Nottingham Forest’s Revival Story: Inside Their Climb from the Championship to Europe
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Nottingham Forest’s Revival Story: Inside Their Climb from the Championship to Europe

Nottingham Forest’s Revival Story: Inside Their Climb from the Championship to Europe

Tomorrow evening, Nottingham Forest will square off in Seville against Real Betis, as part of their first European tour in 30 years. That alone is yet another sentence, in an increasingly long lineage over recent years, that would have vaporised a Forest fan on the spot in 2015. Or 2019. Or 2008. You get the point.

The Reds' story over the last four years has been nothing short of remarkable, and every bit as hilarious in certain stages. From the bottom of the Championship with genuine fears of a League One return in their midst to a stunning rise to the Premier League and beyond, Evangelos Marinakis' dream of waking his so-named "sleeping European giant" has thus far taken shape exactly how he imagined, when standing triumphantly on the hallowed Wembley turf.

But how did Forest get here? Well, let a completely non-biased Nottingham Forest fan run you through it.

Nottingham Forest's Heritage

Now, I myself am far too young to remember the true glory days of Nottingham Forest.

A bit of a late bloomer in watching football in any sense, at the age of 11, it wasn't until 2017 (aged 13) that I witnessed my first live Nottingham Forest game - a comprehensive 3-0 win over a Brighton side that went on to win promotion from the Championship that season, flitted away through the medium of a Zach Clough brace that sandwiched a Ben Osborn finish, after David Stockdale decided to do keep-ups on his own goal-line. EFL heritage.

I came away from this game thinking nothing but the best of Forest. So much so, I came back three days later for another City Ground clash against Brentford. They beat us 3-2 and we were absolutely god-awful for the most of it. I was reliably informed that this was the "true" Nottingham Forest experience. For some reason, it was this game that seemed to make me a fan of the club more than anything. Maybe because Zach Clough scored again in that game, and I was of the opinion that this plucky forward recently signed from Bolton was, in fact, Jesus. He wouldn't join the club for a good few years afterwards, in fact, but that's both a different story and a horrendous attempt at humour.

But there was a time before wherein Nottingham Forest was the name on the tip of every English tongue. A time where they could call themselves back-to-back Champions League (then the European Cup) winners - a feat that remains unmatched by any on British soil - led by Zach's legendary non-relation namesake, Brian.

To those of my generation, those stories seemed something of folklore. At the time of watching those Championship days, it seemed truly impossible to understand that the distinctly average team I was witnessing in front of me in 2017 was, in fact, a team that had once done the same thing that Real Madrid had just accomplished that very same year - winning the Champions League in two consecutive years.

If, perhaps, you had told me or anyone in the City Ground at that time that Real Madrid's starting goalkeeper in said Champions League final would ply his trade here in Nottingham in the not-so-distant future, you would have been soundly laughed off the premises and potentially locked away.

But that is the story that unfolded for Forest. After decades of EFL mediocrity salvaged only slightly by their tag as a former giant of Europe - a tag that seemed to become more unbelievable in value as the years stretched on - Nottingham Forest sparked into life at an equally unbelievable pace.

League One Worries and Super Cooper

The first instances of Steve Cooper's time at Nottingham Forest were met with a fairly lukewarm reaction.

After Chris Hughton had done his best to turn The Reds into the worst team to ever grace the face of the earth, many within red ranks were understandably apprehensive of a potential return to League One. This, a level that the club had been a part of for three years between 2005 and 2008, before one Junior Agogo struck 13 times to aid the club up to the second tier again through automatic promotion, the year after Yeovil Town, for some reason, turned into prime Barcelona to overturn a 2-0 deficit in the first leg of the play-off semi-finals against Forest, winning 7-4 on the eventual aggregate scoreline and shunning Colin Calderwood's men back for another third-tier campaign.

Those days were before my time, but spoken about through Forest ranks as one would speak of Voldemort, or perhaps the boogey man or Gboly Ariyibi.

