Position: Defender Born: Imola, Italy Signed from: Sampdoria, July 1999
Debut: 7 August 1999 vs Ipswich Town Sold to: Released, January 2000
"The shewdest defender I have ever played with", announced David Platt when he signed Mannini on a Bosman. Well that may well have been true once - he played at the top level in Serie A for many years and was an Italian international. But by the time he got to us all that was left of his former talent was his positional sense and some of his tackling (when he could get there in time, that is) - he was playing from memory but his legs had totally gone, in other words. After a few games both Mannini and Platt recognised the inevitable, and he was let go.
Back to ... The Players : 1999 - 2000
Position: Goalkeeper Born: Nottingham Signed from: Arsenal, June 1989
Debut: 18 March 1992 vs Manchester United Sold to: Wrexham, October 1993
A promising keeper who seems destined never to graduate beyond competent back-up status at the top level. He stood in ably for Mark Crossley when injured but left when Forest were relegated, frustrated at the lack of first team opportunity. He got what he wanted, playing over 200 times for Wrexham, and was recently recruited by Sunderland... where he is back warming the bench. He was young when he was with Forest (he is only 31 now), and used to blush deeply when greeted by A Block with "Swing Low Sweet Marriott"
Back to ... The Players : 1991 - 1992 : 1992 - 1993
Position: Centre Forward Born: Tranent Signed from: Coventry City, February 1971
Debut: 20 February 1971 vs Burnley Sold to: Brighton & Hove Albion, July 1975
A reasonable centre forward who was good for about 10 goals a season rather than the 20 we really needed. Quietly moved on by Brian Clough at the end of his first season. Anyone who can remember any more detail than that, please contact me!
Back to ... The Players : 1970 - 1971 : 1971 - 1972 : 1972 - 1973 : 1973 - 1974 : 1974 - 1975
Position: Defender Born: Napoli, Italy Signed from: Perugia, July 1999
Debut: 7 August 1999 vs Ipswich Town Sold to: Released, June 2001
Probably the best of the 3 Italians signed by David Platt at the start of his managerial career (the others being Moreno Mannini - bath chair fodder - and Luca Petrachi - talented but uninterested). "Toto" was beginning to settle in nicely at the heart of Forest's defence when he badly injured his knee at Port Vale in October 1999, and he missed the rest of the season. He is not perhaps the swiftest of players, but he reads the game well, is good in the air and an immaculate timer of tackles - he could still have proved to be a real asset and automatic choice at the back.
He was in fact fit for the final game of 99-00, so ought easily to hav been ready for the start of the new season - yet somehow he never quite managed to get fit, to the extent that it became apparent that he had adopted the same mardy attitude as his mate Luca Petrachi. We continued to pay his wages while he and a few others made sure that the Reserves were clogged up with expensive dead wood, rather than a place for youngsters too old for the Academy to gain experience.
In the summer of 2001 we decided that enough was enough, and bought him out of his contract.
Back to ... The Players : 1999 - 2000
Position: Centre Back Born: Visby, Sweden Signed from: Halmstad, December 1998
Debut: 12 December 1998 vs Leicester City Sold to: Released, July 2000
Jesper claimed that in several years at the top level in Swedish football (not least acting as the hod carrier for a young Freddie Lyungberg) he was never injured. If so, he must have been saving up all his bad luck for England. He played a mere 2 games after his arrival, looking a good player from what we saw, before he freakishly injured his spleen in a fall against Blackburn. 3 months later he returned and badly injured his knee after 3 more appearances.
He missed the whole of 1999-2000 and spent the summer of 2000 training in Sweden trying to regain match fitness, but by the time pre-season fitness training arrived, had begun to realise that he was unlikely to play at a high level again. A thoroughly nice bloke as well as being a good footballer, it was a great shame for all concerned with Forest when he went home to Sweden to become a youth coach - we wish him well.
