It’s May 1999. Chris Bart-Williams gets on the scoresheet as Forest win 1-0. They have won their last three games of the season, but it is all in vain. Nottingham Forest are relegated once more, and are getting prepared to bounce right back up into the Premier League again. After all, they won the First Division (Now known as ‘The Championship’) the year before.
However, few would have predicted that this would be the last time we would see the two-time European champions in the top division for over twenty years…
In mid-2021 Forest had found themselves at the wrong end of the table early on in the season. I only knew this because I am a Watford fan, and was following Nottingham Forest’s plight since we had the exciting Philip Zinckernagel on loan there. He was a guy with bags of potential, and we were all hoping he would find his spark and hit the heights we all knew he was capable of.
By September, the club had sacked Chris Hughton with the club languishing at the bottom of the table.
Things weren’t looking good for the reds…
Fortunately for Nottingham Forest, Steve Cooper hit the ground running and only lost one of his first sixteen league games. This form continued, and they suddenly found themselves comfortably in the play-offs. A nervy penalty shootout win over Sheffield United followed, and after beating Huddersfield 1-0 at Wembley, they were back in the Premier League after a 23 year absence.
So what is behind Forest’s success?
For me, there are two reasons why the team based in West Bridgford have propelled themselves into the top division.
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The Local Lads
Let’s have a quick look at some of the players in the squad that either came through the youth system or grew up nearby:
- Joe Worrall (CB) (captain)
- Ryan Yates (CM) (vice-captain)
- Jordan Smith (GK)
- Alex Mighten (LW)
- Brennan Johnson (ST)
Five players, all scattered around the park. Having that spine of players who will give anything for a team is something that has been underrated in recent years. All five players have at least 50 appearances for their hometown club as well. Having that kind of cohesion as a unit really benefits the team as a whole.
To illustrate this; three of Forest’s players made last season’s Sky Bet Championship Team of the Season. Two of those players were the captain and the vice-captain.
And who won the Young Player of the Season? None other than Brennan Johnson, who had been a revelation in the 2021-22 season; scoring 18 goals (including the play-offs) in the process.
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Steve Cooper
Cooper began his coaching career in the Wrexham academy. A job at Liverpool followed before he took over as the England U16 coach, and then as the U17 coach. In 2017 he won the U17 World Cup, and only lost the U17 European Championship on penalties to Spain in the final.
So it goes without saying; Cooper knows how to get the best out of youngsters, and help them really fulfil their potential.
Cooper inherited a very eclectic squad, but stuck with what he knows best and put his faith in youth. That faith was repaid when on-loan players like James Garner and Djed Spence had brilliant seasons.
Cooper also bought smartly too. The kids needed guidance, and Steve Cook was a shrewd signing that brought stability to the Forest defence. Striker Sam Surridge was an excellent bit of business too, adding to the firepower that propelled them back into the Premier League.
But what about this year?
Remember when I said there were three players in the team of the year? The third player was Djed Spence. He, and many other players who thrived while at The City Ground last year will sadly not return.
Zinckernagel remains a possibility though, as he was sold to Olympiacos in the summer – a club also owned by Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis.
These loan signings have left a gaping hole in the Nottingham Forest squad, but Cooper has wasted very little time in signing several players that he believes will fill those holes and keep them afloat this season.
They have spent heavily, the figure is rumoured to be over £70 million. But I must admit they have spent smart. Aside from backup goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey, every player they have spent money on is under the age of 27. This bodes well with Cooper’s philosophy of trusting youth, while the acquisition of free agent Jesse Lingard (aged 29) and loan signing Dean Henderson shows their intent to not just make up the numbers.
They lost their first game against Newcastle United, but I wouldn’t read too much into that. The Magpies are full of confidence and traditionally play very well at home. This was the ‘welcome to the Premier League’ message Forest needed to perk themselves up, and be ready for the next few games where they could have a chance at picking up some points.
The players they have bought will need some time to gel together, but from a neutral perspective I am really excited to see how Forest do in the league. We will get a rough estimation after ten games have passed as to where in the league they may end up. But let’s be honest; they belong here. They are such a big club with a great history, so it would be nice to see both the local players and the new young signings find their home in the Premier League, and add a whole new dynamic to the league itself.
