sherm

Mark Hampton had been a journeyman of a player. His career started at 17, when he signed for Northampton Town. He then went on to play for Grimsby, Yeovil, Dagenham and Oxford before finally moving to Nottingham Forest at the age of 25. He played at the City Ground for four years, making 98 appearances, and becoming a legend in the hearts of all Forest fans when he scored the goal that sealed their promotion to the Premiership in the 1997/98 campaign. His career was cut short at 29, a serious knee injury in a pre-season game against Rennes causing him to hang up his boots. That didn't deter him though, and he had earned his coaching badges by the age of 33. He got a job with Nottingham Forest, as first team coach, and he has been in that role since 2002. Hampton has seen promotion, relegation, and then relegation into the third tier of English football, but Forest are a big club, 'fallen giants' the term used, and they deserve to be back in the big time one day.

--

I sat up with a jolt, tentatively reaching for my knee. I still think about it now, even though it was 8 years ago. Eight years. That's a long time. Since then, I've got on with my life. Earned my coaching badges, working as a first team coach for my favourite club. Now, at 37, my dream has come true. Manager of Nottingham Forest. It's a big job, no doubt about it. The only European Champions to drop into the third tier of English football. The board want them back in the big time, as do the fans. Hell, I want them in the big time. But I want to be the manager to take them there. I want to bring success back to this once great club. I think I can do it, and I want to do it.

sherm

The financial side of the club was, as everybody knows, not good. Severe debts, a crushing bank balance, and loans to pay back to the bank. Chairman Nigel Doughty had indicated to me that I would only have a meagre £500,000 to spend on transfers. Obviously he felt the squad was good enough to win promotion from League One. I had other ideas however, as some of the players at my disposal were not good enough for League Two, let alone the standard I was looking for. The first duty I had to do was to appoint an assistant manager, considering there wasn't one at the club. I placed an advert for candidates, hoping that there would be one that stood out. The many reports from coaches, the physio and the chairman kept me pre-occupied that evening, several hours spent looking at the squad I had, marking which ones would be useful at League One standard. Free transfers and Loan deals would have to be the way forward for bringing in fresh faces, and even then I wasn't expecting too much quality to be interested in a move to the City Ground. Until an assistant was in place, there wasn't much I could do on the transfer front.

...

At least the squad had a base of talent to work with, although it was easy to see that some areas needed working on. The goalkeepers were more than good enough for this level, with Danish stopper Rune Pedersen the first choice between the posts, although former Southampton man Paul Smith would be a more than able back-up should he be needed.

The defenders, although some were the wrong end of 30, had plenty of experience and knowledge of the lower leagues and provided me with some comfort. John Curtis and James Perch looked the favourites to fight it out for the right back spot, while there was a sole candidate for the left hand side, that being Argentinian Gino Padula. The centre halves were, by and large, more than what I needed, with Danny Cullip, Ian Breckin and Wes Morgan the main contenders for the two berths at the heart of defence.

The midfield left a lot to be desired. The highly talented Kris Commons was the standout player, while central midfielder Sammy Clingan looked a good player. the right hand side was short of options, with just the highly paid Nicky Southall as an option, while young German Felix Bastians provided competition on the left. Ross Gardner and James Beaumont would be fighting for the other midfield spot.

Upfront there were an abundance of options, although not all of them were up to scratch. Grant Holt and Nathan Tyson stood out as the starters, with Junior Agogo and Scott Dobie in reerve. Having never been a fan of the former, I was more inclined to plump for Dobie, but cover was certainly a priority if we were going to fight for promotion.

Defence was goos, while attacking options were few and far between. There was no way this squad would win League Two without serious strengthening. That needs to start as soon as possible, ans the sooner I get an assistant in, the quicker we can start.

sherm

There were plenty of players on the loan list, and other than Ipswich's Irish striker Billy Clarke, none had stood out for me. A whole host of other clubs were interested in the frontman, but I faxed a bid off to East Anglia to take him on loan for the season. I was more than happy to allow Gary Holt a move to Stoke for a minimal fee of £4,000. The 33 year old, although he had experience in the lower leagues, was not in my plans, and the chance to get his substantial £3K a week wages off the budget made the decision a hell of a lot easier. Rotherham also made a bid for Nicky Southall, and despite him being our only reasonable option on the right hand side of midfield I had no hesitation accepting their bid.

