The history ofNottingham Forest Football Club covers the complete history of the club since its formation in 1865. Forest have won 11 major honours during their history: oneleague title, twoFA Cups, fourLeague Cups, oneFA Charity Shield, two European Cups and oneUEFA Super Cup.
In 1865 a group ofshinty players met at the Clinton Arms on Nottingham's Shakespeare Street. J. S. Scrimshaw's proposal to play football instead was agreed and Nottingham Forest Football Club was formed. It was agreed at the same meeting that the club would purchase twelve tasselled caps coloured 'Garibaldi Red' (named after the leader of theItalian 'Redshirts' freedom fighters). Thus the club's official colours were established. Forest's first ever official game was played against Notts County taking place on 22 March 1866.[1]
In their early years Forest were amulti-sports club. As well as their roots inbandy andshinty, Forest'sbaseball club wereBritish champions in 1899.[2] Forest's charitable approach helped clubs likeLiverpool,Arsenal andBrighton & Hove Albion to form. In1886, Forest donated a set of football kits to help Arsenal establish themselves – the then South London team still wear red. Forest also donated shirts to Everton and helped secure a site to play on for Brighton.
In 1878–79 season Forest entered theFA Cup for the first time. Forest beat Notts County 3–1 in the first round at Beeston Cricket Ground before eventually losing 2–1 to Old Etonians in the semi-final.[1]
Forest's application was rejected to join theFootball League at its formation in 1888. Forest instead joined theFootball Alliance in1889. They won the competition in1892 before then entering theFootball League.[1] That season they reached and lost in an FA Cup semi final for the fourth time to date. This time it was toWest Bromwich Albion after a replay.
Forest's first FA Cup semi-final win was at the fifth attempt, the1897–98 FA Cup 2–0 replay win against Southampton. The first game was drawn 1–1.Derby County beat Forest 5–0 five days before the final. Six of the cup final side were rested in that league game.[1] In that1898 FA Cup Final atCrystal Palace before 62,000 fans,Willie Wragg passed a 19th minute free kick toArthur Capes. Capes shot through the defensive wall to score. Derby equalised with a free kick headed home bySteve Bloomer off the underside of the cross bar after 31 minutes. In the 42nd minuteJack Fryer was unable to hold aCharlie Richards shot giving Capes a tap in for his second goal. Wragg's injury meant Forest had to change their line up with Capes dropping back to midfield. In the 86th minuteJohn Boag headed away a corner by Forest.John McPherson moved in to collect shooting low into the goal to win 3–1.[3]
Forest lost FA Cup semi finals in 1900 and 1902. They finished fourth in the1900–01 Football League followed with fifth place the season after. The club then started to slide down the table. Forest were relegated for the first time in 1905–06.Grenville Morris had his first of five seasons as the club's highest scorer en route to becoming the all-time club highest goalscorer with 213 goals.
In 1905, Nottingham Foresttoured South America to play a series of friendly matches in Argentina and Uruguay.[4] They would be followed for other English and Scottish clubs that visited the region, contributing to the spread and development of football in South America during the first years of the 20th century.[5]
Promotion as champions was immediate in 1906–07. They were relegated a second time to the Second Division in 1911 and had to seek re-election in 1914 after finishing bottom of that tier. AsWorld War I approached they were in serious financial trouble. The outbreak of the Great War along with the benevolence of the committee members mitigated the club going under.[1]
In 1919, theFootball League First Division was to be expanded from twenty clubs to twenty-two in time for the1919–20 Football League: Forest were one of eight clubs to campaign for entry but received only three votes. Arsenal andChelsea gained the two additional top tier slots.[6]
In a turnaround from the first six seasons struggling back in the Second Division, Forest were promoted as champions in 1921–22. They survived each of the first two seasons back in the top flight by one position. In the third season after promotion they were relegated as the division's bottom club in 1924–25. They remained in the second tier until relegation in1949 to theFootball League Third Division.
They were quickly promoted back two years later as champions having scored a record 110 goals in the 1950–51 season. They regained First Division status in1957.[1]
AfterJohnny Quigley's solitary1958–59 FA Cup semi final goal beat Aston Villa,Billy Walker's Forest then defeatedLuton Town 2–1 in the1959 FA Cup Final. Like in 1898 Forest had lost heavily to their opponents only weeks earlier in the league.[1]Stewart Imlach crossed for a 10th-minute opener byRoy Dwight (the cousin of Reg Dwight better known asElton John).Tommy Wilson had Forest 2–0 up after 14 minutes. The game had an unusually large number of stoppages due to injury, particularly to Forest players. This was put down to the lush nature of the Wembley turf. The most notable of these stoppages was Dwight breaking his leg in a 33rd minute tackle withBrendan McNally. Forest had been on top until that point, but with the reds down to ten men(no substitutes were allowed at this time) Luton gradually took control of the match withDave Pacey scoring midway through the second half. Forest were reduced to nine fit men with ten minutes remaining whenBill Whare crippled with cramp became little more than a spectator. Despite lateAllan Brown andBilly Bingham chancesChick Thomson conceded no further goals for Forest to beat theWembley 1950s 'hoodoo' (where one team was hampered by losing a player through injury).[7] Club record appearance holderBobby McKinlay played in the final winning team captained byJack Burkitt.
