Nigel Howard Clough (born 19 March 1966) is an English professional
football manager
''Football Manager'', also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008, is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game beg ...
and former
player
Player may refer to:
Role or adjective
* Player (game), a participant in a game or sport
** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games
** Athlete, a player in sports
** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...
who is the manager of
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system.
The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...
. Playing predominantly as a
forward, but later in his career used as a
midfielder
In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
, Clough was
cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...
ped by
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
14 times in the early 1990s.
Clough was born in
Sunderland
Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...
, the son of
Brian Clough
Brian Howard Clough ( ; 21 March 1935 – 20 September 2004) was an English football player and manager, primarily known for his successes as a manager with Derby County and Nottingham Forest. He is one of four managers to have won the Englis ...
who had been one of the most promising strikers in the English game until injury ended his career. Nigel was subsequently raised in
Allestree
Allestree is a suburb and Ward (politics), ward of the city of Derby, a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, in Derbyshire, England. It is the northernmost ward and is on the A6 road (Great Britain), A6 road, about north of ...
,
Derby
Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...
, after his father became the manager of
Derby County in 1967. Clough's father had moved on to manage
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
in 1975 and as a young prospect Nigel signed apprentice forms with the club in 1982. He made his professional debut for the club in 1984 and remained a regular first team member for the next decade until he signed for
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
in 1993, also going on to make his England debut in 1989 and was part of
the squad at
UEFA Euro 1992
The 1992 UEFA European Football Championship was hosted by Sweden between 10 and 26 June 1992. It was the ninth UEFA European Championship, which is held every four years and supported by UEFA.
Denmark won the 1992 championship, having been inv ...
.
Clough's playing career is most notable for his time as a player at
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
, where he played over 400 times in league, cup and
European matches in two separate spells, he scored 131 goals throughout his Forest career making him the
second-highest scorer in the club's history and won the
Football League Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Orga ...
in both
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
and
1990
Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
. Nottingham Forest experienced a downturn in their performances culminating in the
relegation
Promotion and relegation is used by sports leagues as a process where teams can move up and down among divisions in a league system, based on their performance over a season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are sometimes call ...
of the club from the
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
, and the retirement of his father as manager in 1993. He subsequently signed for
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
before moving onto
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
. Following
loan
In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money.
The document evidencing the deb ...
moves to
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
and a brief return to Forest, Clough moved into
non-League football
Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...
at the age of 32 when he became
player-manager
A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...
with
Southern Football League
The Southern League is a football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from East Anglia, the South and Midlands of England, and South Wales. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven a ...
Premier Division side
Burton Albion in 1998.
Over the next decade, during half of which he continued to play a regular role on the field, Clough took Burton up from the seventh tier of the
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the ...
to the brink of promotion to
League Two. Halfway through the
2008–09 season he followed in his father's footsteps by joining
Derby County as manager but was dismissed in September 2013. He was appointed as manager of
Sheffield United a month later, guiding them out of the relegation zone and taking the club to
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
and
League Cup semi-finals. He was dismissed in May 2015 and returned to Burton in December, leading them to promotion to the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this sys ...
for the first time in the club's history in May 2016 and the League Cup semi-final in January 2019. He stepped down in May 2020, and returned to work in November at
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system.
The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...
.
Playing career
Club career
Nottingham Forest
Clough joined
First Division club
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
as an apprentice on leaving school in 1982. He left after two seasons to sign for
non-league
Non-League football describes association football, football leagues played outside the top leagues of a country. Usually, it describes leagues which are not fully professional. The term is primarily used for football in England, where it is ...
side
Heanor Town, but was back at the
City Ground
The City Ground is a association football, football stadium in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England, on the banks of the River Trent. It has been home to Nottingham Forest F.C., Nottingham Forest since 1898 and has a capacity of 30,455.
...
on a professional contract in December 1984. On
Boxing Day
Boxing Day, also called as Offering Day is a holiday celebrated after Christmas Day, occurring on the second day of Christmastide (26 December). Boxing Day was once a day to donate gifts to those in need, but it has evolved to become a part ...