With just 4 long term loans allowed I wasn't that impressed, but it meant taking care when making bids for players. Billy Clarke elected to join Northampton instead of us, meaning I was still waiting for my first signing since taking over the reigns at the City Ground. I didn't have to wait too long for this however, as Bolton had quickly accepted our bid for American right winger Johann Smith, who agreed to join us for the season in no time at all. He was quickly followed by Jay Simpson, on a 5 month loan from Arsenal. He could play on either wing and would provide good pace down the flanks.

I eventually managed to hire an assistant manager, Norwich youth coach Dave Carolan the outstanding candidate of 9 that had shown interest. I quickly sent him on his first mission of finding players he felt would be interested in joining us at Forest. He didn't even get a chance to meet the lads before our opening friendly against Peterborough, but he took his place in the dugout nonetheless. What he saw was some blistering attacking from Nathan Tyson as he put us in front after 8 minutes, but poor defending, not once but twice conceding soft goals. We were in the lead both times we did this, Clingan grabbing our second just before the half hour, but Simon Crow grabbed both equalising goals in a highly entertaining game that provided me with a good insight into how the boys would perform

sherm

With the pre-season coming along well, the boys training nicely and constantly getting more and more towards match fitness, my main concern was bringing bodies in to strengthen the team. With Holt and Southall both outgoing, that took £5,000 off the wage bill, leaving me some leeway to possibly make a couple of permanent transfers. Out of favour Southampton right winger Djamel Belmadi had attracted my attention, and despite his advancing years he was perfect for what I was looking for. His crossing was good, and he made up for his lack of pace with his passing and vision, and the transfer fee his side asked for was just £40,000, a fee I was more than happy to part with. Money was still becoming a rare thing, so the loan list was still the jewel in the crown, and the jewel sparkled again when I struck our second season long loan deal to bring Scottish central defender Neill Collins to the City Ground, the defender joining us from Sunderland.

A striker was still eluding me, with Billy Clarke, Danny Haynes and Chris Brown all refusing to come and ply their trade in Nottingham for a season. Goals are crucial at any stage of football, and with two strikers who were rally up to standard I was determined to bring in one more for the start of the season. Another offer had been made for one of our players, Accrington offering to take Junior Agogo on loan for three months, and the former Conference hit man was soon on his way to the Stanley to get himself some playing time

A full house turned up for our next friendly, a home game against major rivals Derby County, so a win would go down well with the supporters. We got off to a flying start too, Tyson giving us a lead within 43 seconds, before big Wes Morgan headed home a second in the twentieth minute. I was surprised with how easy the game was against a team a division above us, as we passed through them like a hot knife through butter. They did pull one back, Ryan Smith drilling home from 15 yards, but Jack Lester scored a third to send our fans into a frenzy and secure a pre-season win over our rivals

"Mark, I just wanted to congratulate you on a terrific win yesterday. I know it's only pre-season but it's always nice to get a win over our rival teams"

Nigel had walked in the ground the following morning grinning from ear to ear. The previous days win had obviously pleased him as much as it did the fans

"I played here for four years so I know how much beating Derby means. I'm happy with the way the team are playing too"

"Thats good to hear. Lets see the same as yesterday in the league this season"

sherm

Dave had brought to my attention the availability of Everton striker James Vaughan, the Premiership's youngest ever scorer. He would be exceptional in League One, and a bid was duly sent off to Merseyside for his services. If I was being honest, I didn't expect him to want to come and play for us for a season, so I still had other targets in mind, but 48 hours later I was shocked and delighted to find out that Vaughan had agreed to a season long loan deal. Vaughan went straight into the squad for the friendly with Marseille, as did Danny Collins, a £60,000 capture from Sunderland to provide cover on the left hand side of defence

The French side were not a team I expected us to beat, but the chance to test ourselves against opposition of their calibre was what I was most looking forward to. Grant Holt and Vaughan started up front, but my mood soon changed after Vaughan picked up a thigh strain that would see him miss up to 2 weeks of football. His strike partner soon had us in front, heading home Belmadi's cross after 25 minutes. Marseille were soon back level, Bostjan Cesar volleying home from 12 yards, but Holt's anticipation saw him send us in at the break in front, as he intercepted a short pass and slotted the ball home. The second half saw 9 changes, and the French side made 7 themselves, the new players not getting into the groove of the game and the score staying at 2-1

