Position: Defender Born: Newark Signed from: Apprentice, July 1972
Debut: 21 April 1973 vs Preston North End Sold to: Huddersfield Town, June 1973
Locally born defender who made a couple of appearances in the dying days of the dismal 1972-73 season, as Dave Mackay started to experiment with a few young players once Forest were finally safe from the threat of relegation. Not up to much.
Better known in his later career, as a League referee.
Back to ... The Players : 1972 - 1973
Position: Forward. Born: Warrington. Signed from: Unattached, August 1992.
Debut: 22 August 1992 vs Oldham Athletic Sold to: Stoke City, May 1993.
Signed on a free transfer in 1992 (just as Cloughie was finally losing the plot), presumably to replace the recently-departed Teddy Sheringham. With the greatest of respect to Bannister, who was by no means rubbish, he was never remotely in the Sheringham class - but he was better than either of his "rivals" for the Number 10 shirt, Lee "Barn Door" Glover and Big Bad Bonking Bob Rosario.
Which is not saying much.
Forest needed a top class centre forward to play alongside the manager's son in order to keep us in the Premier League. Instead we got a perfectly decent journeyman pro forward who managed 8 League goals (second only to Nigel Clough) in an increasingly desperate season.
Bannister belonged in the lower divisions, where he would probably have been lethal. Instead he helped take us to the lower divisions... and promptly left.
Back to ... The Players : 1992 - 1993
Position: Forward / Midfield. Born: Hull, 11 February 1974. Signed from: Leeds United (LOAN), February 2004.
Debut: 27 February 2004 vs Bradford City
Signed by Joe Kinnear to add some quality to our attacking play, Barmby was a class above the relegation dog-fight into which he was thrown; this is a guy who was in the England side that won 5-1 in Munich less than 2 seasons before. For some reason he had fallen out of favour at Leeds (though God knows how in such a doomed side); their short-sightedness was our gain.
Though he was past his absolute best, he still made 99% of Division 1 players look decidedly ordinary, not so much in terms of what he could do with the ball at his feet (though that was good), but with his movement off the ball and his awareness of players around him.
A class act who eventually found his feet at the heart of his home town club, Hull City (currently operating at a notably higher level than Forest).
Back to ... The Players : 2003 - 2004
Position: Defender (usually Left Back). Born: Stockport. Signed from: Manchester City, March 1976.
Debut: 13 May 1976 vs Fulham Sold to: Swindon Town, June 1980.
To me, one of the most staggering statistics of Forest's 1977-1978 Championship season is the fact that in 56 league and Cup games we used only 14 out-field players (a fact well worth quoting to modern Arsenal, Chelsea and Man United fans when they whinge about how much football their 50-strong squads are forced to play nowadays). This was made possible largely by the versatility of players like Ian Bowyer and Colin Barrett. Barrett could play almost anywhere in midfield or defence, though his best position was at left back.
Though he was a very accomplished defender, Barrett will always have a special place in the affections of this particular Forest fan for one of his rare goals. When Forest drew the formidable Liverpool side (who'd won the European Cup for the previous 2 seasons) in the First Round of the European Cup, the press assumed (not for the first or last time) that we hadn't a chance. With 2 minutes to go in the first (home) leg, we were 1-0 up and the Liverpool fans were making very confident noises about how they'd easily overcome a 1 goal deficit at Anfield.
Then Barrett won the ball in centre field, released Garry Birtles up the left and hared up field. Birtles crossed, Tony Woodcock nodded it down... and Barrett hammered an unstoppable volley into the top corner. It was a brilliant goal by any standards, and I for one will never forget the sight of the old Bridgford End erupting against the night sky, accompanied by one of the loudest roars I have ever heard at any football ground. We easily held out for a 0-0 draw in the second leg anyway, so maybe it wouldn't have mattered - but it remains the single most memorable goal of my Forest-supporting career.
Colin never really matched that again (he never had to!), and injuries sent his career into fairly rapid decline a couple of years later - but let's put this into perspective; he won a European Cup Winners' Medal, so you could hardly call him a journeyman!.
