Nigel Clough admitted to a "heart-wrenching" decision at leaving Burton Albion after ten years - but he knows he has made the right move in joining Derby County.

The 42-year-old is the Rams' new boss and spoke to the media for the first time ahead of Wednesday's Carling Cup semi-final with Manchester United.

"It was a huge decision for me and a very heart-wrenching one to leave after ten wonderful years there," he said.

"You become very attached to the people, to the club, the chairman and the players, who have all been magnificent over that period.

"The position in the league made it harder but if there was one club to leave for it was this one."

During his time at Burton, Clough has always maintained that his family comes first - and he insists that won't change.

"I took the kids to school this morning and it will be a bit different with the phone going all the time, but hopefully I'll do it most days," he said.

"I still managed to get to Sainsbury's this afternoon!

"Hopefully I can still get the balance right as my wife and two children are the three most important people in the world and will always come above any job."

Clough plans on applying the same principles at Derby as those to have given him unmitigated success with the Brewers.

He said: "The princples remain the same all the way football.

"Everything I've tried to do in the last ten years, what I learned before that at other clubs, all those are principles that can apply here.

"We are going to try and do it our way as there is no point trying to do it any other way, or trying to do it the way someone else would have done it."

Clough will pop in to the Derby dressing room ahead of the game with United to wish his new players the best of luck before getting his role fully underway on Thursday morning.

And having lived locally for most of his life, he is well aware of what Derby County means to the community.

"I have lived in Derby for the best part of 40 years and over that time you get to realise what it means to people," he said.

"This is a special football club."

Clough's appointment comes almost 42 years after his father Brian arrived at the Baseball Ground and sparked off one of the greatest eras in the club's history.

And while Clough Junior is his own man, he knows his dad's achievements play a major part in the fabric of Derby County.

"Someone said to me before I came in about all of the photos of dad arond the place, but we have got them all at home so that will be easy to deal with," he said.

"It is something to embrace, a positive rather than a negative, and this club has a great history of which he is a part.

"Even though it was 40 years ago people will talk to you about it as though it was yesterday."