1994–95 Nottingham Forest F.C. season to succeed in life after Brian Clough as new manager Frank Clark guided them to an impressive third-place finish and UEFA Cup qualification, giving Forest their first European campaign of the post-Heysel era. Striker Stan Collymore was on target 22 times in the league and speculation that he would be on his way to another club proved correct at the end of the season when he sold to Liverpool for a national record fee of £8.4 million. The failure of Clark to buy a proven replacement cast significant doubt over whether Forest could mount a serious challenge for honours in
1996–97 Nottingham Forest F.C. season 1996–97 Nottingham Forest F.C. season During the 1996–97 English football season, Nottingham Forest F.C. competed in the FA Premier League (known as the FA Carling Premiership for sponsorship reasons). After a Kevin Campbell hat-trick earnt Nottingham Forest an impressive 3-0 away win at Coventry City on the season's opening game, an appalling 4-1 home defeat to Premiership newcomers Sunderland prompted a dismal start to the season which saw them fail to win any of their next 16 league games until a shock 2-1 home win over title contenders Arsenal on 21 December 1996. Ultimately, Forest were bottom of the Premiership