his staff were looking to go elsewhere and Clough entered into new contract discussions with Derby, stating "It has never been a question of if we wanted to stay or not. This is where our heart is." Clough signed a new three-year deal, to take him through until summer 2015, on 17 October, two days after a 1–1 draw with league leaders Southampton had kept Derby in the play-off places. After signing the deal, Derby took just four points from their next five fixtures and slipped out of the playoff places. A 3–2 defeat at Peterborough United, after Derby had held a 2–0 lead, saw Clough hit out at the officials and the FA imposed a £2,000 fine on him. Derby suffered mixed form through the remainder of the season. By mid-April Derby found themselves 11th in the table, 5 points off the play-offs with four games remaining. However, two defeats to Middlesbrough and Cardiff City in 4 days ended Derby's play-off chances. Derby finished the season 12th in the league, with Clough satisfied with the performances of the team, stating that a lack of firepower was the reason why they fell short and that it would be an area to improve on in the following season. The club also finally ended their interest in appointing a director of football, something the club had been considering since May 2011. This meant Clough retained control of the club's player recruitment policy and he was keen to add to his squad. On the final match of the 2012–13 season, a 1–0 victory over Millwall helped Derby to finish the campaign in 10th place. After a mixed start to the 2013–14 season, Clough was sacked on 28 September after 3 defeats in eight days, the final of which was a 1–0 defeat to local rivals Nottingham Forest with Derby 14th in the table after 9 games. He left the club as the longest serving Derby manager in over a decade. Sheffield United On 23 October 2013, Clough was appointed new manager of Sheffield United on a two-and-a-half-year deal. Clough's tenure got off to a winning start as Sheffield United comfortably beat Crewe Alexandra 3–1 at Bramall Lane. Clough was named League One's Manager of the Month for February 2014 after an improved run of form with four wins from five matches, including four clean sheets. On 9 March 2014, Clough's side beat Charlton