By this time Forest had replaced Notts County as the biggest club in Nottingham.Johnny Carey assembled a team includingJoe Baker andIan Storey-Moore that for a long spell went largely unchanged in challenging for the1966–67 Football League title. They beat title rivalsManchester United 4–1 at the City Ground on 1 October.[8] The 3–0 win againstAston Villa on 15 April had Forest second in the table a point behind United.[9] Injuries eventually took effect meaning Forest had to settle for being League Runners-up and losing in the FA Cup semi final toDave Mackay'sTottenham Hotspur.[1]
The 1966/67 season's success seemed an opportunity to build upon with crowds of 40,000 virtually guaranteed at the time. Instead a mixture at the club of poor football management, the unique committee structure and proud amateurism meant decline after the 66/67 peak. DespitePeter Cormack being in the team Forest were relegated from the top flight in 1972.Matt Gillies' October 1972 managerial departure was followed by short managerial reigns by Dave Mackay andAllan Brown.[1] A 0–2Boxing Day home defeat by Notts County prompted the committee (Forest had no board of directors then) to sack Brown.
Brian Clough was appointed manager of Nottingham Forest on 6 January 1975, twelve weeks after the end of his 44-day tenure as manager of Leeds United.[10] Clough broughtJimmy Gordon to be his club trainer as Gordon had been for him at Derby County andLeeds United.[11] Scottish centre-forwardNeil Martin scored the only goal beating Tottenham Hotspur in Clough's FA Cup third round replay first game in charge.[12]
Forest were 13th in English football's second tier when Clough joined. They finished that1974–75 season 16th. Nevertheless, Clough did inherit some talented players, including five who would go on to win the European Cup with the club. MidfielderIan Bowyer had won domestic and European trophies withManchester City.John Robertson andMartin O'Neill were in the reserves after requesting transfers under Brown, but Clough brought both back into the first team.[1] The youngTony Woodcock was at Forest but was then unrated by Clough and was to be loaned toLincoln City.[13]Viv Anderson had previously debuted for the first team and became a regular under Clough.[14]
Clough quickly signed Scottish duoJohn McGovern andJohn O'Hare from Leeds United. Both players had been part of Clough's1971–72 Football League-winning side at Derby County and had also been signed by him during his brief reign at Leeds. Forest signedFrank Clark in July of that close season on a free transfer.[15] In Clough'sfirst full season in charge Forest finished eighth in the Second Division.[10] It was in this season McGovern became long standing club captain taking over from a game in whichBob 'Sammy' Chapman andLiam O'Kane were both injured.[16]
On 16 July 1976,Peter Taylor, who had been Clough's assistant at Hartlepools, Derby and Brighton, re-joined him at Forest.[10] Taylor included being the club's talent spotter in his role. After assessing the players Taylor told Clough "that was a feat by you to finish eighth in the Second Division because some of them are only Third Division players".[17] Taylor beratedJohn Robertson for allowing himself to become overweight and disillusioned. He got Robertson on a diet and training regime that would help him become a European Cup winner.[18] Taylor turned Woodcock from a reserve midfielder into a 42 cap England striker.[19] In September 1976 he bought strikerPeter Withe to Forest for £43,000, selling him toNewcastle United for £250,000 two years later.[20] Withe was replaced in the starting team byGarry Birtles who Taylor had scouted playing for non-leagueLong Eaton United. Birtles also went on to represent England.[21] In October 1976 Clough, acting on Taylor's advice, signed centre-halfLarry Lloyd from Coventry for £60,000 after an initial loan period. Lloyd had previously won the First Division, FA Cup and UEFA Cup underBill Shankly at Liverpool.
The first trophy of the Clough and Taylor reign was the1976–77 Anglo-Scottish Cup. Forest beatOrient 5–1 on aggregate in the two-legged final played in December 1976.[10] Clough valued winning a derided trophy as the club's first silverware since 1959. He said, "Those who said it was a nothing trophy were absolutely crackers. We'd won something, and it made all the difference."[22]
Forest challenged for promotion during the1976–77 season. On 7 May 1977 Forest beatMillwall 1–0 at the City Ground in their final league match of the season.[23] This left Forest second in the table in the fight for the three promotion places, but reliant onBolton Wanderers dropping points in their three games in hand.[24] Ultimately, Wolves' 1–0 win at Bolton thanks toKenny Hibbitt's goal from his rehearsed free kick routine withWillie Carr meant that Bolton could not overtake Forest, leaving Forest 3rd in the final standings.[16][25] Bolton's defeat reached the Forest team mid-air en route to an end of season break inMallorca.[16] Forest's third place promotion from the1976–77 Football League Second Division was the fifth-lowest points tally of any promoted team in history, 52[10][1] (two points for a win in England until 1981).
Taylor secretly followed Birmingham City strikerKenny Burns and concluded that Burns' reputation as a hard drinker and gambler was exaggerated. Taylor therefore persuaded Clough to sign Burns for £150,000 in July 1977. Burns was converted from a striker to a centre-back and formed a formidable defensive partnership with Larry Lloyd.[26][27] Forest started their return to the top league campaign with a 3–1 win atEverton. Three further wins in league and cup followed without conceding a goal. Then in early September Forest conceded five goals in two matches: a 3–0 loss atArsenal and a 3–2 win over Wolves, which convinced Clough and Taylor to signPeter Shilton from Stoke for £275,000.[28] Taylor reasoned: "Shilton wins you matches."[29] Shilton would concede only 18 league goals over the rest of the season. Later in the month, Forest signedArchie Gemmill from Derby County for £25,000, with Forest keeperJohn Middleton also moving to Derby in part-exchange.[30] Gemmill thus became the third member of Clough and Taylor's title-winning Derby side to join Forest.[26][31]
Forest led the First Division for most of the1977–78 season and were confirmed as1977–78 Football League champions after a 0–0 draw against Coventry City on 22 April 1978, seven points ahead of runners-upLiverpool. Forest became one of the few teams (and the most recent team to date) to win the First Division title the season after winning promotion from the Second Division.[nb 1] This made Clough the third of four managers to win theEnglish league championship with two different clubs.[nb 2] Forest lost only three of the 42 league games and conceded just 24 goals.[29] Their only other defeat all season was a sixth round FA Cup loss againstWest Bromwich Albion in March.[28] They also beat Liverpool in the1978 Football League Cup Final. The match went to a replay as the game at Wembley finished 0–0. The replay, played atOld Trafford four days later, was decided by a John Robertson penalty, giving Forest a 1–0 win. Forest had been without cup-tied Shilton, Gemmill and December signingDavid Needham.[32] 18-year-old goalkeeperChris Woods played in both matches in Shilton's absence. McGovern missed the replay through injury meaning Burns lifted the trophy as deputising captain.[22][33] Burns was votedFWA Footballer of the Year and Shilton won thePFA Players' Player of the Year award.
