Nigel Clough turns 45 today and unfortunately for him he has to make one of the most despised road trips in football. Hopefully his chargers can deliver a birthday present by wrapping up the three points at Selhurst Park.

A win for his team at a venue he is yet to have success at as a manager, would be a good gift for Nigel not just for that fact but it would give the Rams some real breathing space going into next weeks international break.

Another good gift for the Rams number one would be GSE confirming a decent transfer budget for next season’s campaign. That is probably as likely as Mikkel Beck being named in the Rams team of the century…. but you never know (about the money, not Beck…).

With all of the controversy, animosity and dissent amongst fans in recent times, much of which has spilled over to Nigel in relation to his ability and position as manager, sometimes it is easy to forget exactly who he is and what he has achieved.

Without getting into the nitty gritty, it sticks in my craw that so many people continue to state that Nigel has not got the experience to manage at this level. His resume as a player positively dwarfs many who hold similar or even higher management positions.

Sure times have been tough for Nigel but there can be no denying that the son of Brian will always live in that shadow but is stubbornly determined to prove, as he did as a player, he can shine brightly in his own right.

To celebrate his 45th birthday RamZone (with the assistance of Wikipedia) compiled a history of the Derby manager for those who need reminding and for those who may just simply not know.

Perhaps it is a timely reminder of what got him to Derby and despite the protests of many, though it helped it was not just on surname alone.

He was and is a champion of the game in his own right. 

Nigel Howard Clough - was born on the 19th of March 1966 in Sunderland but was raised in Allestree, Derby (all cheer!).

Clough joined F****t (all sigh!) on leaving school in 1982 but did not become a regular first team player until the 1986–87 season, when he was the club's joint leading goal scorer with 14 league goals.

He was a major part of Forest winning back to back League Cups in 1989 – 90 and in the 1989 final scored two goals. He was a part of the losing Forest side during the 91 FA Cup final and 92 League Cup Final.

Football pundits consistently praised the unhurried intelligence of his play and unflappable demeanour. He was suggested as a replacement for Gary Lineker, who retired from international in 1992 but a steady decline in his career began in that year.

Many believe that the scandals which marred his father's departure from the game and the horrors of the Hillsborough disaster played a major part in his form deserting him.

In what was to be a fateful final campaign for Forest and his father Brian, Nigel was still the clubs leading scorer with 10 goals in the inaugural FA Premier League campaign of 1992–93.

After 16 years in the top flight, 311 appearances and 101 goals, Forest were relegated. Clough senior retired and Clough junior was sold to Liverpool for £2.75 million.

Clough was allocated the legendary number 7 shirt which had been worn in the past by legendary players including Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish and Peter Beardsley. Clough looked set to thrive in his new home after scoring twice on his debut against Sheffield Wednesday in 1993 and again in the following game.

A five-match goalless run put pressure on Nigel and the emergence of a young 18 year old striker named Robbie Fowler; put Clough’s first team future in doubt. He managed only 3 more goals during the season and found himself on the bench for much of the season.

In 1994–95 it was the Fowler and Rush show at Liverpool and Clough could not manage a goal from limited opportunities. The rise of Stan Collymore put an end to his chances of redemption and Nigel Clough was transferred to Manchester City in January 1996 for £1.5million.

Clough played in all of City's remaining 15 league appearances after his arrival at Maine Road, 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 December 1996, scoring once before returning to Manchester City. He did not play for the, then, Maine Road club again, but in 1997–98 he was loaned to Sheffield Wednesday, but his only game for the club was a ironically the 5–2 home defeat by Derby County.

When City was relegated to Division Two at the end of the 1997–98, Clough was given a free transfer and his top flight football career was over at the age of 32.

In October 1998, he moved into management when he accepted the role of player-manager at Burton Albion in the Southern League Premier Division, where his father's close associate and friend and long time assistant Peter Taylor managed from 1962–65.

In his fourth season, 2001/02, Clough's side were champions of the Northern Premier League and gained promotion to the Conference.

On January 8th 2006 his side held FA Premier League side Manchester United to a 0–0 draw, earning a replay at Old Trafford. The replay was staged on 18 January, ending with a 5–0 loss for Clough's side, but Burton battled bravely.

At 42years of age, 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 in the Birmingham Senior Cup on 27 October 2008.

In total he played a staggering 227 games for Burton and scored 16 goals as he played mainly in the Brewers midfield.

Clough won the Conference National Manager of the Month for December 2008, after completing 11 straight wins in the division and guiding Burton to the top of the table.

On 5 January 2009 he was officially approached by Derby County, to take over as their manager as a replacement for Paul Jewell.

The rest is history, not quite the romantic relationship that we all had hoped for but Nigel has stuck to his guns, determined to succeed.

How that history will end is still to be written but I think we all hope it will have a better ending than the one that has seemed likely for much of this season.

Looking at the positives during his time at Derby, Nigel has reduced the wage bill and helped the club clear much of its debt. He saved the club from relegation with vastly improved results after taking over from Jewell.

He has battled some of the worst injury lists that have ever been seen by the club including situations where Nigel found himself without thirteen first team players,

He has been accused by Billy Davies of kicking him in the knee during a pitch side scuffle (who wouldn’t?) although Clough denied the claim.

He also presided over some of the best football played by the Rams in over a decade over the start of the current campaign which had the Rams within an inch of the automatic promotion players. Then it all went wrong.

The season has gone from soaring to struggle but it looks like he will have a chance to get it right in 11/12, I for one hope he can. Much will depend on the support he is given from those with the cheque book and with that being the case, we should all be worried.

But enough of that, it's a day for celebration!

The 45 year old birthday boy who was referred to by his father in public as "The Number 9”, made a total of 630 appearances as a player, scored 131 goals and was capped by England 14 times.

Nigel even had a song written about him by football mad Irish band The Sultans of Ping FC.

Entitled "Give Him a Ball and a Yard of Grass'", the lyric is from a quote by his father Brian used to describe his son and another of his players John Robertson.

You can listen to the rocky little punk tune on YouTube here:  

"Give Him a Ball and a Yard of Grass'" - The Sultans Of Ping FC

Happy Birthday Nigel Clough – may we get to wish you many more as DCFC manager and better still a DCFC Premier League manager.

"We will do everything we can to get it right."

"If we finish fourth from bottom we stay in the Championship but I think we are better than that. I think we have enough in the dressing room to get up towards halfway."

"It will take an awful lot of effort, desire and a lot of care but we have enough experience to get us through. We will keep battling on; we are not done yet.”

"We desperately, desperately want to succeed. I've lived in Derby for 40-odd years and we know what it means to the people.”

Nigel Clough Feb 2011

"My dad used to say that when the manager wins two points, or three points these days, it shuts everyone up. It's very true." 

Nigel Clough Dec 2010

Become a fan of the RamZone Facebook page by following the link below.

RamZone - Facebook

Every time we add a news story, column, report or any other Rams related article then as our friend on Facebook, you will receive an instant update.

RamZone - The oldest independent Derby County site on the net!

By the Fans - For the Fans!

Photo: Action Images

Southampton Polls