Back to ... The Players : 1998 - 1999
Position: Forward Born: Dundee Signed from: Apprentice, July 1973
Debut: 26 April 1975 vs West Bromwich Albion Sold to: Released, May 1976
Diminutive Scottish forward who made 4 full and 2 sub appearances, scoring 1 goal. Never really looked convincing.
Back to ... The Players : 1974 - 1975 : 1975 - 1976
Position: Midfield Born: Montrose Signed from: Leeds United, February 1975
Debut: 22 February 1975 vs Cardiff City Sold to: Bolton Wanderers, June 1982
If you ever want to provoke a brisk argument amongst a group of Forest fans of a certain age, all you need to do is throw in a casual comment about how good or how poor John McGovern was - it doesn't matter which you choose, because there is sure to be a fully paid-up McGovern fan and a McGovern hater in the group (for modern readers, think of the effect that Dougie Freedman has on a pub argument - though McGovern was a FAR better player than Dougie!). I confess that I was a fan - but I spent much of my teenage years on the Trent End listening to people slagging him off!
McGovern was not a "sexy" player; while the Robertsons, Gemmills and O'Neills of this world were creating havoc all around him, he was the man who won the ball in midfield and played the simple pass - think of Didier Deschamps' role in the current French national team and you just about have it. As a consequence many fans simply couldn't see what he brought to the party.... though they failed to spot that Forest were never quite the same team when "Border" was missing. Without him we seemed to take longer to get the ball back and looked less secure through the middle - with him the midfield looked a smoothly oiled machine.
Whatever the fans thought, Brian Clough had no doubts at all - he signed McGovern at Hartlepool, Derby County, Leeds United and Forest, and made him captain pretty swiftly at all 4 clubs.
You would have thought that the man who was captain of our Championship and both European Cup winning sides would be an all-time Forest hero. Instead he seldom gets the respect that he deserves - because half the fans never thought he was any good! The question what would we have been without him is of course impossible to answer... hence the pub arguments which rage to this day!
Back to ... The Players : 1975 - 1976 : 1976 - 1977 : 1977 - 1978 : 1978 - 1979 : 1979 - 1980 : 1980 - 1981 : 1981 - 1982
Position: Forward Born: Liverpool Signed from: Apprentice, December 1991
Debut: 10 December 1994 vs Ipswich Town Sold to: Plymouth Argyle, June 1999
At one stage it looked as though the slight, long-haired McGregor was set to be a major star, but somehow it never materialised. He was on the fringe of the excellent Collymore / Roy / Bohinen 94-95 team which finished third, coming on as a regular sub for Bohinen or Roy.
When, the following season, a combination of injuries and the sheer crapness of Silenzi gave McGregor his chance, he looked to have seized it - in consecutive games he came off the bench to score the winning goal in a UEFA Cup game against Lyon and then started the game to score against Manchester United. But then Jason Lee and Kevin Campbell returned and McGregor's career ground to a halt. He is quick and tricky, but small and has a tendency to drift in and out of games.
Eventually he accepted it wasn't going to happen in Nottingham, so moved down the leagues to Plymouth Argyle, where he had an excellent first season in 99-00 playing (and scoring regularly) just behind the front two.
He was (and probably still is) also the guitarist of a rock band. They were pretty much in the Plymouth Argyle league, too.
Back to ... The Players : 1994 - 1995 : 1995 - 1996 : 1996 - 1997
Position: Full Back Born: Glasgow Signed from: Dundee United, June 1984
Debut: 29 September 1984 vs Norwich City Sold to: Coventry City, January 1986
Something of a forgotten man. McInally was a good player who made a pretty decent fist of replacing the departed Viv Anderson at right back - indeed he did sufficiently well for the fans to vote him Player of the Year in 84-85. I confess, however, that I had completely forgotten him until I began to write this archive - and a straw poll amongst my Forest-supporting friends showed that I wasn't alone.
Nothing spectacular, but a good, intelligent and very reliable full back (the likes of whom we would kill for on the right now!). For some reason, however, Clough decided to get rid after only a season-and-a-half (anyone remember why?) and eventually he returned to Scotland, where he was playing until very recently.