Forest started the1978–79 season by beatingIpswich Town 5–0 in theFA Charity Shield, a record win in the competition.[10] On 9 December 1978 Liverpool ended Forest's 42 match unbeaten league run dating back to the November the year before.[10] The unbeaten run was the equivalent of a whole season, surpassing the previous record of 35 games held byBurnley in 1920/21.[34] The record stood until it was surpassed by Arsenal in August 2004, a month before Clough's death.Arsenal played49 league games without defeat.[35] Forest also beatSouthampton 3–2 at Wembley to retain the League Cup; Birtles scored twice and Woodcock once. Forest finished second in theFirst Division, eight points behind Liverpool. In February 1979 Forest completed the English game's first £1 million transfer by signing strikerTrevor Francis fromBirmingham City.[36]
In the1978–79 European Cup, they were drawn to play the winners of the two previous seasons, Liverpool. Forest took a 2–0 first leg lead thanks to goals from Birtles andColin Barrett. A 0–0 draw at Anfield ensured that Forest progressed to the next round.[37] Further wins againstAEK Athens andGrasshopper Zurich took them to the semi-finals, where they were drawn to face German champions1. FC Köln. In the first leg at the City Ground Köln took a surprise 2–0 lead. Forest then bounced back to lead 3–2, before a rare Shilton error allowed the Germans to make it 3–3. Due to the away goals rule, this meant that Forest had to win in Koln to progress to the final. In the second leg in Germany,Ian Bowyer scored the only goal of the match to put Forest through.Günter Netzer asked afterwards, "Who is this McGovern? I have never heard of him, yet he ran the game." Forest's opponents in thefinal at Munich'sOlympiastadion were Swedish championsMalmö. Francis scored the only goal with a back post header from Robertson's cross. As he had been signed mid-season, the final was the first European Cup match that Francis was eligible to play in.
_-_Francis%2c_Clough%2c_Robertson.jpg)
In the1979–80 season Forest declined to play in the home and away1979 Intercontinental Cup against Paraguay'sClub Olimpia. Forest beatBarcelona 2–1 on aggregate in the1979 European Super Cup in January and February 1980.Charlie George scored the only goal in the home first leg. Burns scored an equaliser in the return in Spain.[38] In the1979–80 Football League Cup Forest reached a third successive final. A defensive mix up between Needham and Shilton let Wolves'Andy Gray tap in to an empty net. Forest passed up numerous chances losing 1–0.[39] In the1979–80 European Cup quarter-finals Forest won 3–1 atDynamo Berlin to overturn a 1–0 home defeat. In the semi-finals they beatAjax Amsterdam 2–1 on aggregate. They beatHamburg 1–0 in thefinal at Madrid'sSantiago Bernabéu Stadium to retain the trophy. Robertson scored after exchanging passes with Birtles.[40] Forest finished fifth in the1979–80 Football League.
In the1980–81 season Forest were knocked out in theEuropean Cup first round after surprise 1–0 home and away defeats by CSKA Sofia.[41] McGovern subsequently said the double defeat by CSKA affected the team's self-confidence in that they had lost out to modestly talented opponents.[16] Forest lost the1980 European Super Cup on away goals after a 2–2 aggregate draw againstValencia Bowyer scored both Forest goals in the home first leg.[42] On 11 February 1981 Forest lost 1–0 in the1980 Intercontinental Cup against Uruguayan side,Club Nacional de Football. The match was played for the first time at the neutral venueNational Stadium inTokyo before 62,000 spectators.[43]
With the club heavily in debt, having recently built the new Executive Stand, the league and European Cup winning squad was hastily broken up to capitalise on player sale value. Clough and Taylor both later said this was a mistake.[11] By 1982, almost all of the club's European Cup-winning players, including Trevor Francis, Peter Shilton, Ian Bowyer, Martin O'Neill, John McGovern and Kenny Burns, had left the club. Garry Birtles was sold to Manchester United in 1980 but returned to Forest two years later. Bowyer also returned in 1982, having joined Sunderland a year earlier. The rebuilt side included youngsters and big money signings likeIan Wallace,Raimondo Ponte,Peter Ward andJustin Fashanu, which failed to work out. The club did not challenge for trophies and Forest finished 12th in the First Division in the1981–82 season, their lowest finish since gaining promotion in 1977. At the end of the season Taylor announced his retirement. Taylor said in 1982:[44]
"For many weeks now I don't believe I've been doing justice to the partnership and I certainly haven't been doing justice to Nottingham Forest the way I felt. And consequently after a great deal of thought, there was no option. I wanted to take an early retirement. That's exactly what I've done."
