Nottingham Forest: 'Along The River Trent'

[FM Viola]

Quote

"I wouldn't say I was the best manager in the business. But I was the top one." - Brian Clough

When it comes to Nottingham Forest, Brian Clough is as synonymous with the club's identity as Irn-Bru is with the great nation of Scotland. To support Forest is to also absorb yourself into the cult of Clough. Whilst the great players of the late 70s and early 80s performed miracles on the pitch, Clough's direction - alongside his trusted lieutenant, Peter Taylor - put the club on the map. European titles; top-tier players; Clough performed wonders for a club that was punching well above their weight. Of course, every great era within a modern football club does come to an end and, in the case of Forest, the Clough era has yet to be repeated. 

Many managers have come and gone since Clough's departure, and a few have come close to guiding the club back to the promised land of the Premier League. Billy Davies guided Forest to the Championship Playoffs twice, before seeing his outfit bested by Ian Holloway's Blackpool and Brendan Rodger's Swansea (two clubs who would go on to secure promotion to the top flight).

A period of steep regression under the Al-Hasawi ownership saw Forest finish numerous seasons in lower positions in the league, coupled with an ever present rotation of managers coming through and out the door - and even saw the club narrowly avoid relegation to League One on the final day of the 2016-17 season (at the expense of Blackburn Rovers on goal difference). 

Thankfully, the suffering fans had to endure under the stewardship of the Al-Hasawi family came to end that summer. Greek shipping magnate (and owner of Greek super-giants Olympiacos) Evangelos Marinakis purchased the club and capitalised on repairing the damage caused by the previous ownership. Despite the controversy surrounding Marinakis in his homeland, the chairperson invested heavily in the club's existing youth academy and began work on proposals to renovate and upgrade the aging City Ground stadium.  

Results on the pitch have been mixed throughout the first few seasons under Marinakis' stewardship, but it was clear that the club was moving in the right direction. Despite the minor blip that was the Chris Hughton era - where Forest largely underperformed on the pitch and in the transfer market - the stage is set for a promising 2021/22 season. 

And that is where I come in. By bypassing Steve Cooper and pipping the promising Welsh manager to the top job at The City Ground, I now have the chance to not only emulate Brian Clough, but perhaps better his record at the club. A controversial statement, I know. But being the Forest fan that I am, it's my ambition to ensure that my boyhood club becomes the best of the rest... and to bag a continental title or two along the way.

So, take a trip with me along the River Trent, and let's see where this journey takes us.

[FM Viola]

Hello all. I just wanted to say a cheerful hello following the publication of my first post here on the forums.

This is my first story based on an FM22 save I have started with my boyhood club, Nottingham Forest. My aims with this save are twofold: 

1. To enjoy a long and successful career with The Tricky Trees
2. To document and improve my writings; therefore improving the ways and means of how I structure this story to maximise enough creativity and immagination.

Hopefully I will be interacting with plenty of fellow storytellers in the coming months. Until then, I cannot wait to bring out more parts to this story.

All the best,

Cameron (FM Viola)

[neilhoskins77]

Welcome to FMS Cameron, and very best of luck with your first story here. 

[FM Viola]

July 2021

Only days into the job, and the weight of expectations were heavy on my shoulders. My first order of business was overseeing an intra-squad friendly between members of the First Team and the Under-23 team; who would be led by Gary Brazil, an individual who has performed wonders for Forest's youth academy and has overseen the development of future first team stars who are either still with the club, who have moved on to greener pastures. While intra-squad friendlies aren't considered a serious affair, my method of thinking was to use this friendly to evaluate the current state of the First Team. We do have a roster that contains some promising young talent, but the squad itself is not only reliant on a host of players loaned from other clubs, it consists of players that are aged over 30 and who could be past their peak come the end of the season. Add the inflated wages of fringe players in the squad, it left me planning out a rebuild strategy for the coming season. But the friendly against the Under-23 team came first.

A comfortable 2-0 victory over the Under-23s gave me plenty of hope. Veteran journeyman forward, Lewis Grabban, bagged a brace and proved that, despite being 33 years old, age is but a number. Perhaps the biggest positive from the match was witnessing the First Team adapt so well at playing in a 5-2-3 formation and utilising a high-tempo passing game that kept the opposition on the defensive throughout the match. Standing from the touchline, it was hard not to contain my joy at what I was seeing. That was until the 89th minute, when Grabban limped off of the pitch following a challenge from one of the Under-23 defenders. The expressions on Lewis' face didn't instil any confidence in me that this was just a minor knock, and the head physio all but confirmed my fears: sprained ankle ligaments. The victory no longer mattered. I had just seen my attacking options cut in half a month before the season was due to commence. 

