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Nottingham Forest F.C.

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Nottingham Forest
File:Ntmcrest.gif
Full nameNottingham Forest
Football Club
Nickname(s)Forest,
The Reds,
Garibaldi Reds,
Tricky Trees,
Robin Hood's Merrymen
Founded1865
GroundCity Ground
Nottingham
Capacity30,602
ChairmanNigel Doughty
ManagerScotland Colin Calderwood
LeagueLeague One
2006-07League One, 1st

Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English football club, based at the City Ground, which is just outside the official boundary of Nottingham on the south side of the River Trent. The ground is in the town of West Bridgford in the borough of Rushcliffe. The club lies directly across the Trent from its city rival, Notts County.

Nottingham Forest takes its name from the Forest Recreation Ground, a public space in the city proper where the club was formed, and not, contrary to popular belief, Sherwood Forest. The club are often referred to as simply 'Forest' the title the club carries on its badge.

Their name is often incorrectly abbreviated to Notts Forest. Fans of the club hugely dislike the team being referred to by this name.

They currently play in League One of the Coca-Cola Football League. Their relegation to this league in May 2005 made them the first European Cup winners ever to later play outside their country's top two divisions.

Nottingham Forest are known to have pioneered many of todays footballing rules and features, including floodlighting, shinpads, and even lettering on the stands, see "Trivia" below.

History

Early history

File:Nottingham.gif
Club Crest in 60s

Forest were founded in 1865 (by a group of shinty players)[1] shortly after their famous neighbours Notts County, (the world's oldest surviving professional football club), in 1862. They joined the Football Alliance in 1888, and won the competition in 1892, which allowed them entry to the Football League.

Forest's charitable approach to the sport helped teams like Liverpool, Arsenal F.C. and Brighton & Hove Albion to come into existence. In 1886, Forest donated a set of football kits to help Arsenal establish themselves - the North London team still wears red to this day. Forest also donated shirts to Liverpool and helped secure a site to play on for Brighton.

Forest claimed their first major honour when they won the 1898 FA Cup (beating rivals Derby County). However, for much of the first half of the 20th century the club spent life in the Second Division (and had to seek re-election in 1914 after finishing bottom). In 1949 the club were relegated to the Third Division, but bounced back two years later as champions thanks to 35 goals from Wally Ardron - still the club's record goalscorer in a season - and returned to the Second. A brief period of glory followed at the end of the 1950s, as they regained First Division status in 1957 and won the FA Cup for a second time in 1959, despite losing Roy Dwight through a broken leg and becoming the first team to defeat the Wembley 'hoodoo'. By this time Forest had become the biggest team in Nottingham, overtaking Notts County. But after reaching the high of runners-up spot and cup semi-finalists in 1967, Forest were relegated from the First Division in 1972. Forest's biggest rivals are Derby County, there is a rather more one-sided rivalry with Leicester City, who have a hatred for Forest that isn't really reciprocated.

Brian Clough: the glory days (1975-1993)

Forest were considered a small team by English league standards until the mid 1970s, when Brian Clough and his assistant Peter Taylor took the helm at the club. Clough was the most successful manager in the history of Nottingham Forest football club. He had won the league title with Forest's deadly rivals Derby County in 1972, and came to Nottingham Forest on January 6th 1975, after a 0-2 home defeat by local rivals Notts County, on Boxing day, prompted the committee (Forest had no board of directors then) to sack the previous manager Allan Brown. They won promotion to the top division at the end of the 1976-77 season after finishing third in the Second Division, but no-one could have predicted how successful Clough's team would be over the next three seasons.

Nottingham Forest became one of the few teams (and the last team to date) to win the English First Division Championship 1977-78 season, a year after winning promotion from the English Second Division. In 1978-79, Forest went on to win the European Cup by beating Malmö FF [1-0] in Munich's Olympic Stadium and retained the trophy in 1979-80, beating Hamburger SV [1-0] in Madrid thanks to an outstanding performance by goalkeeper Peter Shilton. They also won the European Super Cup and two League Cups. Beside Shilton, key players of that era included right-back Viv Anderson (the first black player to wear the England jersey), midfielder Martin O'Neill, winger John Robertson and striker Trevor Francis - the first £1 million footballer in English football.

Nottingham Forest's next trophy came in 1989 when they beat Luton Town in the League Cup final. For most of the season they had been hopeful of completing a unique domestic treble, but were beaten into third place by champions Arsenal and runners-up Liverpool and lost to Liverpool in the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough, where 96 Liverpool fans were trampled to death on terracing. Clough's side retained the League Cup in 1990 when they beat Oldham Athletic. There was chance for more success in 1991 when Forest reached their first ever FA Cup final under Brian Clough and went ahead after scoring an early goal (Stuart Pearce free kick) against Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley, but ended up losing 2-1 in extra time after an own goal by Des Walker. Forest reached their third League Cup final in four seasons in 1992, but lost to Manchester United.

