Summer Signings
Expenditure on Players over the summer break

Undoubtedly the ideal time to pick up new players is during the closed-season – thereby giving the new signings a crucial bedding-in period and the chance to find form, fitness and their place in the side before the actual campaign starts. However, Forest under Doughty have repeatedly failed to learn the lesson, year-after-year, much to their long-term cost.

2000-01 Summer expenditure: Total £0

2001-02 Summer expenditure: Total £0

2002-03 Summer expenditure: Total £0

2003-04 Summer expenditure: Total £0

2004-05 Summer expenditure: Total £0. Although Kris Commons was picked up on a free and a tribunal later set the compensation payment which Forest owed Stoke City at £300,000

Relegated - after 5 summers under Nigel Doughty, with a total summer investment of ~£300k, Forest are relegated to the 3rd tier of English football.

2005-06 Summer expenditure: £350,000 to Wigan Athletic for Ian Breckin and a undisclosed nominal fee for Danny Cullip

2006-07 Summer expenditure: A solitary undisclosed fee for Paul Smith estimated at £200,000

Total disclosed summer spending over the last 7 seasons ~£850k.

The natural consequence of failing to strengthen the squad in the summer months has been that Forest have gone into several seasons with an inadequate squad. When results and the club’s league position deteriate, Forest have (and only then), belatedly dipped into the transfer market to pick up unsettled and out-of-sort players who have usually struggled for fitness and form at the City Ground.

We would suggest that this is further evidence that Mr Doughty is a wholly reactionary chairman - a state of mind which has dictated his entire tenure as Forest Chairman.