Trainer Jimmy Gordon retired in the same close season.[11]
In1982–83 season, Clough's first season without Taylor, Forest improved to finish fifth in the First Division, enough to earn aUEFA Cup place. Thefollowing season Forest mounted a title challenge and finished 3rd, just six points behind champions Liverpool. They also progressed to theUEFA Cup semi finals, where they were knocked out byAnderlecht in controversial circumstances as several contentious refereeing decisions went against Forest. Over a decade later it emerged that before the match the referee Guruceta Muro received a £27,000 "loan" from Anderlecht's chairmanConstant Vanden Stock.[45] UEFA subsequently in 1997 banned Anderlecht for one year from European competition for this misdemeanour. Muro had died in a car crash in 1987.[46]
Forest remained in mid-table for the next three seasons, finishing 9th in1984–85, 8th in1985–86 and 8th in1986–87. Clough rebuilt the side again, giving first team debuts to youth playersDes Walker,Steve Hodge and his sonNigel. He also signed left-back (and future captain)Stuart Pearce and midfielderNeil Webb. In1987–88, Forest improved to finish third in the First Division and also reached theFA Cup semi-finals, losing 2–1 to Liverpool. In April 1988, Forest beatSheffield Wednesday on penalties to win theFootball League Centenary Tournament final.[47]Stuart Pearce also won the first of his five successive selections for thePFA Team of the Year. However, there was no fresh tilt at European glory for Forest in the late 1980s, as all English clubs were banned from European competitions due to theHeysel disaster in 1985.
The following1988–89 season, Forest finished third again. The team also won the club's first major trophy in nine years, the League Cup, with a 3–1 win over Luton Town at Wembley in thefinal. After going a goal down early on,Nigel Clough equalised with a penalty before he andNeil Webb added two more. Forest also beat Everton 4–3 after extra time in the 1989Full Members Cup final. In their 5–2 League Cup quarter-final win over Queens Park Rangers, Brian Clough had caused controversy by striking two Forest fans who had run onto the pitch, which earned him a fine and touchline ban.[48][49]
Forest chased a unique cup treble but tragedy struck a week after the League Cup win. Forest and Liverpool met for the second consecutive season in the FA Cup semi-finals. TheHillsborough disaster claimed the lives of 97 Liverpool fans. The match was abandoned after six minutes. When the emotion laden rescheduled game took place Forest struggled as Liverpool won 3–1. Forest finished third in the First Division for a second successive year. However they were unable to compete in theUEFA Cup as English clubs were still banned from European competitions.Des Walker won the first of his four successive selections for thePFA Team of the Year.
In1989–90, Forest retained the League Cup withNigel Jemson scoring the only goal in a 1–0 win overOldham Athletic, but could only finish ninth in the First Division. Despite winning the League Cup, Forest would miss out on European football the following season. Though the ban on English clubs playing in European competitions had been lifted for the1990–91 season, the only UEFA Cup place went to league runners-up Aston Villa. Three Forest players (Walker, Pearce and Hodge) were named in thePFA Team of the Year for that season.
In1990–91, though league form was again indifferent, Forest reached another final, this time in theFA Cup, the only domestic trophy that Clough had never won. The match is best remembered for the antics of Spurs playmakerPaul Gascoigne, whose high tackle onGarry Parker after just two minutes might have been expected to have merited an automatic red card, but was let off without a booking from refereeRoger Milford. Soon afterwardsGascoigne ruptured his cruciate ligament while making another horror tackle onGary Charles. He again escaped a red card.Stuart Pearce put Forest ahead after 16 minutes direct from the resulting free kick and shortly afterwardsGascoigne was stretchered off the pitch and was out of action for a year afterwards.[50]Mark Crossley saved aGary Lineker penalty, becoming only the second player to do so in an FA Cup final.Paul Stewart equalised after 55 minutes and the match went into extra time. Clough opted not to talk to the players before extra time, instead remaining on the bench. Spurs ultimately won 2–1 after Des Walker inadvertently put the ball into his own net. A 19-year-oldRoy Keane later admitted that he was not fit to play in the match, which he said was why he played such an insignificant role in the final.[51]
In the summer of 1991, Forest signedMillwall strikerTeddy Sheringham for a club record fee of £2 million. Sheringham would score 20 goals in hisdebut season, helping Forest reach a thirdFootball League Cup final in four years, though this time they lost 1–0 to Manchester United. They also won the Full Members Cup for a second time, beating Southampton 3–2 after extra time. Forest had played in seven domestic cup finals at Wembley in five seasons winning five of the finals. Forest finished eighth in the league to earn a place in the newFA Premier League.
During the summer of 1992 Des Walker signed forSampdoria. On 16 August 1992, on the opening day of the new season, Forest beat Liverpool 1–0 at home in the first ever live televised Premier League game; Sheringham scored the only goal.[52] A week later Sheringham was sold to Tottenham for £2.1 million. Over the next few months, Forest were frequently linked with strikers includingStan Collymore,Andy Cole andDean Saunders, but Clough opted not to replace Sheringham and without his goals, Forest's form slumped. They were also without the defensive skills of Des Walker, who had been sold toSampdoria that summer.
They did not win another league match until mid-October, at which point they were bottom of the league. Forest spent most of the season bottom of the Premier League. Clough's final signing, strikerRobert Rosario, arrived at theCity Ground in March 1993, but failed to inspire a turnaround for his new club.
