With the club heavily in debt, having recently built the new Executive Stand, the league and European Cup winning squad was hastily broken up to capitalise on player sale value. Clough and Taylor both later said this was a mistake. By 1982, almost all of the club's European Cup-winning players, including Trevor Francis, Peter Shilton, Ian Bowyer, Martin O'Neill, John McGovern and Kenny Burns, had left the club. Garry Birtles was sold to Manchester United in 1980 but returned to Forest two years later. Bowyer also returned in 1982, having joined Sunderland a year earlier. The rebuilt side included youngsters and big money signings like Ian Wallace, Raimondo Ponte, Peter Ward and Justin Fashanu, which failed to work out. The club did not challenge for trophies and Forest finished 12th in the First Division in the 1981–82 season, their lowest finish since gaining promotion in 1977. At the end of the season Taylor announced his retirement. Taylor said in 1982: