What is the story on Nottingham Forest?

[ClarkC]

Ignorant Yank questions here: How has Nottingham Forest fallen so far? What is their support like in the London metro area these days, with so many London clubs doing better than they are? Any prospects for climbing back up the ladder to the Premiership some day soon?

[Placid Casual]

Ignorant Yank questions here: How has Nottingham Forest fallen so far? What is their support like in the London metro area these days, with so many London clubs doing better than they are? Any prospects for climbing back up the ladder to the Premiership some day soon?


Nottingham isn't very close to the London area. Not sure they drew much support from there anyway.

Hopefully they will continue to drop through the divisions.

[sephjnr]

[R- highlight]
In spite of a promising league run, they've just lost to Accrington Stanley in the League Cup - surley a nadir for the former European-Cup winners.

Apologies for the breach in the deleted thread, mods.

[RichardL]

Ignorant Yank questions here: How has Nottingham Forest fallen so far? What is their support like in the London metro area these days, with so many London clubs doing better than they are? Any prospects for climbing back up the ladder to the Premiership some day soon?
I don't know if you've made the mistake a guy I met in a bar in Chicago did....

He was talking about liking the London clubs, Arsenal, chelsea, nottingham forest....

For some reason he thought the club was based in Notting Hill.


Nottingham is around 150 miles north of London.

[ClarkC]

My mistake on location. What about my other questons?

How can they have fallen so far? Financial issues? Support? Any hope for climbing back up?

[RichardL]

My mistake on location. What about my other questons?

How can they have fallen so far? Financial issues? Support? Any hope for climbing back up?
they had to build two new stands at either end of the stadium, which hit them pretty hard. Unlike over there, clubs here have to build stadiums using their own money. Accumulated debt hurt them after they got relegated, and even after getting back, they weren't able to be competitive.

Support is still good. In fact it's barely lower than their days in the early years of the premiership, despite being two divisions lower. The key really is paying off the debt, or at least enough of it to allow their support advantage (they get 20,000 compared to the average of around 7000 in League One) to allow them to build a better team. It might take 5-10 years to get back to the top division, but it'll almost certainly happen.

[c_leo]

I hope Forest can climb back up. C'mon boys, you were once champions of Europe!

Hey, it is a Wikipedia link, so "buyer beware," but there is some good info:

Here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nottingham_Forest)

[ranny fash]

we'll be back, but not until the debt issue is fully over and done with.

the issue is not so much with the stands being built, more to do with 15 years of ridiculous incompetence on the part of various consecutive management teams.

there were serious financial issues, but these days the club is run extremely well. there is still huge debt but it is getting smaller, and the fanbase is still amongst the country's largest.

[Disco Dale]

Not really very conversant with the history of the Forest, but the impression is not so much "how did a great old club drop", because it does seem to have been a peak - you also have to understand how a fairly sleepy midlands club became so great in the first place.... sorry to Forest fans, this must be like a millstone around your necks, but I have to mention his name.....

So anyone not really sure of if the manager really has much of an impact on a football team, or on a football club, read everything you can about Brian Clough:- especially his years in tandem with Peter Taylor.

[ossieend]

Clark, it would be easy to gloat because Forest are our local rivals their ground being only twelve miles from ours. Well, it would be easy but.......we're not so hot now either. It is just really a case of paying off the debts and building again from scratch for Forest and Derby. Both clubs continue to pull in crowds far in excess of what recent performances deserve, which shows the potential in the East Midlands if a team starts to have success.
The smart money says Forest are very likely promotion candidates this year, then it's a case of sensible management.

[ossieend]

Oh, yes young man, I nearly forgot. Learn all you can about Brian Clough. The Greatest. No question.

[Disco Dale]

Oh, yes young man, I nearly forgot. Learn all you can about Brian Clough. The Greatest. No question.
I also think he was probably the greatest manager of all time... here's what he did at Forest, although a few players followed him, you can't say he "bought" it in the way of Chelsea, or even Blackburn.....

1st season:- Promotion
2nd season:- League Champions (old old 1st Division, i.e. todays Prem)
3rd season:- European Champions
4th season:- European Champions again...

and don't tell me the old European Cup was easier to win than the Champions League:- it wasn't

He never won the FA cup, but won everything else in club football, and as a player scored 251 goals in 274 games (yes that is correct) ... and heres Peter Taylor (left), and Clough a minute away from European Cup glory
http://footballfocus.xsmnet.com/gallery/teams/nottm_forest/nottm_forest_clough_taylor_1979.JPG

[Rig1964]

The old European Cup was much harder to win than the Champions League in one respect.
You had to win the championship before you even qualified.

[Dave Brother]

Ignorant Yank questions here: How has Nottingham Forest fallen so far? What is their support like in the London metro area these days, with so many London clubs doing better than they are? Any prospects for climbing back up the ladder to the Premiership some day soon?
Forest is 5 points clear, leading the table in league one right now. They are playing really well. If they stay healthy, they have a shot at promotion to the Premiership.

[SheffWedFan]

Forest is 5 points clear, leading the table in league one right now. They are playing really well. If they stay healthy, they have a shot at promotion to the Premiership.

Championship. They won't have a shot at promotion to the Premiership until 2007/08 at the earliest.

[Dave Brother]

Championship. They won't have a shot at promotion to the Premiership until 2007/08 at the earliest.
My bad. Wishfull thinking on my part. :o