In April, it was announced that Clough would retire at the end of the season. His 18-year managerial reign ultimately ended with relegation, which was confirmed after a 2–0 home defeat against fellow strugglers Sheffield United at the beginning of May. The final game of that season was away at Ipswich; Forest lost 2–1. Ironically his son Nigel scored the last goal of the Clough era.[1] Relegation and the departure of Clough was followed by Keane's £3.75 million British record fee transfer to Manchester United.
Brian Clough remains Nottingham Forest's most successful manager. All but two of the club's major honours - their 1898 and 1959 FA Cup wins - were won during his reign. Since his departure, Forest have not won a major trophy. The Executive Stand at the City Ground was renamed the Brian Clough stand in his honour. In 2008, a statue of Clough was unveiled by his widow Barbara on King Street, just off Old Market Square in the City Centre. In 2015, the main stand at the City Ground was renamed the Peter Taylor stand, in recognition of Taylor's contribution to the club.
Clough's managerial record
Played: 908,
Won: 418,
Drawn: 256,
Lost: 234
As soon as Clough's departure was announced, the search for a successor began. Former playerMartin O’Neill was among the names linked with the manager's job. Eventually another former Forest player -Frank Clark - was named as the new manager, 14 years after ending his playing career with the club.
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 withLeyton 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 in1994–95 and qualified for theUEFA Cup - their first entry to European competition in the post-Heysel era. The 1994–95 season was a glorious one as far as Forest were concerned as just about every team promoted into thePremier League are almost certain favourites to be relegated the following season. One of the many highlights of the 1994–95 season was a memorable victory overManchester United atOld Trafford, withStan Collymore andStuart Pearce scoring the goals, a game fondly remembered by Forest fans of that era. The likes ofStan Collymore,Stuart Pearce and theDutch internationalBryan 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 successorAndrea Silenzi was considered to be a disappointing signing. With Collymore gone, Forest's goals dried up in the Premiership during1995–96 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 strikerDean Saunders and Croatian defenderNikola Jerkan to Forest's squad for the1996–97 season, but they started badly and it 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
Played: 178,
Won: 73,
Drawn: 58,
Lost: 47
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 toCrystal Palace managerDave Bassett. Despite the addition ofCeltic'sDutch strikerPierre 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 ofKevin Campbell and Pierre van Hooijdonk was soon broken up: Campbell was sold to Turkish sideTrabzonspor 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
Played: 77,
Won: 33,
Drawn: 20,
Lost: 24
Ron Atkinson made his last managerial appearance in football as Nottingham Forest's interim manager, taking charge in January 1999. Brought in with the alleged promise of a 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. It was later claimed that in true Big Ron style he was heard joking after the match that he'd thought Forest hadDennis Bergkamp on their bench. 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, as shown by his record in charge.
Atkinson's managerial record
Played: 16,
Won: 4,
Drawn: 2,
Lost: 10
When the board decided not to renew Atkinson's contract, the club's choice was 33-year-old former England captainDavid Platt, whose brief spell as head coach of Italian Serie A sideSampdoria had just ended in relegation.
Former England captain Platt was named as Nottingham Forest's player-manager in July 1999.
Platt's managerial record
Played: 103,
Won: 34,
Drawn: 25,
Lost: 44
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).
Hart's managerial record
Played: 134,
Won: 45,
Draw: 44,
Lost: 45
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 likeMichael Dawson andAndy Reid, and they climbed to a secure 14th place in the final table. Kinnear was hoping to push for promotion from the newly namedChampionship in 2004–05, but the start to the season was poor. Despite a promising draw on opening day (1–1 vsWigan 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-rivalsDerby County atPride Park Stadium, with Forest struggling at the foot of the Championship.
Kinnear's managerial record
Played: 44,
Won: 15,
Drawn: 15,
Lost: 14
Following a brief caretaker reign ofMick Harford, in January 2005,Gary Megson was named asNottingham Forest's new manager. He had previously won promotion to the Premiership twice withWest Bromwich Albion, having taken over at a time when they were on the verge of relegation to League One. 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 Championship and were relegated toLeague One. This made them the first former winners of the European Cup to suffer relegation to the third tier of their domestic league.
Megson departed 'by mutual consent' on 16 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 managerial record
Played: 59,
Won: 17,
Drawn: 18,
Lost: 24
Frank Barlow (Assistant Manager) andIan 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 atPort Vale. It was Forest's first away win since 27 August 2005 (which was 3–1 atGillingham), 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 againstSwindon Town, the first time Forest scored 7 goals in a League game for over a decade.
The unbeaten run under Frank Barlow and Ian McParland extended to 10, with 6 consecutive wins, a feat that was last achieved in the '60s and something that even Brian Clough could not achieve,[citation needed] when Forest beat relegation battlingYeovil Town 2–1 in front of a near sell-out crowd at theCity Ground.[citation needed] It was the second set of winning two consecutive games by Forest since 2004, whenJoe Kinnear was in charge and the first time they had won more than 4 consecutive games in 11 years. The winning run eventually ended in a thrilling 3–2 defeat at the hands of strugglingHartlepool 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 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 when they could only draw atBradford City on the final day of the season.
Ian McParland/Frank Barlow's record
Played: 13
Won: 8
Drawn: 4
Lost: 1
In May 2006,Colin Calderwood became the twelfth manager of Nottingham Forest in thirteen years. The formerScotland international had previously been on Forest's books as a player in 2000, having only recently taken the step into management withNorthampton Town, Calderwood's first game in charge was a 5–0 friendly win at local sideIlkeston Town.
