‘If only’ is a question many a Nottingham Forest fan will have contemplated over the years and it’s one that Roy Keane continues to mull over to this day.
The ‘if only’ in question concerns the sale of star striker Teddy Sheringham to Tottenham Hotspur in 1992.
It all started so well for Forest who beat Liverpool 1–0 at home in the first ever televised live Premier League game in August, with Sheringham scoring the only goal.
A week later he was transferred to White Hart Lane for a fee of £2.1million.
Forest’s form slumped, ultimately resulting in the club being relegated from the inaugural Premier League and the end of Brian Clough’s 18-year managerial reign.
“We were a good team but unfortunately we sold Teddy Sheringham,” said former Forest star Keane, reflecting on his time at the City Ground.
“He wanted to go back to London and joined Spurs, and without a goalscorer we struggled.
“We struggled all season, had a few injuries. I played a number of games as centre half.
“It was a tough season and it was a shocking way to end for Brian Clough’s career but we just couldn’t score goals, had a lot of pressure. “We lost a lot of games by the odd goal and that’s not good. We just struggled to score. It was a huge disappointment.”