Rumoured now to be making an honest living as a painter & decorator in Southwell (unless anyone knows better?).
Back to ... The Players : 1975 - 1976 : 1976 - 1977 : 1977 - 1978 : 1978 - 1979
Position: Goalkeeper Born: Durham Signed from: Oxford United, July 1970
Debut: 15 August 1970 vs Coventry City Sold to: Swindon Town, May 1974
Signed during the close season as replacement for Alan Hill, who'd been forced to retire suddenly after a terrible arm injury, Barron had the misfortune to be in goal during one of Forest's less illustrious periods, as the late 60s side was slowly but surely dismantled, and the club flirted with relegation on what seemed like an annual basis.
Given that unpromising introduction, it is only fair to admit that Barron was by no means a poor keeper. His finest hour was undoubtedly the 1973-74 FA Cup run, when Forest, inspired by the electric Duncan McKenzie and the young Ian Bowyer, marauded their way to the 6th Round, only to be defeated in highly controversial circumstances by Newcastle United.
Towards the end of that season, however, Barron himself was injured, losing his place to Dennis Peacock. With the young John Middleton starting to break through as well, Barron saw the writing on the wall and left. He subsequently had a long and successful career as a coach with (amongst others) Aston Villa.
Back to ... The Players : 1970 - 1071 : 1971 - 1972 : 1972 - 1973 : 1973 - 1974
Position: Midfield. Born: Freetown, Sierra Leone. Signed from: Sheffield Wednesday, July 1995.
Debut: 12 September 1995 vs Malmo Sold to: Charlton Athletic, November 2001 (Loan); June 2002 (Bosman)
Bartman was around for such a long time that it is easy to forget that even when he left Forest he was still only just 28! He made his name at Orient (which is where Frank Clark knew him from) and Sheffield Wednesday whilst still in his mid-teens, and Clark signed him as a 21-year-old in 1995 - by which time he already had over 150 League games to his credit. His versatility was not really his greatest friend, because for a considerable amount of his Forest career he was played on the left wing, a position which really did not suit him, and he also filled in well as both striker and centre back in emergency (and - disastrously - as a full back).
Bart had got almost everything - he was comfortably the most skillful of Forest's staff during his time here, could pass long or short, tackle and shoot and was good in the air. The only thing he lacked was pace (hence the struggles on the wing and at full back). During 1999-2000, however, there were signs that David Platt recognised Bart's qualities; he played in a central defensive midfield role, and had easily his best season for us.
In yet another twist in the Bartman's career, Platt moved him to sweeper in a 3-5-2 formation in late October 2000. Forest won that first experimental 3-5-2 game 5-0 and embarked on an outstanding run which thrust them firmly into promotion contention. Bart appeared to take to the new position as though he'd been born for it, giving the side a new creative option from the back and using his exemplary reading of the game to give added stability defensively. He captained the side well, won the Player of the Year title by a huge margin, and even found time to be top scorer with a series of calmly-slotted penalties and (a hitherto unsuspected side to his game) blistering free kicks.
However, Bart's contract ran out at the end of 2001-2002, and as that got closer he started to show signs of increasing restlessness - to the point where he asked for a transfer on the last day of the 2000-2001 season, expressing a desire to play in the Premiership. At the same time his agent went into overdrive, touting him around any TV show that would have him on to flaunt his availability.
Paul Hart was clearly not keen to have as his captain a player who had spent the past 4 months telling anyone who would listen that he wanted to leave, and his salary was sufficiently high to make him an obvious candidate for early moving on once the financial crisis of 2001-2002 began to bite. He left on loan for Charlton in November 2001, and subsequently also played for Ipswich Town. He was last heard of in 2005 making his living (as a defender, natch) in Cyprus.
Back to ... The Players : 1995 - 1996 : 1996 - 1997 : 1997 - 1998 : 1998 - 1999 : 1999 - 2000 : 2000 - 2001: 2001-2002
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Back to ... The Players
Position: Goalkeeper. Born: Willesden. Signed from: Southampton, January 1998 (on loan from August 1997).
