Two years later he was brought to Nottingham Forest by manager Brian Clough as the makeweight in a £300,000 deal which also saw Coventry centre-back Ian Butterworth move to The City Ground. Indeed, so unsure was Stuart of his footballing future that, after the transfer, he actually advertised his services as an electrician in Forest’s match-day programme.
Luckily for him he never had to resort to his backup job, because he ended up spending 12 years at Forest, most of that time as club captain. Affectionately known as ‘Psycho’ by his legions of fans, his loyalty, commitment and dedication to the club has ensured he will always be a legend at the City Ground.
Just two years after joining Forest, he made his England debut – a constant marauder down the left flank, his never-say-die approach and ferocious free kicks immediately endeared him to the nation. When Stuart’s playing career came to an end, he stayed on at swansong club Manchester City as a coach under manager Kevin Keegan.
He was made caretaker manager following Keegan’s departure and after a successful start was given the job on a full-time basis, staying at City for two years. Stuart was also appointed England Under-21s head coach, and during his six years in charge of the Young Lions he took them to four successive U21 European Championships and reached a semi-final and final – a record at U21 level. In addition to this, he also had the honour of managing the one-off Great Britain Olympic Football Team.
Stuart’s playing career saw him play over a thousand games professionally for 19 seasons and he captained every team he played for from the age of 10 until he retired, and in 1999 he was awarded a MBE for his services to football. With experience at the pinnacle of his sport, rising from humble roots and successfully overcoming setbacks in the public eye, Stuart is the perfect motivational football speaker.
