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| The Guardian, Monday 16th November 1998 |
| 'Brewers' dreams go for a Burton' |
| Clough Senior was at Kingsmeadow
Stadium on Saturday to run the rule over his son. But sadly it was not Old
Big 'Ead who came to cheer the family's newest managerial recruit. Sitting in the main stand instead was Brian's other son Simon, who has managerial experience in the Derbyshire Sunday League, and his nine-year-old boy. Grandpa did not make it to Surrey to see Nigel's Brewers droop, though he plans a trip to Burton before long. |
| On
this evidence, he will find much to admire. Nigel, player-manager of the
Dr. Martens League Premier Division club, has picked up one of his father's
habits. In 28 years Clough Snr never won the FA Cup. Kingstonian's dream
lives on, which is no surprise given the identity of their manager. Geoff Chapple led Woking on their glorious run of 1990-91, when they won 4-2 at West Brom before losing narrowly at Everton in the fifth round. "I love a bit of a flirtation with the FA Cup" he said between mouthfuls of post-match sausage and mash. Leyton Orient at home lie in wait for the Conference side, though Saturday's match-winner Gavin Holligan is unlikely to be around then. The 18-year old striker, a summer signing, has had trials at West Ham and is expected to join them for around £150,000 this week. |
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| Clough does not plan to
stick around long either. After learning that his professional career at
Manchester City had been ended by heel problems, he read in the local paper
that Burton had parted company with their manager and, with dad's blessing,
applied for the job. But league management remains the ambition. "Dad was very positive," say's the former England forward. "There was no guarantee of getting a league job with no experience and rather than be a reserve coach I want to have a crack at management in my own right. "No one in their right mind would expect me to emulate my dad but I've made a decision to learn the ropes at the bottom and we'll see what happens. I'm very aware that if it goes wrong at Burton there may not be a future." That seems unlikely in his current surroundings. Peter Taylor, his father's sidekick, began his managerial career there, as did Neil Warnock, manager of Bury. Clough has chosen as his assistant Gary Crosby, a former Forest team-mate. Both are adjusting to life at the bottom. Clough, 32, has sold his Mercedes - "that part of my career has gone" - and boarded the coach to Morpeth in the previous round without his reserve goalkeeper who could not get off work in time. He barely needed his first-choice goalkeeper here. Geoff Pitcher curled a free-kick narrowly wide but Nick Goodwin had little to do before Holligan's 65th-minute winner, scored after Matt Crossley hit the bar. "I've only been around for three weeks but that's the best we've played by far," Clough said. "He's not a ranter and a raver like his father" said Burton's chairman Ben Robinson. "He's very strong and firm but he does things in a quiet way." Which is just as well. A clutch of fans ran on at the final whistle and we all know what could happen when the green-sweatered one saw that. |
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