Marcus Alton - Brian Clough expert

The legendary football manager, Brian Clough, once told Marcus during a live radio interview that he liked to see his smiling face because it brightened up an otherwise dull and wet winter’s morning. The former BBC and commercial radio journalist interviewed Cloughie several times and has written five books about him while also running the tribute website, brianclough.com.

While still at school Marcus gained his first media experience by writing a regular sports column in a local magazine, working as a production assistant on Brian Tansley’s Saturday Sport show on Radio Trent in Nottingham and supplying news stories as a local correspondent for a newspaper. He then joined the Newark Advertiser newspaper as a news and sports reporter and was named Midlands Sports Reporter of the Year.

Marcus was born in Nottingham and has multi-media experience as a broadcaster, reporter, producer and writer. His career has spanned more than 35 years with the BBC (TV, Radio & Online), commercial radio and print journalism. During his time with the BBC he presented several radio programmes, including his own chat show, interviewing celebrities, politicians and sports stars.

As well as being the author of five books about Cloughie (through various publishers), Marcus is the founder and editor of the non-profit making tribute website, brianclough.com, and its associated media channels. Speaking engagements have included a number of book festivals, with his ‘In The Top One’ event attracting a sell-out audience at Newark Book Festival. He has also appeared at ‘An Evening With…’ at Waterstones and held signing sessions at WH Smiths. Marcus also wrote a regular column for the Nottingham Forest matchday magazine, entitled ‘View from the Brian Clough Stand’.

The books by Marcus have helped to raise money for various charities, including the NSPCC, the Royal British Legion, Diabetes UK and a hospital charity. Marcus presented a cheque for £7,500 to the children’s cancer ward at the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham, on behalf of the Brian Clough Memorial Fund (pictured below). His latest book ‘Brian Clough The Lost Tapes’ is published by JMD Media and is supporting Nottinghamshire Hospice and the NSPCC.

Marcus was the driving force behind the campaign for a bronze statue of Cloughie in Nottingham city centre, forming a committee of volunteers who smashed their fund-raising target in just eighteen months. The statue was unveiled by Barbara Clough in November 2008 and has become a landmark in the city, attracting visitors from around the world.