Position: Forward Born: Clowne Signed from: Bristol City, December 1972
Debut: 16 December 1972 vs Fulham Sold to: Hereford United, December 1974
One of Dave MacKay's first signings, Galley is not a player I remember well (as ever contributions from those who do remember him always welcome). I have vague recollections of a fairly ponderous centre forward (but that doesn't narrow it down much, given the quality of our squad at the time).
He did at least score on his debut, and managed 9 goals in 22 appearances thereafter, but by the start of the next season he was a sub at best. After MacKay's departure, even Allan Brown (surely a shoo-in as Forest's worst ever manager, whatever modern fans might think!) only gave him a couple of games. He left the City Ground a few weeks before Brown followed him out of the door.
Back to ... The Players : 1972 - 1973 : 1973 - 1974 : 1974 - 1975
Position: Midfield Born: South Shields, 15 February 1985 Signed from: Newcastle United, July 2003
Debut: 18 October 2003 vs Wimbledon Sold to: -
England Under-19 Captain and midfield player signed with James Beaumont from Newcastle after they had both fallen out with their academy, for reasons that are not entirely clear. Made a very rapid impression, to the extent that he found himself making his first team debut only 3 months after joining the club, replacing Andy Reid for the last 25 minutes of a 6-0 demolition of Wimbledon.
Gary Megson didn't register Gardner's quality at first, but he was forced by injuries to play him in a make-shift side against Leeds in March 2005, and thereafter he remained very much part of Meggo's plans. Indeed, as remarked elsewhere, Ross was - along with Kris Commons and James Perch - one of the only bright spots at the end of that horrible year; watching him play with an icy controlled fury at QPR the day we were mathematically relegated was a revelation; he looked utterly unimpressed with most of what was going on around him, and with good reason.
Gardner is a hard-working, skillful midfield player who can put it about, but who also has a wide range of passing and a wicked shot. Someone to build a future resurgent Forest round, we all hope.
Back to ... The Players : 2003 - 2004 : 2004 - 2005 : 2005 - 2006
Position: Forward Born: Limerick Signed from: Doncaster Rovers, October 1987
Debut: 21 November 1987 vs West Ham United Sold to: Released, June 1992
Irish forward who I thought never really got the extended run in the side that his talent deserved. He was back up, in turn, for Paul Wilkinson, Lee Chapman, Nigel Jemson and Teddy Sheringham, and in my view he was as good as two of those. For a man who was always in and out of the side or making substitute appearances, then, his goalscoring record is not too shabby.
Back to ... The Players : 1987 - 1988 : 1988 - 1989 : 1989 - 1990 : 1990 - 1991 : 1991 - 1992
Position: Full Back Born: Glasgow Signed from: Celtic, December 1971
Debut: 27 December 1971 vs Arsenal Sold to: Dundee, January 1973
Scottish international full back signed by Matt Gillies to cover for Liam O'Kane, who suffered a badly broken leg against Everton in December 1971 and was out for over a year (indeed, arguably O'Kane never fully recovered).
Gemmell was experienced and a more than decent player, but he was unable to prevent Forest's plunge towards relegation that season (Forest lost 8 games on the spin only a month after he joined) as the combination of an ageing defence and a chronic lack of goals spelt the inevitable.
By half way through the following season, Gemmell had clearly ceased to be anamoured of Division 2 football, and he went back to Scotland shortly after Dave Mackay took over as manager - and shortly before O'Kane finally returned from his injury.
Back to ... The Players : 1971 - 1972 : 1972 - 1973
Position: Midfield Born: Paisley Signed from: Derby County, September 1977
Debut: 1 October 1977 vs Norwich City Sold to: Birmingham City, August 1979
We had absolutely no idea at the time, but by January 1977 most of the 1979 European Cup winning side was already assembled. (The fact that we were struggling to scrape our way out of Division 2 at the time is what makes what followed so remarkable). There were only 3 missing ingredients from the Championship team; Peter Shilton, Kenny Burns and Archie Gemmill.
Clough had had Archie as one of his successful Derby side of the mid-1970s, and had tried to take him, John O'Hare and John McGovern with him wherever he went (including his disastrous spell at Leeds). Archie was the dynamo of Forest's engine room - McGovern was the ball winner (the "holding" midfield player in modern parlance) par excellence, while Archie was the man who made it happen in the middle (along with O'Neill and, especially, Robertson out wide).
