Greatest Nottingham Forest Players Ever | Top 10 Legends
Nottingham Forest is one of the biggest football clubs in England. The club’s greatest success came under manager Brian Clough. Forest enjoyed a meteoric rise and phenomenal success in the late 1970s, which included back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980. Overall, Forest have won one League title, two FA Cups, four League Cups, one FA Charity Shield, two European Cups, and one UEFA Super Cup.
Many great players have played for the club in its rich history. These players have left an everlasting impression on the fans of the club. In this article, we have put together the greatest Nottingham Forest players ever.
Based on various factors like the impact on the club, success, fans’ opinions, critics’ opinions, etc, here are the 10 greatest Nottingham Forest players ever.
10. Ian Storey-Moore
Ian Storey-Moore is widely considered to be one of the club’s best-ever players. He scored 105 league goals for Forest in 236 games, bagging 118 goals in 272 games in all competitions.
Ian Storey-Moore scored a memorable hat-trick in the 3-2 win over Everton in the FA Cup quarter-final. He gave ten years of fine service to the club before leaving for Man United.
9. Wally Ardron
Ardron certainly made a huge impression when he signed from Rotherham United in 1949. Wally Ardron scored 123 goals in 182 appearances between 1949 and 1955. He smashed 36 goals in the 1950-51 season, which is still a club record.
8. Viv Anderson
Viv Anderson was a key member of the double-European-Cup winning side. Anderson was one of the first black players to play top-flight football at the time, and regularly suffered racial abuse from fans of rival teams.
But all this didn’t stop him from becoming of the greatest players to play for Nottingham Forest. He made 425 appearances for the club before moving to Arsenal.
7. Bob McKinlay
Bob McKinlay was a one-club player for Nottingham Forest. He played for them between 1951 and 1969. He began in the 2nd division with the club but spent most of his career in the top flight.
McKinlay is the club’s record appearance holder and won the 1959 FA Cup with the club. He has earned the right to be called one of the greatest Nottingham Forest players ever.
6. Des Walker
Walker was not just one of the best defenders ever to have pulled on a Forest shirt, but also one of the best of his generation. He possessed the kind of natural ability that few have been blessed with since.
Des Walker was a constant rock at the back for Forest from the late 1970s. He played in seven finals at Wembley for the club and won five of them. Over two spells with the club he made 408 appearances. He is one of the greatest Nottingham Forest players ever.
5. Peter Shilton
Peter Shilton joined Nottingham Forest in 1977 for a record fee of £325,000. Manager Brian Clough disregarded criticism of the fee by saying, “Shilton wins you matches.”
That proved to be true as with Shilton between the sticks, Forest won the 1977-78 Division One title. He also won the PFA Players’ Player of the Year in the process. He then famously win two successive European Cups in 1979 and 1980 as well as the 1979 European Super Cup. Shilton made 272 appearances for the club over five years, winning six trophies.
4. Grenville Morris
Nicknamed ‘The Prince of the Inside Lefts’, Morris gave defences nightmares with his ability to score goals. He only failed to hit double figures just three times in 15 seasons. After just 30 games for Swindon, he was signed by Forest in 1898.
He went on to become their leading all-time top goalscorer with 217 goals in just 460 appearances for the club. Unfortunately, he only won one trophy with Forest – the Second Division title in 1906/07. That helped the Reds to return to the First Division at the first attempt.
3. John McGovern
John McGovern captained Forest through their best years and made sure that every player gave their hundred per cent. McGovern’s determination, dedication and reliability in the heart of the Forest midfield allowed others in the side to stand out.
He was a fan favourite and a very hard-working midfielder. McGovern was a key member of Brian Clough’s side. He is widely remembered for captaining the Nottingham Forest side that won the European Cup twice. He made 335 appearances for the club over seven years.
2. Stuart Pearce
The left-back is still arguably the most popular player to pull on a Nottingham Forest top. Nicknamed ‘Psycho’ by an adoring Forest fanbase, Pearce was loved for his intensity, tough tackling, and ferocious ability.
Pearce dedicated 12 seasons to the club and won the League Cup twice. He scored a staggering 88 goals from left-back, which shows his attacking play is well ahead of his time for his position.
He made 522 appearances for the club and managed them twice in 1996-97 and 2014-15. Stuart Pearce is, without a doubt, one of the greatest Nottingham Forest players ever.
1. John Robertson
With Robertson on the left wing, Forest had a magician at the helm. Under Brian Clough, Robertson was one of the best in Europe.
John Robertson was a magnificent footballer who was instrumental to Forest’s successes under Brian Clough. Robertson won seven major trophies with Forest – which includes the two European Cups. He assisted the winner in the first and scored the winner in the second.