THE WELCOME RENAISSANCE OF A FALLEN GIANT

One of the most pleasing features of this football season has been the re-emergence of a club that up to four years ago had won more European Cups than Barcelona.

Nottingham Forest (who also least we forget, signed the first million pound footballer) have been dragged through the mire more than most over the last decade. But under the measured stewardship of Billy Davies they currently lie second in the Championship and are currently on a stunning run of eighteen games unbeaten.

After flirting with relegation for the whole of last season, Forest initially made an awful start to this campaign, losing two of their first three league games.

The former Preston and Derby manager’s job was severely under threat after just three weeks of the new season. However, Davies’ young squad recovered brilliantly, and, along with Norwich City, are currently the form team in the country.

When I was growing up in the Midlands and starting to become interested in football, Forest were one of the top teams in the country. A full decade after they had been kings of Europe, the club were coming to the end the legendary Brian Clough era, but were still winning trophies as we entered into the 1990s.

The East Midlands club won back to back League Cups in 1989 and 1990, and finished third in the old first division in 1988 and 1989. The team were full of stars from that era, including Stuart Pearce, Des Walker and Neil Webb, all of whom were part of England’s celebrated 1990 World Cup squad.

They had other fine players too, such as Nigel Clough, Garry Parker, Lee Chapman, and, latterly, Clough's jewel in the crown, Roy Keane.

However, after losing the FA Cup final in 1991 and the League Cup final to Manchester United a year later, the wheels began to come off and the club went into a dramatic decline.

They finished bottom of the table in the first season of the Premier League, thus signaling a sad end to the Clough legacy.

A new era commenced under Frank Clark, himself a European Cup winner under Clough, and initially, the club remained at the top of English football.

Under the shrewd guidance of Clark and with a side including the brilliant front pairing of Stan Collymore and Brian Roy, Forest finished third in 1994-95. They also reached the UEFA Cup quarter finals the following year, but the selling of their major stars and the departure of Clark during the 1996-97 season initiated another decline that the club is only now beginning to pull itself out of.

The 1978 League Champions have been out of the top flight since 1999, and even dropped out of the top two divisions in the middle of the last decade. This gave the club the unfortunate distinction of being the only European Champions to ever drop out of the top two divisions, in any country.

Big name managers came and went. David Platt was a particularly huge name, and it was hoped that he could attract high profile players. But his inexperience was evident and the club languished in mid-table during the early part of the century.

Absolute turmoil followed. Forest, as one of the bigger names in the second tier, were hit more than most by the collapse of ITV digital in 2002. The club had budgeted for the TV money at the start of the 2001-02 season and found themselves in horrendous debt when the income was never forthcoming.

They were forced to sell their outstanding young players such as Jermaine Jenas and Michael Dawson, and despite getting to the play offs under Paul Hart in 2003, never really looked like seriously challenging for promotion again.

Another big name, Joe Kinnear, was expected to rekindle the club, but his reign was unsuccessful. Forest subsequently found themselves in League One at the start of the 2005-2006 season.

Gary Megson was appointed, but failed to deliver in his short reign at the City Ground.

It wasn’t until the appointment of Colin Calderwood, that the club’s fortunes finally began to turn around.
Calderwood’s side reached the League One play offs in 2007 (losing to Yeovil Town) and were then promoted back to the Championship in 2008.

After finally recovering financially, the City Ground club were one of the big spenders in the Championship in 2009As we near the end of January, only Newcastle United stand between them and the top of the Championship.

In Robert Earnshaw they have a goal-scorer as prolific as any in the second tier, while in the 23 year old Pole, Radoslaw Majewski, they have uncovered a superb midfield playmaker.

Paul Anderson, formerly a Liverpool youth player has also proved to be a handy winger and a bargain buy, but most importantly, under Davies, the club are finally playing the free flowing, attacking football that the City Ground faithful are accustomed to. Their long suffering fans at least deserve that.

Club football, like it or not, is built on reputations. When provincial clubs come from nowhere with a relatively small budget and a relatively low fan base to conquer all before them, they tend to stick in the hearts of neutrals.

Nottingham Forest are one of these clubs and if they are back in the Premiership come May, I, as a fan of football, am telling you straight, it will be a better place for it.

As they say (although I don't know who 'they' are) the cream will always rise to the top in the long term.