Tom Oldfield

As two-time winners of the European Cup, Nottingham Forest have reason to claim that historically they are among England’s most successful clubs. Throw in a handful of league cups and a First Division title and you can see their argument.

Yet Forest fans’ claims are rarely taken seriously these days. The club have endured a terrible five years, including a spell in League One, and even the memories of the glory days of the late 70s cannot not heal some of the scars.

So where did it all go wrong? How did Brian Clough’s high-flyers turn into a side capable of dropping into the third tier of English football?

For the younger generation of supporters, it is hard to believe that Forest were once top of the tree in European football. Clough and his right hand man Peter Taylor inspired a talented group of players to the league championship in 1978 and they managed a stunning 42-game unbeaten run in the league – only bettered recently by Arsenal’s Invincibles in 2004. This proved to be the springboard for their European adventures.

Forest lifted the European Cup in 1979 with a victory over Malmo and then defended the trophy the following year against Hamburg. This phenomenal achievement saw Clough rightly hailed as a legend and put the club on the map.

League cups followed but, when Clough resigned in 1993, the club were relegated. It was heart-breaking for the Forest fans. Just as the Premier League was kicking off and football was taking on a bigger role globally, the country’s top players would not be gracing the City Ground.

But Forest were back with a bang as Frank Clark, a European Cup winner with the club in 1979, led the club back to the big time. They finished runners-up in Division One and secured an immediate return. Boasting talents such as Stan Collymore and Bryan Roy, hopes were high that the club would establish themselves in the Premier League.

Such ambition might have seemed naïve to some but the players clearly believed it was possible. Forest finished the 1994/95 season in third place to clinch a UEFA Cup spot as Collymore and company stunned the top flight big guns with some outstanding performances.

But after a few solid seasons, Clark’s side faltered. He was sacked in December 1996 and neither Stuart Pearce nor Dave Bassett could prevent relegation at the end of the 1996/97 campaign. The hard work would have to start all over again.

Having finished bottom of the Premier League table, the supporters could have been excused for thinking that the team might struggle to bounce back from the bitter disappointment. The financial blow brought on by relegation also appeared to work against Forest’s hopes of promotion.

However, the players re-grouped and put together an excellent Division One campaign, winning the title and earning another crack at life in the Premier League. The 1997/98 season was full of fine football at the City Ground.

Forest’s reputation as a yo-yo side was enhanced by a dismal start on their return to the top flight. Bassett was sacked in January and Ron Atkinson took over in charge. The team were on the end of an 8-1 thrashing against Manchester United that highlighted just how far Forest were out of their depth at the time.

Relegation despair struck again but this time there would be no quick fix. The club had had their chances to cement a place in the Premier League and had wasted them. Now, some tough years awaited the club’s supporters.

David Platt succeeded Atkinson and began a stint in charge that is not remembered fondly by Forest fans. Platt spent more than £12 million on unproven new faces, including a trio of Italians, as the club headed into financial turmoil. Despite splashing the cash, Platt only delivered mid-table finishes before leaving the City Ground for the England Under-21 job.

It was a crippling blow but Paul Hart led a revival. The board stuck with their manager despite a couple of shaky years and he repaid them by producing a team who looked serious promotion contenders. A good blend of youth and experience put Forest among the favourites to go up and, though there were several setbacks along the way, the team secured a spot in the play-offs.

Forest played with real attacking flair but came up agonisingly short against Sheffield United. Travelling to Bramall Lane for the second leg after a 1-1 draw at the City Ground, Forest blew the chance to head to the playoff final as they squandered a 2-0 lead, losing 4-3 in extra-time and 5-4 on aggregate.

This crushing blow was made even worse by the fact that this strong side was soon broken up when the Premier League big boys began to splash the cash. The likes of Jermaine Jenas headed for the top flight, leaving Forest to pick up the pieces. Hart never recovered from going so close to the play-off final and the following season the team began poorly, leading to Hart’s dismissal in February 2004. They managed a slight revival to avoid the drop.

The following season – 2004/05 – proved to be a new low point for the club. Joe Kinnear had replaced Hart but the improvements never materialised and Forest slumped badly. Kinnear quit in December and Gary Megson fared little better as Forest’s world came crashing down – they were relegated to League One.

Megson was unable to spark a return to the Championship as Forest finished 7th in 2005/06 and then Colin Calderwood – the club’s 12th boss in 13 years (including temporary appointments) – took over. Calderwood made a strong start only to see his side capitulate and fall from the top of the table. They were forced to enter the play-offs where, despite winning the first leg away 2-0, they were dumped out by Yeovil 5-4 on aggregate. Forest fans everywhere despaired. For how much longer would they be a fallen giant?

Calderwood brought improved results the following season and, having held onto key players such as Wes Morgan, Forest motored into a promising position. Using an early eight-match unbeaten run, the team lived up to their billing. A nervy final few weeks of the season saw Forest’s fate in the balance as they bid to clinch second place. And, with six wins out of their last seven, Calderwood’s side earned promotion to the Championship.

But the job is only half-done. With their history and fan base, some Forest fans feel they deserve to be in the top flight and so promotion to the Championship is just the beginning. However, they have started poorly this season, losing all four away league games, and improvement is needed in a hurry.

There is plenty of work ahead if they are to emulate the success of Clough’s famous teams but last season’s promotion means that Forest are at least heading in the right direction as they try to shed the fallen giant tag.