Cash mistake
England legend Tony Adams would like to have seen former club Arsenal capture Matty Cash when he left Nottingham Forest this summer.
Cash has made the step up to the Premier League look effortless since joining Aston Villa in a £14m move from the Reds.
The right-back has been earning high praise for his impressive performances in the top-flight, having cemented a place in Dean Smith’s starting XI.
He put in a standout display as his team triumphed 3-0 away to the Gunners on Sunday, and made a big impression on Arsenal great Adams.
Pearce reflects
Stuart Pearce, bona fide Nottingham Forest and England legend, has a confession to make.
One of the Reds’ greatest ever players and a man who won 78 caps for his country quips he “almost feels like a fraud” when passing on advice to today’s generation of footballers.
Along with much of the country, Pearce has indulged in a little nostalgia this year.
With the European Championships postponed by 12 months, the heady days of Euro 96 were re-lived, with re-runs of matches shown on TV this past summer.
Pearce was at the heart of that tournament. The image of him banishing his Three Lions penalty demons in the quarter-final shoot-out against Spain is ingrained in many a memory.
The 58-year-old, though, caught a few glimpses of himself in action and “cringed”.
Boss' impact
Midfielder Harry Arter has spoken about the impact of the change in manager since he signed for Nottingham Forest.
The 30-year-old was brought to the City Ground from Bournemouth by previous head coach Sabri Lamouchi.
He featured just twice for the Frenchman before the axe fell, following a miserable run of results at the start of the season.
Clough's influence
Nobody doubted who was the boss at Nottingham Forest but one of the few players who stood up to the great Brian Clough was also the one who got away – lightning fast winger Terry Curran.
The fiery Yorkshireman was pursued by Clough in an astonishing way for six months before signing from Doncaster Rovers in August 1975 for £75,000 and left for Derby County early in Forest’s First Division title winning season.
To this day, Curran, now 65, blames himself and a cruel injury for not being part of Clough’s double European Cup winning squad and speaks of the fascinating relationship he had with the master manager.
“I could have signed for Everton, Spurs or Sheffield United but when I knew Clough was in for me, there was only one place I was ever going to go,” said Curran.