As such, fears of dropping back down to that level were more than justifiable. The first few years under new owner Evangelos Marinakis (no, Fawaz, you aren't getting a reference until you give us our FA Cup back) showed solid signs of promise. Popular manager Aitor Karanka had us flying high near the cusp of the playoffs, until he left amidst a fractured relationship with a board who wanted Forest to be challenging for automatic promotion.

Then came Martin O'Neil. After some interesting displays under him and assistant manager Roy Keane, and after Joao Carvalho was shunned into a broom cupboard somewhere deep within the City Ground, then left Martin O'Neil.

Sabri Lamouchi came next, and he re-sparked a deep sense of belief within the stadium that Nottingham Forest might not always be a distinctly average Championship side, amidst laying the foundations of Matty Cash's successful Premier League career and building a team that the city fell in love with again. Then, for the most Forest-esque of late collapses (which I refuse to expand upon) and the blight of a COVID-struck campaign, plus a poor start to the one following, the Frenchman also made his way out of the club, with the aforementioned Hughton taking his place.

He steadied a Forest team that looked pretty helpless at times to a mediocre 17th-placed finish in "The COVID Year", before taking just one solitary point out of the first six games of the 21/22 season. That point came against Derby County. Hahahahaha.

After he was dismissed, and cult hero Stephen Reid had guided the club to a first win of the season, in came former Swansea City manager Steve Cooper, who had come close to a taste of Premier League football upon two occasions with the Welsh club in seasons prior. What was to come next, was far beyond what anyone in the country would have expected for a club sat rock-bottom after seven Championship matches.

What was it for you, that made you believe in Cooper's Forest? Was it the late-late show away against Bristol City, where Lyle Taylor flashed home a ballsy penalty and a frantic late winner in the depths of stoppage time to win a game in the most dramatic fashion possible? Was it Fulham away, where one of our somehow-promotion rivals were kept at arms length whilst the beauty that is Philip Zinckernagel stole in behind to score a winner? Or was it during the FA Cup run, where a stunning 1-0 win against Arsenal was followed by a 4-1 thrashing of Leicester City, only to be stopped by Liverpool at the quarter-final stage?

Wherever it was in that campaign that you suddenly, truly believed in Nottingham Forest again, you would still have been forgiven for second-guessing yourself. For not buying into the belief that had stung many a red heart time and time again.

However, after the thrills and spills of some Brice Samba penalty heroics, curtailed against a certain Morgan Gibbs-White, which were followed by a sea of euphoria washing over the red end of Wembley stadium when a James Garner cross met the Ryan Yates-pressured knee of Levi Colwill, a goal that would seal Forest's Premier League return after over two decades of hope, that stage of belief you may have been in, at whatever stage, turned into something tangible.

With an almighty emotional achievement chalked off, came the pressure of making all the twists and turns worth it. Premier League survival was next on the agenda, and Forest had work to do.

How Many Signings?!

Yes, it was a lot of signings, but for the last time, we needed to make them!

The compromise of Forest's success in the Championship was the caveat that a lot of our new-found heroes were only at the club on loan. Djed Spence, who established his now-recognised star player credentials on the right of Forest's defence, made his way from Middlesbrough to Tottenham. He won a trophy or something with them last season, I don't know. He did that alongside Brennan Johnson, top-scorer and heroic academy product of the promotion season who stuck around to score eight Premier League goals with Forest to help keep them up, before moving to North London in an eye-watering £47.5m move.

The bulldozer that was Keinan Davis was deemed too pricey to bring to the City Ground permanently, a bid for Zinckernagel and his beautiful head of hair was never pursued, and James Garner was held hostage by Manchester United until we gave up the wait and signed other targets in his position. He then was sold to Everton. Thanks, lads.

Max Lowe was also with us for that year, but his injury issues curtailed a lot of the obvious quality he showed over the course of the year. There was, additionally, Jordi Osei-Tutu. Or Jordi Osei-TwoGames as I liked to call him, as that was the maximum amount of consecutive games he managed with us in half a season. He did look like the second coming of Cafu in those games, but that's besides the point. We did already have a Cafu anyway, to be fair. I'm side-tracked, aren't I?