Brian Clough's 18-year reign as manager ended in May 1993 when Forest were relegated from the Premier League after 16 illustrious years of top flight football which had seen one league title, two European Cups and four League Cups. Since Brian Clough's departure, Nottingham Forest have had eight managers and spent just four out of 12 seasons in the Premiership. Brian Clough is considered one of the greatest managers in English football history by fans of all clubs.

Many people say the biggest mistake the FA ever made was not appointing Brian Clough as England manager. He died in 2004 after a long battle with stomach cancer.

Clough won 15 Cups and Competitions with Forest and his managerial record with them was:

Played: 908,

Won: 418,

Drawn: 256,

Lost: 234

Frank Clark (1993-1996)

Frank Clark, who had been a left-back in Nottingham Forest's 1979 European Cup winning team, returned to the club in May 1993 to succeed Brian Clough as manager. His management career had previously been uneventful, although he had won the Fourth Division promotion playoffs with Leyton Orient in 1989. Having inherited most of the players from the Clough era, Clark was able to achieve an instant return to the Premiership when the club finished Division One runners-up at the end of the 1993-94 season. Clark looked to be well on the way to re-establishing Forest as a top team.

Forest's return to the Premiership was impressive as they finished third in 1994-95 and qualified for the UEFA Cup - their first entry to European competition in the post-Heysel era. The likes of Stan Collymore, Stuart Pearce and the Dutch international Bryan Roy were among the most feared players in the Premiership. But Collymore was sold to Liverpool in June 1995 for a then English record fee of £8.4 million, and his £2 million Italian successor Andrea Silenzi was one of the most disappointing signings ever made by an English club. With Collymore gone, Forest's goals dried up in the Premiership during 1995-96 and they finished ninth - although they did reach the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup, making them the only English team to reach the last eight of any European competition that season.

Clark added Welsh striker Dean Saunders and Croatian defender Nikola Jerkan to Forest's squad for the 1996-97 season, but they started badly and what should have been a challenge for a UEFA Cup place quickly became a battle to avoid relegation. With no signs of that battle being won, Clark was sacked in December and 34-year-old captain Stuart Pearce was installed as player-manager on a temporary basis.

Clark's managerial record with Forest was:

Played: 178,

Won: 73,

Drawn: 58,

Lost: 47

Dave Bassett: fall, rise and fall again (1997-98)

Pearce inspired a brief revival in Forest's fortunes, and he was voted Premiership manager for the month for January 1997 after a turn around in form lifted the club off the bottom of the division. He was tipped to become manager on a permanent basis, but the Forest directors wanted someone more experienced so in March 1997 they turned to Crystal Palace manager Dave Bassett. Despite the addition of Celtic's Dutch striker Pierre van Hooijdonk, Forest were unable to avoid relegation and finished the season in bottom place. They won promotion back to the Premiership at the first attempt, being crowned Division One champions in 1997-98. But the prolific strike-partnership of Kevin Campbell and Pierre van Hooijdonk was soon broken up: Campbell was sold to Turkish side Trabzonspor and van Hooijdonk refused to play (he was, basically, on strike), because his strike partner was sold. Van Hooijdonk later returned to the club but it was too late to save Bassett, who was sacked in January 1999 after a terrible start to the Premiership campaign and elimination from the FA Cup at the hands of Division One side Portsmouth.

Bassett's managerial record with Forest was:

Played: 77,

Won: 33,

Drawn: 20,

Lost: 24

Ron Atkinson: filling the gap (1999)

Ron Atkinson made his last appearance in football as Nottingham Forest's interim manager, taking charge in January 1999. Bought in on the promise of an alleged million pound bonus if he kept Forest up, 'Big Ron' did little to endear himself to the Forest faithful by climbing into the wrong dugout at the start of his first game in charge - against Arsenal. In true Big Ron style he was later heard joking that he'd thought Forest had Dennis Bergkamp on their bench. But he was unable to succeed in keeping Forest clear of relegation, and for the third time in seven seasons they were relegated as the Premiership's bottom club. Atkinson's reign was short, but not too sweet. He managerial record was:

Played: 16,

Won: 4,

Drawn: 2,

Lost: 10

David Platt: expensive signings fail to succeed (1999-2001)

When the board decided not to renew Atkinson's contract, several high profile names were mentioned for the vacant manager's job, including Glenn Hoddle (ex-Swindon, Chelsea and England), Roy Evans (ex-Liverpool) and Brian Little (ex-Leicester and Aston Villa). The club's eventual choice was 33-year-old former England captain David Platt, whose brief spell as head coach of Italian Serie A side Sampdoria had just ended in relegation.