A little, scurrying player who was hard to knock off the ball and could pass superbly, Gemmill was the man who really made Forest dangerous as a counter-attacking team - and that team was totally lethal on the counter. He looms so large in the memory of the club's glorious 1977-1980 peak that it is something of a surprise to me to find that he only played 80 games for the club. He was a Forest player when he scored one of the best individual goals of the 1978 (or any) World Cup, for Scotland against Holland (typically for Scotland, it was a glorious but meaningless victory, as they had already been eliminated) - this goal is still frequently shown on TV over 20 years later.
It is always said that Archie was upset about not being picked for the 1979 European Cup Final. For whatever reason (salary demands are just as likely) he left only 3 months later, and Forest spent the next 4 years trying to replace him with the likes of Asa Hartford, Stan Bowles, Raimondo Ponte, Jurgen Roeber and Franz Thijssen, none of whom managed the job. It was only when the young Steve Hodge finally emerged in 1982-83 that we finally stopped missing Archie.
Later, of course, he was for many years part of the coaching staff under Clough, and his son Scot is the next man on this list.
Back to ... The Players : 1977 - 1978 : 1978 - 1979
Position: Midfield Born: Paisley, 2 January 1971 Signed from: Apprentice, March 1988
Debut: 30 March 1991 vs Wimbledon Sold to: Everton, March 1999
I have always thought that Scot was unlucky with his name; if he had been called Scot Smith, we would all have gone on about what a gem of a little midfield player we had at Forest. "OK, so a bit lightweight, tends to drift in and out of games... but when he is on song a great passer capable of splitting defences and galvanising the team." But he wasn't called Smith, he was called Gemmill, and Scottie was simply not as good as his Dad - and many of the Forest faithful, completely unfairly, never quite forgave him for it.
Scottie is another of those players (Freedman, McGovern etc) about whom the fans will never agree; talented, if luxury, defence-splitter or lazy waste of space? Even his supporters find it hard to deny that he declined gradually over the late 1990s - the goals disappeared and he was becoming less and less of an influence (whether you thought this was cause or effect depended on whether you'd liked him in the first place). Partly this is because he was at his best when paired with the likes of Roy Keane and the pre-slowdown David Phillips. Partly it was because the whole team was gradually declining - but latterly "Gerbil" didn't really shine even in the times when were were good, like Bassett's promotion side.
"Wait a minute... go back a bit...GOALS???", I hear our younger readers cry incredulouosly... Yes, goals: in his early (1991-93) years Scot scored easily his fair share of goals (a superb long-range volley as part of a 4-0 demolition of Leicester in Feb 1994 springs to mind), but for some reason after that we were only treated to rare examples of his finishing.
Anyway, after making an extremely promising start to his career and reaching the Scotland squad, gradually Scottie tailed away (and he didn't help his cause of winning over the sceptics by having a haircut like Glenn Close on a Bad Hair Day, which he was for ever having to brush out of his eyes). Even after he left us for Everton, he made a great start... but 15 games later was out of the team, seemingly for good. He ended up at the Borg of Leicester Fosse - what a come-down.
But I still maintain we'd have been much kinder to him if he hadn't been Archie's son.
Back to ... The Players : 1990 - 1991 : 1991 - 1992 : 1992 - 1993 : 1993 - 1994 : 1994 - 1995 : 1995 - 1996 : 1996 - 1997 : 1997 - 1998 : 1998 - 1999
Position: Forward Born: Islington Signed from: Southampton (LOAN) January - February 1980
Debut: 19 January 1980 vs Leeds United
One of those "I didn't know he'd ever played for Forest" men. Charlie was born close to Highbury, and had made his name as the young prodigy of Arsenal's 1971 Double-Winning side. Always something of a maverick, he was loved by the North Bank... and an object of derision for everyone else (which George thrived on). He had lank shoulder length hair (which prompted songs asking him where his handbag was) in the days when the dreaded Keegan bubble perm was the norm, he didn't talk much to the press and he had an incredibly annoying tendency of scoring against you - a sure method of becoming a hate figure for away fans. But even his detractors would never have denied that he was a very good player.
By the time we had him Charlie was, in truth, past his best; Arsenal had moved him on, via Derby County, to Southampton a year or two before, and they have never been renowned for selling their good players. Clough thought he'd give him a whirl, though.
2 League games. Nothing special. But then the home leg of the European Super Cup against Barcelona, when he conjured up the winning goal. In the second leg at the Nou Camp Cloughie played George with Bowles, Francis, Birtles and Robertson - a seriously attacking line-up. We drew 1-1 and Charlie George had a winner's medal out of a 4-game loan spell!