Calderwood's first season inLeague One as Forest manager started with two new signings in the shapes of goalkeeperPaul Smith and Ghanaian International strikerJunior Agogo. Forest won their first four matches of the season, including their opening match againstBradford City. Forest's first defeat of the campaign came in theLeague Cup first round with defeat at Football League newcomersAccrington Stanley. Calderwood was namedLeague One's Manager Of The Month for August after 7 matches unbeaten, including a 4–0 home win againstChesterfield. The Reds then went four games without a win, with a home defeat toOldham and were then thrashed 4–0 againstScunthorpe United, yet again at home.
However, Forest returned to good form as they went nine games unbeaten, including a seven match winning run, before losing toAFC Bournemouth. This led to the collapse of their seven-pointleague lead as they just won one in five with a 1–1 draw againstTranmere Rovers knocking them off the top ofLeague One in late December 2006 for the first time since August 2006. A further 5–0 defeat away atOldham saw Forest fall out of the automatic promotion places.
But, fortunes again picked up as Forest produced a shock 2–0 win at home toPremiership sideCharlton Athletic in theFA Cup third round. However, disappointment was to follow as Forest were comfortably beaten 3–0 by then holding league championsChelsea in the following round.
The Reds then invested in three players, former playerDavid Prutton andAlan Wright joining on a season-long loans with defenderLuke Chambers signing for an undisclosed fee. Those three additions helped Forest back into good form by only losing three times in their next 17League One games. This put Forest only one point behind second-placedBristol City with one game remaining, but a 0–0 draw at home toCrewe and victory for City meant that Forest finished the2006–07 season in 4th place, and in theplay-offs.
Forest facedYeovil Town in theplay-off semi-finals and won the first-leg encounter atHuish Park 2–0 with penalties fromKris Commons andJames Perch. Forest were left odds-on to progress toWembley, only to lose 5–2 after extra-time at home in the second leg to condemn The Reds to a third season inLeague One. Top scorerGrant Holt (18 goals in all competitions) was the runaway winner of the fans' player of the season.
On 20 June 2007, Forest announced ambitious plans to relocate to a new stadium in theClifton area of the city.[53]
Calderwood signed five players in the middle of 2007, most notably formerCeltic captainNeil Lennon on a free transfer. Also captured were left-backMatt Lockwood fromLeyton Orient,Preston North End defenderKelvin Wilson andYeovil Town duo midfielderChris Cohen and attacking wingerArron Davies all signing for undisclosed fees.
Forest started poorly to the2007–08 campaign as they failed to win in their first six competitive games. The Reds drew three times and lost 2–1 at home to rivalsLeeds United, as well as losing 3–2 toPeterborough United in theFootball League Trophy, despite performing well.
In theLeague Cup, after beatingChester City 4–2 on penalties, the second round tie againstLeicester City was abandoned at half-time due to the collapse ofClive Clarke. In the replay, as The Reds were leading 1–0 when the referee called the game off, Leicester sportingly allowed Forest to take the 1–0 lead after 23Nottingham Forest 2 v 3 Leicester City | Nottingham Forest | News | Latest News | Latest News seconds through goalkeeperPaul Smith setting many football records. Despite this, Forest lost the game 3–2 after being ahead with three minutes to go.
However, The Reds' league fortunes improved with an eight-game league unbeaten run. After drawing 2–2 atBristol Rovers,Forest then hit five wins in six games which included two hat-tricks, helping The Reds score 15 in the process. The unbeaten run continued with a 0–0 draw at home toDoncaster Rovers but then collapsed as Forest only claimed one point in their next two games. However, they have recovered with three vital wins over promotional rivals to move up to second in the League One table. The Reds also set the Football League record for the most league clean sheets this season, 10 clean sheets in 16 league games.
In the 2007–08 campaign, Forest were named title favourites for the third consecutive year.Calderwood signed five players in the middle of 2007, most notably formerCeltic captainNeil Lennon on a free transfer. Also captured were left-backMatt Lockwood fromLeyton Orient,Preston North End defenderKelvin Wilson andYeovil Town duo midfielderChris Cohen and attacking wingerArron Davies all signing for undisclosed fees.
But they lost top spot with some poor results, as they failed to win away from home, in a run lasting seven games. After moving back into second place, Forest's away form once again was found lacking which allowedCarlisle andDoncaster to overtake them into second and third place respectively. Forest hit a poor spell of results, seeing them collect just one win in seven games.
However, they turned their form around, and after being 11 points behind second-place at one point, Forest amazingly turned it around. A win Carlisle saw Forest then win six out of their last seven games of the season. Forest, who had only been in the automatic promotion places once all season got promoted to the Championship on a dramatic last day of the season, by beatingYeovil 3–2 at theCity Ground to secure second place. The Reds kept a league record of 24 clean sheets out of 46 games, which helped them end their three-year spell in the league's third tier and gain their first promotion in ten years.
Forest had begun preparing for the2008–09 season, with the release of three players, includingKris Commons, and offering six players new contracts, includingSammy Clingan andNathan Tyson.[54] Forest also agreed a £2.65m fee forDerby strikerRobert Earnshaw, in total buying 5 players, including Earnshaw, along withCarlisle United strikerJoe Garner,Guy Moussi of Angers SCO, Paul Anderson on a season long loan from Liverpool and veteran striker Andy Cole.[55]
On 26 December 2008, after a string of poor and inconsistent results, Calderwood was relieved of his duties.
