Nigel Clough: Mansfield Town appoint Nottingham Forest favourite and ex-Derby boss as manager
- Published
Nigel Clough left his job as Burton Albion boss in May
Mansfield Town have named ex-Nottingham Forest forward Nigel Clough as manager on a two-and-a-half-year deal.
Clough, 54, replaces Graham Coughlan at the Stags, who are without a win since March and third from bottom in League Two, albeit losing only four games.
He helped Burton Albion into the Championship during two stints in charge, and also had managerial spells at Derby County and Sheffield United.
"Nigel has an outstanding pedigree," chairs John and Carolyn Radford said.
"He brings 20 years' managerial experience to the club and can provide the stability and leadership which we require.
"Our chief executive, David Sharpe, led the process of selecting our next manager and we, along with the board of directors, unanimously approved when Nigel was recommended.
"We consider Nigel's appointment to be a real coup for Mansfield Town and he will have our full and unwavering support."
Clough left Burton in May to help cut costs amid the coronavirus pandemic, leaving the reins to assistant Jake Buxton.
Nigel Clough was a club favourite at Mansfield's Nottinghamshire neighbours Forest
As a player, Clough was a stylish, intelligent forward in a Forest team managed by his legendary father Brian and renowned for its passing style.
He scored 131 goals, winning two League Cups and two Full Members Cup as well as reaching an FA Cup final in 1991, and represented England at senior level.
After spells at Liverpool, Manchester City and short-lived stay back at Forest, he moved to Burton where he established himself in management alongside assistant and former team-mate Gary Crosby.
The pair will again work together at the Stags, with Crosby joining as his assistant, while his older brother Simon Clough has been appointed as head of recruitment.
After guiding the Brewers up the non-league pyramid, during which they famously took Manchester United into an FA Cup third-round replay in 2006, the club were on course for League Two when he left for Derby in January 2009.
However, he was unable to emulate the success of his father at Derby, and moved on to Sheffield United in 2013, but although he guided them to the semi-finals of both the League Cup and FA Cup, they were unable to secure promotion to the Championship.
He returned to Burton in December 2015 after Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's mid-season move to QPR to help them achieve promotion to the second tier for the first time, where they remained for two seasons before being relegated back to League One.
They remained in the Championship for two seasons before they were relegated, and his final campaign ended prematurely with a 12th place finish in League One.