The rivalry between Nottingham Forest and Derby County is undeniably intense, making any move between the teams highly controversial and often disapproved.
However, it does happen, and in 2008, former Wales international Robert Earnshaw made the move, joining the Reds after just one season at Pride Park.
It’s fair to say that Forest benefited more from Earnshaw, making the Rams’ decision to sell him after just one year, especially to their biggest rivals, seem poor.
Thirteen years after leaving the East Midlands, Earnshaw is fondly remembered in Nottingham, while in Derby he’s associated with the worst season in the club’s history.
Robert Earnshaw’s time at Derby County didn’t live up to expectations. After spending a season at Carrow Road with Norwich City, Earnshaw joined newly-promoted Premier League side Derby County in the summer of 2007 for a record £3.5 million.
However, as we all now know, Derby County broke some unwanted records during the 2007/08 season, becoming the worst Premier League side in history, winning just one game, and finishing on 11 points.
In total, the Welshman played 25 games for Derby, scoring just twice, with only one goal in the Premier League, and he started just seven league games—far from what you’d expect from the club’s record signing.
He was left out of the club’s final game of the season against Reading when manager Paul Jewell revealed they had accepted a bid for him to leave that summer. It left a sour taste when it became clear he’d join rivals Nottingham Forest.
Following their relegation, Derby looked to cut their losses and received a fee of £2.65 million for the Welshman, a decent return given his performance, but it was a decision they’d come to regret.
Robert Earnshaw was excellent for Nottingham Forest. After returning to the Championship with Forest, Earnshaw showed his class. Despite playing for a side that finished 19th, he scored 17 goals in 36 appearances, making Derby’s decision to sell him look poor.
The striker reinforced this point in a clash between the two sides in February 2009, as he scored for Forest against his former side, although he couldn’t stop his side from falling to a 3-1 defeat.
Earnshaw backed up the 17 goals in his first season at the club by scoring another 17 in his second season, proving that the £2.65 million Forest paid for him was a bargain.
The 2010/11 season was Earnshaw’s final at the City Ground, and it was by far the club’s most successful, despite being the striker’s worst. He scored just nine times for the Reds, although there were two memorable goals at least. Earnshaw scored the winner for Forest away to Derby in the East Midlands Derby in what was no doubt a sweet moment, and he also scored against Swansea City in the play-off semi-final, the bitter rivals of his boyhood club Cardiff City.
However, it wasn’t enough to help Forest from falling to defeat against the Swans, and they missed out on promotion before Earnshaw returned to Cardiff on a free transfer.
It’s clear that Nottingham Forest got the best out of Derby’s record signing, and there was plenty of regret at Pride Park for being so keen to cut their losses on the striker, missing out on his goal-scoring ability in the Championship.