1984, Clough made his league debut against
Ipswich Town. He became a regular player in the
1985–86 season, was Forest's top scorer with 15 goals in the First Division and was crowned
Nottingham Forest Player of the Season,
as the club finished
eighth in the league. Clough was ever-present the
following season as Forest repeated their
eighth-position finish. Clough would again be Forest's top scorer.
In April 1988, he was the subject of a £1.5 million bid from Italian side
Pisa
Pisa ( ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Tuscany, Central Italy, straddling the Arno just before it empties into the Ligurian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Pisa. Although Pisa is known worldwide for the Leaning Tow ...
, but the bid was turned down and Clough remained at Forest, who finished third
that season and the
season after. He remained among Forest's top goalscorers for a further five seasons, helping them win the
League Cup in
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
and
1990
Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...
and the
Full Members' Cup
The Full Members' Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992.
Th ...
in
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
. They were also
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
semi-finalists in
1988 and
1989
1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
and runners-up in
1991
It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...
. Clough also contributed to Forest winning the last
Full Members' Cup in 1992. They also reached another League Cup final
that season, but
lost 1–0 to
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
. Clough was Forest's top scorer in
1992–93 with ten goals in the new
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
, but Forest were relegated, following which his father Brian retired after 18 years as manager. Towards the end of the season, he was used as a
centre-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Defenders fall into four main categories: centre-backs, full-backs, sweepers ...
on several occasions.
Liverpool
Clough was widely expected to leave Forest in order to continue playing Premier League football, and was sold to
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
in the summer of 1993 for £2.25 million. At the time, he was one of the most expensive players ever to be signed by Liverpool, who had finished a disappointing sixth in the new Premier League having been the dominant English club side of the last 20 years of the old First Division.
Clough scored twice on his debut for Liverpool against
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
on 14 August 1993. He had found the net four times for the Reds by the end of August 1993, but by Christmas had found himself struggling for a first team place after the emergence of 18-year-old
Robbie Fowler alongside
Ian Rush
Ian James Rush (born 20 October 1961) is a Welsh former professional association football, footballer who played as a Forward (association football), forward. He is regarded as one of the best strikers of all time and one of the best Welsh playe ...
in the Liverpool attack. Liverpool were also enduring another disappointing
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
in
the league
''The League'' is an American television sitcom that aired on FX and later FXX from October 29, 2009, to December 9, 2015, for a total of seven seasons. The series, set in Chicago, is a semi-improvised comedy show about a fantasy football l ...
, which led to the resignation of
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness (; born 6 May 1953) is a Scottish former professional football player, manager and television pundit.
A midfielder, Souness achieved his greatest period of success as an integral part of the Liverpool team of the late 19 ...
as manager at the end of January 1994 and the appointment of coach
Roy Evans
Roy Quentin Echlin Evans (born 4 October 1948) is an English former footballer who played as a defender for Liverpool, where he also had a spell as manager. Aside from his time at Liverpool, he had a short spell in the United States; and also ...
as his successor.
Clough did manage to find the net three more times that season, his final two goals coming on 4 January 1994 when he scored twice against
rivals
A rivalry is the state of two people or Social group, groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each ...
Manchester United at
Anfield
Anfield is a Association football, football stadium in the area of Anfield (suburb), Anfield, Liverpool, England, which has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since its formation in 1892. The stadium has a seating capacity of 61,276, making it the ...
, when Liverpool came from three goals down to draw 3–3. However, the continuing effectiveness of Fowler and Rush in attack meant that Clough made only a handful of appearances for
the Reds in 1994–95, and was not in their
League Cup winning side. He finally left Anfield in January 1996.
Manchester City
He signed for
Premier League
The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
relegation battlers
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
for £1.5million. Clough played in all of Manchester City's remaining 15 league appearances after his arrival at
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest attenda ...
, scoring twice, but could not stave off relegation and shortly afterwards he lost his place in the team due to injury.
He returned to Nottingham Forest on
loan
In finance, a loan is the tender of money by one party to another with an agreement to pay it back. The recipient, or borrower, incurs a debt and is usually required to pay interest for the use of the money.
