"His first love" - Derby County: Brian Clough claim made to stoke Nottingham Forest rivalry | OneFootball

FLW's Derby County fan pundit has determined whether the club is bigger or smaller than rivals Nottingham Forest

Derby County and Nottingham Forest have a well-known rivalry that stretches back through both club's storied histories.

The pair have reached similar highs and lows over the years, with both enjoying their best success under manager Brian Clough.

However, the two sides have not been in the same division since the 2021/22 campaign, meaning it’s been over two years since their last meeting.

The Rams have found themselves on the wrong side of the rivalry in recent years, with the club dropping into the third tier the same year that Forest earned Premier League promotion.

Forest won their last clash, with Steve Cooper’s side beating Wayne Rooney’s 2-1 at the City Ground in January 2022.

Derby County rivalry claim made about Nottingham Forest

When asked about their biggest rivals, and who is the bigger club, FLW’s Derby fan pundit Shaun Woodward claimed that the Rams have the edge on Forest.

While he acknowledged the Reds’ two European Cup victories, he believes that Clough had the greater emotional attachment to Derby and that they tend to attract a bigger crowd anyway as well.

“Nottingham Forest are Derby County’s biggest rivals, without a doubt,” Woodward told Football League World.

“I doubt that will ever change, no one comes close and that will always be the case.

“Brian Clough obviously links the two clubs, having managed both of them, and Nottingham Forest fans will always say: ‘We won the European Cup twice,’.

“But Derby fans can obviously say that Brian Clough came out and actually told the world that Derby were the better side, and that Derby were his first love, that a part of his heart will always be with Derby.

“I do genuinely think Derby meant more to him than Nottingham Forest.

“Obviously, the way that he left Derby left a bad taste in everyone’s mouth, I think that’s why he never returned to the club, but everyone knows Derby were the team he truly loved.

“He went on to do great things at Forest, fair play to them, but had he have stayed at Derby I think we would have gone on to win multiple European Cups and First Division titles.

“That’s not just me sounding bitter, but I genuinely believe Derby would go on to become one of the biggest clubs in Europe for a decade, so I think Derby are the bigger club.

“Always will be, get the bigger attendances.

“Just the fact they won a couple of European Cups that should’ve been ours anyway, not being bitter but I just think, genuinely, hand-on-heart that Derby are a bigger club.”

Speaking shortly before he passed in 2004, Clough did open up on his relationship with the Rams.

He admitted that he wished he'd never left Pride Park, perhaps indicating that he had better memories of his time there than at the City Ground.

“I wish I’d never left,” said Clough, via Yahoo Sports.

"It was the best job I ever had… Some of my heart, wherever I have wandered, was in Derby.”

Derby County’s rivalry with Nottingham Forest

Derby earned one of their two First Division titles with Clough as manager, with both coming in the 1970’s.

The Rams have also won one FA Cup, claiming the famous trophy in 1946 with a final victory over Charlton Athletic.

Meanwhile, Forest, who are now in their third campaign back in the Premier League, have only one league title to their name, the 1978 edition, but won the prestigious European Cup in back-to-back years in 1979 and 1980.

The top-flight club also have won the FA Cup twice, as well as the EFL Cup four times, including in back-to-back seasons in ‘78, ‘79 and then again in ‘89 and ‘90.

Forest’s European Cups are hard to ignore

While Derby fans may feel that Clough had a stronger emotional connection to Derby, the facts remain that two European Cups are greater than none.

Winning the biggest prize in club football, and doing so in back-to-back years, puts your club on the map in a way that cannot be compared.

While clubs like Arsenal, Lyon, Atletico Madrid, and Roma, for example, have all not won the European Cup as well, and are arguably bigger than Nottingham Forest, that is not quite the case for Derby.