Former England captain David Platt was named as Nottingham Forest's player-manager in July 1999. He made several expensive signings during his two-year reign at the helm, but these acquisitions were unproductive and Forest never really looked like gaining promotion back to the Premiership, finishing only in mid-table. Their fortunes were not helped by financial problems and a constant need to sell top players in order to pay off the debts that were caused by certain signings that Platt made, including the Trio Of Italians who only made a handful of appearances between them but cost over £5 million (Gianluca 'Bepe' Petrachi and Salvatore Matrecano from Perugia plus free transfer Moreno Mannini from Sampdoria). Platt left to become England U-21 coach in July 2001 and he handed over the reins to youth team manager Paul Hart. By now, Forest's days as a top club were now very much a distant memory and no players remained from their successful days in the top flight.

David Platt is one of the most disliked figures in Nottingham Forest's history. He was responsible for making some dreadful signings that cost millions of pounds and seemed useless in a Forest shirt. This plunged the club further into debt. Under his guidance the team generally underperformed and the quality of the football was often poor.

His managerial record with The Reds was:

Played: 103,

Won: 34,

Drawn: 25,

Lost: 44

Paul Hart: making a living on limited resources (2001-2004)

Paul Hart had a difficult time as manager of Nottingham Forest; his appointment was initially met with some surprise (he was best known for his involvement with the successful academy at Leeds and as academy director at Forest before his internal appointment). The club's financial problems escalated at the end of the 2001-02 season when the ITV Digital collapse almost bankrupted them. Hart's first season at the helm had been unremarkable as a squad made up mostly of young players achieved a 16th place finish in Division One. There were fears that Nottingham Forest could go into liquidation during the summer of 2002, but with the sale of players like Jermaine Jenas the financial situation was quickly brought under control and Forest did better in 2002-03. They finished sixth in Division One and qualified for the playoffs, their best chance yet of returning to the Premiership. However, they lost to Sheffield United in the semi finals. After a 1-1 draw at the City Ground, they eventually lost out at Bramall Lane 4-3 after extra time, and 5-4 on aggregate, even though they were leading the second leg 2-0.

By now, the likes of Michael Dawson and Marlon Harewood were some of the most talented young players in the English league and players from the club's invested-in youth academy were starting to filter through to the first team. But Forest's failure to gain promotion led to many of their finest assets being sold, and the departures took their toll on the club's fortunes in 2003-04. Paul Hart was sacked in February as Forest hovered near the foot of Division One.

Despite the difficulty in keeping Forest clear of relegation in 2004, he is still a very well liked figure among Forest fans, unlike his predecessor David Platt.

Hart's managerial record was:

Played: 134,

Won: 45,

Draw: 44,

Lost: 45

Joe Kinnear: short and uneventful (2004)

Joe Kinnear was the next manager to take charge of Nottingham Forest. The club's directors looked to have made a good decision when Kinnear revitalised Forest, bringing out the best in key players like Michael Dawson and Andy Reid, and they climbed to a secure 14th place in the final table. Kinnear was hoping to push for promotion from the newly-named Coca-Cola Championship in 2004-05. But the start to the season was poor. Despite a promising draw on opening day (1-1 vs Wigan Athletic) the team's form went downhill, as did the league position. With fans getting restless, and the threat of demonstrations against the team management, Kinnear walked away from the club in December, after a 3-0 defeat by arch-rivals Derby County at Pride Park, with Forest struggling at the foot of the Championship. His assistant Mick Harford had only been recruited a few weeks before, but was put in charge of first-team duties on a temporary basis, until a permanent successor could be found.

Kinnears managerial record was:

Played: 44,

Won: 15,

Drawn: 15,

Lost: 14

Gary Megson: down to League One (2005-2006)

In January 2005, Gary Megson was named as Nottingham Forest's new manager. He had previously won promotion to the Premiership twice with West Bromwich Albion, having taken over at a time when they were on the verge of relegation to Division Two. It was hoped that he could achieve the same success with Forest. But that target was made all the more difficult to achieve at the end of 2004-05, when Forest finished second from bottom in the Coca-Cola Championship and were relegated to League One. This humiliation made them the first former winners of the European Cup to suffer relegation to the third tier of their domestic league.

