Position: Forward Born: French Guyana Signed from: Rennes (LOAN June 1998 - June 1999)
Debut: 17 August 1998 vs Arsenal
Unbelievably quick!
The first that Forest saw of this young Frenchman was, in retrospect, a neat summary of what he was about; he thundered through the middle of a very startled-looking Arsenal defence (Martin Keown's face a particular picture of astonishment) after a few minutes of his debut, bore down on David Seaman... and missed the target.
Built like the proverbial brick toilette, Darche must be one of the fastest professionals of all time. He was far from being a one-trick pony, either, as an excellent goal against Southampton was to prove shortly after the Arsenal sprints.
Alas, he never really settled (despite Thierry Bonalair's best efforts) - but it is not entirely surprising that his personal life took some precedence over his football, given the fact that he had lost his wife and family in a car crash shortly before he came over to England.
His real problem, though - and certainly not his fault - was that he was brought to Forest to understudy Campbell and van Hooijdonk and be brought on gradually. Instead he found that he had to replace both of them and was thrust straight into the deep end.
Since then, he has carved out a good career at a high level in France, notably for Bordeaux.
Back to ... The Players : 1998 - 1999
Position: Forward Born: Birkenhead Signed from: Cammell Laird, January 1982
Debut: 1 May 1982 vs Liverpool Sold to: Manchester United, March 1986
A lanky Scouser who was built like a racing snake, Davvo was brought into the side at the very end of the 1981-82 season to replace the hugely disappointing Justin Fashanu. He scored 4 goals in 5 games (including a hat trick at Ipswich on the final day of the season) and Fashanu was on his bike! For the next 4 seasons he consistently averaged a goal every other game for us, forming a lethal partnership with the teenage Nigel Clough in his final season.
Davenport was a skillful, nippy predator - younger readers should think along Robbie Fowler (Liverpool version) lines, though he probably wasn't as good in the air as Fowler. Exciting to watch, though - and the likes of Steve Hodge and Johnny Metgod made sure he got plenty of chances to run at defenders. He was a crucial part of the Forest side so cruelly robbed of a place in the 1984 UEFA Cup final by the bribed referee.
Needless to say, as they did with several other excellent Forest players, United totally failed to get the best out of him. Their usual humble fans will tell you it was because he wasn't good enough for them - though curiously he found it a great deal easier to score against them than he did for them! He played on until relatively recently in the lower leagues and the Conference - now he is starting to make a name for himself as a young coach.
Fine, fine player.
Back to ... The Players : 1981 - 1982 : 1982 - 1983 : 1983 - 1984 : 1984 - 1985 : 1985 - 1986
Position: Full back Born: Melbourne, Australia Signed from: Melbourne Hellas, November 1984
Debut: 1 December 1984 vs Watford Sold to: Melbourne Hellas, June 1985
An Australian international full back (but bear in mind that this was in the early 1980s, when Aussie football was somewhere around the Derby Reserves level, rather than the heights it is at nowadays).
Presumably he must have been spotted during Forest's friendlies against the Australian national side in June 1984, but whatever was seen in those games did not come with him to Nottingham. There are doubtless many Australian words for rubbish, but none which are printable here. Pick your own!
Back to ... The Players : 1984 - 1985
Position: Midfield Born: Northallerton, 20 October 1978 Signed from: Apprentice, October 1995
Debut: 22 September 1998 vs Leyton Orient Sold to: Scunthorpe United, December 1998
The oldest of the 3 Dawson brothers, Andy only made one appearance for the first team. Academy staff will tell you that they were sorry to see him go because he had a lot of potential, and in due course he made enough of an impression at Scunthorpe to be linked with Norwich City, then in the Premiership.
Later, he moved to Peter Taylor's Hull City side (who replaced Forest in The Championship in 2005!) and continues to be regarded as a very good - if not absolutely top drawer - left back who scores spectacular free kicks
Back to ... The Players : 1998 - 1999
Position: Defender Born: Northallerton, 18 June 1981 Signed from: Apprentice, August 1998
Debut: 15 December 1999 vs Fulham Sold to: Chesterfield, May 2002
The middle Dawson of the three Dawson boys, Kevin broke into the first team for 4 games during a defensive injury crisis in early 2000. In truth he was probably not quite ready, but we also saw enough for us not to write him off completely. He was small for a defender (especially a central defender), but had a great spring and won a surprising amount in the air. His fault (if you can call this a fault) was that he tried to play too much football - against both Grimsby and Charlton he was caught in possession with disastrous results when a boot into the crowd would have done. In the end, however, it was the last we saw of him for a good while.
A combination of injuries to Chris Doig and Riccy Scimeca and lack of confidence in the likes of Tony Vaughan led to a surprise recall to the first team at home to Wolves in 2002 - and he played excellently, keeping his place for the next game.