Debut: 24 August 1997 vs Oxford United Sold to: Released July 2001
Can there ever have been a better emergency free transfer? "Lurch" came to Forest from Southampton, initially on loan, in 1997 when 'Norm' Crossley, Alan Fettis and Marco Pascolo were all injured (and complete pants, in Pascolo's case). Even then he was reckoned to be in the extreme twilight of his career, being 37, but he played so well that a free transfer was obtained and Beasant became one of the outstanding players of that season's Division 1 Championship-winning side.
Of course he'd made his name long before, as keeper (and Cup Final Captain) for Wimbledon - he was the first goalkeeper to save a penalty in the FA Cup Final (so when he signed Forest had both of them, since at that time the only other man to do it was 'Norm').
He wasn't finished after Bassett's Championship, either - nothing like; he ended up playing 150 games for us. By the start of the 2000-2001 season, Lurch was over 41 and gave every sign of playing as well as ever (I doubt he can ever have made a better save in his entire career than a brilliant match-winner at Birmingham in April 2000) - he was voted player of the year in 1999 - 2000. Always a good shot-stopper, his distribution deteriorated gradually through 2000-2001 - but at the same time his level of consistency as the final line of defence remained nothing short of remarkable.
In the end, however, a combination of Forest's dire financial plight and his age caught up with him in the summer of 2001. David Platt made no secret of the fact that he wanted to keep Beas - and equally made it utterly clear that we could no longer afford to pay a 42-year-old player the sort of salary he was asking. Darren Ward was signed on a free from Notts, and Beas was on his way, initially to Fulham as a coach.
A character, a fine keeper... and one of the free transfers of the decade.
Back to ... The Players : 1997 - 1998 : 1998 - 1999 : 1999 - 2000 : 2000 - 2001
Position: Forward. Born: Aarhus, Denmark. Signed from: Derby County (LOAN), November 1999 - December 1999
Debut: 14 November 1999 vs Huddersfield Town
Signed on a month's loan from the Sheep-Shaggers after Ian Wright's departure. We all did our best to forget the fact that he belonged to Derby and to concentrate on his good points - and to be fair to him he won a lot in the air and played pretty well as link player.
As a goal-scorer, however? Couldn't score in a brothel.
Back to ... The Players : 1999 - 2000
Position: Defender Born: Southampton Signed from: Southampton (LOAN) January - April 2001
Debut: 13 January 2001 vs Crystal Palace
Experienced and occasionally brutal defender signed as cover for Forest's ever-lengthening injury list in January 2001. As a left back he looked OK. As one of a back 3 he looked dismal. There were disturbing rumours that Platt wanted to sign him permanently, but occasionally being totally skint has a silver lining; he was safely returned to Saints.
Back to ... The Players : 2000 - 2001
[See separate more detailed page]
Back to ... The Players
Position: Defender Born: Nottingham, 6 June 1985 Signed from: Academy, July 2003
Debut: 12 August 2003 vs Port Vale Sold to: Released, 9 May 2005
England Under-18 right back who emerged from the Academy and impressed in reserve team football during 2002 - 2003; at the time he was regarded as a future star. He never really trained on, however, and it was typical of his luck that, when Matthieu Louis-Jean suffered a lengthy injury in 2004, finally giving Biggsy his chance, he promptly broke his ankle in training and wasn't able to take it.
He was one of 17 players released by Gary Megson in May 2005 and seemed to disappear from the game.
Back to ... The Players : 2003 - 2004
Position: Forward. Born: Nottingham. Signed from: Long Eaton United, March 1977, and again from Manchester United, September 1982.
Debut: 12 March 1977 vs Hull City Sold to: Manchester United, October 1980, and again to Notts County, May 1987.
The impression that most of us get is that Birtles burst onto the scene from out of nowhere early in the 1978-1979 season: first 3 games Arsenal, Liverpool in the European Cup (debut goal), Manchester United... 26 goals in 54 games that year, and this from a man who'd been playing for Long Eaton shortly beforehand.