The document evidencing the deb ...
in December 1996, when
Stuart Pearce became
manager on an interim basis after the departure of
Frank Clark. He scored once against
Leicester City
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
in 13 league games before returning to Manchester City. He did not play for the club again.
He made another Premier League comeback in the
1997–98 season when he was loaned to struggling
Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. They compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English football league system.
Formed in 1867 as an off ...
. His only league game for the
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the north, the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north-east, Lincolnshire ...
club was a 5–2 home defeat by
Derby County (he also played in a
League Cup tie against
Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Nicknamed "the Mariners", the club was f ...
). When City were relegated to
Division Two at the end of the
1997–98 season, Clough was given a free transfer and his senior football career was over at the age of 32.
International career
After playing 15 times for the
England under-21 side from 1986 to 1988, scoring three goals, Clough finally made his senior international debut on 23 May 1989 against
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
at the age of 23. He made the final full international appearance of his career on 19 June 1993 against
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. By this time, he had been
cap
A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. The origin of the word "cap" comes from the Old French word "chapeau" which means "head co ...
ped 14 times by England at senior level, but failed to score.
Managerial career
Burton Albion
In October 1998, he moved into management when he accepted the role of
player-manager
A player–coach (also playing coach, captain–coach, or player–manager) is a member of a sports team who simultaneously holds both playing and coaching duties. Player–coaches may be head coaches or assistant coaches, and they may make chang ...
at
Burton Albion in the
Southern Football League
The Southern League is a football competition featuring semi-professional clubs from East Anglia, the South and Midlands of England, and South Wales. Together with the Isthmian League and the Northern Premier League it forms levels seven a ...
Premier Division.
Now aged 32, Clough was still registered as a player, which possibly explained his apparent lack of ambition to move into League management (his father bitterly lamented the premature curtailment of his own playing career). However, Clough had not played regularly for Burton since the early stages of the
2005–06 season, though he did play in the team's 6–3 win over
Sutton Coldfield Town in the
Birmingham Senior Cup
The Birmingham Senior Cup is a regional Association football, football competition for Birmingham County FA club teams, organised by the Birmingham County Football Association. It began in 1876 and is the oldest County Football Association, count ...
on 27 October 2008. His final senior appearance for Burton came in the league against
Droylsden on 12 February 2008, his only appearance of the season.
In January 2006, Burton, then in the
Conference
A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...
, held
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
to a 0–0 draw in the third round of the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
. The United team featured
Ole Gunnar Solskjær
Ole Gunnar Solskjær (; born 26 February 1973) is a Norwegian professional football manager and former player who currently manages Süper Lig club Beşiktaş. He spent the majority of his playing career with Manchester United and made 67 appea ...
and
Louis Saha
Louis Laurent Saha (born 8 August 1978) is a French former professional footballer who played as a striker. Saha was capped 20 times for the France national team and scored four goals. Louis Saha was a former scholar at the Clairefontaine foo ...
, with
Cristiano Ronaldo
Cristiano Ronaldo dos Santos Aveiro (; born 5 February 1985) is a Portuguese professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Forward (association football), forward for and Captain (association football), captains both Saudi Pr ...
and
Wayne Rooney
Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional Manager (association football), football manager and former Association football, player who was most recently the head coach of EFL Championship club Plymouth Argyle F.C., Pl ...
introduced as second-half
substitutes. Burton midfielder Chris Hall said: "After the match, the press were buzzing... but we had a local cup game, against
Stourbridge
Stourbridge () is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Situated on the River Stour, Worcestershire, River Stour, the town lies around west of Birmingham,
at the southwester ...
, I think, and the gaffer only wanted to focus on that.... With his playing career, he was used to the publicity... It was brilliant and it was quite a breath of fresh air, but at the same time, the gaffer kept us grounded". In the
replay at
Old Trafford
Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and is the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,197, it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after W ...
, Burton were beaten 5–0, but earned a reported £600,000 in the process.
Clough won the Conference Premier Manager of the Month for December 2008, after completing 11 straight wins in the division and guiding Burton to 13 points clear at the top of the table.
