Nottingham Forest — overview (around the 2020/21 season)

• Club: Nottingham Forest (commonly "Forest"), based in Nottingham, England. Home ground: the City Ground. Traditional colours: red.
• Competition (2020/21): EFL Championship (second tier of English football). The 2020/21 campaign was a mid‑table season for Forest — they did not achieve promotion or reach the play‑offs that year.
• Context: The season followed a period of managerial change and rebuilding. Ownership and board ambitions were focused on returning the club to the Premier League, but on‑pitch results left Forest outside the promotion places in 2020/21.

Manager: Chris Hughton — short summary of his time at Forest

• Appointment: Chris Hughton was appointed Nottingham Forest manager in October 2020, replacing Sabri Lamouchi. The deal was originally to steady the club and provide experienced leadership.
• Background: Hughton is a veteran English/Irish coach who previously managed clubs including Newcastle United (caretaker and permanent), Birmingham City, Norwich City, and Brighton & Hove Albion (where he achieved promotion to the Premier League). As a player he was associated with Tottenham Hotspur and represented the Republic of Ireland at senior level.
• Approach and style: Hughton is known for organisation, defensive solidity and pragmatic game management. At Forest he commonly set up to be hard to beat, prioritising structure and discipline as he looked to steady results and stabilise the squad.
• 2020/21 impact: His tenure helped curb inconsistency and produced a more compact, defensively disciplined side compared with earlier in the season. Forest remained a competitive Championship side but did not make a push for automatic promotion or the play-offs that campaign.
• Aftermath: Hughton continued as manager into the 2021/22 pre‑season but left the role in September 2021 after a poor start to that following season. He was succeeded by Steve Cooper, who later led Forest to promotion to the Premier League in 2022.

Squad & key players (general notes)

• During 2020/21 Forest retained several experienced professionals alongside younger talents. The squad featured a mix of seasoned Championship players and emerging prospects.
• Hughton used the available squad to prioritise defensive organisation and workmanlike performances while the club searched for further recruitment and structure to mount a longer‑term promotion push.

Summary

In short, Nottingham Forest in 2020/21 were an EFL Championship side undergoing transition. Chris Hughton arrived in autumn 2020 to bring experience and stability; he made the team harder to beat and helped steady performances, but the club finished the season outside the promotion picture. Hughton left the following autumn and the club moved on under a new manager as it continued its long‑term aim of returning to the Premier League.