West Ham United travel to The City Ground on Saturday afternoon and this opens up the chance to look at some illustrious names who have adorned both the famous red strip of Nottingham Forest and the claret of the Hammers.
Stuart Pearce
Stuart Pearce is a fan favourite at both Forest and at the Hammers due to his all action displays and an ability to charge up the crowd at any given moment.
Pearce is most famously remembered for his stint at Nottingham Forest when Brian Clough brought him to Nottinghamshire in 1985. The England international went on to make over 350 appearances, whilst also registering over 20 goals in the process.
The crowning moment in his Forest career came in 1990 when he won his second Football League Cup in a row, whilst also scoring a free-kick in the FA Cup final defeat to Tottenham in 1991.
After captaining Forest, Pearce decided to leave in 1997 and after a short stint at Newcastle found himself playing for West Ham. He is thought of fondly by the Hammers faithful as was proven when voted Hammer of the Year in 2001 after 50 appearances in a busy campaign.
Michail Antonio
The striker is currently plying his trade with West Ham where he has proved an astute striker in the Premier League. Although not the archetypal forward, Antonio is a menace for defenders to mark due to his physicality and clever movement.
Antonio has over 60 Premier League goals to his name but can also prove dangerous on the European stage. He started the 2022/23 UEFA Europa Conference League final as West Ham picked up their first European Trophy since 1965.
Antonio joined the Hammers from Forest in 2015 after a number of impressive performances including a haul of 14 league goals in 2014/15, thus being voted Forest’s Player of the Year.
Marlon Harewood
A product of the Forest academy, Marlon Harewood started to make his name post 2000 after various loan spells. In the old First Division, Harewood became one of the most respected players in the league due his knack of finding the back of the net.
Arguably his best season came in 2002/03 when his 21 goals fired Forest into the play-off spots. Unfortunately, Forest did not progress, and his contract was running out so West Ham came calling.
He instantly hit the ground running at Upton Park, inspiring his side to promotion in 2004/05 with a hatful of goals before spearheading the attack the following season.
In his first top-flight season he scored 14 goals, including a hat-trick against Aston Villa while also registering a runners-up medal in the FA Cup. Harewood did return for a short stint at Forest in 2011 before leaving the club once again.
Cheikhou Kouyate
Cheikhou Kouyate has been a stalwart in the Premier League since joining the Hammers in 2014 from Belgium outfit Anderlecht. He had a knack for scoring in big moments for the Hammers, registering strikes against the likes of Man United, Arsenal and Tottenham in his first season.
Forever adored by the West Ham faithful for his committed displays, Kouyate was the first player to score for West Ham at their new home, the London Stadium, in a UEFA Europa League qualifier.
The midfielder joined Forest in 2022 after a stint at Crystal Palace and helped steer The Reds to Premier League safety, with his experience undoubtedly helping the younger players. He is currently a free agent after leaving the club in the summer of 2024.
Teddy Sheringham
Most famously associated for his stints with Manchester United and Tottenham, it may come as a surprise to some that Teddy Sheringham has played for both West Ham and Nottingham Forest.
Sheringham joined Forest in 1991 from Millwall and became an instant hit, scoring Forest’s first goal in the newly formed Premier League before being sold on a year later.
The talented striker joined the Hammers towards the back end of his career, but his stats didn’t slow down, scoring 20 Championship goals to help the East Londoners gain promotion back to the big time.
The forward went onto become one of the oldest players to play in the Premier League at the age of 40 before finally retiring after a short spell at Colchester.