With the added friction of Brice Samba departing for Ligue 1, the remaining core of the Nottingham Forest squad needed a serious revamp going into that first Premier League campaign - one wherein almost everyone had the club tipped for an immediate Championship return.

Union Berlin star Taiwo Awoniyi was recruited to lead the line alongside Super Sam Surridge (side note, a Sam Surridge who is currently leading Lionel Messi for goals in the MLS at the moment), as well as the likes of Lyon's Moussa Niakhate, Liverpool talent Neco Williams, Wolves starlet Morgan Gibbs-White, Stuttgart playmaker Orel Mangala and a loan for Manchester United shot-stopper Dean Henderson. Oh, and a little-known player called Jesse Lingard joined a core of players consisting of home-grown heroes Joe Worrall and Ryan Yates, as well as the likes of Barclaysman Jack Colback and Bournemouth legend Steve Cook.

Gelling such a vast crop of recruits - there were plenty more to speak of - was always going to be a huge priority over the course of Forest's survival hopes. Thankfully, with time and fortune, Steve Cooper managed to get it done.

There were plenty of joyous moments to savour in that first campaign. Beating Liverpool 1-0 thanks to an Awoniyi goal and Steve Cook becoming the next iteration of David Beckham is a good place to start. But where it finished was most important - a run of three wins, two draws and a single loss in Forest's last six games of the season, jam-packed full of Awoniyi goals that secured survival at last with a stunning 1-0 win over Arsenal, which was our penultimate game of our return campaign.

Steve Cooper, who was already heralded as the club's saviour, survived doubts over his future and the wider world deeming Forest as an insignificance to guide the club not only into the Premier League, but deep into the very foundations for what was to come soon after.

Nuno's Time

Cooper's eventual departure from Forest, as understandable as it was in hindsight, was not a hugely popular one.

Not only had he got the club into the Premier League and kept them there, he provided something that few managers had come close to achieving, and fewer still had got anywhere near to - installing a sense of belief within the club once again.

This wasn't the same Forest that meandered through fairly meaningless games in front of half-full stadiums of bored-to-tears fans anymore, and the fixtures they were taking part in were no longer just something to do - they were must-see events.

His race was run at the club, however, after a run of one win from 13 provided a precarious position in the Premier League table, and in came Nuno Espirito Santo.

The Portuguese boss got off to a good start, with a Chris Wood hat-trick against former employers Newcastle and a New Year's treat at home to Manchester United whetting the appetite nicely after a customary 3-2 loss to Bournemouth, but the threat and eventual application of a points deduction, as well as a lack of consistent form, continued to threaten the graces of Forest's hopes of staying in the Premier League for a second year on the trot.

However, another late show of good form and a consistent run of the opposite for the likes of Luton Town, Sheffield United and Burnley saw the club keep their head above water for yet another season, with the added help of a renewed core in the team - the likes of Anthony Elanga, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Murillo and Ola Aina amongst the players who helped re-invigorate Forest's hopes.

What was to come the following year, however, was far beyond anyone's imagination. The fact that I've said that twice already in this article may highlight toward the claim of extravagance that this Forest story holds.

As open-ended as this sounds, Nuno truly "got" Forest, as in the hopes of the fans and the needs of the team. Key players were brought in once more to facilitate those hopes, such as star defender Nikola Milenkovic and outrageously-good talent Elliot Anderson, and the club never seemed to know when to stop.

Beating Brighton 7-0 wasn't on anyone's prediction card going into the season. Neither would be wins against Liverpool, a double against Manchester United, or one at home against Manchester City. Going on a run of 10 wins from 15 games over the turn of the year wasn't exactly expected either. Whenever Forest were told to slow down, they seemed incapable of doing so.

