Based in Nottinghamshire, England, Nottingham Forest FC is a professional association football club. The club was founded in 1865 and played its first match in 1866. Nottingham participates in the English Football League (EFL), which it has competed in since its inaugural season in 1888–89.
Nottingham Forest has played their home games at the City Ground since 1898. The club is a two-time European Cup winner (1979 and 1980), one of only five English clubs that won the big ears trophy. Besides, Nottingham also has one First Division title.
Forest’s history, players, managers, and achievements will keep you overwhelmed if you are an avid soccer fan. So keep reading to learn more about this famous soccer club.
Nottingham Forest Foundation
Nottingham Forest Football Club, nicknamed the Reds and founded in 1865, is a professional soccer club in Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English soccer.
The City Ground is their home stadium. The club was founded in 1865 by a group of shinty players who left their previous club, Nottingham Forest Cricket Club.
They took their name from Nottinghamshire’s forest county and played their first official match on March 22, 1866, against Notts County. In 1878 they joined the Football Association and became founder members of the Football League.
Forest has won the First Division during the 1977-78 campaign. Besides, they also have two FA Cup trophies and two European Cups.
Nottingham Forest Stadium
Nottingham Forest stadium, also known as The City Ground, is a soccer stadium located in West Bridgford. It has been the home ground of Nottingham Forest since 1898. The stadium was first used for association football in 1862 when Nottingham Forest was formed.
Originally a two-sided ground, the South Stand was built in 1895, the North Stand followed in 1898, and the West Stand was completed in 1905. The East Stand was demolished in 1954 due to structural problems. The record attendance of 49,946 was set at a match against Manchester United on October 28, 1967.
The Nottingham Forest stadium underwent significant redevelopment between 1995 and 1998, which brought the capacity to 30,446. As part of this redevelopment, an extra tier was added to the South Stand, and the North Stand was rebuilt.
Nottingham Forest Logo
The club’s traditional home colors are red and white, and the Nottingham Forest logo is red. The city arms of Nottingham is the first logo adopted by the club in 1947.
The current Nottingham Forest logo was first introduced in 1974. Trent Polytechnic graphic design lecturer David Lewis was awarded the winner following a logo competition. The same logo was used to represent Nottingham Forest’s official logo.
Later, two stars were introduced on the logo representing the two European trophies won by the English side in 1979 and 1980.
Nottingham Forest Jersey
Macron makes the Nottingham Forest jersey, and it consists of a red shirt, red shorts, and red socks. The shirt has a white rounded neck and a white trim on the collar and sleeves. The shorts are red with the number written in white color. They also wear all red socks.
Macron has been the club’s official kit manufacturer since 2018. The shirt sponsor for the 2021-22 soccer campaign is BOXT.
Nottingham Forest Managers
Nottingham Forest has had a total of 51 managers in its history. Here are the three who stand out the most:
- Brian Clough: The gaffer is the club’s most successful manager. Brian Clough has managed the club for 18 years, winning two European Cups and one League Championship. Besides, he also took the club to the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup and the FA Cup. His achievements with Nottingham Forest earned him a place in both the English Soccer Hall of Fame and the Scottish Soccer Hall of Fame.
- Frank Clark: Frank was another very successful manager for Nottingham Forest. He led the club to one First Division, two Football League Cups, and one European Cup during his three-year tenure.
Forest is also very fortunate to have had a manager like Stuart Pearce take charge of the team in recent times.
Nottingham Forest Goalkeepers
Nottingham Forest has a long and rich history in English soccer. The club has seen great goalkeepers, including Harry Linacre, Peter Grummitt, Peter Shilton, Steve Sutton, and Mark Crossley.
- Harry Linacre: The English international has appeared in over 300 games for Nottingham Forest. He is widely regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the history of the Nottinghamshire club.
- Peter Grummitt: Grummitt has played for Nottingham Forest for nearly ten years. It allowed him to figure in 313 games for the Reds.
