What are Nottingham Forest’s last Premier League XI doing now?

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The Reds have been out of the top flight since 1999, but what have their last Premier League starting XI been up to?

To say that things have been bleak this season for Nottingham Forest would be somewhat of an understatement, given the club have an outside chance of being relegated from the Championship.

However, it has not always been disastrous for the Reds. While the Premier League may seem a million miles away, Forest have been there, with their last match coming in 1999. The Reds adopted a 3-5-2 formation and claimed a 1-0 win over Leicester City at the City Ground, courtesy of a Chris Bart-Williams strike.

But what are the starting XI that day doing now?

Mark Crossley

‘Big Norm’ remains a huge fan favourite at Forest today, so it’s somewhat fitting he kept a clean sheet on his last Premier League match for the club. Crossley stayed with the Reds for one season after relegation, but had to be released due to financial difficulties after 11 years of service. Today, he is back in Nottingham, but over the river with Notts County as Kevin Nolan’s number two.

Matthieu Louis-Jean

The French right back was only on loan for the 1998/99 season, but remained with the club until 2005, making over 200 league appearances for the Reds. Since retiring in 2007, he has worked as an international scout, and is currently employed by West Bromwich Albion.

Steve Chettle

One of Forest’s finest defenders, Chettle enjoyed a 13-year spell at The City Ground, which saw him win the League Cup twice, as well as the old Second Division, Chettle left Forest later in 1999 and is now assistant manager at Nuneaton Town.

Alan Rogers

Rogers, or ‘Tank’ as he was widely known as by Forest fans, remained with the club until 2001, but returned for a second spell on Trentside between 2004 and 2006. After retiring in 2007, Rogers has remained in football, and has just taken over as manager at Evo-Stik Northern Premier League side Skelmersdale United.

Hugo Porfirio

The Portuguese winger, who played at Euro 1996, scored one goal in nine matches for Forest during his loan spell from European heavyweights Benfica, before returning to his homeland. Porfirio retired from playing in 2008 after a spell with Al Nassr, but little is known about what he has been doing since.

Chris Bart-Williams

Having signed from Sheffield Wednesday in 1995, Bart-Williams was loved by Forest fans, featuring against Bayern Munich in a UEFA Cup tie. He left in 2002 after making over 200 league appearances, and retired in 2006 with Maltese club Marsaxlokk. Bart-Williams is now head coach of the Loomis Chaffee School girls football team in the US.

Carlton Palmer

It is fair to say for all parties concerned that Palmer’s transfer to Forest did not work out, with the midfielder bagging one goal in 19 games before leaving in 1999, the same year he signed. These days, Palmer is a TV pundit, although more pressingly he recently underwent heart surgery. Thankfully, he is on the mend now.

Steve Melton

Melton is something of a forgotten footballer for Forest, making just three league appearances for the club – the Leicester match being his debut. After Forest, he enjoyed spells at Brighton & Hove Albion and Hull City, before retiring in 2013. He now resides in Lincoln, and was a guest at the club’s FA Cup shock win against Melton’s former club Brighton.

Thierry Bonalair

After arriving from Swiss side Neuchatel Xamax in 1997, Bonalair was a useful player for Forest, and bagged five goals in 71 appearances. The winger also remained on Trentside following relegation, though he left in 2000. These days Bonalair is a supervisor of sorts at Bordeaux.

Dougie Freedman

Freedman was a decent striker for Forest, hitting 18 goals in 70 games in a two-year spell, after arriving in 1998. He departed for Crystal Palace in 2000, and after retiring in 2010, he took to management. Freedman has since managed both Palace and Forest, but has been unemployed since Fawaz Al Hasawi sacked him last year.

Marlon Harewood

Still adored by the younger generation of Forest fans, Harewood was superb for Forest, scoring 51 in 181 league matches after coming through the ranks in 1996. He left for West Ham United in 2003, but returned for a brief spell in 2011, which lasted a season. Harewood now combines being a director of AC13 Premier – a bespoke vehicles provider with many high profile clients – with doing youth coaching for the Forest academy.