Clough arrival sparks memories of Blades fans’ tribute to father Brian

It famously happened on a sweltering spring Saturday at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground on May 1, 1993 on the most fateful of days for the Clough family.

The man most people perceive to be the greatest manager England never had in Brian Clough saw his dug-out career – a life less ordinary – cruelly culminate in a wretched relegation from the Premier League in his final home game in charge of the provincial club he put on the world footballing map.

The Blades fans in the Bridgford Stand may have watched their side inflict the last competitive rites of Clough’s 18-year tenure by the Trent with a 2-0 victory, but it was chants lauding Old Big ‘Ead – rather than partisan songs – that filled the East Midlands air.

The man himself acknowledged his fellow Yorkshiremen with a trademark thumbs-up on an occasion which was also a particularly poignant one for a home player, Clough’s son Nigel.

Famously referred to as ‘our number nine’ by his father, Clough jnr – appointed as Blades manager yesterday afternoon – strode out at the City Ground under his dad for the last time ahead of his summer move to Liverpool.

Clough’s last appointment as manager of Derby was also at Forest, back on September 28, hours before being brutally sacked – a move that his father, were he around today, would certainly have had something to say about.

That late September date is likely to be etched into Nigel Clough’s mind for some time to come, just as September 12, 1974 was for his father – the day he was axed by Leeds after just 44 days in charge.

Clough snr’s next managerial destination after leaving Elland Road was at a team down on their luck and at the wrong end of the table – the old Division Two – in Forest in January 1975.

Like his father before him, Nigel is now charged with breathing new life into a club accustomed to better.

Clough’s good friend and former Forest team-mate Garry Birtles is confident his pal can restore Blades’ fortunes. Although when it comes to talk of managerial similarities between father and son, he insists Nigel is very much his own man.

Some classic ‘Cloughie’ traits do prevail if you delve deep enough. While Nigel is a touch quieter, considered and less abrasive in managerial style, the same belief in a strong dressing-room togetherness and total trust in each other – a feature of Forest and Derby in Clough’s managerial heyday – is there.

After a long apprenticeship at Burton and almost five years at Derby, Clough has cultivated his own niche, albeit with a few bits he has taken off his father.

Birtles told the Yorkshire Post: “People say Nigel is totally different, but there are certain things you notice from his dad and he will have taken things on board from his dad, who was a genius along with Peter Taylor. If you don’t learn from them, you don’t deserve to be a manager.

“But he also has his own style of doing things and doesn’t copy his dad at all.

“You see some players whose dad’s have been involved in the game who find things a bit difficult. Brian was one of the biggest characters the game has ever seen. But Nigel has his own way.

“His dad said ‘learn your trade’ and he did that on his own in management at Burton Albion.

“Nigel wants good characters in the dressing room as that brings harmony. He doesn’t want different factions. You get more success than sides with more skilled players if you have a good dressing room.

“I used to go to the training ground quite regularly at Derby as I am friends with Nigel and it was a very happy place to visit. There was a great attitude among the dressing room with the players and there were smiles on everybody’s faces.

“It was like when his dad was in charge at Forest, when players enjoyed going to training to work every day. And Nigel isn’t just good on the pitch, but off it too. He’d do impromptu things like going go-karting or taking the whole squad to go and see Chubby Brown – things like that.

“He also has a very good blend in his backroom staff who were very funny, always joking and winding people up. It was a great environment to work in at Derby. But they are also so meticulous about things and they go and watch games all over the place to get the right players. He did a great job with no money at Derby. He had nothing to spend at all. Steve McLaren has a really good football club that Nigel set up.”

One of a host of people involved in football left stunned by Clough’s sacking at Pride Park, Birtles added: “He did nothing wrong at Derby and did exactly what he was asked to do – bring the wage bill down. And he got rid of all the bad characters in the dressing room and they got a great spirit there.

“I have spoken to Nigel two or three times in the past week or so. He had things to sort out at Derby, but was desperate to get back into work. He sees Sheffield United as a really big club which shouldn’t be where it is and is looking forward to the task.”

Come Saturday and the Clough chants will start up again among Blades fans... this time for Nigel.

Playing and managerial times of Clough

Name: Nigel Howard Clough.

Born: Sunderland, March 19, 1966.

Playing position: Striker, attacking midfielder.

Club playing career

Nottingham Forest: 1984-93 - 311 appearances, 101 goals.

Liverpool: 1993-96 - 39 appearances, 7 goals.

Manchester City: 1996-98 - 39 appearances, 4 goals.

nottingham forest: 1996-97 (loan) - 13 appearances, 1 goal.

sheffield wednesday: 1997 (loan) - 2 appearances, 0 goals.

burton albion: 1998-2008 - 227 appearances, 16 goals.

Total: 630 appearances, 131 goals.

England playing career

1989-93: 14 appearances, 0 goals.

Playing facts

At Forest, Clough played over 400 times in two separate spells, mostly under father Brian, scoring 131 goals – the second highest in the club’s history.

Clough scored twice on his debut for Liverpool against Sheffield Wednesday in August, 1993.

He played for Sheffield Wednesday during a brief loan spell in 1997, including a 5–2 home defeat by Derby County and a 2-0 loss at Grimsby in the League Cup.

Managerial career

Burton Albion: 1998-2009 – 709 matches, 310 wins, 101 draws, 298 defeats, win percentage 43.7

Derby County: 2009-2013 – 233 matches, 78 wins, 54 draws, 101 defeats, win percentage 33.62

Managerial facts

Clough took over as manager of Southern League Premier Division outfit Burton Albion in October 1998.

He took Burton up from the seventh tier of the footballing pyramid to the brink of promotion to League Two.

Clough left Albion to became Derby manager on January 6, 2009, taking over from the sacked Paul Jewell.

Clough was sacked as Derby County manager on September 28, following a 1-0 defeat to neighbours and fierce rivals, Nottingham Forest. He left Derby sitting in 14th position in the Championship.