Well worth checking out his 2005 autobiography.
Back to ... The Players : 1979 - 1980
Position: Goalkeeper Born: Heywood, 20 January 1973 Signed from: Everton (LOAN) March - May 2004, then permanently July 2004
Debut: 27 March 2004 vs Crewe Alexandra Sold to: -
Experienced ex-England Under-21 goalkeeper signed on loan by Joe Kinnear with 8 games to go in the 2003-04 season; Darren Ward was injured and Barry Roche had become such a bag of nerves after a horrible mistake at (of all places) Shame Park Derby that something had to be done.
Gerrard did the job so well that Forest didn't lose another game all season and, when he in turn was injured on the final day, he received a standing ovation as he left the field, on the assumption that we'd never see him again.
Instead, Joe Kinnear managed to persuade him to join Forest permanently, which allowed Ward to move on; it was not Gerrard's fault that a paper-thin defence exposed him so often in the horrible relegation season that followed.
Big, commands his area well, safe hands, perhaps not the greatest distributor. More than good enough for Division 1 - and, of course, League One, should he be persuaded to stay.
Back to ... The Players : 2003 - 2004 : 2004 - 2005 : 2005 - 2006
Position: Forward Born: Northampton Signed from: Apprentice, July 1986
Debut: 19 November 1986 vs Bradford City Sold to: Rotherham United, August 1994
A reasonable footballer, Glover's problem was simply that he didn't score enough goals - 13 in just over 100 full and substitute appearances. To be fair to him, he was young (16 on debut) and he seldom got a decent run in the team - the odd period when Nigel Clough was injured, essentially.
Probably he is destined to be remembered for his part in Forest's goal in the 1991 FA Cup Final; it was Glover who spun off the Tottenham wall, pulling the defender with him, to allow Stuart Pearce's free kick to rocket through the gap into the net. What do you mean, foul?
Back to ... The Players : 1986 - 1987 : 1987 - 1988 : 1988 - 1989 : 1990 - 1991 : 1991 - 1992 : 1992 - 1993 : 1993 - 1994
Position: Central Defender Born: Stockholm Signed from: San Jose Earthquakes, March 1999
Debut: 10 March 1999 vs Newcastle United Sold to: Everton, May 1999
Vastly experienced Scottish defender who had a staggering run of success while the Captain of 9 consecutive Rangers championship sides. He was signed in a desperate, but vain, attempt to shore up our ailing defence in the dying moments of our hideous 1998-1999 relegation season.
Gough was a good player, but somewhat advanced in years, and he wanted to finish his playing career in the Premiership if possible. Everton took him on and we spent the next season seeing what we were missing - he was superb at the heart of the Goodison defence.
Back to ... The Players : 1998 - 1999
Position: Midfield / Full Back Born: Harrogate, 15 November 1977 Signed from: Leeds United, September 1998
Debut: 8 September 1998 vs Everton Sold to: Bradford City, June 2002
The teenage Gray burst onto the scene with a series of sparkling displays for Leeds in 1997, but Harry Kewell then overtook him and he moved on to Nottingham to revive his career. In a way he could be said to be the first of Paul Hart's charges to break through - though he was under Hart's influence when he was still part of the Leeds Academy, rather than here. He certainly comes from a talented family - his father is Frank (Leeds, Forest and Scotland left back - see below) and his uncle Eddie was a Leeds and Scotland star of the 1970s, and is now one of Leeds United's coaches (and was briefly their manager).
Andy was undoubtedly skillful, but as time went on between 1999 and early 2001, he appeared to be subsiding into mediocrity. He could pass and was not afraid of hard work, but Forest fans became increasingly exasperated as he failed to take on defenders and get in some decent crosses. The benefit of hindsight suggests that we were simply using him in the wrong position.
A transfer-deadline-day move to Swindon fell through at the last minute in 2001, and a couple of weeks later he found himself playing at right back at home to Bolton - and he did a pretty good job (perhaps he had been talking to his Dad!). From average midfield player with no future at Forest, in 9 games at right back he perhaps showed us that all was not lost; in a couple of games he was our best player. Certainly he appeared worth persevering with and to be enjoying life again.
In the end, though, he was deemed just not quite good enough - a decent player, certainly, but not quick enough for a winger or sufficiently good as a full back to displace Matthieu Louis-Jean from the side. He seldom let us down, but he never set the world on fire either, and you began to feel that he would get more chance elsewhere; clearly he felt the same. With Forest's well known financial snags, and his contract coming to an end, the result was inevitable, and Gray was released.