More bad news followed Vaughan's injury, as Kris Commons had picked up a pulled groin muscle, and would likely to be out for a couple of months, a big blow for us as he would be instrumental on the left hand side of midfield. Fortunately, Felix Bastians had shown me enough quality in training and in pre-season games to keep me sufficiently happy that he could do a job. The wage budget was still below what the board and myself had agreed, so I managed to bring in one more loan, left winger Ryan Lynch joining from Coventry to provide some cover for Bastians. He had been brought in on the recommendation of Dave, and it seemed to me that the £125,000 compensation I had sent to Norwich would be money well spent. He talked a lot of sense about the game, and his new ideas and fresh approach perfectly matched my old fashioned approach to the game

Our penultimate friendly saw Leeds United visit the City Ground, and once again I was distinctly surprised by how well we took to opposition who were supposedly better than us. Tyson had been impressive through the campaign so far, and once again he justified his place in the team with the opening goal, ramming home past Warner after collecting Beaumont's through ball. On the half hour it was two, Belmadi curling home a free-kick out of the reach of the 'keeper and into the back of the net. The Championship side did hit bakc just before half time, former Luton man Kevin Nicholls heading home from 8 yards to give a glimmer of hope to his side. It counted for nothing though, Danny Cullip's 70th minute header enough to seal another win and another excellent performance from the team

With three wins from four, all three wins coming against supposed better opposition, I was feeling confident about the team with the season start drawing ever nearer. The new signings had fitted in well, and I felt that promotion was looking a much more realistic target than it did when I started my tenure here in Nottingham. I knew the history of the club, having spent time as both a player and a coach here, and I think the fans and players respected the fact I had served time, playing nearly 100 games before my injury cut me short. The style of football I like is plain and simple, 4-4-2 with wingers and midfielders going forward, and the defence doing what it is there to do...defend. Nothing fancy, nothing heroic. Just plain, old fashioned football.

sherm

One of the most impressive players in the pre-season campaign had been Sammy Clingan. The Northern Ireland midfielder had been in my plans originally, but with his terrific performances he had elevated himself into a definite starter in the centre of the park. Neill Collins had also been putting in some excellent performances, and he looked another certain starter in the centre of defence, likely to be alongside Danny Cullip. The defensive side of our game was without a doubt our stongest, but I was confident that with the addition of James Vaughan for the season that we would be fine in front of goal

---

When I signed for Northampton at 17, I was on just £50 a week. I didn't break into the side at Sixfields, and was transferred to Grimsby at 19, making just 6 appearances before going onto Yeovil and playing 25 times in the green and white. A combined 43 appearances for Dagenham and Oxford earnt me a transfer to Forest, and they paid £50,000 for my services. I was surprised that they signed me, but I managed to make nearly 100 appearances for Forest, scoring 6 goals from midfield. I wasn't a fancy player, I just used to slot in font of the back four and break up moves the other team used to create. I broke into the side at Forest after just 6 weeks, playing 65 successive games until I was unable to play because of injury. The game that ended my career was, ironically, against Northampton. I tried to turn on the ball, and got hit hard from behind. I knew straightaway that it was bad, I felt something snap, but I vowed to put it behind me and start again.

My football background started young, my dad taking me to me first game at the age of 6. We lived in Manchester then, my old man being a Manchester City fan, and they were at home to Tottenham on that day. He took me for my 6th birthday, and from that moment on I was hooked. I joined my first team at 8, eventually joining City's academy at 13, before signing for Northampton 4 years later. Football has been part of my life for the best part of 30 years, and I don't intend for it to stop too soon

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Our fifth and final pre-season game saw Arsenal Reserves make the trip to Nottingham. Despite the fact there were no first team players, the reserves of the Premiership side still contained some quality players, such as Denilson and Alexandre Song, and I expected a good test for the lads. This is exactly what we got, and for 25 minutes we were outclassed. It was Nacer Barazite that opened the scoring, the young Dutch striker breaking through and dinking the ball nicely over Rune Pedersen. It took just three minutes for us to draw level, James Beaumont collecting Belmadi's pass and firing home from the edge of the box. The winning goal came from loanee Johann Smith, cutting in from the right and his shot deflecting into the back of the net. With no more goals, it left us with 4 wins and a draw from our pre-season, a record not to turn your nose up at, and with the season rapidly drawing closer I was confident our target of promotion could be reached

sherm

The odds for League One saw ourselves and Bristol City the joint 6/4 favourites to gain promotion, odds which I wasn't sure what to make of. The squad we had was certainly capable of promotion, but we had to perform consistently well. Games at the City Ground would be key, if we could make our home ground a fortress and pick up crucial wins away from home then we were in with a great shout. I had looked down the fixture list and put a mark next to the games we should win. That made 30 out of 46, which amassed to 90 points. It doesn't always work like that though, and we just had to put 110% effort into every performance

