WHEN Brian Clough was a manager he had a penchant for signing players that he knew well. Take John McGovern, the Scottish midfielder from Montrose who first encountered the legendary Clough at Hartlepool, then followed him to Derby County, on to an unsuccessful stint at Leeds United before the pair's crowning glory arrived when they won back-to-back European Cups as the 70s gave way to the 80s. McGovern wasn't the only Scot Clough made a habit of signing: there was John O'Hare from Renton who played under Clough for three of the aforementioned clubs, while Archie Gemmell donned the white of Derby and the red of Forest before a falling out prior to the 1979 European Cup final resulted in his exit the following season.
As with Clough Sr, so too with Clough Jr. Filter through the squad list of Nigel Clough's Mansfield Town and you'll find a rump of names that the 56-year-old has had under his care at either Burton Albion or Sheffield United or both. There's Lucas Akins who was twice player of the year when the two were at Burton together, midfielder John-Joe O'Toole is another Albion favourite and then there's Kieran Wallace whom Clough has plucked from non-league football on two separate occasions.