After relegation, Megson took action against the players at the club who he felt were not performing to the standards he demanded, both on and off the pitch. David Johnson, Marlon King, Kevin James, Alan Rogers and Adam Nowland were all transfer listed. King joined Watford FC on a long term loan deal, before moving permanently where he has since become a very big hit with the Watford fans. Nowland went on a free transfer to Preston North End F.C.. James was loaned to Walsall F.C.. However, Johnson managed a return to the first team. Many players at the club were also made surplus to requirements and released.

In the summer of 2005, Gary Megson became one of most active managers in the transfer market. Mattieu Louis-Jean signed for Norwich, whilst Eoin Jess and Chris Doig both joined Northampton Town on free transfers. The new recruits included Gary Holt from Norwich (in exchange for Louis-Jean), Nicky Eaden and Ian Breckin from Wigan and Gino Padula from Queens Park Rangers. John Curtis was signed on a free transfer, whilst Danny Cullip became Gary Megson's eighth summer signing, arriving from Sheffield United for an undisclosed fee. Megson's transfer market activity continued with the arrival of Nathan Tyson, a prolific striker in League Two with Wycombe Wanderers, on loan until January 2006. The signing later became permanent. Megson then signed striker Grant Holt from League Two side Rochdale, midfielder Sammy Clingan from Wolverhampton Wanderers and defender Julian Bennett from League One rivals Walsall F.C. who recently got his first goal for the club with a 90th minute equaliser away at Blackpool.

Initially in League under Gary Megson, progress had been steady but many Forest fans might have hoped for a better run of form. At The City Ground at the start of 2006, home form was the best in the League, however away performances seemed to put Forest into a completely different league, struggling to get a win. The quality of the football on display was generally regarded as the worst from Forest in living memory and the abject performances and results away from home started to appear at the City Ground, for example the 2-0 gutless capitulation to Barnsley and the 1-2 defeat to Swansea City. Forest even lost games at home that they were expected to at least draw, like the 1-0 defeat to Milton Keynes Dons. The promising signings from the previous summer failed to produce and to many fans the team appeared to function at a level somewhat less than the sum of its parts.

Megson departed 'by mutual consent' on the 16th February 2006 with Forest in 13th place, just four points above the relegation zone, having won just once in the last ten games. Megson's departure apparently cost himself one million pounds. He will probably not be fondly remembered by Forest fans. One thing he probably will be remembered for though, is his eye for a good player, as since he left the signings he made have performed brilliantly.

His managerial record with Forest was:

Played: 59,

Won: 17,

Drawn: 18,

Lost: 24

Barlow and McParland: the perfect match (Feb 2006-May 2006)

Frank Barlow (Gary Megson's assistant) and Ian McParland (Forest's Reserve team coach) took over on a caretaker basis after Gary Megson's resignation. Barlow and McParland won their first game in charge with a 2-0 away victory at Port Vale. It was Forest's first away win since August 27 2005 (which was 3-1 at Gillingham), their first double over another team in the season, and their first away clean sheet. Their second game ended with an outstanding 7-1 home win against Swindon Town FC, the first time Forest scored more than 6 goals in a League game for over a decade.

The unbeaten run under Frank Barlow and Ian McParland extended to 10, with 6 straight wins, a feat that was last achieved in the 60's and something that even the great Brian Clough could not achieve, when Forest beat relegation battling Yeovil Town FC 2-1 in front of a near sell-out crowd at the City Ground. It is the first time Forest have won more than 2 games in a row since 2004, when Joe Kinnear was in charge and the first time they have won more than 4 in a row for 11 years. The winning run eventually ended in a thrilling 3-2 defeat at the hands of struggling Hartlepool United.

Barlow and McParland were named joint Managers Of The Month for March 2006 as they were the only team in the football league to go unbeaten in that month.

Forest had took 28 points out of a possible 39 under Barlow and McParland in the final 13 games of the season and just missed out on the play-offs by merely scraping a draw at Bradford City on the final day of the season, so Forest will have to wait until next year.

Many Forest fans were surprised to find that Paul Gerrard, Paul Evans and Eugen Bopp where released from the club at the end of the 05-06 season. The three where fan favourites at the City Ground and Gerrard was Forest's player of the year for the 04-05 season. Gareth Taylor and Eugene Dadi were also released.

The two were not made permanent managers (largely because they themselves didn't want it) and instead, former Forest, Mansfield Town and Scotland international player and manager of Northampton Town, Colin Calderwood was put in place. Although both 'Charlie' McParland and Frank Barlow were promised their positions at the club would be safe under a new manager, Frank Barlow left the club to take up the role of caretaker manager with Hull City on 28th June 2006.