Back to ... The Players : 1984 - 1985 : 1985 - 1986
Position: Forward Born: Forfar Signed from: Montrose, October 1970
Debut: 7 November 1970 vs Everton Sold to: Hull City, March 1976
A glance at Jimmy Mac's goalscoring record (just 3 goals in over 50 games) probably tells you all you need to know about him; he was a forward, after all! To be fair, it also speaks volumes about Forest in general during his era - "uninspiring" would be a kind choice of word. McIntosh was never more than a fringe player - rather than getting a run in the team he played a handful of games in season after season, so perhaps simply judging him on statistics is a little unfair.
But then again, it probably isn't; forwards who seldom score aren't much good to anyone.
Back to ... The Players : 1970 - 1971 : 1971 - 1972 : 1972 - 1973 : 1973 - 1974 : 1974 - 1975 : 1975 - 1976
Position: Forward / Winger Born: Grimsby Signed from: Apprentice, July 1968
Debut: ? Sold to: Leeds United, August 1974
The Forest hero of his particular era, McKenzie emerged at Forest just as the excellent late 60s side was dismantled, with most of the good players being sold on with woefully inadequate replacement. Duncan was an exceptional player in a decidedly unexceptional period for the club; a series of average (at best) managers (Gillies, Mackay, Brown...) and a seemingly endless struggle against relegation, which inevitably failed in 71-72, sending us into the Second Division for what looked like being a very long time.
Then, however, there were glimmers of life, and most of them came from McKenzie - especially during Forest's outstanding FA Cup run of 73-74, during which the young Ian Bowyer and McKenzie terrorised the defences of our supposed elders and betters (notably Newcastle United, who eventually knocked Forest out of the competition, but only after the original match had been shamefully abandoned after the Leazes End invaded the pitch with Forest winning comfortably, and the FA were too chicken to award the match to Forest). He scored 28 League & Cup goals in that season, in what was not (in truth) a particularly outstanding side.
McKenzie was a maverick - skillful, quick, unorthodox and a natural athlete (his party trick was to jump over cars - there is a famous photograph of him showing off by leaping effortlessly over a mini at Goodison Park), and needless to say with those attributes the fans loved him.
Alas, Duncan also came to the notice of Forest's supposed elders and betters during that cup run, and with promotion at the City Ground apparently an unlikely dream, it became inevitable that he would be sold. Ironically, the manager who snapped him up was Brian Clough, during his ill-fated few weeks at Leeds. McKenzie went on to play for England, and is probably chiefly remembered outside Nottingham for his time at Everton.
The mind wanders wistfully to what he might have achieved on the right of Forest's late 70s midfield...
Back to ... The Players : 1968 - 1969 : 1969 - 1970 : 1970 - 1971 : 1971 - 1972 : 1972 - 1973 : 1973 - 1974
Position: Midfield Born: Dundee Signed from: Dundee United, August 1992
Debut: 12 September 1992 vs Sheffield Wednesday Sold to: Aberdeen, February 1994
One of Cloughie's long list of revolving door midfield players (Asa Hartford, Gary Megson, John Sheridan....). Signed with a big reputation for the start of the 92-93 season. Back in Scotland after a mere 5 games. I think it was McKinnon who was the butt of one of the more famous Clough stories (and if it wasn't, I apologise, especially to him). Late summer, pre-season training going on under the watchful eye of Ron Fenton, Clough turns up one day. Clough: "And who might you be?" McKinnon: "I'm your new midfield player, Mr Clough." Clough: "No you're not, young man; you're crap!".
Actually, McKinnon wasn't (and still isn't) crap, but once Clough had made up his mind....
