Whether it's the very latest transfer news from the City Ground, match previews and reports, or news about the Reds' progress in the league or FA Cup, we've got it covered. Began his career with Crook Town, where he won the FA Amateur Cup. Robertson put in a dozen from 42 games. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Nottingham Forest was at the start of a run that would mean back-to-back European Cup titles, but they would never win the league again under Clough and Taylor. Copyright © 2020 All Rights Reserved - US Soccer Players. England's topflight was a 22-team league that would probably remind most contemporary fans of the Championship rather than the Premier League. Kenny Burns (23): When Forest signed Burns – who had a ‘bad boy’ image – from Birmingham City in July 1977 for £ 150,000 it was as a striker.

He played over 300 games for Forest before joining Arsenal in 1984.

NewsNow aims to be the world's most accurate and comprehensive Nottingham Forest news aggregator, bringing you the latest Forest headlines from the best Nottingham sites and other key national and regional news sources. ^ Nottingham Forest qualified for the UEFA Cup first round by winning the 1977-78 Football League Cup. For the last team to claim a promotion spot, the First Division was a series of obstacles and adjustments. The tightness in points meant titles could hinge on forgettable games in forgettable places. Anderson, Withe, Woodcock, and Robertson were all members of the promotion winning squad the previous season. Though Forest would spend big to try to keep up, what made the 1977-78 champions special was a confluence of events and personalities. Squad of Nottingham Forest - Season 77/78 Filter by season 20/21 19/20 18/19 17/18 16/17 15/16 14/15 13/14 12/13 11/12 10/11 09/10 08/09 07/08 06/07 05/06 04/05 03/04 02/03 01/02 00/01 99/00 98/99 97/98 96/97 95/96 94/95 93/94 92/93 91/92 90/91 89/90 88/89 87/88 86/87 85/86 84/85 83/84 82/83 81/82 80/81 79/80 78/79 77/78 76/77 75/76 74/75 73/74 72/73 71/72 70/71 69/70 68/69 67/68 66/67 … It was also the era of Nottingham Forest and Brian Clough. Building from the back, they put together a squad that didn't give up easy goals. With scored 12 over 40 league games with Woodcock getting 11 goals in 36. Woodcock went on to play 42 times for England, scoring 16 goals, and his form for Forest earned him a move abroad with 1 FC Koln. And up front, Forest had the effective but under-rated Peter Withe. Joined Forest in 1976 from Coventry City for £ 60,000 after a career that started with Bristol Rovers and then onto Liverpool. Your email address will not be published. Multiple books and a couple of movies would tell you it was down to their manager. Viv Anderson and Kenny Burns anchored that defense with Burns winning Player of the Year honors. Kenny Dalglish was their new superstar, but Forest kept refusing to lose games. Clough converted him to centre half and in doing so, created an accomplished and influential defender who was named Football Writers’ Player of the Year in 1977-78. A hard-working midfielder who could also play up front. Larry Lloyd (28): Another player who gained a new lease of life under Clough. 27.8, Foreigners: Three home wins in a row followed before a draw at Middlesbrough. Landon Donovan on an eventful conclusion to his first season at San Diego Loyal. +£5.68m. Tony Woodcock (21): Young striker whose speed and finishing earmarked him as a player with a great future. A few weeks later, they lined-up at Wembley for the Football League Cup final against Liverpool. Landon Donovan describes how his club’s debut season ended with San Diego Loyal choosing to address more than the game on the field. The goals came from forwards Peter Withe and Tony Woodcock and midfielder John Robertson. Forest’s defence, with former Birmingham City striker Kenny Burns at its heart, proved to be rock solid. Football League Cup: Winners Basic HTML is allowed. The draw came on Boxing Day at home to Liverpool. Forest were as unfashionable as Derby County six years earlier when they finished top under Brian Clough, who himself became the first manager since Herbert Chapman to win…

It's worth noting that Shilton joined in September after the season started with a three-game win streak. Colin Barrett (25): Joined Forest in 1976 from Manchester City. Liverpool beat them by eight points for the league title in 1978-79, a return to the expected results for England's super club.

The defending champions were on their way to back-to-back European Cup wins with the hardware to claim best team in England, Europe, and since they didn't play Boca Juniors for the '78 Intercontinental Cup, the world. Peter Withe (25): The 1977-78 season saw the much-travelled Withe benefit from the many chances created for him by Forest’s quick-moving midfield. If Forest was for real, this is when they needed to show it. These signings, coupled with the rejuvenation of players like John Robertson and Martin O’Neill and the youthful promise of Tony Woodcock, were the key to Forest’s success. Before meeting Ipswich Town, Forest were labelled “a team of has-beens” and even BBC pundit Bob Wilson predicted that, “Forest are a bubble that will burst soon.” What was recognised was the team’s discipline – always a feature of Clough’s teams. Had an excellent season in midfield and was part of Scotland’s 1978 World Cup squad where he scored a spectacular individual goal against the Netherlands. A product of Forest’s apprentice scheme, Anderson was a tall and quick full back who liked to dash forward to score goals. When Arsenal were beaten in the return in January 2-0, Forest were six points clear at the top of the table. He won 64 caps for Northern Ireland and went on to have a long and successful management career. Had two spells with Forest either side of a stint with Sunderland. Liverpool won the league the previous season by a point over Manchester City. For 1977-78 they spent on goalkeeper Peter Shilton. NOTTINGHAM FOREST were surprise champions in 1978, becoming the first team since Ipswich Town in 1961-62 to win the title directly after promotion from the second division. Instead of penalties, that meant a replay scheduled four days later at Old Trafford.