Ian McParland and Frank Barlow's record with Forest was:

Played: 13

Won: 8

Drawn: 4

Lost: 1

The future

Colin Calderwood: back to the Championship? (May 2006-present)

In May 2006, Colin Calderwood was made the 12th manager of Nottingham Forest in the last 13 years. The former Scotland international had previously been on Forest's books as a player in 2000, but his time there was hampered by injury. Some fans were slightly concerned about his appointment, as he had only just recently made the step into management with Northampton Town. In his time with the club, he guided them to two play-off finishes before securing promotion in his final season at the Sixfields Stadium. Fans hope they can start afresh with a new boss and hopefully get out of the third division of English football at the second attempt.

Calderwood's first game in charge was a 5-0 friendly win at local side Ilkeston Town.

Calderwood made only two additions to his inherited Forest squad, adding goalkeeper Paul Smith and Ghanaian International striker Junior Agogo. He did ship out a few of the youngsters on loan to gain experience. David Johnson was forced to retire due to a horrible back problem. He also brought in his former teammate David Kerslake as first team coach.

Calderwood's first competitive season as Forest manager started very successfully, as Forest won their first four matches, taking the curtain-raiser 1-0 over Bradford City, winning a pair of road matches at Blackpool and his former club Northampton, and a 2-1 home win against Brighton. However, he was brought back down to earth with a shock Carling Cup defeat at Football League newcomers Accrington Stanley, thus proving the theory that shock results can occur when a club's best players are rested. Though supporters were rather unhappy with the League Cup exit, most of them know it is the League itself that Forest must concentrate on. Calderwood was named League One's Manager Of The Month for August after 7 matches unbeaten, including a crushing 4-0 home win against closest rivals in League One, Chesterfield FC. Calderwood fell to his first league defeat in a home match against Oldham Athletic. Forest got back to winning ways after 4 games without a win, with a 3 - 1 victory over Swansea City FC, but fell right back on their faces after an abysmal 4 - 0 home defeat to Scunthorpe United. After yet another away victory (at Cheltenham Town FC), the FA Cup draw was revealed and Forest were picked to play Conference South team Yeading FC, who Forest emphatically beat 5-0, with the goal coming from Junior Agogo (2) and a first half hatrick from Kris Commons taking his tally to 5 goals in the last 2 games.

Forest then drew Salisbury City F.C. in the second round of the FA Cup, which has more or less already guaranteed their place in the 3rd round... Unless something inexplicable happens. The game will be shown live on BBC 1.

Forest have won 7 games in a row and are currently 7 points clear of second place Yeovil at the top of League One. Forest have also lost only three league games out of 30 since the departure of Gary Megson.

Calderwood's League record with Forest so far is:

Played: 17

Won: 11

Drawn: 4

Lost: 2

Current first team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK England ENG Paul Smith
3 DF Argentina ARG Gino Padula
4 MF Scotland SCO Gary Holt
5 DF England ENG Wes Morgan
6 DF England ENG Ian Breckin (Captain)
7 MF England ENG Nicky Southall
8 MF England ENG Kris Commons
9 FW England ENG Nathan Tyson
10 FW Scotland SCO Scott Dobie
11 FW England ENG Grant Holt
14 FW England ENG Jack Lester
15 FW England ENG Neil Harris
No. Pos. Nation Player
16 MF Northern Ireland NIR Sammy Clingan
17 DF England ENG James Perch
20 GK Denmark DEN Rune Pedersen
21 DF England ENG John Curtis
22 DF England ENG Danny Cullip
23 FW Ghana GHA Junior Agogo
24 MF England ENG James Beaumont
27 MF England ENG Robert Hughes
29 DF England ENG Julian Bennett
33 DF France FRA Vincent Fernandez
34 GK England ENG Paddy Gamble
37 MF England ENG Lewis McGugan

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF England ENG Nicky Eaden (on loan to Lincoln City)
12 MF England ENG Ross Gardner (on loan to Port Vale)
18 DF Ireland EIR John Thompson (on loan to Tranmere Rovers)
25 MF England ENG Kevin James (on loan to Grimsby Town)
30 FW England ENG Spencer Weir-Daley (on loan to Macclesfield Town)
32 GK England ENG Dale Roberts (on loan to Aldershot Town)
35 FW United States USA Jon-Paul Pittman (on loan to Bury)
36 MF Germany GER Felix Bastians (on loan to Northwich Victoria)

Nottingham Forest Youth Academy

The Nottingham Forest Youth Academy is one of the most successful football academies in England; most notably when former Forest manager Paul Hart was in charge of it. During his 11 year spell as Head Youth Coach, the academy produced many talents, most of which have gone on to break into the first team line-up at Forest. Many of them have gone on to Premiership clubs and are getting regular first team football there. Some of them have even been successful on the international stage.