He moved to Bradford City, was played up front, and ended up being their top scorer, before moving to Sheffield United early in 2004 and promptly scoring in his first 3 matches, and regularly for them ever since.
Back to ... The Players : 1998 - 1999 : 1999 - 2000 : 2000 - 2001 : 2001 - 2002
Position: Left Back Born: Glasgow Signed from: Leeds United, August 1979
Debut: 18 August 1979 vs Ipswich Town Sold to: Leeds United, May 1981
The second-best left back ever to play for Forest (and if you need to ask who the best was, what are you doing reading this site?). Signed when Frank Clark finally got too old, Frank Gray slotted effortlessly into the established Shilton / Anderson / Lloyd / Burns defence and helped us to the second of our European Cups. He was quick, defensively sound and better going forward than Clark (though that wouldn't have been difficult). After 2 seasons where he was virtually ever-present, we sold him back to Leeds in the summer of 1981. A good player - and Andy's Dad (see above).
Back to ... The Players : 1979 - 1980 : 1980 - 1981
Position: Midfield / Defender Born: Withernsea Signed from: Apprentice, December 1980
Debut: 7 February 1981 vs Manchester City Sold to: Barnsley, August 1983
No relation of Frank and Andy, Stuart Gray was one of a trio of excellent young midfield players who emerged from our youth system at the same time in 1980 - the others being Colin Walsh and Steve Hodge (this is probably the last time before the present when we produced so many good players of our own all at once).
Of the 3, Gray was probably the least talented, though he was not helped by constantly being asked to play in different positions - either at left back after his namesake Frank had left, or in defensive midfield when John McGovern was injured. A great mate of David Platt's from his Villa days, he became manager of Southampton in the summer of 2001, was sacked with almost indecent haste a few months later, and now coaches the reserves at Villa.
Back to ... The Players : 1980 - 1981 : 1981 - 1982 : 1982 - 1983
Position: Left Back Born: Hull Signed from: Barnsley, October 1974
Debut: 5 October 1974 vs Southampton Sold to: Released, January 1976
Left back who was signed by Allan Brown as Forest plunged further than ever from the right end of the table in Autumn 1974. Unfortunately for him, 2 months after he arrived, so did Brian Clough. Clough looked at him for a couple of games, decided he didn't like the look of what he saw, and that was that.
Back to ... The Players : 1974 - 1975
Position: Forward Born: Birmingham Signed from: Apprentice, July 1993
Debut: 30 March 1996 vs Wimbledon Sold to: Cambridge United, December 1999
Ponderous centre forward who never really looked like making it at Forest - he was usually only played when injuries left us little choice. He spent a very successful period on loan at Plymouth Argyle, scoring 7 goals in 11 games, and his destiny clearly lay in the lower leagues; he became a prolific goalscorer for Hereford Town for some years.
Back to ... The Players : 1995 - 1996 : 1996 - 1997 : 1997 - 1998 : 1999 - 2000
Position: Full Back Born: Corby Signed from: Apprentice, August 1975
Debut: 27 August 1975 vs Rotheham United Sold to: Released, May 1986
One of the more obscure players to have a European Cup winner's medal (he came on as sub for Frank Gray in the 1980 final), Gunn had a long but very intermittent career with Forest. He was already on the verge of the side as early as 1975-1976, but apart from very occasional appearances when others were injured, he didn't really make it until 1982, when Gray had left and he spent much of the season at left back. Though not a bad player, he was never really an automatic choice, and eventually Clough signed Kenny Swain, effectively ending Gunn's chances. When Stuart Pearce arrived 2 seasons later, Gunn was let go.
His daughter is an extremely fine cricketer for both Notts and England.
Back to ... The Players : 1975 - 1976 : 1978 - 1979 : 1979 - 1980 : 1980 - 1981 : 1981 - 1982 : 1982 - 1983 : 1983 - 1984 : 1984 - 1985
Position: Defender / Midfield Born: Reykjavik, Iceland 16 October 1975 Signed from: Stoek City, July 2003
Debut: 9 August 2003 vs Sunderland Sold to: Watford, 31 July 2004.
Versatile Icelandic Interntional defensive midfield player signed to strengthen a thin squad a few days before the start of the 2003-2004 season. Despite looking a reasonable (if nothing more) player, he never really established himself either under Paul Hart (who'd signed him) or Joe Kinnear (who ignored him completely) and moved on after a year.
Back to ... The Players : 2003 - 2004