That's the myth - you'll still hear Garry occasionally talking about the swift move from Long Eaton carpet fitter to European Final as though it all took about a week. The truth is slightly more mundane than that - Birtles signed for Forest 2 years before the Liverpool goal, and even played a solitary game in the 1976-77 promotion campaign.
Even so, let's be fair; by any normal standards Garry's arrival in the first team was pretty dramatic - especially since most of us had never heard of this guy, yet he seemed very much the finished article almost straight away. Quick, good in the air, great finisher - all you need in a centre forward.
Perhaps his finest hour was the 1979 League Cup Final against Southampton, where he was simply unstoppable. He scored 2 goals and had another 2 disallowed for offside - at least one of them a highly dubious decision. He also played an absolute blinder in the second European Cup final, when Forest were (unusually for the time) expected to lose to Kevin Keegan's Hamburg side; Birtles gave a masterclass in selfless running and holding the ball to give his midfield and defence a break (not to mention playing a crucial one-two with Robbo to lay on the winning goal).
2 years and 49 goals after his dramatic arrival Birtles was gone - one of a long and honourable series of Forest players (Davenport, Clough, Birtles, Storey-Moore, even Collymore) who were brilliant for Forest and rubbish for anyone else; his 2 seasons at Old Trafford were not a vast success, shall we say?
So Cloughie bought him back from United and he promptly found his form again, scoring 45 goals in the next 5 seasons. Even that was not all - during 1985-86 Birtles was successfully converted into a centre half, at which he was not at all bad. He finished his Forest career scoring goals for fun with the young Nigel Clough late in 1986, before moving just across the Trent to Meadow Lane, where he reverted to his defensive role.
He subsequently wrote for the Nottingham Evening Post and took over from Larry Lloyd on Century 106 for the 2000-2001 season, before getting his current job as match summariser for Sky TV. He can be intensely aggravating as a pundit - like many, he gives the impression that there were never any mistakes when he played; certainly, he was one of the ex-Forest pros who so got under Joe Kinnear's skin when he arrived ("there's always someone ramming the past down your f*cking throat here!").
For all that, he was a terrific player (though don't expect any Man United fans to agree!)
Back to ... The Players : 1976 - 1977 : 1978 - 1979 : 1979 - 1980 : 1980 - 1981 : 1982 - 1983 : 1983 - 1984 : 1984 - 1985 : 1985 - 1986 : 1986 - 1987
Position: Midfield / Winger. Born: Luton. Signed from: Luton Town, September 1991.
Debut: 7 September 1991 vs Sheffield Wednesday Sold to: Grimsby Town, July 1996.
We seemed to be chasing Kingsley for months from Luton before we finally got our man.
And was it really worth it? Quick? Yes. Lightweight? Almost certainly. Talented, but a disappointment overall.
I suppose it is not Black's fault that his arrival coincided with the start of Forest's decline; after a good first season where he looked equally at home on the right or the left wing feeding Clough and Sheringham, it was all downhill. Relegation the next year, a fair part in the Clark promotion team of 1993-94... and after that very little.
For the next two seasons Stone and Woan were automatic choices on the flanks, and Kingsley's career simply faded. He eventually left for the exotic delights of the football Mecca that is Grimsby, and I didn't exactly set the world on fire even there.
A bit of a waste; he should have been more successful than he eventually was.
Back to ... The Players : 1991 - 1992 : 1992 - 1993 : 1993 - 1994 : 1994 - 1995 : 1995 - 1996
Position: Forward Born: Middlesbrough Signed from: Bradford City (LOAN), August - November 2000
Debut: 26 August 2000 vs Birningham City
Almost!
Robbie is something of an enigma, even to Bantams fans - he was tremendously influential in their promotion to the Premiership, but was injured shortly after they got there and never really fought his way back into the running; hence his availability on loan.
His impact at Forest was marked. It wasn't that he scored loads of goals (in fact he only managed one in 12 appearances), but, once he had built up his match fitness in the first few games, he formed an exciting partnership with Jack Lester and gave a number of excellent displays of the art of bringing other players into the game on the counter attack. It was no coincidence that Forest embarked on a run of 5 straight wins.
