I had a lovely five years at Forest. I got in the England squad and we made the UEFA Cup quarter-finals although we got battered by Bayern Munich' Colin Cooper on his City Ground memories

"Cooper joined Forest from Millwall after two impressive seasons at The Den, and the move almost came about when the iconic Clough was still in charge. Funnily enough, I almost joined Forest six months earlier when Cloughie was still in charge, Cooper tells FourFourTwo. They were fighting against relegation and made bids for me and Stan Collymore, who was at Southend."

"Both were rejected but Forest remained interested and the two of us joined on almost the same day ahead of the new season. Frank Clark was manager and we got on like a house on fire. Forest immediately returned to the top flight under Clarke, finishing second in Division 1, with Cooper the rock at the back and Collymore having banged in 25 goals."

"The same pair impressed in the Premier League, with Forest finishing third on their return before a European charge, fully justifying Cooper's decision to make the move. "I had a lovely five years at the club, he adds. Stan and I ended up joining Stuart Pearce in the England squad, and for a time we were up there with the big boys."

Colin Cooper transferred to Nottingham Forest in 1993 for £1.7 million and experienced some of the best football of his career. The period included two promotions and a relegation, and Cooper earned two England caps in 1995 against Sweden and Brazil while targeting Euro 96. The move arrived during a transitional time after Brian Clough's resignation. Cooper joined from Millwall after two strong seasons and signed alongside Stan Collymore under Frank Clark. Forest returned immediately to the top flight, finished third on their Premier League return and mounted a European campaign, with Cooper a defensive mainstay.

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