Some of the players to come through the Forest Academy include:

  • Marlon Harewood, a big favourite at the City Ground was a highly successful player there before moving on to West Ham United, where he is now playing Premiership football regularly
  • Andy Reid, was a fan favourite with Forest but moved on to Tottenham Hotspur, with team-mate Michael Dawson. He was hampered by injuries at Spurs, and as such his form suffered and he was sold to Charlton Athletic for £3m in August 2006. He is a full Republic Of Ireland international.
  • Michael Dawson, Moved to Tottenham Hotspur with Andy Reid, he was a hot prospect for the future who captained the England U-21 side, and was called up as a stand-by player for the 2006 World Cup.
  • John Thompson, still plays for Forest after many years at the club. Has played 3 games for the Republic Of Ireland international team.
  • Eugen Bopp, Former player at Nottingham Forest, was released on free transfer in May 2006. He was widely regarded as the best German player of his age when he joined Forest's academy. Bopp was formerly a German under 21 player.
  • Felix Bastians, broke into the first team in late 2005 and is making a big impact on Trent-side. Played for the Germany U-15, U-16, U-17, and is currently an U-21 international and looks like he will be a serious contender for a full international Germany Cap.
  • Julian Bennett, despite being released by Forest when he was 15, he battled his way back and after 2 seasons with Walsall FC, he returned to Forest in early 2006 and has been very impressive.
  • Shaun Wright-Phillips, though he never made it into the Nottingham Forest first team, he learnt his trade with Forest as a football academy student. He was released by Forest when he was 16 for being "too small"! Went to Manchester City where he impressed and Chelsea FC paid £21m for him. He has won the Premier League title and is an England international.
  • James Perch, verstile player who has (since breaking into the first team) played as a: right-back, central defender, left-back, right winger, left winger and defensive midfielder. His most common role as of late, is the defensive midfield roll which has come under mixed reviews.
  • Wes Morgan, has gone on to play over 120 games for The Reds and has got a bright future ahead of him. He was selected, along with Forest team mate and fellow Academy graduate James Perch in the U-21 English Football League team that faced the Italian Serie B U-21 team in early 2005 (the result was 2-1 to the English Football League). Despite being one of the brightest talents outside the Premiership, he pledged his future to Forest when signing a deal that will keep him at the City Ground until 2009.

Honours

Forest have picked up more than 20 major honours and many more lesser individual player and managerial honours.

Brian Clough's honours with Forest

Honours won by managers before and after Brian Clough

List of Forest managers

  • May 2006-Present Colin Calderwood - The man to restore Forest to their former glories?
  • Feb 2006-May 2006 Ian McParland and Frank Barlow (caretakers) - Instigated a revival in Forest's form
  • Jan 2005-Feb 2006 Gary Megson - Left after failing to reverse Forest's decline
  • Dec 2004-Jan 2005 Mick Harford (Caretaker)
  • Feb-Dec 2004 Joe Kinnear - Saved Forest from relegation but left 10 months later as they slid towards the drop once more
  • 2001-2004 Paul Hart - Took Forest to the playoffs despite having limited resources and a relatively young side
  • 1999-2001 David Platt - Had two seasons in charge, both of which yielded mid table finishes. Spent millions of pounds of Forest's money and one of the most disliked figures in Forest's history
  • Jan-June 1999 Ron Atkinson - Was unable to save Forest's Premiership status as they were relegated for the third time in seven seasons
  • Jan 1999 Micky Adams (Caretaker)
  • 1997-99 Dave Bassett - Took Forest back into the Premiership but was sacked as they were heading for relegation
  • 1996-97 Stuart Pearce (Caretaker)
  • 1993-96 Frank Clark - Took Forest back into the Premiership and took them into the UEFA Cup before they started to slide towards relegation and he was finally ousted
  • 1975-93 Brian Clough - Was manager for 18 years, winning one league title, two European Cups and four League Cups, but went out on a low when they were relegated in 1993
  • 1973-75 Allan Brown
  • 1972 Dave Mackay
  • 1969-72 Matt Gillies
  • 1963-68 Johnny Carey
  • 1960-63 Andy Beattie
  • 1939-60 Billy Walker
  • 1936-39 Harold Wightman
  • 1931-36 Noel Watson
  • 1930-31 Stan Hardy
  • 1925-29 John Baynes
  • 1912-25 Bob Masters
  • 1909-12 Fred Earp
  • 1897-1909 Harry Haslam (Secretary-Manager) - Won Forest's first major trophy, the FA Cup in 1898
  • 1889-97 Harry Radford (Secretary-Manager)

Forest legends

Pre-European players

European superstars

1985 - 1990

1991 - Present

Notable supporters

The City Ground

Nottingham Forest play their home games at the City Ground, which has been their home since 1898. Before they settled in at the City Ground, on the south bank of the River Trent, they played at the Forest Recreation Ground, from which the team takes its name. The stadium lies on the banks of the River Trent.