Unfortunately at the time we couldn't afford to buy him (an increasingly familiar theme in recent years) - our bids were nowhere near Bradford's (over-inflated) valuation. So he went back to Valley Parade, where Bradford promptly changed managers and he found himself back in the side. Forest's season gradually subsided into disappointment.
But for a few weeks in the Autumn of 2000, it looked as though Blake might inspire something. He subsequently got his wish to play in the Premiership by signing for Birmingham City, but was last heard of playing for the Leeds side who plumbed new depths by joining Forest in League One in 2007.
A hugely talented player, but his career - never quite at the top level - suggests that he is not as good as he might himself believe.
Back to... The Players : 2000 - 2001
Position: Defender. Born: Nottingham, 20 September 1973. Signed from: Notts County, July 1992.
Debut: 8 September 1993 vs Derby County Sold to: Burnley, July 1997.
One of those players who was always being touted as the next big thing while he was a youngster, but never quite developed. Solid unspectacular defender, but not quite good enough for us at the time. He had a very successful career in the lower leagues, particularly at Chesterfield where he played for many years. Forest took a side up to Saltergate for his testimonial in August 2007.
Back to ... The Players : 1993 - 1994 : 1996 - 1997
Position: Defender. Born: Bradford. Signed from: Apprentice, May 1989.
Debut: 25 September 1991 vs Bolton Wanderers Sold to: Peterborough United, August 1993.
A single appearance as sub in a League Cup match in 1991 - 92. For some strange reason, immortalised in the Internet site "Craig Boardman's Boots". You work it out!
Back to ... The Players : 1991 - 1992
Position: Midfield. Born: Vadso, Norway. Signed from: Bayern Munich, November 1993.
Debut: 21 November 1993 vs West Bromwich Albion Sold to: Blackburn Rovers, October 1995.
In later days, when he whinged away on his own private web site about how "nasty and hate-filled" the people of Nottingham are and how much he deserved to be in the Derby first team, it was easy to forget what a bloody good player this guy was when he wore the Garibaldi.
Frank Clark's team was OK but nothing more at the start of the 1993 - 94 season - the signings of Bohinen and David Phillips turned it into a good one which went straight back up to the Premiership at the first attempt. Phillips won the ball - Bohinen had the ability to unlock a defence (and Stan Collymore stuck it in the net). The following year, once Brian Roy had been added to the mix, we saw probably Forest's best side for over ten years - finished third and qualified for Europe.
All of which made it all the more galling when it was discovered that Bohinen had a clause written into his contract which allowed him to leave for a ridiculously low fee (for a full account of the ludicrous depths to which the contract negotiations sunk, read Frank Clark's excellent book "Kicking With Both Feet"). Forest offered him a great contract - he turned it down and left for Blackburn, thus cementing his reputation as a greedy mercenary git (and the songs to match for whenever he came back).
Later, of course, he made it even worse by signing for Derby.
Almost inevitably, he has never been quite the same player since he left - he would have been better staying. But equally, Forest have never adequately replaced him, even 10 years on.
There are some old boys - Steve Stone, JJ and David Pruton, for instance - who will always get a good reception when they come back to Nottingham. On the other hand, there is Lars Bohinen.
But boy could he play!
Back to ... The Players : 1993 - 1994 : 1994 - 1995 : 1995 - 1996
Position: Defender / Midfield. Born: Paris. Signed from: Neuchatel Xamax, July 1997.
Debut: 13 September 1997 vs Sheffield United Sold to: Released, April 2000.
It would be a shame if Forest fans remember Thierry for the way his Forest career finished - a hideous performance at right back against Huddersfield Town, which saw him so embarrassed by Ben Thornley that he was taken off after twenty minutes. We should bear in mind that he was not a defender at all before he came to Forest.
