I watched my first Rams match in 1960. During all of the years I have been following the Rams since then, they have been promoted to the top division four times: Brian Clough's team in 1968/69; Arthur Cox's team in 1986/87; Jim Smith's team in 1995/96 and Billy Davies' team in 2006/2007.

Question: What do those four teams share in common?

Answer: They were all promoted soon after the manager was appointed.

Not always immediately, but quickly.

Brian Clough was appointed in the summer of 1967, with the Rams having just finished 17th in the old second division; 1967/68 was a poor season, the Rams finishing 18th. But in Clough's second season, 1968/69 they were promoted.

Arthur Cox was appointed in May, 1984 with the Rams in the old third division. In Cox's second season, 1985/86 the Rams were promoted to the old second division, and in his third season, 1986/87 were promoted to the old first division.

Jim Smith joined the Rams in June, 1995 in the old league 1; in his first season, 1995/96 they were promoted to the Prem.

Billy Davies joined the Rams in June, 2006 in the Championship, and in his first season, 2006/07 they were promoted to the Prem.

Think about that for a moment: the Rams' last three promotions to the top division all came at the first time of asking.

What is the significance of this?

It means that whatever model for success Nigel Clough and GSE have been following for several seasons; with incremental improvements year over year hopefully leading to eventual promotion, has no precedent in the Rams history going back as far as the Second World War.

It’s unlikely that any other club has followed this model either; directors and fans simply do not have the patience to support it.

I would be the last to suggest that Nigel Clough was a bad manager; he was an excellent appointment. I have examined in detail in an earlier column, what a horrifying squad Clough inherited.

He calmly discarded the old squad while maintaining our Championship status and building a new team on a modest budget. But that was all there would ever be; promotion candidates build a momentum that NC's Rams have never had; our attitude has always been that maybe next season will be our time.

We started this season brightly enough, but Burnley and Reading showed that after four years and eight months of Nigel Clough, we still couldn't compete with the best in the Championship.

Clough's time has passed, and its time to move on. If that sounds brutal, that's the way the game is. Anyone who is good enough to be invited to play or manage in professional football knows what they are signing up for.

To put four years and eight months into context, Brian Clough was appointed in June of 1967 to a club who had just finished 17th in the old second division. Four years and eight months later, in early 1972, the Rams were looking forward to the club's first ever League Championship. Later in the year we were bullying Benfica; we were one of the best club sides in Europe.

Another era, long gone I know.

But was it asking too much for Nigel Clough to give us a top six Championship finish?

With that history in mind - it's over to Steve McClaren - your time starts now!

Photo: Action Images

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