Which English club has won the Champions League or the European Cup so far?
Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea will be on the lips of almost 100% of the people answering the question. Those who follow football very well will probably name Aston Villa. But Nottingham Forest? Doubt whether 5-6 out of 100 people will be able to say the name of this club after asking the question. Of course, they cannot be blamed. If a European champion club has not been able to play in the English Premier League for the last 23 years, it is only natural that his name should not come to mind.
But it will come from next season. The words 'European Cup winning Nottingham Forest' will be heard together again in the Premier League. Forrest is back in the Premier League after 23 years. Returning to a record average, no other club has had such a gap between the two seasons of playing in the Premier League.
They beat Huddersfield Town 1-0 in the Championship play-off final at Wembley Stadium last night. In the 43rd minute of the match, the fate of the match was decided by the goal of English center back Levi Colville who played in Huddersfield on loan from Chelsea. With the return of Forrest, is the appeal of the Premier League increasing a little more? Among the English clubs that have won the Champions League so far, five clubs - Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest - will all be seen in the Premier League for the first time.
Although Chelsea did not win the European Cup when Nottingham last played in the Premier League in 1999, Chelsea may not have been known to many outside of England at the time! Roman Abramovich has not yet bought Chelsea. Abramovich has moved to Chelsea in these 23 years, Chelsea has become 'Chelsea', has won the Champions League twice since the league ... and Nottingham Forest has also moved to the third division (2005 to 2006).
But in the eighties Nottingham Forest also became the best in Europe. Twice in a row. Nottingham Forest, which had one of the most glorious times in club history in the eighties under legendary English coach Brian Cliff, began to decline in the next decade. Which was finalized in 1999, when the team was relegated from the first division.
After almost two decades of that team, he has returned to the Premier League in a dramatic manner. No, the drama is not of the last match. Is back. Nottingham Forest have qualified to play in the same domestic league with the other four English clubs that became Europe's best in the following season.
When Steve Cooper took over as the team's coach in September 2021, Nottingham was on the brink of collapse. Pulling Nottingham from there is like writing a short fairy tale for Welsh manager Cooper!