Our League One campaign saw us travel to Saltergate to play Chesterfield. They weren't a great side, and I fully expected to open our account with three points. With Vaughan still injured, it was easy enough to pick Tyson and Grant Holt as the starting strikers, while Clingan and Beaumont started as the central midfield pairing. Clingan was superb from the first whistle, controlling the game with biting tackles and pinpoint passing. It seemed as if it was going to be one of those games, every chance we had being foiled by the Chesterfield defence, but eventually we found the back of the net, Nathan Tyson using his pace and sliding the ball home underneath Barry Roche to send us in one goal to the good at the half time interval. The home side came out all guns blazing in the second half, and their attacking approach reaped the rewards when Colin Larkin tapped home the rebound of Paul Hall's shot into an empty net. This seemed to wake us into life, and Tyson put is back in the lead twelve minutes later, rising highest to head home Belmadi's cross. We should have extended our lead before the final whistle, Grant Holt and Tyson both missing good chances, but it made no difference as we held on to claim a perfect start to the season.

--

My dad was mad on football. He had a season ticket at Maine Road for ove 50 years, from the age of 15. He was 65 when he gave it up, and he only did that because his arthritis was getting worse. He could barely walk, let alone get up at football games. I know he would have loved to have gone to just one game at the City of Manchester stadium, and if he had been alive when they moved in to it I would have taken him. He always supported my football career, and when I got my big break at Forest he was delighted. I was travelling to Swansea at the time, when the phone call came. He had been taken to hospital, having collapsed when he stepped off the bus. I raced back down the motorway, I got to his bedside as he was knocking on the door of heaven. I was there an hour before he passed. It's the toughest thing that I've ever had to go through. He was always the one who gave me support, came to watch me play. I could say I got over it, but I didn't. I still havent now. I had to move on with my life, but god it still hurts. He was my idol, my hero. I wish he could have been here for my first game as manager. More than anything in the world.

--

Another away trip saw us visit Brentford, a side who, like us, were fancied highly for promotion. Vaughan had recovered from his injury but wasn't fit enough to go into the squad, so Holt and Tyson kept their places. Beaumont had picked up a slight knock against Chesterfield so John Curtis came into the midfield to partner Clingan. We didn't start at all well, and found ourselves a goal behind after 17 minutes, Calum Willock firing underneath Rune Pedersen. Curtis was playing like a general, really getting stuck in and using his experience to will the younger lads on. The former United man got our equaliser too, pouncing on the loose ball and tapping home from 6 yards. Willock continued to post the biggest threat, and he put his side in front for the second time just after the half hour, completely unmarked in the box as he powered a header past Pedersen. We picked it up after this, controlling the possession in the second 45 minutes, but we just couldn't find a killer touch. Holt and substitute Scott Dobie both missed good chances, while Djamel Belmadi twice hit the woodwork with long range efforts. Brentford hung on though, and claimed all three points for themselves

sherm

On loan striker James Vaughan was back to full fitness and went straight into the side to partner Nathan Tyson up front for the next game. We needed to get back on track after the Brentford defeat, and our home game against Carlisle gave us a perfect opportunity to do that. Beaumont came into midfield along with John Curtis to form an attack/defence partnership. We started well, the combined pace of Vaughan and Tyson causing all sorts of problems, and we should have been at least two clear by the time Vaughan did put us in front just past the half hour. He doubled both his and our tally 5 minutes from half time, collecting Ryan Lynch's pass and firing home across the 'keeper and into the far corner. We cam out just the same in the second period, creating chance after chance, finally sealing the game after 58 minutes, Vaughan netting a debut hat-trick and scoring our third goal with a powerful header past Kieran Westwood. The scoring wasn't finished there though, as Nathan Tyson grabbed a fourth goal and Vaughan grabbed his fourth and the fifth for the side when he slotted home Belmadi's cross. It was a superb peformance from the team, Vaughan absolutely running the Cumbrian's defence ragged and giving the impression he was far too good for this standard of football. I wasn't going to complain though, and if he kept up that standard of scoring then we were a shoe in for promotion

..