The four stands are:

  • The Main Stand, the oldest and smallest stand in the ground. Capacity: 5,708.

There are plans to rebuild this stand with a much larger capacity in order to raise the City Ground's capacity to 40,000. However, these plans will not become reality unless the club regains a Premier League place.

  • The Trent End, the newest stand, built in 1994. Capacity: 7,500
  • The Bridgford End, the lower tier houses up to 5,151 away fans, while its total capacity is 7,710
  • The Brian Clough Stand, which was originally named the Executive Stand but has been renamed to honour Forest's greatest manager Brian Clough. It is the largest stand in the ground with a capacity of 10,000 — more than many of the other League One teams' total ground capacity.

The Capital One Corner, located in one corner of the ground between the Brian Clough and Bridgford stands is one of the main areas where most of the atmosphere comes from. Most of the singers are located there. Before it was named Pinnacle Place, after the club's previous sponsors. The other main noise comes from the 'A' Block of the Main Stand.

The ground's combined capacity is 30,602, the largest ground in League One and despite playing in the 3rd tier of English football, they still manage to attract crowds bigger than some Premiership fixtures.

Average attendances:

  • 2002-2003: 24,437 (Division One)
  • 2003-2004: 24,751 (Division One)
  • 2004-2005: 23,565 (Championship)
  • 2005-2006: 20,257 (League One)

The largest attendance of the 2005-2006 season was 28,242, almost 10,000 more than any other League One club's highest attendance.

When Forest faced Yeovil Town FC on 17 April 2006, only 3 teams in England had a higher attendance than Forest (28,197). They were Chelsea, Tottenham, and Sunderland.

The City Ground is the 8th largest football stadium outside the Premiership, behind Sunderland, East Midland rivals Derby County and Leicester City, Leeds United, Southampton, Coventry City, and Sheffield Wednesday.

Records

Most appearances for the club (in all competitions):

  1. R. McKinlay: 692
  2. I. Bowyer: 564
  3. S. Chettle: 526
  4. S. Pearce: 522

Most goals for the club (in all competitions):

  1. A. G. Morris: 217
  2. N. Clough: 131
  3. W. Ardron: 124
  4. J. G. Dent: 122

Current Longest Serving Player: John Thompson Debut 19 January 2002

Record Attendance: 49,946 Vs. Manchester United in Division 1, 28 October 1967

Lowest Attendence: 2,013 Vs. Brentford FC in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy , 31 October 2006

Record receipts: £499,099 Vs. Bayern Munich in UEFA Cup quarter final 2nd leg, 19 March 1996

Longest sequence of league wins: 7, wins from 9 May 1922 to 1 September 1922

Longest sequence of league defeats: 14, losses from 21 March 1913 to 27 September 1913

Longest sequence of unbeaten league matches: 42, from 26 November 1977 to 25 November 1978

Longest sequence of league games without a win: 17, from 25 October 2003 to 28 February 2004

First football league game: 3 September 1892 Vs. Everton FC (away), 2-2

Record win (in all competitions): 14-0, Vs. Clapton (away), 1st round FA Cup, 17 January 1891

Record Defeat (in all competitions): 1-9, Vs. Blackburn Rovers, Division 2, 10 April 1937

Most league points in one season: 94, Division 1, 1977-1978

Most league goals in one season: 101, Division 3, 1950-1951

Highest league scorer in one season: Wally Ardron, 36, Division 3, 1950-1951

Most internationally capped player: Peter Shilton, 125 for England

Most internationally capped outfield player: Stuart Pearce, 78 for England

Youngest league player: Gary Mills, 16 years 306 days, Debut Vs. Arsenal 9 September 1978

Record transfer fee paid: £3,500,000 for Pierre van Hooijdonk from Celtic FC, March 1997.

Record transfer fee received: £8,500,000 for Stan Collymore to Liverpool FC, June 1995

Shirt sponsors

Before 1988 Forest didn't have a consistent sponsor, it was changed every year or less. Some of the sponsors before Shipstones included: Skol, Home Ales, Wrangler and Panasonic.