Colin Calderwood's Football League record
Played: 109
Won: 52
Drawn: 33
Lost: 24
Under the temporary stewardship ofJohn Pemberton, Forest finally climbed out of the relegation zone, having beatenNorwich City 3–2.[56]Billy Davies was confirmed as the new manager on 1 January 2009[57] and watched Pemberton's side beatManchester City 3–0 away in theFA Cup, prior to taking official charge. Under Davies, Forest stretched their unbeaten record in all competitions following Calderwood's sacking to six matches, including five wins. He also helped them avoid relegation as they finished 19th in theChampionship, securing survival with one game to go.
In preparation for the2009–10 campaign, Forest signed nine players, five of whom were on loan at the club in the previous season and returned on permanent deals. The returneesLee Camp,[58][59]Chris Gunter,[60][61]Joel Lynch,[62]Paul Anderson[63] andDexter Blackstock[64] have been joined byPaul McKenna,[60][61]David McGoldrick,[65]Dele Adebola[66] and loaneeRadosław Majewski.[67] The season has been very successful for Forest with the club holding a top-three position for the majority of the season, putting together an unbeaten run of 20 league games, winning 12 consecutive home league games (a club record for successive home wins in a single season), going unbeaten away from home from the beginning of the season until 30 January 2010 (a run spanning 13 games) whilst also claiming memorable home victories over bitter local rivalsDerby County andLeicester City. On 10 April 2010, despite it being confirmed that the club would miss out on automatic promotion to thePremier League afterWest Bromwich Albion defeatedDoncaster Rovers 3–2, Forest secured a Play-off place in theFootball League Championship after a 3–0 home victory againstIpswich Town. However, Forest were beaten byBlackpool at Bloomfield Road, 2–1, on 9 May 2010 and 4–3 in the home leg at the City Ground on 12 May 2010 (the club's first defeat at home since losing to the same opposition in September 2009), going out 6–4 on aggregate and missing out on promotion to thePremier League.The 2010–11 season saw Forest, after a season of highs and lows, finish sixth place in championship table with 75 points, putting them into the play-offs for the fourth time in the space of eight years. Unfortunately, promotion was yet again to elude Forest, as they were beaten over 2 legs by eventual play-off final winnersSwansea City. Having drawn the first leg 0–0 at the City Ground, they were eventually beaten 3–1 in the second leg in a hard-fought contest against the Welsh outfit.
In June 2011Billy Davies's contract was terminated,[68][69] and he was replaced as manager bySteve McClaren, who signed a three-year contract.[70][71] McClaren brought inAndy Reid,[72]Jonathan Greening,[73]George Boateng,[74]Matt Derbyshire and[75]Ishmael Miller[76] on permanent deals andClint Hill[77] on an emergency loan.
Following a poor start to the 2011–2012 season, McClaren became increasingly frustrated with his managerial role. As was the case with his predecessor, McClaren repeatedly called for the club to show greater ambition in signing new players, including "stellar" signings which would take his squad to the next level, especially since the club had seen 9 players leave in the off-season. Despite these concerns, the transfer window closed with only 5 new additions. After an injury to Chris Cohen, Clint Hill was signed on loan from Queen's Park Rangers, but other loan targets identified by McClaren were not pursued. After a 5–1 defeat away to Burnley, McClaren held emergency talks with the club chairman, Nigel Doughty. The result of the meeting was the departure of David Pleat as a club adviser. Pleat had drawn the ire of many fans because of his role in the club's acquisition committee, and rightly or wrongly, it was assumed he had been obstructionist and advised the club not to make expensive new signings. The departure of Pleat, which was also accompanied by the departure of Bill Beswick, was viewed as a sign the club were behind McClaren. However, less than a week later McClaren resigned from his role as manager on 2 October 2011 after a 3–1 home defeat toBirmingham City.[78] Forest held a 1–0 lead for much of the game before eventually falling apart after Birmingham scored the equaliser. McClaren's disappointment with the lack of new signings was assumed to be behind the reason for his departure, and he left the club without compensation.Nigel Doughty also announced he would resign from his role as chairman at the end of the season, though it was stated he would continue to support the club financially. Doughty had also become an unpopular figure with some supporters since his lack of financial backing for McClaren and his predecessor appeared to be tied to his concerns over financial fair play rules that were to be adopted in the Championship in the near future. A new search for manager and chairman began immediately with the names of former playersNigel Clough,Roy Keane, andMartin O'Neill, among others, being touted by betting agencies to take over the vacant managerial position.
During this period, no fewer than 18 managers have managed Nottingham Forest since the departure ofSteve McClaren.
