Looking good or bad dress sense? Kit Obsessive is back

Following on from today’s other new , regular feature (The Last Word on….) part of the big match build up to every Brentford home game now includes a revisit to the Kit Obsessive feature. With Nottingham Forest being this evening’s visitors to Griffin Park, it’s another chance to wallow in kit heaven and kit hell.

The name Nottingham Forest is one that conjures up all sorts of wonderful footballing imagery and memories. Back to back European Cup triumphs. Brian Clough. Stuart Pearce and Des Walker. And, of course, that, famous badge.

Much like Sheffield Wednesday’s iconic outline ‘owl’, Forest have opted for a similar style crest. Equally, it has one that has been left pretty much untouched since it first saw the light of day in March 1974. Then again, why would you need to change? The name Forest, sitting below the outline of a Sherwood tree emerging from the River Trent, is one recognised the footballing world over.

And if the badge has remained untouched over the years, much can be said of Forest’s colours. Their red shirts (with the odd bit of white trim) and white shorts are a template that has had little alteration to this very day.

Despite these apparent constraints, there has still been plenty of room for manouevre in our four categories: The best; The worst; The away; The unfortunate design/Retro Classic.

The best: Adidas 1984-86 home.  From the mid seventies to the late eighties, the Forest locker room was dominated by Umbro and Adidas. Pretty much any shirt from this period could have made it into a category that has caused me the biggest challenge of the season.

It was a period that saw the first use of the now famous new badge and the European Cup triumphs over Malmo and Hamburg in a simple but now legendary Adidas top. Even the addition of pinstripes (81-84) or subtle chequerboard effect (86-88) were both contributions that gave a positive twist to this most simple of colour schemes. Truly, it was golden era for Forest on the pitch and off the peg.

However, the winner is one which may cause controversy, simply because it isn’t associated with a trophy or a tilt at the league title. But it is one that sticks in my own mind’s eye, almost thirty years later, as the one worn by Johnny Metgod when he scored THAT free kick v West Ham (even now, the strike, and the celebration, deserve a look YouTube).

It combines the classic red and white trim with a central badge (always popular) and an Adidas logo on each arm, giving a slightly less cluttered feel in an era that had just started to see sponsorship become the norm. People may not drink Skol these days (outside of Brazil where, apparently, it is their most popular beer brand) but even non-Forest fans like myself won’t forget it.

The Worst: Umbro 1996-98. If Forest were football, and fashion, kings during the 80s, the following decade saw them in some serious trouble. For a team whose shirt had only ever been red, albeit with a hint of red, what came next was just bonkers.

The brilliance of Umbro’s 1992-94 effort (more, later) was instantly followed by four years of sartorial pain. The successor to that one saw the addition of black collars along with a broad, vertical stripe in the same colour that stretched from each shoulder then stopped, abruptly, half way down.

It was a motif that, whilst totally at odds with Forest’s natural colour scheme, was then given a twist from 1996-1998 for what is, in my opinion, their worst ever shirt. This time, the black stripe starts in the middle, but gets progressively fainter until it ends at the sponsor. As though somebody had used the shirt to wipe off a paintbrush after creosoting a fence. The same design was repeated down the sleeves.

The famous club badge, meanwhile, is overcomplicated by being styled red and then sat inside a large white oval. The only positive? Black has never again been used since.

The away: Umbro 1996-97. What on earth happened at Umbro following Euro ’96? Whilst, normally, this category highlights a killer kit, I’m selecting one that, given the horror of the home shirt, needs further review to wonder how on earth they also mangled the ‘away’.

There’s nothing wrong with yellow and blue as a scheme. It is one Forest have used many times and, especially in the early 80s, looked incredible. Sadly, this doesn’t. If the home version looked as though somebody had run a paintbrush down the front, the away has had the whole can chucked at it.

Closer inspection actually reveals this as two graffiti style reinterpretations of that famous badge. A clumsy attempt to ‘get down with da kidz’ or something that had been put together by a four year old armed with a blue crayon?

The retro classic: Umbro 1992-94. Now this is a thing of beauty. Umbro’s vintage stylings have already won the best ever Ipswich shirt and this one came awfully close for Forest.

In the end, I’ve opted for it being their retro classic  – the quintessential example of simplicity and style as the club looked to revisit the 1930s. Floppy collars, button up neck, decent use of white as the offset pinstripe colour and, for once, a surround that enhances the club badge. It wasn’t until 2010 that the club could even come close to the heights achieved here.

Nick Bruzon

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A tale of three Pauls and one Psycho. The Last Word on….

Brentford host Nottingham Forest tonight. With round 3 of Championship action  upon us, all being well we can divert ourselves from gantry based chat long enough to look at tonight’s opponents. It’s time for our new regular feature, The Last Word on…and tonight Forest are in the hot seat. Featuring a series of regular questions/ categories about the visitors , the results are picked using no more scientific criteria than personal taste. With apologies for any glaring omissions, here we go (again).

Brentford take on Nottingham Forest at Griffin Park tonight

The Brentford connection (he’s played for both). Very much a tale of three Pauls, here . Our first being the goalkeeping legend that is Paul Smith. One of the finest players between the sticks in modern times, he turned out over 100 times for the Bees after signing from Carshalton back in 2000. A move to Southampton to help the club out of a financial hole would eventually follow in 2004 before he found himself at the City Ground.   Last seen at Griffin Park back in January 2013 where his single handed heroics almost stopped the Bees progressing past Southend United and an FA Cup fourth round tie with Chelsea

Next up, Paul Evans. Much like last week’s pick, Jay Tabb, part of my all time Brentford XI based on those I’ve seen play on a regular basis (Szczesny, O’Connor, Evans,  Hreidarsson, Grainger, Paul Evans, Forshaw, Sinton, Tabb, Holdsworth, Blissett) .