Derby County

On 5 January 2009 he was officially approached by
Derby County, one of the clubs his
father
A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. A biological fat ...
had previously managed, to take over as their manager as a replacement for
Paul Jewell.
He was appointed the next day, prior to his taking charge, on 8 January,
Academy
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
Head Coach
David Lowe guided Derby to a victory over
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
1–0 in the first leg of the League Cup
semi-final
A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...
. Clough's first victory in charge of The Rams came on 31 January 2009, when Derby beat
Coventry City 2–1. Results improved after Clough's arrival, with a run of four consecutive wins. However, a series of injuries to key players saw a loss of form for the Rams. Safety in the
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this sys ...
was not confirmed until the penultimate game of
the season against
Charlton Athletic, with a 1–0 victory.
Clough's
first full season in charge of Derby saw significant changes to the playing staff as he brought in nine players and moved on fourteen as well as making substantial dealings in the loan market. Despite this, the Rams again struggled with injuries, at one point being without thirteen first team players. When key players returned from injury, Clough was able to start picking a regular team, and results began to improve. Derby finished two points and four places better off than the previous campaign.
Clough was involved in several altercations during the season. He was accused by counterpart
Billy Davies of kicking him in the knee in a pitch side altercation during Derby's 1–0 victory over
local rivals Nottingham Forest. Clough denied the claim and, though Davies put in an official complaint to the Football League, nothing came of the incident.
Clough was also in trouble again when he was sent to the stands during Derby's 3–1 home defeat to
Ipswich Town on 5 April. He was fined £1,000 and given a one-match ban, which he served during Derby's final match of the campaign at home to
Cardiff City.
Clough also gave himself some game time during the course of the season, coming on as a late substitute for the
reserve side in their 2–1 victory over
West Bromwich Albion reserves in their
Central League Central Section clash.
Derby suffered a major shock in the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
, losing to
Crawley Town
Crawley Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crawley, West Sussex, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1896 as Crawley Foo ...
2–1. The result saw Clough's job at the club reportedly come under threat,
as he issued an apology to the club's supporters, many of whom responded with demands for his dismissal.
Derby's chief executive Tom Glick answered fan's concerns by reiterating the club's support for Clough, saying: "Nigel is absolutely our guy. We have been clear about that continuously."
During Derby's post-November struggles Clough came under focus for his consistent criticism of individual players,
which came to a head when he strongly criticised
Tomasz Cywka after his mistake led to a late
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...
equaliser in a 1–1 draw at
Fratton Park
Fratton Park is a association football, football ground in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, and is the home of Portsmouth F.C., Portsmouth Football Club. Fratton Park's location on Portsea Island is unique in English professional football, as it ...
. Of Cywka, Clough said: "He's an extremely inexperienced and not very bright footballer... he can go back to
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...
or wherever he came from – I'm not really bothered – until he learns the game." These incidents led
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales.
Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sports trade union, with approximately 5,000 current members each seaso ...
chief
Gordon Taylor to criticise Clough, saying: "It cannot be appropriate to criticise your team in such a way in public. We'll sort things out... otherwise it looks an untenable situation."
Ultimately, nothing came of the incident but the outbursts, coupled with Derby's poor results on the pitch, led to some unrest among supporters. Clough's players were booed at the end of a 3–1 home defeat against
Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. The team currently competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system after winning the 202 ...
on 1 March 2011.
Clough's continuing stay at the club was rewarded by overseeing Derby's best start to the season in 106 years as they opened the season with four victories from four and earned a nomination for
Championship Manager of the Month for August 2011;
the award went to
Gus Poyet of top-of-the-table
Brighton & Hove Albion.
A 1–1 draw with
Barnsley
Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...
on 28 September 2011 took Derby into second place and the automatic promotion spots for the first time in over a year. The results came during discussions over Clough's contract – which was due to expire at the end of the season
with Forest allegedly interested in securing their former player's services.
Despite these reports however, there was no evidence that Clough and his staff were looking to go elsewhere and Clough entered into new contract discussions with Derby, stating "It has never been a question of if we wanted to stay or not. This is where our heart is."
