(Picture: Action Images)
By John Lyons
NOTTINGHAM Forest legend Viv Anderson believes his old club must have managerial stability if they are ever going to bring the glory days back to the City Ground.
As the Reds prepare to face Aston Villa this afternoon (1.15pm), it's a sharp reminder of how two of England's former European Cup winners have slid from the pinnacle of the game and now find themselves in the Championship.
Forest have even had a spell in the third tier of English football in the troubled times that followed so much success under the mercurial Brian Clough.
As someone who came through the ranks at the City Ground and played a major role in their two European Cup successes of 1979 and 1980, former right-back Anderson, England's first black international, has been saddened to see Forest's decline.
He believes a key factor has been the reluctance to give the man in charge long enough to put his stamp on the club.
A steady flow of managers, including Colin Calderwood, Billy Davies, Steve McClaren, Alex McLeish and Stuart Pearce, have all had turns in the hotseat over the last decade.
And Anderson uses the example of Dougie Freedman, boss from February last year to March this year, as a sign of where Forest are going wrong.
“Forest keep on sacking managers willy-nilly,” said Anderson. “There's no consistency and continuity about what they are doing. You build something by having consistency.
“When Dougie Freedman came in, he started reasonably well, so stick by him through thick and thin.
“I was at Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson nearly got the sack. Mark Robins scored in the FA Cup at Forest when everyone was saying he was going to go. The chairman stuck by him and they went on to have a lot of success.
“You have to give managers time. Sacking them after seven or eight months is nonsense.
“Forest have fallen into that trap. I don't know much about the new manager (Philippe Montanier) but I hope they give him time.”
It's all a far cry from when the likes of Anderson, Peter Shilton, Trevor Francis, John Robertson and Tony Woodcock were ruling the roost in Europe.
“Myself and Tony Woodcock came through as apprentices and the club had momentum at the time. There was a snowball effect,” said Anderson. “Our success was all a bit new to us, but the older ones, like Frank Clark, John McGovern and Ian Bowyer, were telling us to make the most of it as it wasn't something that happened often.
“Brian Clough was great and helped make me a player. When you are young, you are impressionable. When he said jump, it was how high you jumped.
“When we went away before a big game, we trained every day and drank every day as well! He did things differently to any other manager I worked under.”
So what are Anderson's abiding memories of those European Cup final wins against Malmo in 1979 and Hamburg in 1980, both won 1-0 with goals from Francis and Robertson respectively?
“When Trevor scored against Malmo with a header at the back post, after a bit of magic from John Robertson, I remember thinking ‘that's too far away for me to celebrate' and I turned round and went back to halfway!
“Against Hamburg, what I really remember was Peter Shilton pulling off unbelievable saves.
“It was a great achievement to win back-to-back European Cups. Everyone talks about Leicester winning the Premier League, but let's see what they can do in the Champions League. Then you can compare them to Forest!”
A couple of years after Forest's second success, Villa claimed the crown with Peter Withe's winner against Bayern Munich.
“It was a local rivalry. Villa v Forest were big games at that time,” said Anderson. “I had battles with Tony Morley every time we played and Gary Shaw was a fantastic footballer. It was a shame he had to finish so early through injury.”
As for the present day, Anderson is hoping that new signing Nicklas Bendtner can help Forest push up the Championship table.
The 28-year-old ex-Arsenal striker, a free agent after leaving Wolfsburg, has signed a two-year contract.
On the debit side, the Reds have lost starlet Oliver Burke to RB Leipzig. The 19-year-old winger, who came through the ranks, was sold for £13m.
“Nicklas Bendtner has got vast experience and, if he's fit, he's going to be an asset to any club,” said Anderson. “Hopefully, it's the right decision.
“As for Oliver Burke, I would have liked Forest to nurture him for another season. He might have been the catalyst to get us up, though £13m is something you don't get every week.”
Anderson turned 60 in July (“It sneaks up on you – I say I'm 39, but I don't get away with it”) and is a busy man. He's been part of an events company, North West Events Global, for 20 years and is also involved with an online gaming company, Gameiom Technology.
But he's also an unofficial taxi driver, ferrying his son, Freddie, ten, to academy training sessions at Manchester City.
“He plays right side,” said Anderson. “Right-back and right-wing. But, at ten, don't ask me if he will be a player. It's too early.” Just like Forest's managers, Freddie needs time.
*This article originally featured in The FLP on Sunday 11th September.
