The Blades manager on his memories of the 1991 Cup final, life in League One and the possibility of an upset against Fulham

When Nigel Clough comes up the stairs at Sheffield United’s training ground his top is adorned with the number that brings back memories of those days when he graced football pitches for his dad’s Nottingham Forest. Brian Clough always did refer to his son as “the No9″ and Nigel has stuck with it in the quarter of a century since.

He is here to talk about the FA Cup, and the chances of his team, 20th in League One, sending Fulham the same way as Aston Villa on Sunday. At one point the Sheffield Star correspondent asks about team news and Clough works out they are down to “15 and anyone else we can scramble together”. Yet Fulham would be unwise to underestimate them after what happened at Villa Park in the last round, when Paul Lambert’s comments about the FA Cup made it a victory for anyone who still cherishes the history of this competition.

Clough certainly fits into that category and has to stop himself at one point, apologising after mentioning the financial implications for a third-tier club facing top-division opposition. “I don’t want to sound like a Premier League manager,” he points out. “It’s about more than that. Whatever we made from Villa Park, whatever we’ll make against Fulham, it’s about the glory of the day and what it means for the supporters. That gets lost sometimes. The glory, the memories. That’s what is really important.”

Anyone who wants to argue the point need only bring up what happened to Clough’s Forest in the 1991 final against Spurs and those infamous tackles from Paul Gascoigne on Garry Parker and Gary Charles. The Sultans of Ping FC, a Cork-based indie band of the 1990s, once released a track commemorating Nigel as a “nice young man with a lovely smile”. But the nice young man – now approaching his 48th birthday – becomes unusually animated when he is reminded of that 2-1 defeat.

“Roger Milford,” he proclaims, with more than a hint of lingering indignation. “That’s my memory. If the referee had done his job properly, he might also have saved Paul Gascoigne’s career. Instead poor old Gazza goes off on a stretcher, after two of the worst tackles you will ever see, and without receiving so much as a yellow card. Even to this day, I’m still absolutely flabbergasted. The first one [Gascoigne's chest-high lunge on Parker] was a red card and would have changed the entire complexion of the game.”

He considers it one of the disappointments of his professional life and, 23 years on, this is also the first occasion he has ever broached the subject about what happened before extra time, when Clough Sr stayed in his seat rather than trying to lift his players. Spurs went on to win courtesy of Des Walker’s own goal but Nigel thinks his father’s inaction was irrelevant. “We were told enough during the week to know what we were supposed to do,” he says matter-of-factly. “It was more of a statement that he trusted us.”

As a manager, Clough was in charge of the Burton Albion side that gave Manchester United an almighty scare in 2006, featuring one team at the top of English football and another that was 14th in the Conference and had a sponsorship deal with Bovril, a captain who doubled up as a builder and a ground named after a tyre factory. “We’re being outplayed by Burton,” United’s supporters could be heard singing during that 0-0 draw. Clough looks back on it as a “miracle.”

A win for his current team on Sunday would not generate the same publicity, but it is also the case that the controversy surrounding Lambert’s comments meant the Blades did not get the coverage they deserved after their 2-1 victory at Villa. “We’re not looking for public acclaim,” Clough says. “We know ourselves the size of the achievement, when we play well and when we deserve the accolades. The way the 6,000 supporters went to support the team, that’s enough for us. It was probably the best day out they had had for a few years and it’s important for us because it’s been a struggle in the league.”

Fulham certainly have the appearance of a team that could be vulnerable, not least because they have to balance Sunday’s game with an important league fixture at Swansea City on Tuesday. “I’m sure they will be conscious there could be an upset,” Clough says. “It’s why it’s on TV and why all the media are here. But whatever side Fulham pick, there are still two leagues’ difference. If they’re bang at it and we’re bang at it, we’ll lose. But if they’re off it and we play very well, we have a chance. It’s possible, but we will need a very good day.”

Clough took over in late October, three and a half weeks after his tenure at Derby County ended with the sack after almost five years, almost completely out of the blue. This is not the time when he wants to go public with his grievances, but what happened at Derby cut him deep. “I’ve had an awful lot of letters from supporters wishing me luck,” he says. “That’s the nicest thing. I’ve lived in Derby for over 40 years and that relationship with the people there will stay the same.”

His focus now is ensuring a club that was in the Premier League eight years ago does not slide into the fourth tier. “It’s a Championship club at least, but it’s difficult for a big club to be viable in League One,” he says. “Leeds and Forest and Leicester have all been down and experienced it. Wolves are down here now but it’s different for them because they’re protected by the parachute payments. We aren’t, and it makes life tough.”

• Sheffield United
• Fulham
• FA Cup
• Nottingham Forest
• Derby County

Daniel Taylor

theguardian.com