In truth, though he is a skillful footballer, he was always likely to struggle physically in England because of his diminutive size. He filled in competently for the injured Steve Stone on the right of midfield in Harry Bassett's promoted side, but moved to right back late in that season and found Premiership attackers too much for him (along with the rest of Forest's defence, in fact). It was only at the end, though, that he ever let us down - and even then he scored one of the goals of the season in 1999-2000, a fabulous volley against Walsall with his "wrong" foot.
Now runs a restaurant in France.... at least, that's what he said he was off to do when he left - then (July 2000) he signed for FC Zurich! (Either they are tired of all this boring defending stuff or they need a new chef...)
Back to ... The Players : 1997 - 1998 : 1998 - 1999 : 1999 - 2000
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Back to ... The Players
Position: Forward. Born: West Indies. Signed from: Worksop Town, January 1975.
Debut: 27 December 1975 vs Blackburn Rovers Sold to: Released, March 1977.
Large, moderately ponderous centre forward. Astonishingly, he was Brian Clough's first signing, but that didn't stop Clough from rapidly deciding (correctly) that he was pretty bloomin' average..
Back to ... The Players : 1975 - 1976 : 1976 - 1977
Position: Midfield. Born: Manchester. Signed from: Queen's Park Rangers, December 1979.
Debut: 22 December 1979 vs Manchester United Sold to: Leyton Orient, July 1980.
Always something of a maverick, to put it mildly - with a reputation for enjoying the gee-gees and the odd drink. But also one of the most skillful and creative players of his generation. By the time Cloughie took a punt on him, he had carved out a brilliant career with the Gerry Francis / Terry Venables QPR side. He could still play when he came to us, but his best days - especially his paciest days - were definitely behind him.The theory was, presumably, that he would replace Archie Gemmill (a role which was attempted equally unsuccessfully by the likes of Jurgen Roeber and Raimondo Ponte).
Stan's finest hour for Forest probably came in the Super Cup against Barcelona, when he was teamed up with Trevor Francis, John Robertson, Garry Birtles and the on-loan Charlie George (another brilliant maverick) to form arguably the most potent attacking 5 ever to pull on Forest shirts at the same time.
Nice idea, Cloughie. But no cigar.
Back to ... The Players : 1979 - 1980
Position: Midfield. Born: Ellesmere Port. Signed from: Leyton Orient, October 1973, and again from Sunderland, January 1982.
Debut: 20 October 1973 vs Blackpool Sold to: Sunderland, January 1981, and then released, May 1987.
A true unsung hero. "Bomber" Bowyer had been a teenage star winger at Man City, but he was languishing at Orient when Dave MacKay bought him. Initially he played on the wing for Forest (and the Trent End would sing "Ian Bowyer on the wing" years after he had moved infield), but in his lengthy career in Nottingham he played pretty much everywhere except in goal (and he'd probably have made a reasonable fist of that).
He was probably the best example of Brian Clough's ability to turn 'ordinary' (with the greatest of respect to Bowyer) players into world-beaters - he worked his socks off, was a tireless tackler, a good passer and scored more than his fair share of important goals (most famously a stooping header to take Forest to their first European Cup Final). He was also enormously influential on those around him; Clough once made him Captain of a side when he was on the bench.
Apart from the FA Cup, he won everything there was to win whilst at Forest, but no-one would seriously have suggested that he was anywhere near international standard. Yet whenever ostensibly more talented players arrived at the City Ground and Bowyer seemed the obvious candidate for the sidelines, somehow he would outlive his "replacement". Even when Clough finally sold him, to Sunderland in 1981, he realised his mistake a year later and bought him back again. He started his career on Trentside with the likes of John Winfield - a survivor from the excellent 66-67 side. By the time he finished 14 years later, he was playing with the young Webb, Pearce and Clough. He thus spans next to 30 years of Forest history.
... and that's just as a player! When Paul Hart became manager so suddenly 3 weeks before the start of the 2001-2002 Season, it was to his old friend Bowyer that he turned as Assistant, and between them they transformed the club from apparently dying on its feet (and having seemingly changed the name to "Cash-Strapped-Nottingham-Forest") to the play-offs in 18 months.
And then back again! Though Bomber survived well beyond Hart, he eventually went in the middle of the 2004-05 relegation season.
