monday's clashwith Fleetwood frozen off and the club's training out of bounds formost of the week. [LNB]Duke of York: City manager Gary Mills [LNB]Mills, who was at the Reebok on Wednesday, has taken one leaf out ofClough's enormous book as he prepares to face Owen Coyle's side. Hisplayers will just be grateful he is not using all the great man'stricks. He added: 'The night before a European Cup semi-final inAmsterdam, the gaffer and Peter Taylor took us down the red lightdistrict for a few beers. If we were abroad we all went out togetherthe night before; if you didn't, you didn't play.[LNB]'Pete tried to negotiate a price to get us in a show. He had this habit of sticking his tongue in his cheek and he was saying "we'll pay five gilders a head". When they wouldn't budge he said "no no no, we'll move on" so we did. We had no intention of going in but the lads were in stitches. [LNB]'We spent a week in Majorca before European Cup final. We didn't train, just partied for a week and then we went out and won it. [LNB]'I would never try to copy him because I'd fall flat on my face but of course he's an influence. He was incredible and a privilege to play for. [LNB]'I have not even mentioned Bolton once and he was like that. He wasn't interested in the opposition, just us. He'd say "forget them, let's go for a beer". [LNB]'We had our meetings in a room with a bar and the first time he said to me "Millsy, get the beers in" so I did and he said to me "now get yourself a Guinness" and I told him I didn't drink. He said "get yourself a ******* Guinness" so I did. I drank it, pulled a face and then he named me in the team. I never said no again.'[LNB] Sir Alex wants win over Liverpool to erase pain of last year's shock FA Cup exitHolloway: Blackpool won't win the FA Cup with the team I'm going to put outPardew hoping for better fortune as Toon travel to Stevenage for reunion Sven is like a brother to me! Family matters for Mancini at Leicester[LNB] Explore more:People: Peter Taylor, Brian Clough, Trevor Francis, Owen Coyle, Michael Sheen Places: Nottingham, York, Liverpool Organisations: Football League
