OPINION: Nigel Clough is a higher standard manager fit for the high standards and ambitions of Mansfield Town

When Nottingham Forest were ruling Europe for the second time in 1980, Mansfield were dropping out of the Football League Third Division. Their supporters would have given an arm and leg for a fraction of Forest’s success at the time.

Forty years later and that dream headline is now a reality though it is Nigel, not Brian, Clough who has taken charge of the amber and blue. Though the son of “Old Big Head” doesn’t have European Cups or First Division titles on his managerial CV, he does have a fantastic job at Burton Albion over two spells as well as fine jobs at both Derby County and Sheffield United.

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It is a managerial career that has left many surprised over the appointment with Mansfield’s CEO David Sharpe admitting himself that “bring[ing] in someone of Nigel's calibre is a real coup.” Clough left Burton Albion in League One back in May and he is widely regarded as a manager who belongs higher than the fourth tier of the English game.

The appointment is another sign of the ambition that John and Carolyn Radford have constantly shown during their time running the club. It was that ambition which saw them hire Steve Evans as manager when the Scot’s last job was Leeds United. It was the same ambition which saw them poach David Flitcroft from league rivals Swindon Town and that ambition also saw them go into the league above to take Graham Coughlan from Bristol Rovers.

However, for whatever reason, those appointments never worked out and the Stags have hit somewhat of a brick wall in their quest to get promotion to League One. The Radford’s will know that they cannot afford for Clough’s tenure to end in the same failure.

The owners continue to back whoever is in the hot seat and when so many clubs are struggling financially, Mansfield have securely invested on and off the pitch to put the club in the best position possible. However, John and Carolyn will want to see a reward for that investment sooner rather than later.

Though Stags have endured a poor start to the season, it is a job which looks a little easier than it did a few weeks ago after a terrific job by interim manager Richard Cooper in steadying the ship. A 1-1 draw at home Walsall was followed by the same score line away to Bolton Wanderers with Stags conceding an agonising last-minute equaliser. Those results were followed up by a fantastic 1-0 win away at Sunderland in the FA Cup at the weekend to leave the club in a buoyant mood heading into Clough’s reign.

Mansfield are twelve points behind the top six but with thirty-five games left to be played, there are still plenty of points on offer. Clough has inherited a squad full of talent and there is no doubt he will shape it in his image in January.

The Stags will have to hit the ground running and put an incredible run of form together to recover from their poor start so promotion this season may be too much of an ask. The hierarchy at the club will be sensible enough to appreciate that. However, Nigel Clough will know that the rest of the campaign cannot be a complete write off and he will have to get Stags fighting at the right end of the table for his first months in job to be seen as a success.

When he was asked why he felt Mansfield were the right club for him, Clough kept coming back to one word which was “potential”. It is clear that he has been sold on the project at the football club with chairman John Radford confirming on more than one occasion that he hopes to bring Championship football to the One Call Stadium. This is clearly intended to be more than a short-term job.

In many ways, Mansfield are a club belonging to a higher standard. Their new training ground is state-of-the-art whilst there are exciting plans for development of the ground which would include a hotel, restaurant and new club shop.

Nigel Clough has experience of a guiding Burton Albion into the Championship, a club with much less resources, and that’s the job he’s been brought into do. John and Carolyn Radford deserve to deliver more success to Mansfield and achieve their ambitions. They’ll be hoping that their new manager can use some Clough magic to bring more good times to the East Midlands.