Forget his failures as a coach; as a player he deserves to be remembered as a (faintly unlikely?) member of Forest's greatest ever side.
Back to ... The Players : 1973 - 1974 : 1974 - 1975 : 1975 - 1976 : 1976 - 1977 : 1977 - 1978 : 1978 - 1979 : 1979 - 1980 : 1980 - 1981 : 1981 - 1982 : 1982 - 1983 : 1983 - 1984 : 1984 - 1985 : 1985 - 1986 : 1986 - 1987
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Back to ... The Players
Position: Left Back. Born: Toronto, Canada, 5 August 1977 Signed from: Bristol City, October 1999.
Debut: 30 October 1999 vs Barnsley Sold to: Norwich City, June 2003
Canadian international left back signed by David Platt. Fearsomely quick, when he arrived he looked a better defender than Alan Rogers, since he stayed on his feet more. After a good start, however, Brennan lost form and then suffered a series of niggly injuries. His confidence disappeared to almost zero, and he found himself out on loan at Huddersfield. Since he couldn't even force his way into their side and they were relegated, you could say that his initial promise was looking seriously unfulfilled.
However, the departure of Rogers to Leicester and the arrival of Hart seemed to rejuvenate Brennan - he started 2001-2002 in excellent form, rapidly seeing off the increasingly disappointing Keith Foy and attacking down the left with pace and skill. His form declined a little over the season, but none the less he could be pleased with his year's work. He continued 2002 - 2003 in the same vein, being one of the team's only 2 ever-present players (Darren Ward being the other) until rested for the final match of the season, a meaningless away game at Rotherham with the play-off semi-finals to come. At his best he was a critical piece of the jigsaw, and the fact that his was probably the one position for which we had no cover made him pretty much indispensible.
However, the signing of Davey Oyen early in 2003 suggested that perhaps the club were preparing themselves for his reaction to their new contract offer under their self-imposed salary cap (financial times was 'ard). He duly didn't sign the contract, opting instead to move to Norwich City, which at the time seemed a slightly strange choice, given Norwich's own financial issues and the fact that the words "frying pan" and "fire" sprang to mind in terms of quality of the team.
Brennan promptly had the last laugh by helping Norwich to win promotion to the Premiership!
Back to ... The Players : 1999 - 2000 : 2000 - 2001 : 2001 - 2002 : 2002 - 2003
Position: Midfield Born: Mansfield Signed from: Apprentice, July 1971
Debut: 23 October 1971 vs Tottenham Hotspur Sold to: Walsall, September 1973
Diminutive ginger-haired wide player of some skill at Division 2 level, but who never established himself in Forest's side. He was unlucky in that he was at the City Ground during a very low point of the club's fortunes, joining in the grim days towards the end of Matt Gillies, as Forest hurtled towards relegation, and leaving just before Dave Mackay was replaced by Allan Brown. Since those three names have a fair claim to be the three worst managers of Forest's history, he could be said to have picked a bad time. On the other hand, if he couldn't make it under that lot, perhaps he simply wasn't much good.
He went on to have a long and successful lower leagues career, before retiring and becoming a rather better manager than he was player - notably at Walsall and Grimsby Town.
Back to ... The Players : 1971 - 1972 : 1972 - 1973
Position: Forward. Born: West Bromwich. Signed from: Barnet, July 1993.
Debut: 3 January 1994 vs Watford Sold to: Birmingham City, December 1995.
Signed from Barnet, sold to Brum - sounds like a Barry Fry man, you might think. You'd be right. A handful appearances for Forest, 1 goal.
Why did we buy this guy, exactly?
Back to ... The Players : 1993 - 1994 : 1994 - 1995
Position: Forward Born: Nottingham Signed from: Apprentice, March 1978
Debut: 20 October 1976 vs Ayr United Sold to: Queen's Park Rangers, September 1979
Single substitute appearance in the Anglo-Scottish Cup (our youngest ever player, at 16 years 22 days; he was still at school in Gedling at the time). Obscure or what?