Back to ... The Players : 1992 - 1993
Position: Midfield Born: London, 9 December 1979 Signed from: Leeds United, August 2003 (LOAN)
Debut: 26 August 2003 vs Coventry City
Hugely talented Irish international midfield player signed on loan to bolster the midfield after a poor start to the 2003 - 2004 season. McPhail was one of Paul Hart's proteges at Leeds who's career started with a bang in 2001. But injury stopped him in his tracks and by the time he was fit enough to return Leeds had gone seriously pear-shaped, with massive debts, a new manager and a fire sale of talent going on in order to stay afloat. Forest should have been the benficiaries of McPhail's desire to get his career back on track, but despite showing obvious class at times, he didn't exactly set the world on fire.
He later resurfaced, also under Paul Hart, at Barnsley.
Back to ... The Players : 2003 - 2004
Position: Midfield Born: Manchester Signed from: Sheffield Wednesday, August 1984
Debut: - Sold to: Newcastle United, November 1984
... but if Ray McKinnon felt hard done by, he should thank his lucky stars that he wasn't Megson. Though no superstar he had done well at Wednesday, so the Forest fans were not surprised when Cloughie appeared to buy him in Summer 1984.
I have no idea what happened. Training ground bust-up? Clough thinking that someone had signed him behind his back (see John Sheridan)? Or just a not atypical instant change of heart? It was alleged that Clough told him he "couldn't trap a bag of cement" - though to be fair it was Megson himself who repeated that story at the press conference when he returned as manager, and he was certainly a far better player than that makes him sound.
Whatever. Megson never actually pulled on a Forest shirt in anger.
He wne ton to become an abrasive but effective manager, first at Stockport County, and then at West Brom, whom he took to two promotions in three years. But he then fell out with the Baggies chairman. and so ended up back at the City Ground a few weeks over 20 years after he'd left, but this time as manager.
He couldn't prevent Forest's relegation, though in truth the ship was profoundly holed by the time he arrived with his tiny bailer. Many, myslef included, were less than delighted with the style of football he got us playing - 5 at the back, going for the 1-0 win, work hard at the expense of much creativity stuff. But let's be fair; anything was worth a try to keep us up, and we were deeply rubbish by the time he arrived.
So let's see what happens in League One, when he has his own side to manage.
Back to ... The Players
Position: Midfield Born: Lincoln, 3 October 1978 Signed from: Apprentice, August 1996
Debut: 16 May 1999 vs Leicester City Sold to: Stoke City, February 2000
A product of the earliest days of the nascent Academy, Melton is a skilful left-sided midfielder who perhaps lacks a bit of pace. He was given his chance in the final game of the Wonderful World of Ron Atkinson, and looked a useful player. After a couple of appearances early in David Platt's reign, it became apparent that he didn't figure in Platt's long-term plans and he moved on to Stoke, and thence to Brighton. He is still only 24 and could yet make his mark... but not with Forest.
Back to ... The Players : 1998 - 1999 : 1999 - 2000
Position: Defender Born: Swansea, 29 November 1968 Signed from: West Ham United (LOAN), 4 February 2005 - 10 May 2005
Debut: 5 February 2005 vs Rotherham United
Vastly experienced central defender signed on loan by Gary Megson as Forest stared relegation in the face - Michael Dawson had been sold and Gareth Taylor (stand-in central defender who had done so well in his emergency position under Megson) was desperately needed in his real position as David Johnson entered his final vast-arsed sulk.
He tried his best, but it wasn't good enough.
Back to ... The Players : 2004 - 2005
Position: Midfield Born: Bilbao, Spain Signed from: Apprentice, September 1997
Debut: 24 August 1999 vs Mansfield Town Sold to: Athletic Bilbao, June 2000
If this guy lives up to his early promise, Forest could live to rue the Bosman ruling. Carlos is a Basque (quite how he ended up at Forest's Academy has never fully been explained) who consistently impressed with his industry, creatvity and skill in Paul Hart's young teams of 98-99 and 99-00. A ridiculous number of injuries in midfield in Autumn 99 gave him a chance in the first team, and he seized it with both hands - coming on as sub at home to Barnsley, he changed the game from a tight affair to a slaughter, running at the Tykes' defence and spreading panic wherever he went. Forest fans licked their lips in anticipation at what he might do in a year or two once he has matured.
