The legendary Brian Clough would have been so proud to see his son Nigel installed as manager of Derby County tonight - the club Cloughie took to the top, over a quarter of a century ago.
News was confirmed that Nigel will take over the club as fans arrived at the Pride Park stadium in Derby to see the Rams take on Manchester United in a Carling Cup first-leg tie. Given the way Derby have been playing for far too long, few would have put money on a home win tonight against the most famous club in the world.
Even though the young Cloughie watched the match from the stands (he doesn't take over until tomorrow) his mere presence surely played a part in Derby's inspirational performance to beat Man U - despite being up against world class players like Christiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney.
East Midlands clubs such as Derby, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City have been in the doldrums in recent years compared to Cloughie senior's day. Nigel, of course, learned his craft from the maestro of course. And as a young manager, he's taken non-league Burton Albion to the brink of a return to the Football League. So there's excitement that he might just repeat history...
By strange coincidence, in Brian Clough's last game as Derby manager in 1973, his side beat Man U - by the same scoreline as tonight.
I understand that Derby County are due to play Forest at the end of January - the second East Mids club that Cloughie took to European glory.
That day is likely to be even more emotional for the new Derby manager, as the A52 road which links the two clubs has been officially named 'Brian Clough Way'.
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I agree it is great to see Nigel stepping into his old man's boots. Best of luck to him and Derby
From a Scouser who remembers Nigel's time at Liverpool and his 2 goals against United!
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