Goalscorers: Robertson 12, With 12, Woodcock 11, O’Neill 8, Bowyer 4, Burns 4, McGovern 4, Needham 4, Anderson 3, Gemmill 3, Own goals 2, Barrett 1, Clark 1 Total: 69, FA Cup: Round Six ( Log Out / 

By J Hutcherson (Mar 31, 2020) US Soccer Players - During the 1977-78 season, Nottingham Forest shocked England's First Division by winning the title as a newly promoted club.

Forest wasn't necessarily a negative team, but they shut down opponents in a way that didn't always lead to champions in free flow. For using this site, please activate JavaScript.

Peter Shilton (27): Outstanding goalkeeper who began his career with Leicester City and Stoke City.
It also contains a table with average age, cumulative market value and average market value for each player position and overall. They started the New Year with back-to-back draws home to Everton and at Derby County.

Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. That streak ended on November 5 with a 1-0 loss at Chelsea. Chasing that with a scoreless home draw with West Brom gave the appearance of a team in trouble. City Ground  30.602 Seats, Current transfer record: They weren't more fun to watch than Liverpool, but all involved were briefly better at their jobs. Forest had only won promotion by a single point, finishing behind Wolves and Chelsea and ahead of much-fancied Bolton Wanderers. Liverpool was a known quantity playing against a team that was through surprising opponents. Filed Under: Featured, Soccer News, Top Posts. We want to entertain, fill grounds and make people happy, and it may just be that the media will give us some credit,” said Clough at the time. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. NOTTINGHAM FOREST were surprise champions in 1978, becoming the first team since Ipswich Town in 1961-62 to win the title directly after promotion from the second division. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account.

A tough centre half. Three home wins in a row followed before a draw at Middlesbrough. Under Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, Nottingham Forest won the 1977-78 English league title as a promoted team in a league with the European champions. Clough and Taylor acted with the move for Shilton. The official site of the USMNT Soccer Players with soccer news, schedule, statistics, players, interviews, and exclusive stories. Forest were only beaten twice more after that game at Arsenal in August – single goal defeats at Chelsea and Leeds United. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. On Wednesday night, Major League Soccer played through a series of scenarios that only amplified how strange this season is getting on the field. Between 26 November 1977 and 9 December 1978, Nottingham Forest set a new record of 42 consecutive league matches without defeat. They also won the League Cup, needing a replay at Old Trafford to beat Liverpool.

Nottingham Forest started the season by beating Everton away and then Bristol City and Derby County at home. The club didn't lose their next nine games, drawing at home against Norwich City and at West Ha United. “I am a little bit stupid and a little bit of an idealist. Archie Gemmill (30): Arrived at the City Ground in September 1977 from Derby County. Undefeated from November 19, they won the league by seven points over Liverpool. They would meet again on the final day of the season at Anfield, this time playing out a scoreless draw with Forest already league champions. Clough identified that Robertson – who was an excellent crosser of the ball with an eye for goal – had the ability to be an outstanding player. John Robertson (24): A winger who became a key part in Forest’s team that won two European Cups in 1979 and 1980, scoring the winner in the latter final against Hamburg. Clough’s band of born-again players like Larry Lloyd, Kenny Burns, Archie Gemmill and Peter Withe, were never given the credit they deserved. Anything involving Leeds was a sore point for their 44-day manager Brian Clough. Forest’s consistency and counter-attacking football didn’t win over everyone. The standard account of Clough-Taylor is that Taylor was the tactician who figured out what the squad needed to succeed. Forest wouldn't lose a league game until the following December, 42 games in a row. “Nor did he realise that the punter so often at his shoulder as he placed a bet was Forest’s chief scout Maurice Edwards.”. How did the 3rd-place finisher from the Second Division quickly turn into not just the best team in England, but ultimately in Europe? In 1975-76 they won it by a point over QPR. With one trophy in the cabinet, Forest homed in on the title. Still, how good was that Nottingham Forest side that showed anything is possible in English soccer? Martin O’Neill (25): An intelligent midfielder who usually played wide. Just as Shilton signed, so too did Archie Gemmill of Derby County.