Many people wondered why I was only successful late in my playing career. I made more appearances for Forest than I did for all the other clubs put together. I put it down to a number of reasons, but I think the main one was luck. I wasn't an overly talented player, just plain and simple, but I got my break at the City Ground thanks to a severe injury crisis. I just took my chance. I think I'm a better coach than I was a player. Hopefully I can be a better manager than I was coach. I had just started to establish myself at Yeovil before I left. There were rumours, people thought it was surprise to see me leave, but very few people know the real reason. I was a bit of a playboy in my playing days, and I won't deny the fact that I used to have a few drinks once the week was out. Saturday night, after a match, out to bars and clubs, generally waking up with a new female companion on my arm. I'm well in my 30's now, but deep down I still want to be back in my 20's. Maybe it's time for me to settle down with a nice young lady...

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A second home game followed 7 days later, with Bournemouth the visitors to the City Ground. They had started the season without a manager, appointing Graham Rix after a few weeks of the pre-season, and the former Chelsea man had seen his side to a comfortable 12th place so far. The same side that had put 5 past Carlisle took the field, apart from Felix Bastians replacing Ryan Lynch on the left hand side of midfield. We started well once again, James Vaughan and Nathan Tyson continuing their good partnership together, the Everton man putting us in front on 19 minutes, collecting Sammy Clingan's pass before firing home from 20 yards. We should have been further in front going into the second half, Vaughan, Tyson, Clingan and Danny Cullip all missing good chances to increase our lead, and we paid for this as Gooding earnt his side a point 9 minutes from time, popping up at the far post to slot in from two yards out

sherm

Rory Delap had fallen out of favour at Sunderland, finding himself training and playing with the reserves, and after a long chat with Dave I had decided to match the £28,000 asking price. For an experienced player such as Rory, someone who had played in the Premiership, I was delighted to bring him to the City Ground as a member of the squad. My bid was soon accepted, and I travelled down to the North East to discuss terms with the former Southampton man.

"So what role in the team would I have then? Would I be a starter in the first team?"
"Absolutely guaranteed Rory. When fit, you'll play"
"OK well that's good, I just want to play football again"
"You will be, for certain. I know you might be a bit wary of dropping down a division but I think we'll be back in the Championship next season"
"Sounds good. So what contract terms are you offering?"
"2 years, £2,800 a week. The wage structure is good at the moment, and with that we will still be underneath it. Stability is the key"
"Fine by me. Where do I sign?"

...

Rory joined up with the squad on the day of our League Cup match with Tranmere, although he wasn't registered in time to play, but he took his place in the stands alongside the chairman. Tranmere were at the same level as us, and I fully expected to beat them, but the League Cup was not of any sort of priority to me, so some fringe players were selected. I made 7 changes from the side that were held by Bournemouth, and one of those changes scored after a quarter of an hour, Grant Holt rising highest to head home. We were one behind before that though, Kevin Ellison having put Tranmere in front after capitalising on a defensive mistake from Ian Breckin. The game played out evenly after that, neither side creating a clear cut chance, that is until the 78th minute, Ross Gardner playing a lovely one-two with Grant Holt and slamming home the return pass past Gavin Ward. As it looked like we were heading for the second round, an equaliser 7 minutes from time from the left foot of Jennings sending the match into a prolonged 30 minutes. The fatigue showed from both sides, and the game peteres out into a penalty shoot out. This proved to be our downfall, Grant Holt missing the crucial penalty and Ian Goodison sending Tranmere into the 2nd round.

We travelled down to Yorkshire three days later for our final game of the month against Huddersfield. It was a game that I couldn't predict whether we should win or not, as the Huddersfield team was not one that was familiar to me. Vaughan was back in the starting line-up, although his regular partner Tyson had a slight knock which saw Holt keep his place. Felix Bastians took his place on the left wing, and the young German was terrific, bombing down the wing and whipping crosses in. We just didn't seem to be able to find that vital touch in front of goal, neither Vaughan or Holt being on their game, but eventually we did take the lead, Vaughan crossing for Bastians to fire home on the volley. We secured the match in injury time, Vaughan's 6th goal since he joined us keeping us on track and ending the month on a high note.

sherm

August 2006 Summary
(League One unless stated)

Chesterfield 1-2 Nottingham Forest
Larkin (57) : Tyson (44,65)

Brentford 2-1 Nottingham Forest
Willock (17,32) : Curtis (25)

Nottingham Forest 5-0 Carlisle
Vaughan (32,40,58,75) Tyson (65)

Nottingham Forest 1-1 Bournemouth
Vaughan (19) : Gooding (81)

Nottingham Forest 2-2 Tranmere (League Cup 1st Round)
Gr. Holt (15) Gardner (78) : Ellison (13) Jennings (83)
(Tranmere won 4-3 on penalties)

Huddersfield 0-2 Nottingham Forest
Bastians (69) Vaughan (90)