Sir Alex Ferguson Challenge | Part 11 | Targeting Fergie’s 13-Year Treble

Back-to-back Premier League titles and six in the last seven seasons had seen us well and truly establish Nottingham Forest as the dominant force in English football. But this season’s big challenge was to complete the cup, league and European treble that Sir Alex Ferguson managed in his 13th season at Man UFC in our 13th season at Forest.

The summer of 2034 saw more big sales, including Guillaume Esnault moving to Bayern for £65m, long-serving Dário Essugo joining Inter for £20m and homegrown Kelvin Clay going to Brighton for £20.5m. While 18 youngsters went out on loan. The only major signing was Sporting midfielder Mário Rebelo for £23.5m. But I promoted several prospects in midfielders Thiago and Cleuton Bezerra, winger Francisco Montero, converted centre-back Giuliano Mignemi and striker João Gabriel. In January, we brought in £116.5m for left-backs Salvador Ortiz and Joshua Weeghmans but added right-back Vinícius for £14.5m from Atlético Mineiro, and he looks like becoming a special player.

The successful 4-2-4 remains with the first 11 looking stronger than ever. I initially tinkered with the back four a little, with Ortiz at left-back, Rozemiro and Jorge Pavas in the middle and Pablo at right-back, but Luca Fernández’s improvement soon saw him step in at back, which encouraged me to move on Ortiz and Weeghmans.

Seeking 3 In A Row

We’re now 8/5 favourites to win a third successive Premier League title and showed why by thumping Newcastle 4-0 to win the Community Shield. Our title defence began with strikers Luís Pereira and Markus Grimm scoring in a 2-1 win at Norwich and a 3-0 victory at home to Arsenal before Benjamin Byrvang earned a 1-1 at Man UFC then a 2-1 win over Chelsea. And an easier spell of games sent us on an 11-game winning streak, including a 3-1 win at 3rd-place Newcastle with goals by Byrvang and both wingers Filip Post and Milo Bedini.

We stayed unbeaten through to the new year, which began with games against the other sides in the top four. Pereira scored twice as we hammered City 4-0 then scored in a 2-2 at West Ham and as we finally lost 2-1 at Liverpool. But that left us 10 points clear in early January.

We put that behind us by thrashing Norwich 8-0 next time out led by exciting attacker Lautario Arias’ hat-trick then got revenge on Liverpool by hammering them 4-0. And that set the tone for a dominant conclusion to the campaign, including Pereira scoring a hat-trick in a 6-0 thumping of rivals Derby and a brace in a 5-1 hammering of Newcastle. And a Grimm double earned a 4-0 win at home to Villa, which wrapped up three successive Premier League titles with four games remaining.

A strong end to the season saw us rack up a new high of 100 points, scoring a new team-record 118 goals and conceding 33. Pereira led the league with 35 goals in 33 games, plus 8 player of the match awards and a 7.94 average rating. Post set a new Premier League record of 23 assists with midfielder Aymeric Vandendriessche in third with 12.

Domestic Cup Progress

Our Carabao Cup run ended with a 4-2 loss at West Ham in the quarter-finals. But we went one better in the FA Cup, beating Liverpool 3-2 to reach the semis. We took on Spurs at Wembley and a Grimm double earned a simple 2-0 victory.

That teed up an FA Cup Final against Jürgen Klopp’s West Ham. We got a great start as Post scored inside two minutes but West Ham quickly equalised. They probably edged the second half and went in front from a direct free-kick 20 minutes from time. It looked to be drifting away from us but I made five subs, went attacking, and it worked as Byrvang crossed for Arias to nick a later equaliser. And that swung the momentum in our direction as we Fernández headed home a corner two minutes into extra time and Arias teed up a fourth for Pereira in the first minute of the second half.

Nottingham Forest won the FA Cup!

Champions League

We began the league phase with two tricky games but earned a 2-2 at Bayern then Byrvang’s hat-trick led a 4-2 win over Atlético and Grimm’s hat-trick led a 5-0 victory at Sparta Prague. Grimm scored both as we won 2-0 at Shakhtar, a rotated side defeated Napoli 3-1 and Pereira’s brace led a 4-2 win at Sporting. And 4-0 wins over Nacional and Leipzig saw us win the league phase for the first time!

We eased past Benfica 6-2 then a 2-2 draw at Atlético was followed by a 1-1 at home. But Byrvang’s extra-time strike put us through to the semis. Another all-English tie followed against West Ham, we dominated the home leg and a Pereira hat-trick inspired a 3-0 win and a 2-1 away defeat sent us into a third successive final. And, with the league and FA Cup in the bag, this was a chance at the treble.

Fitttingly, just like Sir Alex, that shot at the treble came as we took on Bayern München at Camp Nou. How’s that for scripting?! Post suffered a bruised thigh so we gave him an injection and lined up:

Caprile; Pablo, Pavas, Fernández, Rozemiro; Cecchetti, Vandendriessche; Bedini, Post; Grimm, Pereira
Subs: Byrvang, Beleid, Mignemi, O’Hanlon, Montero, Arias, Vinícius, Herrero, Bezerra, Diogenes, Gabriel, Rebelo

Both sides started cagily but we struck first as Grimm slid the ball through for Pereira, only for Bayern to strike back immediately. A half-time telling-off worked wonders as Bedini played Pereira in to double his tally then Elia Caprile’s goal kick went straight through the Bayern defence and Pereira raced through to complete his hat-trick. And Pereira helped us wrap up the game as his cross hit a defender and bounced into Grimm’s path four the fourth.

Nottingham Forest won the Champions League to wrap up a league, cup and European treble (plus the Community Shield!!

Celebrating A Famous Quadruple

This was an epic season for Forest, dominating the Premier League then winning the FA Cup and hammering Bayern to wrap up the treble in the same season as Sir Alex managed the feat. And this season’s success takes me to 22 titles at Forest, 16 behind the record of the great man.

Pereira was our main man again this season, scoring a new club-record 54 goals plus 18 assists in 53 games. As the Champions League Final showed, he’s almost unplayable and is easily the best player in the world. That was confirmed as he defended his Ballon d’Or title, scoring 46 in 49 in 2034, then won the Footballer of the Year and World Player of the Year awards for the first time before winning the Best Player in Europe again.

Post also set a new club-record 34 assists plus 13 goals, Grimm impressed again with 36 goals and 15 assists, Byrvang scored 18 and got 9 assists and Arias scored 16 with 6 assists. João Gabriel chipped in with 14 goals, Vandendriessche got 18 assists, Bedini 13 and Johnny O’Hanlon 11.