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26 April, 1993

Brian Clough retires

On this day in 1993 Brian Clough’s retirement decision is confirmed at Forest.

Manager legacies

End of a legendary managerial era
Brian Clough, Forest manager and legend. Pictured in April 1980.
Brian Clough, Forest manager and legend. Pictured in April 1980. Image: Hans van Dijk / Anefo, via Wikimedia Commons

Brian Clough’s decision to retire at the end of the season brought Nottingham Forest towards the close of an extraordinary managerial era.

The confirmation carried enormous weight because Clough had shaped the modern identity of the club. Across 18 years, he had taken Forest from the Second Division to league champions, European champions, and one of the most distinctive sides in English football.

Brian Clough, Forest manager and legend. Pictured in April 1980.
Brian Clough, Forest manager and legend. Pictured in April 1980. Image: Hans van Dijk / Anefo, via Wikimedia Commons

By 1993, the mood around Forest was very different. The club was fighting relegation from the Premier League, and the announcement made clear that the manager most associated with Forest’s greatest years would soon be leaving the dugout.

For supporters, the news was not just about a change of manager. It marked the approaching end of the Clough era, a period that had transformed what Nottingham Forest could imagine and what the club had actually achieved.

Brian Clough Interview

Sources

The Guardian; England Football Online; English football chronology records

Forest timeline

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Notts County 0–2 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 3–0 Blackburn
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Vitória SC 1–1 Nottingham Forest
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Portimonense 1–2 Nottingham Forest Sporting CP 4–1 Nottingham Forest
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Udinese 1–0 Nottingham Forest Barcelona 1–0 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 2–1 Bayer Leverkusen
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Nottingham Forest 2–0 Stade Brestois 29
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Nottingham Forest 0–1 Leeds
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Nottingham Forest 0–2 Leeds
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Liverpool 2–2 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 0–0 Tottenham
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Aston Villa 1–2 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 0–1 Coventry
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Crystal Palace 14:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 16:30 Arsenal
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Ipswich 20:00 Nottingham Forest
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Brentford 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 17:30 Manchester City
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Bournemouth 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 20:00 Chelsea
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Hull City 20:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Brighton
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Sunderland 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Everton
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Manchester United 16:30 Nottingham Forest
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Newcastle 19:30 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Fulham
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Nottingham Forest 19:30 Hull City
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Manchester City 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Bournemouth
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Chelsea 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Brentford
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Fulham 20:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Manchester United
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Everton 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 20:00 Newcastle
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Tottenham 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Leeds 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Brighton 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Arsenal 15:00 Nottingham Forest
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Nottingham Forest 15:00 Ipswich
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Coventry 16:00 Nottingham Forest
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On this day in …
1993
Brian Clough retires

Brian Clough’s decision to retire at the end of the season brought Nottingham Forest towards the close of an extraordinary managerial era. The confirmation…

Manager legacies
1998
1st Div title sealed with Reading win

Nottingham Forest wrapped up promotion and the First Division title with a 1-0 win over Reading at the City Ground. Chris Bart-Williams scored the…

Trophies and titles