The son of the legendary manager Brian Clough joins the Stags on a three-year contract which will certainly excite Mansfield fans.
The speculation has been around the for some time now and the ex-Burton Albion, Sheffield United and Derby County manager is ādelightedā to join the Stags.
Clough is joined by assistant manager Gary Crosby and Simon Clough as head of recruitment.
In his playing days he made over 300 appearances for Nottingham Forest and is their second-highest scorer.
Clough also played for Liverpool and Manchester City before he moved to non-league Burton Albion in 1998.
“It’s a big challenge but it’s a club with an awful lot of potential. That’s the main attraction. It’s a very good club and there are a lot of good people here.”
Nigel Clough
He became their player/manager and performance were okay but werenāt anything special. He hung up his boots after the Droylsden game in February 2008.
In 2006, Burton Albion managed to hold onto a 0-0 draw against Manchester United in the FA Cup Third Round but were trashed in the replay 5-0 by the Red Devils.
Derby County were the next side that Clough managed. Just like his father he endured a long relationship with the Rams and spent four and half years at the club.
He took them to a 14th place finish in his first season in charge and recorded the best start to a season for 106 years in the 2011/12 campaign with four wins from four.
He then moved north to manage the Blades from 2013 to 2015. Clough got Sheffield United into the semi-final of the in the 2013/14 season as they beat Charlton Athletic 2-0 to reach the semi-final stage.
“You’re looking for a club that can go places. There is no reason why Mansfield can’t follow a similar path [to Burton]. I don’t think it’s a short-term job, there will need to be building, time and patience.”
Nigel Clough
The club also managed a fine League Cup run as they reached the semi-final stage of that competition the next season. Clough parted ways with the Blades in May 2015.
He returned to the Brewers and lead them to the Championship for the first time in their history in the 2015/16 season.
“I think this is a very good opportunity. We met the players briefly this morning. We’ll demand maximum effort, first and foremost – that’s non-negotiable. We also like to attack as much as we can.”
Nigel Clough
Burton Albion remained in the Second Tier for two seasons before they were relegated back down to League One in May 2018.
Clough resigned as Burton manager in May 2020 due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic which hit Burton hard financially.
By Adrian KitaĀ
Photo credit: Mansfield Town FC