Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest FC, the oldest club in the football league, were founded in 1865 by a group of Nottingham-based shinney players. Also known as just 'Forest', or 'the Reds', Nottingham's most famous club currently compete in the Sky Bet Championship and play their home matches at the City Ground - a historic setting on the banks of the River Trent that has been hosting Forest matches since 1898. The City Ground has a capacity of 30,450, however the planned redevelopments would see the capacity rise to around 38,000 after completion. Their record attendance was set in October 1967, with 49,946 fans turning up for a 3-1 victory over Manchester United in the First Division.

History

In tribute to the Italian freedom fighter Guiseppe Garibaldi, the club have long sported the Garibaldi red and enjoyed illustrious success in doing so. The most decorated era came under the stewardship of Brian Clough, where the Reds defied all odds and soared to the summit of Europe with two successive European Cup triumphs.

However, the club's first taste of silverware was the FA Cup in 1898. The Football League had been formed 10 years earlier, but Forest's initial application had been rejected. They would eventually join the league in 1892 after winning the Football Alliance.

The FA Cup was the first of many trophies for Forest. They went on to win four League Cups, two FA Cups, two European Cups, the First Division title in 1978, the UEFA Super Cup in 1979 and the FA Charity Shield in 1978. Forest are also recognized as the first team to wear shin-pads in 1874, and their game against Sheffield Norfolk four years later was said to be the first time that a referee had used a whistle.

This rich history is the source of great pride for the civilians of Nottingham, yet the years following the departure of Clough in 1933 - the man who masterminded a record-breaking 42-game unbeaten streak - have been mired in chaos, with the club struggling to reassert itself amongst English Football's elite.

Frank Clark, one of the famous 'miracle men' of '79 and '80, succeeded Clough as manager and oversaw a complete overhaul of the squad. Out went the likes of Roy Keane, Nigel Clough, and Gary Charles, and in came big-money sigings such as Stan Collymore, Colin Cooper, and Des Lyttle. These signings proved well-founded: Forest returned to the Premiership at the first time of asking. By 1996, they had even begun to reestablish themselves on the European stage, reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup.

Yet, behind the scenes, debt was swelling at an uncontrollable rate. A consortium named 'Bridgford Group' eventually took over, but the uncertainty had spread far and wide. Frank Clark lost his job at Christmas in the 1996/97 season after a 16-game winless streak, Forest finished rock-bottom with just 34 points.

The Reds bounced straight back up, but the feel-good factor was only to be fleeting, with caretaker Ron Atkinson unable to stave off relegation as Forest faced the drop once again. It spelled the start of a gradual demise, and in 2005, Forest became the first European Cup-winners to plunge into third-tier anonymity following the calamitous reign of David Platt between 1999 and 2001 that had left the Reds with various financial difficulties.The club returned to the Championship in 2008, but, after 10 unsuccessful attempts at promotion throughout the 2010's - an era in which only one manager, Billy Davies, has completed a full season at the City Ground - Forest fans' dreams of a return to the promised land are yet to materialise.

However, the arrival of millionaire shipping magnate Evangelos Marinakis in 2017 has brought fresh optimism to Trentside, as Sabri Lamouchi - the former French international who was appointed just 17 minutes after the sacking of Martin O'Neill in 2019- leads them ever closer.

Other facts

Rivals: Derby County, Leicester City, 

Famous players: John Robertson, Stuart Pearce, Peter Shilton, Stan Collymore, Roy Keane, 

Nickname(s): the Reds, Tricky Trees

Current squad

Goalkeepers: Brice Samba, Jordan Smith, Arijanet Muric

Defenders: Yuri Ribeiro, Tobias Figueiredo, Joe Worrall, Gaetan Bong, Carl Jenkinson, Micheal Dawson, Yohan Benalouane, Matty Cash, Tendayi Darikwa, Michael Hefele

Midfielders: Ben Watson, Joao Carvalho, Alfa Semedo, John Bostock, Ryan Yates, Brennan Johnson, Samba Sow, Sammy Ameobi, Joe Lolley, Zach Clough, Tiago Silva

Forwards: Lewis Grabban, Tyler Walker, Nuno Da Costa, Alex Mighten, Adama Diakhaby,