Unfortunately, so did Athletic Bilbao, whose Basque-only policy means that they are ever on the alert for talent from the region. Carlos wanted first team football and his contract with Forest ran out in the summer of 2000. We couldn't offer him a likely extended run in the team yet, and Bilbao stepped in and took him back to Spain. He is small and slight, and of course he might not make it all the way - many outstanding 19-year-olds don't. But I would say he has a better chance than most, and Forest fans will have to be forgiven the odd groan of frustration in a year or two if they see him becoming a star.
Back to ... The Players : 1999 - 2000
Position: Midfield Born: Amsterdam Signed from: Real Madrid, May 1984
Debut: 25 August 1984 vs Sheffield Wednesday Sold to: Tottenham Hotspur, July 1987
Of the half-dozen Dutchmen we have had at the City Ground over the past 20 years, Johnny Metgod (pronounced "Mett-Hod") was the best (whatever Pierre van Hooijdonk might tell you). On the face of it he doesn't look promising material when you first see him - he is tall, prematurely bald and gives the impression that he might be more Sneekes than Cruyff. Wrong! I suppose we ought to have worked it out from his old club - Real Madrid aren't generally in the habit of signing donkeys!
Johnny's size belied his skill and subtle range of pass and he was equally at home in a creative midfield role or shoring things up at the back. Best of all, he was in possession of probably the fiercest free kicks ever seen at the City Ground - and that includes Stuart Pearce's thunderbolts (they played together for a while, which gave us fabulous options from both sides of the goal if people were silly enough to foul within 30 yards of their own goal).
It is one of those free kicks that Metgod is probably best remembered for - in a home game against West Ham in April 86, with the score 1-1 and time rapidly running out, Johnny hit the most staggering free kick from fully 30 yards, which fizzed through the wall and was still rising as it thundered into the top corner. A strong candidate for best free kick of the 80s (sorry, Psycho!), this is one of those rare goals which everyone who was there still talks about. Unfortunately, as with all too many of our players, the financial lure of the so-called "bigger" clubs eventually proved too much, and he went to Tottenham. Johnny is now part of the management team at Feyenoord and, to judge by the reception he got when he brought the Rotterdam side over for a pre-season friendly a couple of years ago, still remembered with affection in Nottingham.
Back to ... The Players : 1984 - 1985 : 1985 - 1986 : 1986 - 1987
Position: Goalkeeper Born: Lincoln Signed from: Apprantice, November 1974
Debut: 19 October 1974 vs West Bromwich Albion Sold to: Derby County, September 1977
Middleton is the Forest player who won a Championship medal whom everyone forgets. He was a tall, sound keeper who had served us pretty well, especially in the 75-76 promotion season. But Cloughie knew that the great teams have great goalkeepers, and Middleton, though no slouch, was not in the Peter Shilton class (indeed at the time no-one was in the Peter Shilton class, with the possible exception of Ray Clemence). So Shilton was in after 5 League games of the Championship season (4 of which we had won) and Middleton was off down the road to the Sheep.
Talk about a come-down.
Back to ... The Players : 1974 - 1975 : 1975 - 1976 : 1976 - 1977
Position: Midfield Born: Northampton Signed from: Apprentice, July 1978
Debut: 9 September 1978 vs Arsenal Sold to: Notts County, August 1987
A home-grown utility player (in the days before such a term became one of ill-informed abuse), Mills never quite made it absolutely to the top, after the sort of start which millions of schoolboys can only dream about; he was (and I think still is) the youngest player to appear in a European Cup final when Trevor Francis' injury gave him a place in midfield against Hamburg at the age of just turned 18. He had also, at 16 years and 203 days, been Forest's youngest league player the year before when he made his debut against Arsenal (though Craig Westcarr has since surpassed this record).
