McClaren resigns after Birmingham loss

On this day in 2011 Steve McClaren resigns as Forest manager after defeat to Birmingham City.

Manager legacies

Managerial turning point

Steve McClaren, former Forest manager, pictured June 2008. Image: Fakwes / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Steve McClaren resigned as Nottingham Forest manager on the evening of a 3-1 home defeat to Birmingham City, ending his City Ground reign after just 111 days.

It was a dramatic fall for a manager who had arrived with a major reputation. McClaren had been England manager, worked as Sir Alex Ferguson’s assistant at Manchester United, taken Middlesbrough to European football and led FC Twente to the Dutch title.

Forest had gone ahead in the first half when Lewis McGugan delivered a corner, Matt Derbyshire flicked it on, and Ishmael Miller headed in from close range.

But the match collapsed late. Chris Burke equalised after Forest lost possession, then Chris Wood scored twice to turn a 1-0 lead into a damaging 3-1 defeat.

After the game, McClaren told chairman Nigel Doughty he was leaving. His explanation cut to the frustration around the job: he said the club did not share the ambition he had come for.

The resignation did not stand alone. Doughty also announced he would step down as chairman, admitting the appointment had been a mistake. A poor home defeat had become something much bigger: the end of McClaren’s short Forest spell and a major boardroom turning point.