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Championship New Boys: Nottingham Forest

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Nottingham Forest are the second instalment of our newly promoted League One trio, as Vital QPR casts an eye over the Reds.

Facts and Figures

Founded: 1865

Nickname: Forest/ The Reds

Ground: The City Ground – 30,602

Manager: Colin Calderwood


Selected Honours

European Cup – Winners: 1979, 1980
European Super Cup – Winners: 1979
European Super Cup – Runners Up: 1980

Intercontinental Cup – Runners Up: 1980

Football League Division One (Old) – Winners: 1978
Football League Division One (Old) – Runners Up: 1967, 1979
Football League First Division – Winners: 1998
Football League First Division – Runners Up: 1994

Football Association Cup – Winners: 1898, 1959
Football Association Cup – Runners Up: 1991

Football League Cup – Winners: 1978, 1979, 1989, 1990
Football League Cup – Runners Up: 1980, 1992

Records

All time attendance record: 49,946 v Manchester United (First Division, 1967)

Record victory: 14-0 v Clapton (F.A. Cup Round 1, 1891)

Record defeat 1-9 v Blackburn Rovers (Second Division, 1937)

Record Buy: Pierre van Hooijdonk – £3,500,000 from Celtic

Record Sale: Stan Collymore – £8,500,000 to Liverpool


Recent History

For the double European Cup winning team it was somewhat of an indignity to be in the second tier of English Football, and under the guidance of Paul Hart they were going some way to getting back to the big time and the Premier League.

In one fell swoop they lost to Sheffield United in the play-offs and the Forest house of cards collapsed. Paul Hart paid for his job soon after following an indifferent subsequent season, and neither Joe Kinnear nor Gary Megson could recapture the same playoff spirit that Hart had produced at Forest, and they were relegated on the penultimate day of the Championship season at Loftus Road. Rangers dispatched 10 man Forest and condemned them to a place in English Football`s third tier.

Colin Calderwood took over the reigns in May 2006 after a successful spell at Northampton Town. The ex-Tottenham defender was met with a wave of expectancy at the City Ground, and even a League One play-off place was disappointment amongst the Forest faithful. They eventually limped out at the semi-final stage as an injury-depleated side went down at home to Yeovil, who themselves lost out to Blackpool.

It was second time lucky for Forest who were outsiders for automatic promotion throughout the entire campaign, with Carlisle United and Swansea City seeming certainties for the Championship. The former however could not maintain their form and dipped into the play-offs, likewise Doncaster Rovers, making for a thrilling final day in League One.

Forest pounced on the mistakes of the above two teams, making amends for their Yeovil defeat a year previous, dispatching of Russell Slades men, 3-2, to hand them a place in the Championship, and a chance to once again challenge for the big time.

Nottingham Forest`s squad is a healthy blend of youth and experience, with James Perch and Lewis McGugan coming to the fore, as well as a new big name signing in Robert Earnshaw. Ian Breckin and Gary Holt will add the bulk of experience to a relatively young Forest outfit.


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