Like so many of Paul Hart's Academy players, he clearly had something; but equally, like many good teenage players (see, for instance, Richard Cooper), the suspicion was that he wasn't quite good enough to go all the way, especially since he'd stopped growing.
Offered a one-year deal in the summer of 2002, he clearly thought his chances of making it at Forest were slim, and he chose to move on to the Spireites in search of first team football. He hasn't pulled up too many trees there, either.
Back to ... The Players : 1999 - 2000 : 2000 - 2001 : 2001 - 2002
Position: Defender Born: Northallerton, 18 November 1983 Signed from: Academy, March 2002
Debut: 1 April 2002 vs Walsall Sold to: Tottenham Hotspur, 31 January 2005 (£8M combined deal with Andy Reid)
The youngest of the three Dawson brothers, and the most talented by a large distance (it is rumoured that Forest signed all three sloely in order to get their hands on Michael, though that seems abit harsh, especially on Andy). This kid was already a special player at the age of 19; if he avoids injury (a persistent problem in his time at Forest), he could yet become the best defender of his generation and a future England captain - yes, he is that good!
Academy player of the year for 2 seasons in a row, his rate of development was rapid - he went from early promotion to Under-19 when still only 16, to his first team debut, in only a couple of years. A stong, tall, committed defender, he already looked a good player on his first day, winning the man of the match award after his debut (though Forest lost the game!). He can also pass the ball out of defence and scored a bag of goals at reserve level.
As Paul Hart had suspected, once in the team Daws became utterly impossible to dislodge, producing a string of masterful displays which made it important to remind yourself that he was a teenager with a handful of appearances under his belt - obviously he made the odd mistake, but they were rare even at the start, and the influence of Des Walker alongside him rapidly made them even rarer.
When he was asked to train with the full England squad having played under 10 games in the first team, it was clear that we weren't the only people to sit up and take notice. Sure enough, the rumours immediately started - the one that suggested that Alex Ferguson had a £10M offer for him refused might even have had some basis in fact. His first season ended in disappointment, as he was (harshly) sent off in the Play-Off semi-final against Sheffield United. All the same, the fact that we considered the suspension of a teenager with under 50 games to his name as a handicap tells you all you need to know about his quality as a player. The kid is special.
In truth, though he remains a special talent, Forest were never really to see him consistently at his best again.
After establishing himself as a big star of the future, Daws' fitness became more of an issue than we'd have liked - he contracted glandular fever during the close season after the 2002-2003 play-offs, was brought back too soon and had a strong of niggly leg injuries as a result. Once Joe Kinnear arrived to replace Paul Hart, he quickly realised that Dawson was special (and had the fortune to take over just as the boy was finally becoming fit again), and was able to build a defence around him and the emerging Wes Morgan.
However, further injuries in the close season led to a very bitty time during late 2004. By the time he returned to the side Forest were in real trouble - once again the temptation to play him well before he was fully fit proved irresistible for the management, and once again Dawson's performance suffered as a result.
All the same, sooner or later he was always going to move on - the days of players of his quality staying at clubs like Forest for ever are long gone, even if we were in the Premiership, let alone when we're staring old-style Division 3 in the face!. Eventually Spurs took the plunge, signing him for £8M in a joint deal with Andy Reid on transfer deadline day in 2005.
If they can be patient with him and get him properly fit, they have an absolute bargain.
Back to ... The Players : 2001 - 2002 : 2002 - 2003 : 2003 - 2004 : 2004 - 2005
Position: Midfield Born: Cork Signed from: Cork Hibernians, January 1973
Debut: 14 April 1973 vs Middlesbrough Sold to: Walsall, July 1975
The name is short for Jeremiah, and pronounced accordingly. Irish midfield player brought to Nottingham by Dave MacKay. Though he lasted until Clough's arrival, he only got one game under the new manager - and despite scoring twice in a 3-2 defeat by Bolton, faded rapidly from the scene as Clough recognised the quality of John Robertson (albeit not yet on the wing).
I don't remember much more than that about him - any contributions from older readers gratefully received!
Back to ... The Players : 1972 - 1973 : 1973 - 1974 : 1974 - 1975
Position: Midfield Born: Nottingham, 6 December 1977 Signed from: Crystal Palace (LOAN) 24 December 2004
Debut: 26 December 2004 vs West Ham United Sold to: Recalled from loan 20 February 2005
Honest journeyman pro signed on loan by Mick Harford to bolster a midfield that appeared to have forgotten how to tackle. He was recalled to Palace the same day as we signed the football genius that is Daryll Powell, though I think it was coincidence rather than any assessment of their relative merits.