- Peter Shilton: Shilton is perhaps the most well-known Nottingham Forest goalkeeper. He spent five years at the club, making 202 appearances and winning two European titles. The English goalkeeper also won the First Divison trophy with the Reds. Peter Shilton was also part of the England team that reached the World Cup semi-finals in 1990.
- Steve Sutton: Between 1979 to 1992, Sutton managed 199 games with Nottingham Forest. In the process, he lifted two Football League Cups.
- Mark Crossley: The Wales international is another great goalkeeper who wore the Nottingham Forest jersey. He featured in over 300 games for the English club between 1989 to 2000.
Nottingham Forest Defenders
Nottingham Forest has had many great defenders over the years. Here are three of the best:
- Bob McKinlay: He was one of the best defenders to wear the Nottingham Forest jersey. He played for the Reds for 18 years. As a Nottingham Forest defender, Bob McKinlay managed 614 appearances and scored nine goals. Besides, he won the FA Cup in 1959.
- Viv Anderson: Another great Nottingham Forest defender is Viv Anderson. The Englishman has won numerous trophies with the Reds. They include one First Division title and two European Cups. Anderson has featured in a total of 328 games and scored 15 goals.
- Larry Lloyd: He played 148 games for Nottingham Forest between 1976 and 1981. Larry Lloyd has won one First Division title and two European trophies with the Reds. He is widely regarded as one of the best defenders who wore the Nottingham Forest jersey.
- Kenny Burns: Another great Nottingham Forest defender is Kenny Burns. The Scottish international also played as a striker. Between 1971 and 1977, the player featured in 170 games for Forest and scored 45 goals. Burns has won one First Division title, two European trophies, one European Super Cup, and two League Cups with Nottingham Forest.
- Steve Chettle: The Englishman played as a defender for Nottingham Forest for 13 years. He featured in a total of 415 games for the Reds. Besides, the Nottingham Forest defender won one First Divison trophy and two League Cups.
Nottingham Forest Midfielders
Nottingham Forest has also produced some of the best midfielders in English soccer history.
One such midfielder is John McGovern. A hard-working player, McGovern was a vital part of the Forest sides that won back-to-back European Cup titles in 1979 and 1980. He was also a crucial part of the side that won the Football League First Division in 1978. McGovern appeared in over 250 games for Nottingham Forest.
Another great Forest midfielder is Roy Keane. Signed by Brian Clough, Keane was a driving force in the midfield for Forest. The Irish international featured in over 1000 games for the Reds between 1990 and 1993.
Nottingham Forest Attackers
Here is a look at some of the best attackers to ever play for Nottingham Forest.
The first striker is Wally Ardron. He had a phenomenal career with Nottingham Forest and is regarded as one of the best strikers who wore the red jersey. Wally Ardon managed 123 goals in 182 games for the club. He also helped Nottingham achieve promotion from the third to the second division in 1951.
The second striker on this list is Grenville Morris. He played for Nottingham Forest from 1998 to 1913 and was one of the most dangerous forwards in English soccer. He scored 199 goals in 421 appearances for Nottingham Forest and was part of the squad that won the Football League Second Division in 1907.
Next on the list is Trevor Francis. He played for Nottingham Forest from 1979 to 1981 and was one of the most prolific strikers in English soccer during his time at the club. In 70 appearances for his club, the player managed 28 goals.
Nottingham Forest Champions League
Nottingham Forest has a rich history in European soccer. They were crowned Champions League winners in 1978-79, thanks to some stout defending by goalkeeper Peter Shilton and defenders John McGovern, Viv Anderson, and Garry Birtles. The Reds defeated the Swedish side Malmö FF in the final by 1-0.
The English side retained their European trophy the following year by overcoming German club Hamburger SV by the same scoreline. The Champions League final was played at the Santiago Bernabéu, Madrid.
Nottingham Forest is one of the few English clubs that have won the European Cup in their history.
End of Line
Nottingham Forest is a team with a bright future. They have a solid fan base and are determined to return to the Premier League.
Forest has a good manager in Steve Cooper, who has a lot of experience in English soccer. The players seem to be united and work hard to improve their game. We at Football Toast believe that Nottingham Forest will make it back to the Premier League soon.