Clough signed a new three-year deal, to take him through until summer 2015, on 17 October, two days after a 1–1 draw with league leaders
Southampton
Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...
had kept Derby in the play-off places.
After signing the deal, Derby took just four points from their next five fixtures and slipped out of the playoff places. A 3–2 defeat at
Peterborough United, after Derby had held a 2–0 lead, saw Clough hit out at the
officials
An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of the ...
and
The Football Association
The Football Association (the FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the oldest footb ...
imposed a £2,000 fine on him.
Derby suffered mixed form through the remainder of the season. By mid-April Derby found themselves 11th in the table, five points off the play-offs with four games remaining.
However, two defeats to
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...
and
Cardiff City in four days ended Derby's play-off chances. Derby finished the season 12th in the league, with Clough satisfied with the performances of the team, stating that a lack of firepower was the reason why they fell short and that it would be an area to improve on in the following season.
The club also finally ended their interest in appointing a
director of football
A sporting director, or director of sport, is an senior management, executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many typ ...
,
something the club had been considering since May 2011.
This meant Clough retained control of the club's player recruitment policy and he was keen to add to his squad.
On the final match of the
2012–13 season, a 1–0 victory over
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Poplar, north of Greenwich and Deptford, east of ...
helped Derby to finish the campaign in 10th place.
After a mixed start to the
2013–14 season, Clough was sacked on 28 September after three defeats in eight days, the final of which was a 1–0 defeat to local rivals Nottingham Forest, with Derby 14th in the table after nine games. He left the club as the longest serving Derby manager in over a decade.
Sheffield United
On 23 October 2013, Clough was appointed new manager of
League One side
Sheffield United on a two-and-a-half-year deal. Clough's tenure got off to a winning start as Sheffield United comfortably beat
Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Crewe, Cheshire, England. Its first team competes in League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Railwaymen' ...
3–1 at
Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane is a association football, football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United F.C., Sheffield United.
The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramall ...
.
Clough was named
League One's Manager of the Month for February 2014 after an improved run of form with four wins from five matches, including four
clean sheet
In team sports, a shutout ( US) or clean sheet ( UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketball. Shutouts are usually seen as a result of ...
s.
On 9 March 2014, Clough's side beat
Charlton Athletic 2–0 to set up an
FA Cup semi-final tie against
Hull City at
Wembley
Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...
, this was United's ninth consecutive win in all competitions with United climbing out of the
League One relegation zone up to 11th in the table.
In May 2014, Clough was named ''
FA Cup Manager of the Season'' by the
League Managers Association
The League Managers Association (LMA) is the trade union for Premier League, EFL and national team managers in English association football. The LMA awards the LMA Manager of the Year award annually.
History
The union was founded in 1919 as ...
in recognition of United's run to the semi-finals of the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
.
Clough also led the Blades to the
semi-finals of the League Cup in the
2014–15 season after a 1–0 win over Southampton at Bramall Lane.
Sheffield United parted company with Clough on 25 May 2015.
Return to Burton Albion
Clough returned to
Burton Albion for a second spell as manager in December 2015, after
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Jerrel Floyd "Jimmy" Hasselbaink ( ; born 27 March 1972) is a Dutch professional football manager and former player.
Born in Suriname, he and his family would later move to the Dutch city of Zaandam where he first played football, initially a ...
left the post to join
Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
. Clough led the club to a 2nd place finish at the end of the season, gaining the club promotion to the Championship for the first time in their history. Clough kept the side in the league for two seasons before the club was relegated back to League One in May 2018 after a 23rd place finish. Clough later stepped down as manager in May 2020 due to the financial impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
on the club.
Mansfield Town
On 6 November 2020, Clough was appointed as manager of
Mansfield Town
Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the third level of the English football league system.
The club was formed in 1897 as Mans ...
on a two-and-a-half-year deal who were then in 22nd position in
League Two. After a poor start to the
2021–22 season which had seen his side in the relegation zone in October, Mansfield would win a club record eleven consecutive home matches to finish the season strongly.
They ultimately finished 7th, missing out on automatic promotion on the final game of the season.
