Forest 40 years ago

After achieving what, in my view, was probably the most important league win of the season, at home to Arsenal , to move six points clear at the top of the league, Forest had a break from the pressure of being league leaders and returned to cup action. Did I say "break!?" Forest's next opponents in the F. A. Cup were even tougher than the week before, Manchester City, in the 4th Round. Man City had won their previous six league games and were consequently top of the first division current form table. The game, originally arranged for the traditional end of January Saturday fixture, had to be postponed, along with seven other games due to the weather. So instead, we lined up against City on a Tuesday night. Manchester City's History The match was a repeat of the early top-of the table clash between the two clubs at the City Ground earlier in the season, so I won't repeat my usual overview of the away team's history. Click here for that. But what I ...

The reason league titles are valued more than cup wins is simple: It's a measure of a team's quality over an entire season against every other team, home and away. An F.A. Cup win can be achieved with just seven wins, most of which could possibly have been aided by a series of lucky home draws against weak opposition. On the other hand, whereas a cup win can often be attributed to one or two great moments, it's difficult to do that with a league title. Looking back on Forest's amazing league title win in 1977-78, you couldn't pick out one match, let alone one moment, that was really critical. It was a whole season of good, professional performances, week after week. If pressed to pick a key match, though, I think most commentators would choose Forest's stunning 4-0 win at Old Trafford in early December. I'd disagree. Manchester United, at this time, let's not forget weren't a great side. The win, fantastic though it was, was against a mid-tabl...