A few weeks later he signed for Leeds United.
Back to ... The Players : 2004 - 2005
Position: Forward Born: Workington, 10 October 1978 Signed from: Millwall 24 February 2005 (£550,000)
Debut: 26 February 2005 vs Derby County (D 1-1) Sold to:
One of Gary Megson's favourite players - he has signed him more than once - it was no surprise when Dobie appeared at Forest not long after the new manager. To be honest, though a few games in a doomed side is not the best place to judge a player, half a million looks a lot of money.
Dobie has bags of pace and works hard (like all Megson players), but even he admits that he doesn't score that many goals, which is kind of the point of a forward.
All the same, far from rubbish. Only tme will tell about the fee.
Back to ... The Players : 2004 - 2005 : 2005 - 2006
Position: Defender Born: Dumfries, 13 February 1981 Signed from: Queen of the South, March 1998
Debut: 26 December 1999 vs Manchester United Sold to: Released, 9 May 2005
A once highly promising young defender who was a Scotland Under-21 regular, we found "Deputy" Doig playing as a 16-year-old in the first team at his home town club, and snapped him up straight away. He burst onto the first team scene when he was recalled from holiday by Harry Bassett to be on the bench at Old Trafford on Boxing Day 1999. We were already 3-0 down by the time he came on and we didn't concede any more, so I suppose his personal baptism of fire went OK. In his next game he was, however, cruelly exposed by the pace of Coventry's Darren Huckerby, and he retreated back to the Academy.
By the time we saw him again the following season, he had clearly come on in leaps and bounds. Though dogged by injury in the latter half of the 1999-2000 season (and indeed pretty much ever afterwards), on the whole he made a good impression. Tall, good in the air, calm and (like all Paul Hart's products) able to pass the ball properly, he appeared to have the potential to be at the heart of Forest's (and Scotland's) defence for many years to come.
Unfortunately he then marked time, missing a lot of games through a series of injuries. It was never really clear whether he was just unlucky or desperately injury-prone... but when he actually played, he looked a decent player. Clearly Paul Hart thought he had something, since The Deputy was his first choice central defender as Hart's reign commenced, but yet again injuries put an end to that, and by the end of Hart's reign he was out on loan at Northampton, trying to rediscover some form and fitness.
Finally he re-established himself in the first team as Gary Megson arrived, with Forest in desperate straits - he played solidly enough, without really setting the world on fire, on the left of a back 3. At the end of the season, however, his contract ran out and he was released. He'll make a living somewhere, but his early promise seems not to have been realised; a few lower league clubs could do a great deal worse.
Back to ... The Players : 1998 - 1999 : 1999 - 2000 : 2000 - 2001 : 2001 - 2002 : 2002 - 2003 : 2003 - 2004 : 2004 - 2005
Position: Goalkeeper Born: Dublin Signed from: Aston Villa, November 2004 (LOAN)
Debut: 19 February 2005 vs Tottanham Hotspur (FA Cup 5th Round) D 1-1
Irish Under-21 International keeper signed as cover for Paul Gerrard after fitness and patience had worn out with Barry Roche. Called into action at Spurs in the Cup, and made a hideous mistake for their goal, dropping a half-hit Jermaine Defoe free kick over his head into the net. Showed considerable courage and talent thereafter, however, by playing extremely well to help gain a draw.
Made another excellent impression in a rare League win (1-0 over Burnley) - Forest's final flicker of hope before relegation ovetook them the following week, and then returned to Birmingham, his loan over.
Could well develop into a very good keeper.
Back to ... The Players : 2004 - 2005
Position: Defender Born: Sheffield, 12 December 1972 Signed from: Wigan Athletic, 1 July 2005 (Free)
Debut: - Sold to: -
Experienced right back signed from promoted Wigan as Gary Megson's rebuilding gathered pace in the summer of 2005. Immediate reaction is that he's exactly the kind of player we need.
Back to ... The Players : 2005 - 2006
Position: Midfield / Defender Born: Sydney Signed from: Apprentice, August 1998
Debut: 24 April 2000 vs Port Vale Sold to: Released, May 2002
The second Aussie to play for Forest (see Alan Davidson above), and even on the basis of only a handful of appearances, much the better of the two! One of several Academy teenagers who broke into the fringes of the first team squad during 2000, he made his debut at left back in the penultimate game of 1999-2000, and kept his place for the final match.
He prefers to play in midfield, but acquitted himself pretty soundly in defence - even managing to get forward to score in his second game. For a while he looked like a player searching for his best position, though a few decent appearances at right back (and a brilliant goal at home to Grimsby) suggested he might be settling.
As 2000 - 2001 drew to a close, Andy Gray (himself apparently on the way out of the club when Edds was breaking into the side a few weeks before) looked to have grabbed the right back berth, and Edds looked to be at a crossroads.