Nuno's defensive, counter-attacking style seemed to resonate perfectly throughout the team, as they maintained what looked to be a jaw-dropping push for a place in the Champions League. Unfortunately, that petered out towards the later stages for what was an initial qualification to the UEFA Conference League, but that in itself was an achievement far, far removed from what any pundit or on-looker deemed correct for the club going into the campaign right at the start.

Getting into Europe, in any sense, was completely unprecedented. Disappointing results against the likes of Everton, Brentford and a cup final (you would think) against Leicester City stopped the club short of those dreams at returning home to the competition they famously won twice, but any sour mood regarding not getting there were soon wiped clear after the realisation of a European tour set in.

It came with an additional sense of Forest-y drama, as FA Cup winners Crystal Palace were harshly shunned from the competition over the ever-confusing MCO rules, and the ever-confusing logistics of logging into Microsoft Outlook. They swapped places with Forest, with The Reds now taking on a trip to the Europa League instead of the Conference League that was initially qualified for.

Seville. Sturm. Utrecht. Braga. Cities across the continent that Nottingham Forest would be visiting as a part of their first European adventure in 30 years. The same Nottingham Forest that once signed a player, only for him to cry his eyes out in the taxi from the airport because he very-much-so did not want to join us. I wonder what he's up to?

A Brave New Era

Nuno, an appointment that was treated with caution in it's own right, had now established himself upon that same heroic pedestal that Steve Cooper was placed upon. The manager that not only guided us away from another relegation fight, but into a full-throttle assault upon the Premier League's upper echelons.

However, with upstairs friction taking it's toll, Nuno was not to be the man to manage us into Europe itself. He opened the door, but only to hold it open for one Ange Postecoglou to walk through.

The appointment of the Australian, who won the Europa League last season with Tottenham, was treated apprehensively by many. The team's form had slowed down, tying into the club not quite following in on those daring Champions League dreams, but Nuno's departure was a tough one to take, with the Portuguese manager still hugely popular within the ranks of the fans as the man who guided the club back into Europe.

With Ange, a change in style felt to be on the cards. Nuno's counter-attacking, pragmatic style was now to be followed by a manager who favours an attacking, controlling approach in a bid to make Forest a club who could dominate a game and kick on into the next stage of their fast-growing evolution.

Whilst a first win in red has escaped him so far, owing plenty to an almost unbelievable Swansea City fightback in the League Cup and Martin Dubravka suddenly becoming prime Manuel Neuer, the signs of creative, free-flowing football have been on display in highlighted moments throughout his first three bouts.

New blood has been injected into the team as well. Arnaud Kalimuendo was recruited after a 17-goal Ligue 1 campaign, as well as eye-catching names such as Douglas Luiz, James McAtee, Omari Hutchinson, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Dan Ndoye and Dilane Bakwa, in addition to traditional Brazilian recruits Igor Jesus, Jair Cunha and Cuiabano (though the lattermost has headed back home on loan).

Furthermore, the very core of the team has been kept mostly intact, barring a move to the Champions League by way of Newcastle for Anthony Elanga. Morgan Gibbs-White's £60m move to Tottenham was as bemusing to keep track of as anything I've seen before, whilst the likes of Anderson, Murillo, Milenkovic and Callum Hudson-Odoi all stayed put, with a few well-received new deals handed out as well.

Tomorrow's game represents so much to Forest fans everywhere. The Forest fans that endured a Nuno Da Costa own-goal that helped the club bomb out of the playoffs in a way only Nottingham Forest could manage. The Forest fans that watched through their hands as Yeovil overcame the odds against them in League One. The Forest fans that were lucky enough to witness the club's true glory days, and experienced the last time they were a part of Europe's finest.

So, to curtail this lengthy blog. This next chapter in the Forest life-cycle is one that was deemed impossible to imagine just four short years ago, when the club were rooted to the foot of the EFL Championship table. You can try and predict what will come next, but you will almost certainly get it wrong. This club will keep you on your toes, forever.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist

Louis Wheeldon

Lead Writer and Betting Strategist

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