​The Unburstable Bubble: How Nottingham Forest Clinched the Most Unlikely Title

"Forest are a bubble that will soon burst." These words, spoken by BBC pundit Bob Wilson in October 1977, have become iconic in hindsight. Nottingham Forest had scraped out of the Second Division the previous summer, clinching the third and final automatic promotion spot. They were not expected to succeed in the top-flight and, having gone top of the table in early October, many felt certain their strong start to the season was a fluke.

On 22 April 1978, they were crowned champions of England.

Fast forward to the modern day, and Forest are something of a problem club. Currently languishing in 18th in the Championship, they are perennial underachievers in the second tier. Despite considerable investment in recent times, they have consistently failed to meet their target of promotion to the Premier League. Indeed, they haven't played in the top-flight since the 1998/99 season.

Recent campaigns have seen their standing gradually decline, to the point that some will be tipping them for relegation to League One next year. This situation is made all the more painful by the fact that Leicester City, their East Midlands rivals, have not only leapfrogged them in the race for Championship promotion, but also gone on to become Premier League title favourites. If the Foxes do manage to clinch their first ever top-flight title come May, the comparisons to Forest's 1977/78 campaign will be ubiquitous – much to Forest fans' chagrin, no doubt.

If anything, Forest's title tilt was even less likely than Leicester's current Premier League heroics. While Leicester were promoted as Championship winners in 2013/14, Forest finished behind Wolves and Chelsea in their 1976/77 promotion season. While Leicester had a year to adapt to the pressures of the top flight, Forest won the league at the first time of asking. While Leicester have a squad with potential and quality, Forest's title-winning team was packed with players widely perceived to be journeymen and underachievers. Nonetheless, Brian Clough whipped them into shape – and together they achieved the unthinkable.

Clough arrived at Forest in January 1975, at possibly the most difficult time of his career. He had won the First Division with an unfancied Derby County side in 1972 and – after a short spell at Brighton & Hove Albion – he was rewarded with the opportunity to manage an all-conquering Leeds United just over two years later. However, he lasted a mere 44 days in the job before being ignominiously sacked. He had made no bones about his contempt for the players' physical under their former manager, Don Revie, and his abrasive approach – he famously told them to throw all their medals in the bin "because they were not won fairly" – soon saw an unbridgeable rift open up between him and the squad.

Going from Leeds United, then reigning First Division champions, to a club 13th in the second tier looked like a major step down for Clough. Nonetheless, he immediately set about marshalling the side. Forest finished eighth in his first full season in charge, their performances rapidly improving over the course of the campaign. Peter Taylor – Clough's legendary assistant – joined up with the team in July 1976. From that point onward, Forest only gained momentum. Though they pipped Bolton Wanderers and Blackpool to the third promotion place by a single point, they ended the 1976/77 season with their First Division status restored.

Forest did very little business during pre-season. Their only summer outlay was the £150,000 paid for Kenny Burns, a Glaswegian striker-come-defender who many considered to be slightly unhinged. Apart from that, Clough stuck by the players who had helped him gain promotion from the Second Division. Veteran defender Larry Lloyd, underrated midfielder Martin O'Neill and well-travelled striker Peter Withe were the spine of the team. These players were anything but glamorous; fortunately for Forest, Clough found a way of making them effective.

Despite the majority of pundits tipping them to struggle before the start of the season, Forest got off to a storming start. Their first three league games were wins over Everton, Bristol City and Derby respectively. Though they lost 3-0 to Arsenal in their fourth match of the campaign, this turned out to be something of a blessing in disguise. The setback convinced the board to invest a further £325,000 – then a club record transfer fee – in Peter Shilton, the iconic England keeper who would go on to make more than 200 appearances for the team. Moreover, Clough made a move for one of his former Derby players, Archie Gemmill. He would make 36 league appearances for Forest that year, and play a pivotal role in their miraculous success.

Immediately after the Arsenal defeat, Forest played Wolves. Despite the fact that their opponents had finished as Second Division champions the previous season, five points ahead of Forest, Clough's side blew them away with goals from Withe, Ian Bowyer and promising young striker Tony Woodcock. The match ended 3-2, and Forest had made a serious statement of intent.

With a 4-0 win against Ipswich Town in early October, Clough and co. went top of the league. It was this that prompted many pundits, including the aforementioned Wilson, to write off their strong early season form as one of football's little quirks. The general consensus was that the Nottingham Forest bubble would surely burst. Except, it wouldn't – no matter how many sideswipes were aimed in its direction.

Forest remained in top spot from that point until the very last day of the campaign. Despite a blip in mid-November where they lost to Chelsea and Leeds United in quick succession, the team remained relentless. In fact, they didn't lose a single league game after succumbing 1-0 to Leeds at Elland Road. That was 19 November 1977. They wouldn't taste defeat in another league match until 9 December 1978.

Over the remainder of the 1977/78 season they notched up 14 wins, 12 draws and zero defeats. Their imperious form meant that, on 22 April, Forest only needed a point against Coventry City to be crowned First Division champions. They duly got the result, Peter Shilton making a series of heroic saves in a goalless draw. That performance secured the club's first ever top-flight title. Though not for the want of trying, it's a feat they have never replicated.

In winning the title, Forest became the first team since Spurs in 1951 to become champions directly after promotion from the Second Division. Likewise, Brian Clough became the first manager since the legendary Herbert Chapman to win the Football League with two different clubs. Forest also won the League Cup, making it a double-winning campaign of sorts. All in all, it was a glorious success – one that paved the way for back-to-back European Cup wins in the next two seasons, and a golden age for the club.

And the team that finished bottom of the league in 1977-78, relegated with a paltry 22 points from 42 games? None other than Leicester City. How times change.

@W_F_Magee