When Forest v Liverpool was a battle of Clough and Paisley

An echo of a glorious past as Forest square up to Liverpool

Tonight’s meeting at the City Ground a reminder of special rivalry between Clough and Paisley’s trophy-laden teams

‘Forest were great for English football – we had a great team but they pushed us on to do better’

14 Jan 2025 - The Guardian

Will Unwin

At the end of the 1970s, there were two teams dominating English football: Bob Paisley’s much-lauded Liverpool and an up-and-coming Nottingham Forest under the guidance of the inimitable Brian Clough. In the final two seasons of the decade, they were the top two in the old First Division, winning a title each. When the two went face-to-face, it felt as if the victor was guaranteed success.

Liverpool have maintained their place at the top tables in England and Europe, whereas Forest’s journey has been more storied, the club dropping to the third tier before making it back to the top flight after almost a quarter of a century. Now the pair are rivals for trophies again; Liverpool travel to the City Ground today at the top and, much to almost everyone’s surprise, Forest are only two places below and dreaming of reliving the glory days. Win and they will be three points behind, albeit having played a game more.

The situation was not too far removed in 1977 when Clough’s Forest returned to the First Division and Liverpool had won the European Cup for the first time and back-to-back league titles. Liverpool were head and shoulders above everyone in the country until a certain Mr Clough and his unlikely lads came along.

The two sides met four times in 1977-78, twice in the league, sharing the points on both occasions, and in a League Cup final that went to a replay won by Forest thanks to a John Robertson penalty. Forest then secured the title, seven points ahead of Paisley’s second-placed side.

“When we got promoted out of the old Second Division into the First Division, there was definitely not a rivalry between ourselves and Liverpool,” says the former Forest defender Colin Barrett, who played for the club from 1976 to 1980. “The real rivalry started then, because they thought we were the upstarts. As a rivalry, they were hard games. We did every physical thing you could possibly do to each other. You wouldn’t get away with it now.”

Clough had assembled the best defence in the league and plenty of quality in attack. Forest conceded 24 goals in 42 games on their way to the title in 1978. Liverpool scored four fewer and let in 10 more, although they had the slight consolation of lifting the European Cup for a second successive year.

“Nottingham Forest were the team that I thought to myself: ‘Bloody hell, I wouldn’t want to play against John Robertson and John McGovern every week,’” the former Liverpool full-back Alan Kennedy says. “John Robertson would be worth £100m in the modern game.”

If that first year saw the creation of the rivalry, the second cemented it. Both were in the European Cup, Forest as the league champions and Liverpool as the holders. They had ambitions to go a long way in the competition, only for one problem: they were drawn to play each other in the first round. “I thought they might have done hot and cold balls to fix it,” Kennedy jokes.

Clough increased the player bonus as an incentive, even though he knew his players were not in it for the money. “It was very straightforward in every single thing we did in terms of games,” says Barrett, who still lives in Nottingham. “It was all about us. It was not about their dressing room, it was all about our dressing room. If he knew our dressing room was right, [Clough] said: ‘We’ve got a chance.’ So it was never about Liverpool, never about any other side either. He maintained that we’re not interested in them.”

Garry Birtles scored the opener and Barrett added a rare goal from left-back to give Forest the advantage in front of a raucous home crowd. “It’s been argued – and I won’t argue against them – that it’s probably the most important goal at the City Ground that’s ever been scored,” Barrett says. “It was a special evening and I’ve lived on it for quite a few years.” A goalless draw in Liverpool sent Forest through and on towards glory against Malmö in the final in May 1979 but Paisley secured the league, to kickstart a run of five titles in six seasons.

Kennedy says of Forest: “They were trailblazers. I thought they were great for English football. We had a great team but they pushed us on to do better. We knew we could not be complacent with a team like Forest around and that helped us improve and go on to win so many trophies.”

Barrett and some of his former teammates still meet every Thursday for a drink and a chat. Robertson, Frank Clark and John O’Hare were among those in attendance last week. The conversation quickly turned to the reigniting of old flames and what may happen tonight and beyond.

“We all agree that Forest have got something going this season,” Barrett says. “We also agree that if Liverpool don’t turn up, Forest have really got a good chance of turning them over, but that takes a lot of ifs. I think defensively Forest are as strong as they’ve been for quite some time.

“They’re now scoring goals and they’ve got pace up front. You put all that into the mix, I think it will be a really good game.”

Win or lose tonight, Forest fans have the belief again they can achieve something special. “You see kids out in Forest shirts again, as opposed to Liverpool, Man United and City when you walk around town,” Barrett says. “It’s given the place a buzz again.”

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Rise of rivals no surprise to Slot given transfer spend

14 Jan 2025 - The Guardian

Andy Hunter

Arne Slot has said Nottingham Forest’s impressive rise should not come as a complete surprise given they have spent more money on transfers than Liverpool since returning to the Premier League.

The Liverpool head coach admits it is an “unbelievable accomplishment” for Nuno Espírito Santo and his team to sit third. Forest could close the gap on the Premier League leaders to three points with victory at the City Ground today, albeit having played a game more.

Slot is full of praise for Forest’s improvement, and acutely aware of their threat having lost against Nuno’s side at Anfield in September, but he believes there should be some financial perspective applied. Forest have spent more than £360m since returning to the Premier League in 2022, with a net spend of about £215m. Liverpool have spent just over £300m and have a net spend of £144m in that time. On that basis, Slot rejected comparisons between Forest’s season and when his AZ Alkmaar team challenged Ajax for the Eredivisie title in the aborted 2019-20 campaign.

“I don’t think you can compare it completely as AZ has always been a club that finishes third, fourth or fifth in the league,” he said. “I don’t think Forest in the last 10 seasons ended third, fourth or fifth. What I maybe underestimated was their spending. They have spent more money than us in the last three years. You know if you spend so much money you will have good players, and then you need a manager who brings that out of them. That is what Nuno is doing.

“It’s still an unbelievable accomplishment for them to be top three, but if you look at the amount of money they have spent it is not a complete surprise that they have a better season now than two or three years ago. That’s the difference between AZ as we didn’t spend money back then.”

Slot said Forest must be considered title challengers, and claimed Manchester City remained contenders despite being 12 points adrift of the leaders after a dismal run of one win in nine Premier League matches. City have since won both their league games. “Never rule City or Pep out, especially because if everything I read every day [is true] they are bringing in a completely new team! But we don’t need extra motivation.”