Clough follows in father's footsteps at Derby

Nigel Clough has become the new manager of Derby County.

Clough, whose late father Brian took the club from the old Second Division to become champions of England and European Cup semi-finalists during his spell in charge between 1967 and 1973, had been heavily tipped to succeed Paul Jewell who resigned last week.

Clough, 42, makes the step into league management for the first time following a decade in charge of non-league Burton Albion.
Clough junior impressed in his first job as a manager. After taking charge initially as player-manager in October 1998 with Burton in the Southern League, he leaves the Brewers on course to get promoted to the Football League for the first time in their history.

Burton lead the way in the Blue Square Premier League with a 13-point cushion between themselves and nearest rivals Histon.

Brian Clough was football's most celebrated maverick manager. He joined Derby in 1967 from Hartlepool and, a year later, the Rams were promoted to the old First Division.

They won the title in 1972 and reached the semi-finals of the European Cup the following year, beaten by Juventus amid uproar over allegations of match-fixing.

In spite of Clough's departure from the club after a row with the board - and subsequent success with fierce rivals Nottingham Forest - he remained a hero to Derby fans. When he died in 2004, aged 69, the memorial service had to be held at Pride Park to accommodate 14,000 mourners.

Clough junior's approach will be much more low-key. He has resisted offers from league clubs in the past, happy to serve his apprenticeship out of the spotlight, but the lure of Derby - and the chance to write another chapter in the Clough family's footballing history - proved too great to resist.

Jewell left Pride Park last month after a miserable spell with the Rams, which included their relegation from the Barclays Premier League with a record low points tally.

And Rams chairman Adam Pearson believes the appointment of Clough will be a long-term one for the Championship side.

'He's got a presence about him and he commands respect,' he told Setanta Sports News.

'He's firm but fair and I think he'll bring a considered approach to managing this set of players.

'I do believe Nigel is very much his own man but he does want to create his own dynasty at the club, he's already spoken of a ten-year plan.

'We're going to show some patience with him but we think he can make an immediate difference.

'He won't have a lot of money to spend, and to panic buy in January is a worry, I want him to work with this set of players.'

Jewell's assistant Chris Hutchings had been in temporary charge since Jewell's departure, but he has now left the club following Clough`s appointment.

And Pearson added: 'We send our best wishes with Chris, he's a good coach and a I think he'll make a good manager, but Nigel would like to bring in one or two people around him.'

RTE