With Grabban now out of the picture for a minimum of eight weeks, my player recruitment strategy needed to be altered. Our back-up forward, Lyle Taylor, was the only other striker in the First Team. A meeting between the scouting department, my assistant manager (Alan Tate) and Head of Youth Development (Gary Brazil) was therefore called. 

"With only £3.5 million in the pot, we haven't got much leeway in terms of bringing in a top prospect" said Alan.

Sat back in my chair, I couldn't take my eyes off of the television screen mounted high on the office wall. Over 30 names were displayed, either crossed out to signify little to no chance of signing that player or highlighted in blue to reflect a possible loan move, if push came to shove.

Of all the names listed on that screen, I noticed that there was something off, something missing. And then it hit me.

"Maybe we're looking at this wrong way," I said, turning my gaze to the staff around the table. I picked up the remote and turned off the television before addressing the staff. 

"The names I saw on that board are possibilities, but players who would likely treat this club as a stepping stone or only become a bit part squad member over the coming seasons. What we need is a player who already has a connection to this club, who can be a figurehead for what we aim to build here and who is young."

I turned my gaze towards Gary, who let out a faint hint of a smile. There it is, I thought to myself, he knows what I'm getting at.

"He won't come cheap," Gary responded. "But, if this the option you want to pursue, then it's a good one."

"Good," I replied, before standing up. "Alan, I need you to take over the First Team training session tomorrow. Gary, get in touch with the DoF and tell him to start drawing up an offer to be submitted this evening.

"And where exactly are you going," Alan said with disbelief.

"I'm heading North. I'm going to make sure that our target signs on the dotted line."

 

[FM Viola]

July 2021

Brereton Diaz Rejoins Forest

Nottingham Forest have re-signed forward Ben Brereton Diaz from Blackburn Rovers on a four-year contract.

The striker, who can also operate as an attacking winger, has won seven caps for Chile, and was a key member of the side that participated in the Copa America earlier this year.

The fee for the 22-year-old is undisclosed, but sources close to the club claim that Forest have structured a £17m deal; with the club paying Blackburn £2.5m upfront and the rest covered through instalments and additional add-ons.

"When I heard of Forest's interest in resigning me, there was no hesitation in my decision. I have unfinished business," Brereton told the club's website.

"Coming back to Forest, the club where I developed and which gave me my first taste of professional football, is incredibly important to me."

Brereton, who becomes Forest manager Jasper Kilmister's first signing, featured regularly for Blackburn Rovers last season; scoring seven goals in 40 appearances.

"Bringing in Ben is incredibly important for the future of the club," Kilmister told the club's website. "Not only are we securing the services of one of the division's top players, but we have also written off a terrible wrong when the club first sold him back in 2019."

Following the signing, the club also announced the departures of midfielder Jack Colback and full back Gaeten Bong; who have joined Cardiff City and Millwall respectively. 

"I can only wish these lads the best for the future," Kilmister said. "They have been true professionals for the club, and deserve more time on the pitch elsewhere."

Dipping into the transfer market, the club was able to secure the signature of Ben Brereton Diaz and return him to where he belongs. For me, this was a personal victory as it was about correcting a big mistake that the club made out of sheer desperation for quick cash a few seasons back. Signing the Chilean international not only bags the club a player that meets the home-grown and academy trained criteria, but it also means that we have resolved the issue of our aging forwards. With Lewis Grabban (33) and Lyle Taylor (31) not getting any younger, we have put in place the first piece in a complex jigsaw puzzle.

Elsewhere, my focus turned towards securing the long term services of the club's promising young players. Wales international Brennen Johnson (20) and academy graduate Alex Mighten (19) both signed new contracts, tying them to the club until 2025. For me, it was a no brainer; both of these players have a part to play and have the potential to thrive for the club. We were also able to tie down Dale Taylor to a new three-year deal; a player who is becoming a rising star in our youth ranks. Following his contract renewal, it was decided that Taylor would be better placed spending the season out on loan; signing a season-long loan deal with Grimsby Town. 

And finally, to wrap up the pre-season preparations we were able to bring back a fan favourite to the City Ground. Chris Cohen, a former Forest captain, was brought on to the First Team coaching staff. He arrives from Luton Town for a solitary £11k compensation fee and my hope is that he will be able to contribute greatly in a coaching capacity, as he did when he was on the pitch in Forest colours.

Edited January 3, 2022 by FM Viola
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