Supporting Nottingham Forest over the last 10 years has resembled a rollercoaster ride, although the bad times have been more frequent than the good times.
Other than a couple of Championship campaigns that have seen the Reds reach the play-offs and a promotion from League One in 2008, there hasn’t really been a great deal more for those of a Forest persuasion to shout about.
Things had looked to be on the up for Forest at the start of this campaign but the sale of starlet Oliver Burke has seen the Reds go five games without tasting victory, offering cause for concern that another season of struggle is on the horizon.
With a few of boss Philippe Montanier’s new signings struggling to get used to the demands of the Championship, Football League World writer Lee Clarke decided to take a look through the archives at Nottingham Forest’s three best bargains buys of the last 10 years.
Michail Antonio
The speedy winger is arguably the best piece of transfer business in the history of Nottingham Forest Football Club, let alone the last ten years.
Antonio signed in 2014 for a lowly £1.5 million and went onto have his best season as a professional footballer during his solitary campaign at the City Ground.
He netted a superb 15 goals despite playing primarily as a winger and also helped himself to plenty of assists along the way.
The Reds pocketed a cool £7 million when they sold Antonio to West Ham United just a year later and although the club have struggled to replace him, the transfer still represented sound business for the club.
Chris Cohen
Cohen is an absolute stalwart at Nottingham Forest having signed for the club back in 2007 from Yeovil Town, who had just knocked the Reds out of the play-offs at the semi-final stage.
The midfielder signed terms at the City Ground along with fellow Yeovil midfielder Aaron Davies, in a £1.2 million deal, with Welshman Davies initially expected to excel for the Reds in League One.
It was to be Cohen who would take centre stage instead however, and almost ten years later he remains a first-team regular in the East Midlands.
Cohen has battled back from three serious knee ligament injuries over the years but is now back playing regular football for Forest.
Lee Camp
The agile goalkeeper first signed for Nottingham Forest on loan in 2008, instantly adhering himself to the Reds’ faithful with a penalty save in the final minute of a game against fierce rivals Derby County.
Forest would sign Camp on a permanent deal ahead of the 2009/10 campaign for the bargain price of £100,000.
The Derby-born stopper was in fine fettle for the Reds over the next two seasons, with Camp establishing himself as one of the very best custodians in the second tier.
He was instrumental in Forest achieving back-to-back finishes in the Sky Bet Championship between 2009 and 2011, but left in 2013 after expressing a desire to play Premier League football.
Nottingham Forest fans, would you agree that these three are the biggest bargains over the last 10 years? Who else should be included? Let us know in the comments below!!!