- – This article has been ready to go with a few weeks, intended to coincide with Nottingham Forest playing a first knockout European game in 30 years, with two legends from that run in the dugout with manager Sean Dyche. Alas…
In 1990-91, league champions Liverpool enjoyed a superb start to the season, going on a winning run to establish an early lead.
However, as the Reds’ form dipped, they were usurped by an Arsenal side built on a parsimonious defence, managed by a dark-haired man who had worn number 8 for the club. The Gunners’ title win was confirmed on the May bank holiday Monday as Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat in an early-evening fixture at Nottingham Forest meant that Arsenal’s game against Manchester United that night became a celebration.
I have a clear memory of watching that Forest-Liverpool game – it was my first year as a football fan and I consumed everything. As a budding Arsenal fan, this felt like the start of what would be success every season while the presence of fellow Corkman Roy Keane in Brian Clough’s squad meant that I had a soft spot for Forest, too.
Forest’s second-half winner against Liverpool – the goal that confirmed Arsenal as champions – was scored by Ian Woan, who had established himself on the left wing during the spring of 1991.
Unsurprisingly, he wore number 11 in every start he made during that campaign, including the FA Cup final against Tottenham a couple of weeks later.
Forest at the time were among the sides who favoured a 4-5 central defensive partnership with number 6 in midfield – Aston Villa and Everton were other notable examples.
Even after the departure of Brian Clough as manager – the end of his 18-year tenure coinciding with relegation at the end of the first Premier League season, 1992-93 – his successor Frank Clark kept the same numbering scheme.
While Forest were third in Division 1 after five games, a run of one win in seven in the league saw them plummet to 20th by the end of October. Their fortunes were to turn, though, in part thanks to the arrival of Lars Bohinen from Lillestrøm.
Clark switched to a 4-5-1, with the Norwegian attacking midfielder taking the number 9 as he played off centre-forward Stan Collymore, who had made 10 his own.
In addition, Steve Stone began to flourish on the right wing after moving from the centre of midfield – he kept number 6 while David Phillips, who had signed from Norwich City, would win the club player of the year award for his performances in the middle.
The numbering of what had become the first XI would inform the squad numbers on Forest’s return to the top flight in 1994-95 – but with a couple of notable alterations.
Nottingham Forest 1994-95 squad numbers (click to open)
Despite his status as the undisputed first choice on the left, Woan was given number 14 rather than his customary 11, which was instead on Stone’s back.
While it might be understandable that they didn’t want to give 6 to a right winger, it was unusual that it was given to Carl Tiler – the defender had started just three games in 1993-94, wearing 2 twice and 4 once.
The numbering didn’t affect on-field performances, though, as Forest finished third behind Blackburn Rovers and Manchester United, with Collymore linking well with his new strike partner, the Dutchman Bryan Roy, who wore 22.
That earned them a return to European action for the first time in a decade.
Collymore would be involved in the Uefa Cup, but for his new club Liverpool, having joined them for a British record £8.5m – however, Forest would go further in the competition, making it to the quarter-finals.
There were no dramatic number changes – Tiler retained 6, for instance, despite playing just four games in 1994-95 – while Kevin Campbell, newly signed from Arsenal, took Collymore’s 10.
However, in the continental fixtures – where 1-11 was still in force, for what would be the last season – Campbell wore 9 and a few of his team-mates in the 1-11 bracket also wore different digits during the campaign.
Stone was the most notable as he wore a positionally appropriate 7 throughout the European journey, allowing Woan to be reunited with 11 on the other wing.
With Bohinen having left in October when Blackburn Rovers activated a £750,000 clause in his contract, Chris Bart-Williams – given 21 when he signed from Sheffield Wednesday – became a midfield mainstay and, while he wore 6 against Olympique Lyonnais, for instance, the quarter-final first leg away to Bayern Munich saw him in 8 with Scot Gemmill shifting to 6.
As well as Gemmill, Stone and Campbell, Phillips also wore a digit that was different to his squad number – he filled in at right-back for the 1-1 draw at Olympiastadion and wore 2.
Two weeks later at the City Ground presented a good opportunity for Forest to reach the last four but, unfortunately, they could not take it as Bayern won 5-1 – they would go on to win the competition.
One additional curiosity from that game – apart from Phillips wearing 6 – was the fact that Roy had 11 up front while Woan played in the number 10 shirt. As far as we can see, it was the only time in his career that he did so.
