Nigel Clough becomes Mansfield Town's longest-serving manager

Nigel Clough is set to become Mansfield Town's longest-serving manager, surpassing club great Ian Greaves, the BBC reports.

The milestone

Clough took charge of Mansfield Town in November 2020. This weekend he becomes the longest-serving manager at the Stags in terms of active years in the job and league matches at the helm, where he surpasses Ian Greaves.

He has been in charge of Mansfield for 329 matches across all competitions and is now six years and one week into the job.

Clough's view

Clough does not see his staying power as anything special.

"I don't think it's particularly an achievement; I think it's more an indictment of football that nobody else has lasted that long," Clough told BBC Sport.

"I don't really think about it that much, I have to say. I'm just trying to get through the week," he said.

He reflected on past managers who stayed at clubs for long periods, including his late father Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest for 18 years, Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.

"I just think it's sad the way football is going at the moment. The first bad period that people have, a month, two months or something like that, and the manager is the one that goes," he said.

Mansfield's progress under Clough

Mansfield went up to League One when they finished third in the table, ending the club's 21-year absence from the third tier. Last season they finished 10th, the club's highest league placing since 1987 when Greaves guided them to exactly the same position in the standings.

Clough has been in management for 28 years and been in charge of just four clubs - Mansfield, Burton, Derby County and Sheffield United - in that time. Since taking the reins of Derby in the Championship in 2009, no-one has overseen more matches than Clough's 893 across England's top four divisions.

Why it matters

• Clough becomes Mansfield Town's longest-serving manager, surpassing Ian Greaves.
• He has managed 329 matches for Mansfield across all competitions over six years and one week.
• He is the second longest-serving manager across England's top four leagues, behind only Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.
• The League Managers' Association reports managers across those leagues are staying in their jobs for less than a year on average.

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Sources

• bbc.com: Nigel Clough: Is Mansfield Town manager's longevity a landmark achievement or an indictment on football? - BBC Sport
• chad.co.uk: 'It's a brilliant recipe': Watch as Georgia Goulding and Stephen Thirkill reflect on Nigel Clough's Mansfield Town legacy

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.