2001 - 2002 saw him looking as though he was not quite good enough - more a Cooper than a Prutton. He is good enough to make a living from the game - he impressed during loan spells at Reading and Walsall. But the emergence of John Thompson during 2001-2002 and the promise of England Under-18 right back James Biggins to follow, it seemed unlikely that he would get a chance at Forest.
The club's well documented cash crisis and the collapse of Nationwide league salaries after the ITV Digital fiasco merely confirmed it, and he was released in the summer of 2002. Eventually he resurfaced at Franchise FC, where he scored a number of important goals for Danny Wilson's side as they narrowly escaped relegation in 2004-2005.
Back to ... The Players : 1999 - 2000 : 2000 - 2001 : 2001 - 2002
Position: Defender Born: Caerphilly, 23 November 1975 Signed from: Swansea City, March 1998
Debut: 27 February 1999 vs Charlton Athletic Sold to: Bristol Rovers, July 2003
Wales B international centre half signed by Harry Bassett. He then disappeared for a while and languished in the reserves, but when called up to the first team by Ron Atkinson late in the 98-99 relegation season, "Swanny" (so called because of his Swansea roots) looked the part; strong and uncomplicated - certainly worth persevering with. With the advent of David Platt, however, Edwards seemed to fall from favour again. He was farmed out on loan to Bristol City, and the impression was that if they had made a sensible offer, he would have been on his way.
But then yet another injury to Jon Olav "Twiglet Legs" Hjelde (plus a concurrent one to Chris Doig and Tony Vaughan's apparent inability to put on a red shirt without getting booked or sent off) gave Christian his chance, and it has to be said that he seized it with both hands. Having made fewer than 10 appearances in his first couple of years, suddenly he played 34 games in the season, continuing to look superb in the air but also showing hints of hitherto hidden talent on the deck. He even weighed in with a couple of goals - his delirious roaring celebration in front of the Trent End after scoring at the far post to clinch the home game against Blackburn was one of the highlights of the season!
He hasn't suddenly turned into Kenny Burns - but equally, he is more than good enough for Division 1, and signed a new contract in the summer of 2001.... and promptly fell out of favour again, largely because, though he can defend, he'd reverted to not being able to pass wind convincingly, let alone a football, and passing is an essential for any Paul Hart side. Maybe his face simply didn't fit - or maybe he had just been overtaken by the Thompsons and Dawsons of this world.
He almost escaped to Palace after a successful loan spell, but then Mr Loyal Steve Bruce abandoned yet another club and Trevor Francis didn't fancy what he saw of Swanny. Eventually, after over a season kicking his heels at Forest, he was released from his contract and joined the Gas-Heads.
Back to ... The Players : 1998 - 1999 : 2000 - 2001 : 2001 - 2002
Position: Forward Born: Haltwhistle Signed from: Apprentice, August 1977
Debut: 22 August 1978 vs Coventry City Sold to: Preston North End, March 1979
When Peter Withe moved on after the 1977-1978 Championship season, the rumour was that Elliott had been scoring prodigiously in the reserves and was highly likely to be the next big thing. He started only 4 games, however, before Clough dropped him in favour of Garry Birtles, and Birtles was such an instant success that Elliott never got a sniff thereafter. Before the season was finished, he was gone.
Back to ... The Players : 1978 - 1979
Position: Midfield Born: Oswestry, 1 September 1974 Signed from: Bradford City, March 2004
Debut: 27 March 2004 vs Crewe Alexandra Sold to: -
No-one I knew had ever heard of this guy when we signed him - which all goes to prove why we aren't managers (and that we should keep our eyes on the lower divisions more). When Joe Kinnear picked him up, he couldn't even get a game for Bradford City, who were at the time plunging towards inevitable relegation from Division 1.
Evans was simply a revelation. He was signed to do a simple job; win the ball in midfield - Kinnear had seen enough to know that for all Forest's pretty passing, we were rubbish at getting the ball back when we lost it. Evo changed all that in an instant - the man is a beast!
Probably not the craftiest of players when he has the ball, but a serious driving force in the centre of the park and critical to Forest's survival at the end of the 2003-04 season (when we didn't lose a game in which he played).
However, he certainly couldn't repeat the dose the following season (not that relegation should be laid at Evans' feet alone - in fact he made a better contribution than some), and he seemed to fall somewhat from favour under Gary Megson, who seemed to prefer the silky skills of Daryll Powell for some reason known only to Meggo. None the less, Evans had fought to regain his place by the end of the season, but it remains to be seen how big a part he will play in Forest's League One side.
Back to... The Players : 2003 - 2004 : 2004 - 2005 : 2005 - 2006