Man Utd’s historical past with Nottingham Forest

HEAVYWEIGHTS COLLIDE:
WHEN CLOUGH MET FERGIE

Throughout the next decade-and-a-half, till Clough’s
departure and Forest’s demotion in 1992/93, video games between
Forest and United had been eye-watering clashes. Clough, the
East Midlands Ferguson, was grasp of all he surveyed. Solely
Arsene Wenger (60 video games) led his facet out towards United
extra recurrently – Clough’s Forest met United 38 instances throughout
18 years.
Although no-one could be stated to have had the signal over Sir
Alex, few got here nearer. Of their 13 league video games, the victory
rely was break up at 5-5, with three attracts. United completed
second to Forest’s third in Liverpool’s wake in 1987/88; the
following marketing campaign, whereas United completed eleventh, Forest had been
third once more.
There have been an extra three Cup video games. Garry Parker’s
tap-in at Outdated Trafford knocked United out of the 1989 FA Cup
within the sixth spherical earlier than their grim future with Liverpool
at Hillsborough. United returned the favour the next
season within the fabled 1-0 success, Mark Robins’s purpose sparking
the run to Ferguson’s first trophy (Forest, in the meantime, received the
League Cup).
There was Wembley victory over Forest too, within the 1992
League – sorry, Rumbelows – Cup closing, received by Brian
McClair’s a centesimal United purpose, a sport during which Forest’s Roy
Keane, simply 20, impressed, and future Crimson Teddy Sheringham
additionally performed.
These weren’t the one gamers with shared connections.
The Nineteen Eighties introduced us Garry Birtles, Peter Davenport and Neil
Webb; the Seventies, Ian Storey-Moore and Tommy Jackson,
albeit with various success. Viv Anderson, then of Arsenal
– and such a stalwart of Clough’s classic ‘70s staff – was
certainly one of Ferguson’s first purchases. And, bringing us proper as much as
date, the purpose that bought Forest right here by way of play-off victory over
Huddersfield City in Might was engineered in M16 – courtesy of
an help from James Garner, on mortgage from United earlier than becoming a member of Everton final summer time. After a 3-0 win on 27 December at Outdated Trafford, we rapidly meet once more below a month later. With Forest having fun with a future within the Carabao Cup, the 2 groups might be vying to achieve Wembley and occasion prefer it’s 1999…

This text first appeared in United Assessment, the official matchday programme.