Back to ... The Players : 1976 - 1977
Position: Midfield. Born: Dublin. Signed from: Belvedere YC, December 1994.
Debut: 4 September 1999 vs Walsall Sold to: Bristol City, November 1999.
A young midfield player who was done absolutely no favours by the rumour mill.
For several years Forest fans had been hearing rumours about a young Irishman coming up through the youth system - "the New Roy Keane", we kept on hearing... which is hardly a fair label to attach to anyone. Eventually Burns did appear, and he looked a reasonable decent player. No Roy Keane, but still a neat and busy, if small, central midfield worker.
His misfortune was to arrive at the same time as the likes of David Prutton and Jermaine Jenas - he was older than both but had rather stood still for a couple of years, as many youngsters do. Eventually went to Bristol City as part of the Jim Brennan deal, and rather disappeared without trace.
Back to ... The Players : 1999 - 2000
Position: Central Defender. Born: Glasgow. Signed from: Birmingham City, July 1977.
Debut: 20 August 1977 vs Everton Sold to: Leeds United, October 1981.
One of Clough's greatest triumphs. When it was announced in 1977 that Forest were to sign Burns, most of the football world thought that Brian Clough had taken leave of his senses. No-one doubted Burns' talent - he already had a number of caps for Scotland as a centre forward. The perceived problem was his temperament; he was, to say the least, as well known for his disciplinary record as for his goals.
Cloughie being Cloughie, he promptly announced to the stunned but receptive Burns that he wanted him to play in central defence - and this poacher turned gamekeeper became a genius. Peter Shilton, who played behind a few reasonable players in his career, once described Kenny as "the best defender I ever played with". He was not huge but was still strong in the air, his tackling was uncompromising but immaculately timed, he could use the ball superbly once it was won, and his reading of the game was second to none.
Even now you will hear people who remember his old reputation and will tell you that he was simply a hatchet man, but there was far more to Burns than that; in Forest's Championship season he was voted Footballer of the Year (the only Forest player ever to win that honour), and he was only booked once that season - and that a rather dubious one for timewasting at Boro. Sure, he was no angel - few defenders are, and they especially weren't then. But he was undoubtedly a seriously class act.
It didn't last too long; 3 years, perhaps. Then he began to slow down and mistime his tackles, and resort to his old tricks to stop attackers. His disciplinary record reverted to stereotype, and eventually he left.
But for a while there he was a genuine candidate for best defender in the world.
Back to ... The Players : 1977 - 1978 : 1978 - 1979 : 1979 - 1980 : 1980 - 1981 : 1981 - 1982
Position: Forward. Born: Rosliston. Signed from: Luton Town, October 1974.
Debut: 2 October 1974 vs Aston Villa Sold to: Peterborough United, August 1977.
One of Allan Brown's.
A centre forward of sorts - not complete rubbish, but pretty typical of the sort of player that was the limit of Forest's ambition immediately pre-Clough. He averaged a goal every 4 games, which is still better than a good few supposedly more illustrious players who followed him.
But definitely lower division material - which is clearly what Brian Clough thought, since he sold him the moment Forest were promoted.
Back to ... The Players : 1974 - 1975 : 1975 - 1976 : 1976 - 1977
Position: Central Defender. Born: Nantwich. Signed from: Coventry City, May 1985.
Debut: 17 August 1985 vs Luton Town Sold to: Norwich City., December 1986.
It is hard to believe in view of what followed, but when Butterworth was signed in a joint deal with Stuart Pearce from Coventry, Pearce was very much regarded as the make-weight in the deal. Chris Fairclough had broken his leg, and we needed a strong central defender to replace Paul Hart.
Butterworth lasted about 20 games before Cloughie became exasperated and gave a gangly youngster called Des Walker his chance, and apart from a few games filling in at full back the following season, that was it for Butterworth at Forest.
Whereas the make-weight in the deal and the gangly youngster became two of Forest's all-time greats, Butterworth was sold. He went on to have a successful career at Norwich.
Last seen on the coaching staff at Hartlepool.
Back to ... The Players : 1985 - 1986 : 1986 - 1987