Don't get me wrong - Mills didn't fade away into obscurity after that; he made appearances all over Forest's midfield and at right back for almost the next ten years. But for a player who is talented enough to play in the European Cup final when so young (and he did OK in that match, too), 142 appearances in 9 years doesn't really represent becoming an automatic choice. Whenever it looked as though it might be Mills' turn, the likes of Hodge, Walsh, Metgod and Webb would overtake him, and eventually he moved on to Notts County.
Back to ... The Players : 1978 - 1979 : 1979 - 1980 : 1980 - 1981 : 1981 - 1982 : 1983 - 1984 : 1984 - 1985 : 1985 - 1986 : 1986 - 1987
Position: Goalkeeper Born: Sunderland Signed from: Birmingham City, June 1979
Debut: 6 May 1980 vs Notts County (County Cup) Sold to: Sunderland, June 1980
Goalkeeper famous chiefly for a string of fantastic saves which enabled Sunderland (at the time in the 2nd Division) to beat Leeds in the 1975 FA Cup Final. By the time he came to us he was past his best, but was signed as vastly experienced cover for Peter Shilton once Chris Woods left the club. He never played for us in the league, but did manage a Eurpopean Cup winners' medal sitting on the bench.
Position: Forward Born: Birkenhead, 26 August 1976 Signed from: Tranmere Rovers, March 1997
Debut: 13 August 19997 vs Doncaster Rovers Sold to: Stockport County, August 1998
Lightning quick and not unskillful, Moore unfortunately couldn't score in a brothel. He cost Harry Bassett a million but never looked worth half that - and we cut our losses by getting 800k for him from Stockport. At Stockport, though tricky on the wings, he scored about 5 goals in 2 seasons, so I reckon we made the right decision. Which didn't stop Burnley paying loads of money for him in 2001 - where he continued not to score enough goals. Ian is the son of the impressive Rotherham manager Ronnie Moore. Perhaps in due course he'll become better at managing than he is at scoring goals!
Older fans had a slight shiver of anticipation when we signed him, based on the name. But the difference between Ian Storey-Moore and this bloke is not simply confined to the lack of a double-barrelled name!
Back to ... The Players : 1997 - 1998
Position: Central Defender Born: Nottingham, 21 January 1984 Signed from: Academy, April 2003
Debut: 13 August 2003 vs Port Vale Sold to: -
Highly-rated young defender of considerable talent and physical presence; he is built like the proverbial brick outhouse! Wes rose rapidly through the Academy ranks and received rave reviews both in Forest's Reserves set-up and during a period on loan at Kidderminster Harriers. He broke into the first team in 2003-04 and had an outstanding first year (in a pretty crap season, too). Many of us remember our first real sighting of him - executing a thunderous tackle on Jari Litmanen of Ajax in a pre-season friendly in July 2003; Wes emerged on his arse, but with the ball, and Litmanen (a great player by any standards) ended up with both of his boots removed!
All this would probably surprise his erstwhile minders at Notts County, who released him from their own youth set-up as a 15-year-old. Even Wes admits that at the time they seemed to have made the correct decision - he was apparently failing to match his talent with the correct amount of application - but it made him knuckle down and work when he got back to school. All this paid off in 2001, when Nick Marshall was sufficiently impressed to snap him up for Forest's Academy. Since then he has not looked back - to the extent that he is now routinely cited by Marshall as a role model for youngsters who think their career has come to a premature end.
Huge, quick, uncompromising - a touch, even, of the youthful Sol Campbells, though it is doubtful that he is of that quality. It remains to be seen how far he trains on, of course, but he has come such a long way in such a short time that it's easy to be too critical of his still iffy positional sense and occasionally strange decision making; it was noticeable how much better he looked when playing with the experienced Andy Melville in 2004-5. He also needs to become more dominant in the air (surprisingly, for such a big man), so League One should be a good test for him.
Given the right encouragement and mentoring, he could still be a fixture for Forest for years to come.
Back to ... The Players : 2003 - 2004 : 2004 - 2005 : 2005 - 2006