Following McClaren's departure, chairmanNigel Doughty stepped down as chairman, saying it was 'the honourable thing to do' following McClaren's resignation.[79] Assistant managerRob Kelly was appointed as caretaker manager following McClaren's dismissal. On 12 October 2011,Frank Clark became the new chairman of the club,[80] and on 14 October 2011,Steve Cotterill was appointed as manager, replacing the recently departedSteve McClaren.[81]
On 4 February 2012, former chairman and ownerNigel Doughty died as a result ofSudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS).[82][83] On 11 July 2012, it was announced that the Al-Hasawi family had purchasedNottingham Forest from the estate ofNigel Doughty.[84] The next day, the Al-Hasawi family sacked managerSteve Cotterill.[85]
On 19 July 2012,Crawley Town managerSean O'Driscoll was appointed as his replacement, despite the fact he had not taken charge of a single game at his former club.[86] On 26 December 2012, just hours after a 4–2 victory overLeeds United, O'Driscoll was sacked.[87]
On 27 December 2012, Forest appointedAlex McLeish as their new manager.[88] Chief executive Mark Arthur as well as scout Keith Burt and club ambassadorFrank Clark were dismissed in January 2013.[89] On 5 February 2013, Alex McLeish left the club by mutual agreement, just 40 days after McLeish took charge of the club.[90] Pundits and supporters stated their concern for the state of the club,[91] with journalistPat Murphy describing the situation as a "shambles".[92]
Two days later,Billy Davies was re-appointed asNottingham Forest manager.[93] Forest finished the2012–13 season in 8th place, one point outside the play-off positions.[94]
Nottingham Forest started the2013–14 season strongly, with just one defeat in their first twelve matches.[95] On 24 March 2014, Davies was sacked following a 5–0 defeat against local rivalsDerby County.[96] Academy managerGary Brazil was appointed as a caretaker manager.[96] Forest finished the season in 11th place, 7 points short of the play-offs.[97]
On 3 April 2014,Nottingham Forest announced that former playerStuart Pearce would take over as Forest manager on 1 July 2014.[98]
Pearce walked out to a hero's welcome at theCity Ground against Blackpool[99] and after 5 wins and 2 draws from the first 7 games sat top of the Championship table. Forest began to struggle though and, after drawing the next 4 games, endured a terrible run with 10 defeats and another 4 draws in the next 17 games as well as defeats toRochdale in theFA Cup andTottenham Hotspur in theLeague Cup. Despite the strong start to the2014–15 season,Stuart Pearce wasn't given time to turn it around and was sacked on 1 February 2015.
Dougie Freedman was appointed Pearce's replacement little over an hour after his departure.[100][101] Forest finished the season in 14th place in theChampionship.[102] On 13 March 2016,Dougie Freedman was sacked, following a poor run of form.[103]
Paul Williams took over as caretaker manager until the end of the season.[103] The2015–16 season saw Forest finish 16th on 55 points.[104]
On 27 June 2016,Phillippe Montanier was announced as Nottingham Forest's new manager, signing a two-year contract with the Nottinghamshire club.[105] However, on 14 January 2017, Montanier was sacked with the club 20th in the Championship.[106][107]
Gary Brazil took charge of the club on a caretaker basis, until, on 14 March 2017, Forest appointedMark Warburton as Montanier's successor.[108] Forest finished 21st on 51 points in2016–17, finishing above the relegation zone on goal difference.[109]
On 18 May 2017, it was confirmed thatEvangelos Marinakis had completed his takeover of Nottingham Forest,[110] bringing an end to Al-Hasawi's reign as Forest owner. Incumbent manager Mark Warburton was sacked on 31 December 2017 following a 1–0 home defeat to strugglingSunderland, with a record of one win in seven.[111]
He was replaced by SpaniardAitor Karanka, who arrived on 8 January 2018, immediately after caretaker managerGary Brazil had masterminded a 4–2 home win over FA Cup holdersArsenal in the third round of the FA Cup.[112] Karanka made 10 new signings during the January transfer window.[113] Following a 17th-place finish in the Championship for the 2017–18 season, Karanka made 14 new signings during the summer transfer window and the following season results improved.[114] However, despite a strong league position, Karanka left his position on 11 January 2019 after having been asked to be released from his contract.[115]
He was replaced with club legend and former Republic of Ireland bossMartin O'Neill four days later with another former Red, Roy Keane arriving later as his Assistant Manager.[116] However, O'Neill was sacked in June after reportedly falling out with some of the senior first team players. He was replaced withSabri Lamouchi on the same day.[117]
Sabri Lamouchi became the first Forest manager to complete a league season since Billy Davies in 2010/2011. His team looked destined to have a shot at the Premier League via the playoffs, having occupying a place in the top-6 for 207 days during the season, right up until the 96th minute of the final game when an own goal sealed a 4–1 defeat at home toStoke City, withSwansea City completing a 4–1 victory away atReading to overhaul Forest for the final play off place on goal difference.[118]
Lamouchi had finished the previous season with a dismal 3 draws and 3 defeats to relinquish their play off place in the last minute and after starting the 2020/21 season with 4 straight defeats was sacked and replaced the following day byChris Hughton.
Chris Hughton began his reign with a victory againstBlackburn Rovers, steering Forest out of the relegation zone in the process. This remained the case for the rest of the season, with 15th place a high point but for the second season running Forest were without a win in the final 6 games. Just like the previous season Forest started the 2021/22 season with 4 straight league defeats, and after rescuing a point with a late equaliser against rivalsDerby County another 2 defeats followed and Hughton was sacked with Forest bottom of the table having experienced their worst start to a season for 108 years.[119]Steven Reid took over as caretaker and secured the first league win of the season, 2–0, away atHuddersfield Town.
Steve Cooper (whoseSwansea City team had benefited from Forest's capitulation at the end of the 2019/20 season) was appointed manager on 21 September 2021 and immediately oversaw a complete turnaround in the club's fortunes with 11 wins, 6 draws, and 3 defeats propelling them to within a place and a point of the playoffs following the defeat of Barnsley on 25 January 2022.
On 9 January Forest hostedArsenal in the FA Cup 3rd round in a repeat of the fixture from 4 years ago. Forest held Arsenal at nil nil untilLewis Grabban came off the bench to score a late winner, to book their place in the 4th round at home to East Midlands rivalsLeicester City and send the FA Cup's most successful ever team out at the 3rd round stage for only the second time in 26 years - both at the City Ground. On 29 May 2022, Nottingham Forest won the play-off finals against Huddersfield Town A.F.C and entered the Premier League for the 2022-2023 season. This is Nottingham Forest's first entry into the Premier League for 23 years since being knocked out in 1999. Steve Cooper has been commended for his performance as manager after entering the club while they were at the bottom of the table and taking them into promotion in one season.