1988-91: Shipstones

1992-1997: Labatt's

1997-2003: Pinnacle

2004-Present: Capital One

Rivals and local derbies

Record against nearest rivals:

  • Notts County:

Played: 139

Forest Wins: 52

Draws: 42

Notts Wins: 45

Despite being the closest League clubs geographically, Forest and Notts County have rarely played in the same division in recent times - their last League meeting was in 1994 (Division One). Forest supporters usually see their main local rivals as being Derby County first, Leicester City second. Generally Leicester City fans see the rivalry with Forest as far more significant than Forest fans. Forest fans tend to have a favourable attitude to Notts County, although County fans generally regard this as patronising and dislike Forest with a passion.

They also have a fairly strong rivalry with Sheffield United.

The fans also hugely dislike Liverpool FC. This rivalry began when Forest knocked them out of the European Cup in the first round in 1978, en route to the first of their two consecutive European titles.

One of Forest's chants of those days was Are You Watching, Are You Watching, Are You Watching Liverpool! because Liverpool used Forest's kit and nickname 'The Reds' from Nottingham Forest when Liverpool was formed, and Forest had just knocked them out in the First Round (Liverpool were the current champions when this happened) and become a major force in Europe.Liverpool FC fans still sing a chant starting with We hate Nottingham Forest! as testimony to the long running bad blood between the two clubs. Forest fans in turn are credited in starting the "You'll Never Work Again" take on Liverpool's famous You'll Never Walk Alone anthem.

Media coverage

Colin Fray and former Forest captain John McGovern commentate for BBC Radio Nottingham 103.8 FM on every Nottingham Forest match. There is a football phone-in show on BBC Radio Nottingham that features Fray with Notts County commentator Colin Slater.

Forest are also occasionally covered on Sky Sports 1. Mainly during cup matches but sometimes league matches are also shown.

Unfortunately for The Reds, they just don't seem to be able to perform under Sky cameras as every time they appear on National TV they always play abysmally, most notably a 4-0 home defeat against Scunthorpe United. Forest have only one victory under Sky cameras in recent times, that came at non-league Weymouth FC. The victory is also the only time they have won in their 2nd Kit (Yellow & Blue), leading to them no longer playing in it, but now choosing the 3rd Kit (All Navy Blue).

Forest fans call the TV misfortunes the 'curse of the Sky cameras'.

Trivia

  • Nottingham Forest are the only team to have won the European Cup more times than their domestic title.
  • Forest captain Sam Weller Widdowson is credited for inventing shinpads, after cutting down some cricket pads and wearing them on the outside of his stockings in 1874. Some 100 years before the FA were to make shinpads a compulsory piece of equipment for professional footballers.
  • Another notable feature of the modern game was introduced in a game between Forest and Sheffield Norfolk (who would later become Sheffield United). Previously the referees had used a flag system to signal, it was in this game that the whistle was first used, and Sam Widdowson's feedback helped ensure that this became the standard.
  • After solid crossbars were introduced, it was again at Forest that nets were first attached to goals to catch the ball after a goal was scored. Amazingly the referee on the day was the previously mentioned Sam Weller Widdowson, who gave his approval to the FA.
  • Sam Widdowson hadn't finished - he also pioneered early floodlighting for night games by using gas lamps. This idea was quashed due to the gas running out, and fears for crowd safety, but when electricity was more readily available in 1909 he - now retired - returned to the City Ground to attempt electric lighting.
  • Frank and Fred Foreman were the first brothers to play for the same club, and indeed, became the first brothers to represent England in 1899, they also became the first brothers to both score in an International game - scoring in a game against Ireland.
  • Most modern stadiums have Forest to thank for the lettering spelling out club names in the seats - the Executive Stand (now the Brian Clough Stand) was the first stand to have this feature, when it was built in the early 1980's.
  • Nottingham Forest hold numerous English football records. These include: The most internationally capped player for England (Peter Shilton) and the first £1 million footballer (Trevor Francis).
  • Forest are the only team to win the League Cup twice in succession on two occasions.
  • Forest are also the only team to have won the European Cup and then been relegated to the third tier of domestic football.

Nottingham Forest songs

  • The 'Nottingham Forest March' ('We Got the Whole World in Our Hands') was released in 1978 on 7 inch vinyl. This was a joint collaboration between the group Paper Lace and Nottingham Forest Football Club and features the fans singing as well as the team of the time. Changes to the lyrics included "We're the best team, in the land / We're the best damn team, in the land" amongst others.
  • In the glory days under Brian Clough the team used to appear from the tunnel to the 'Robin Hood' TV series theme tune.
  • More recently, Forest fans have adopted the Righteous Brothers' hit 'Lost That Loving Feeling' as their own and the Club now plays this as the players run out of the tunnel for the second half.

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