Fourteen England caps, more than 400 games for N. Forest, Liverpool and Manchester City and seven successful years as manager of minor league Burton Albion should by any reckoning be good enough to establish Nigel Clough's football credentials. Mitch Phillips has more...
Even if Nigel Clough's team of part-timers pull off one of the all-time FA Cup shocks by beating Manchester United in Sunday's mouth-watering third-round clash, the 39-year-old will, however, always remain "Clough Junior".
Nigel Clough was a schoolboy in the 1970s when his larger-than-life father Brian transformed Nottingham Forest from second division makeweights to the champions of England and Europe.
It was never going to be easy for Nigel once he joined his illustrious parent at the City Ground and he was always referred to by his new boss as "the number nine".
After making his debut on December 26 1984, at the age of 18, the younger Clough slowly but surely won over Forest fans with his accurate, intelligent passing.
Notionally a forward, he operated more as an advanced midfielder where his vision and awareness made up for his one glaring weakness - lack of pace.
He helped Forest to back-to-back League Cup triumphs in 1989 and 1990 but shared in Brian's disappointment in 1991 when they lost to Tottenham in the FA Cup final - the one major trophy to elude his father.
The 1992-93 season was a watershed for the Cloughs and Forest as the club were relegated for the first time in 16 years, Brian retired and Nigel was sold to Liverpool.
Being welcomed by manager Graeme Souness as "the new Kenny Dalglish" gave Nigel another shadow to operate under but again he bore the situation without complaint.
He scored twice on his Liverpool debut but his three years at Anfield coincided with the club's slide from the top of the game and the end of his own modest England career.
He moved to Manchester City in January 1996, where he was unable to prevent another relegation from the Premier League and after City dropped into the third division in 1998 his career appeared to be over as he was released.
He took over as player-manager of minor league Burton in 1998 when he was only 32 and has guided them up to the Conference, the final rung below the Football League.
At 39, Clough is still an occasional player, though he is an even more static midfield director of operations these days, while his calm, thoughtful management demeanour could not be more different from his father's.
He says he is content with his role at Burton as it enables him to spend plenty of quality time with his family - a luxury in short supply when he was the young son of the most famous manager in the land.
However, there is no escaping the limelight this week as the country turns its attention to Sunday's classic David vs Goliath clash at the new, 6,000-capacity Pirelli Stadium in Burton, the east Midlands town famed for its breweries.
Clough will play no part on the pitch.
"We have no chance whatsoever, if I'm honest I just hope we don't get thrashed," he told reporters. "We will just give it everything but, given most teams in the Premiership can't get near them, how can anyone expect a part-time Conference team to do it?
"I mean, how do you stop Wayne Rooney? The best coaches in the world will be thinking about that in a few months' time, let alone me."
The presence of live television cameras, a mudbath of a pitch and frenzied support from fans jammed into the Bovril Stand will all help to create an FA Cup atmosphere that will no doubt take Clough back to his glory days with Forest.
"It will be a fantastic occasion, the sort that people here will talk about having been there in 30 or 40 years," he said.
"It would be great to give them something they can be proud to remember."