What can you say beyond “Evans. From the half way line.” Not once but twice. In successive games . What a pair of net busters and what a player. 34 goals from midfield in 157 games, along with a cap for Wales , tells its own story of a wonderful career at Griffin Park.

Like so many, his time came to an end after ‘that’ play off final against Stoke City. Move along please, nothing to talk about there.

The picture quality is awful; the technique wonderful

However, our winner is not so much a player as a caretaker manager, in Paul Williams. The one time Brentford logistics manager taking up the role of assistant to head coach Lee Carsley back in October of last year.  Paul was famously honoured by Lee when the winners of October’s manager of the month aware were announced, with Carsley saying “Every decision I have taken in the past month has been made between myself and my assistant Paul Williams.If I could cut the award in half, he would get the other half. I see this as a reward for a great team effort over the month”

December saw a parting of the ways, however, with Paul taking the opportunity to become first team coach at Nottingham Forest and even caretaker manager for the last couple of months of the season. That was long enough to keep them up although, in a result that left Paul “really disappointed” his knowledge of the Bees was insufficient to stop us recording a 3-0 away win.

The Brentford encounter ( noteworthy game with the Bees). We’re going back almost 35 years but have picked our 1982 League cup fourth round tie. Incredibly, the furthest we’ve reached in the competition (and last week’s result at Exeter City isn’t helping that record any) it saw the Bees facing a game against Brian Clough’s best team in Europe.

Brentford were expected to be on the end of a good hiding and, whilst we eventually succumbed 2-0, Paddy Roche  made sure it was a lot closer than the pre-match predictions would have had you believe. Talking to the Bees goalkeeper about this game a few years ago, he noted the expectation levels that had been present in the home side and the reason these weren’t met “They were a top side then and we gave them a good run. That is one of the best memories of my career, probably. Gary Birtles was playing at Forest for the match that night and I’d been with him at Manchester United. He came in and told me after the game that Brian Clough had said to the Forest players “The reason you didn’t win six or seven nothing was because you played against the best ‘keeper you been up against all season”.

Favourite son  (their most famous former player). This is where it gets interesting. Million pound man Trevor Francis? That colossus of a centre back Des Walker, whose Nottingham Forest career encompassed 20 years and two spell from 1984 to 2004? What about pineapple coiffeured Jason Lee or the man whose goal sealed the 1980 European cup final, John Robertson?

However, for most neutrals there is one name synonymous with Nottingham Forest on the playing front and that, of course, is Stuart Pearce. A three time player of the year, this tough tackling full back was dubbed ’Psycho’ for good reason with a reputation, and an ability, that preceded him.

A first choice on any team sheet (club or country), how the national team must wish they had his like available for selection once more. With over 500 appearances for Forest under his belt, he was the epitome of the man who gave his all when on the pitch.

Stuart Pearce – an iconic image

Famous fan. Nottingham Forest are very well served in this category. Those with a musical yearning can look to James Dean Bradfield from the Manic Street Preachers or Deep Purple drummer, Ian Paice. Then there are the likes of Stuart Broad or golfer Lee Westwood from the world of sport.

And of course, those with an ear to the radio will know that Absolute Radio breakfast show news reader Matt Dyson is an ardent Forest fan.

But the pairing I’d love to see in the director’s box are better known from our screens. Jason Statham is to acting what Stuart Pearce was to tackling. Just don’t mess, walk away, nothing to see here. I love his films. There’s no subtly and that’s just fine. Sit back, switch off and enjoy.

Then, you have the anti-Stath. Su Pollard. Best known, of course, for playing over-enthusiastic chalet maid Peggy on Hi-De-Hi (kids, ask your parents) if ever you had the polar opposite to the man who played Chev Chelios (Crank) and Frank Martin(The Transporter), amongst others, then here you go.

Peggy. The anti-Stath

 

Best Ever League Performance. Not so much a game as a streak. Forget Arsenal and their so called invincibles (please, just forget Arsenal) on 26 November 1977 the club embarked on 42 match unbeaten run with a 0-0 draw against West Bromwich Albion . It was a run that lasted over an entire year before eventually coming to an end in December 1978. This, not before their final result in the streak, a 1-0 win over Bolton, set a record that would last for over two decades .

Moment of ignominy (what it says – opposite to above) Relegation from the Premier League in 1993. I take no pleasure form those words, either. Brian Clough subsequently retired and a team who, as somebody growing up watching football had been one of THE names to both respect and fear, had seen a golden era finally one to an end.

Manager of the century ( most famous /popular manager). Can most neutrals even name another Nottingham Forest manager? It can only be Brian Clough.

You could write book on the man who managed Nottingham Forest from 1975-1993. And many have tried. So how do you pay justice to one of the most charismatic managers in football history in one paragraph?  The simple answer being that you can’t.

With the charisma also came success. He took an unfancied team all the way to the league title, numerous trophies and back to back European cup wins. Always seen as very much anti-establishment but the suits at the FA, what would have happened had he been given a chance to run the national team?

An absolute legend and one who is very sadly missed.

All time high ( the club’s defining achievement). For a club to win one European Cup is an incredible achievement. Moreso one who had, seemingly, come from nowhere in just a few short seasons as Nottingham Forest did when they triumphed over Malmo. Yet to repeat that feat just 12 months later, this time Hamburger SV being the victims, is simply stunning.

Interestingly, despite the huge standout of that silverware and the titles, Brian Clough is noted as seeing that unbeaten 42 streak as his greatest achievement. And who am I to argue?

Nick Bruzon