In the
play-offs, Mansfield would beat
Northampton Town
Northampton Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Northampton, England. The team competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1897, the c ...
before losing 3–0 in the
play-off final against
Port Vale.
In the
2022–23 season, Mansfield missed out on a
play-off
The playoffs, play-offs, postseason or finals of a sports league are a competition played after the regular season by the top competitors to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. Depending on the league, the playoffs may be eith ...
finish on
goal difference
Goal difference, goal differential or points difference is a form of tiebreaker used to rank sport teams which finish on equal points in a league competition. Either "goal difference" or "points difference" is used, depending on whether matches ar ...
despite a win against
Colchester United
Colchester United Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Colchester, Essex, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1937, the club spent its ea ...
in the final game.
On 9 May 2023, Clough signed a new one-year contract with the option to extend it further. At the beginning of the
2023–24 season, Mansfield went 19 games unbeaten.
Following a run of four wins from five matches, scoring twenty goals in the process, Clough was named
EFL League Two Manager of the Month for February 2024, finishing the month top of the league.
At the
EFL Awards
The EFL Awards is an annual awards ceremony commemorating association football players, clubs and associated individuals involved in the three divisions of the English Football League (EFL).
The event was established in 2006 and is usually hel ...
, Clough was named as the League Two Manager of the Season.
His side sealed promotion to League One the following week with a win against
Accrington Stanley.
Managerial statistics
Honours
As a player
Nottingham Forest
*
Football League Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Orga ...
:
1988–89,
1989–90
*
Full Members' Cup
The Full Members' Cup was an association football cup competition held in English football from 1985 to 1992. It was also known under its sponsored names of the Simod Cup from 1987 to 1989 and the Zenith Data Systems Cup from 1989 to 1992.
Th ...
:
1988–89,
1991–92
Individual
*
Nottingham Forest Player of the Year:
1985–86,
1987–88
*Young Eagle of the Year:
1987–88
*Midlands Soccer Writers' Association Midlands Player of the Year:
1987–88
As a manager
Burton Albion
*
Football League One
The English Football League One, known as Sky Bet League One for sponsorship reasons, or simply League One, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League One is the second-highest division of the English Football League an ...
second-place promotion:
2015–16
*
Northern Premier League
The Northern Premier League is an English Association football, football league that was founded in 1968. Together with the Isthmian League and the Southern Football League, Southern League it forms levels seven and eight of the English footba ...
Premier Division:
2001–02
*
Southern League Cup: 1999–2000
*Southern League Championship Shield: 2000
*
Bass Charity Vase: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008
*
Southern League Premier Division runner-up:
1999–2000,
2000–2001
*
Birmingham Senior Cup
The Birmingham Senior Cup is a regional Association football, football competition for Birmingham County FA club teams, organised by the Birmingham County Football Association. It began in 1876 and is the oldest County Football Association, count ...
runner-up: 2007–08
Mansfield Town
*
EFL League Two
The English Football League Two, simply known as League Two and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet League Two, is a professional association football league in England. EFL League Two is the fourth division of the English ...
third-place promotion:
2023–24
Individual
*
LMA FA Cup Manager of the Year: 2014
*
Football League One Manager of the Month:
February 2014
*
EFL League Two Manager of the Month:
February 2024
*
EFL League Two Manager of the Season:
2023–24
References
External links
LFChistory.net player profile*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clough, Nigel
Brian Clough
1966 births
Living people
People from Allestree
Footballers from Sunderland
Footballers from Derby
English men's footballers
Men's association football forwards
Nottingham Forest F.C. players
Liverpool F.C. players
Manchester City F.C. players
Sheffield Wednesday F.C. players
Burton Albion F.C. players
Premier League players
English Football League players
Southern Football League players
Northern Premier League players
National League (English football) players
England men's under-21 international footballers
England men's B international footballers
England men's international footballers
UEFA Euro 1992 players
English football managers
Burton Albion F.C. managers
Derby County F.C. managers
Sheffield United F.C. managers
Mansfield Town F.C. managers
National League (English football) managers
English Football League managers
Northern Premier League managers
Southern Football League managers