AI names the best all-time Derby County and Nottingham Forest combined XI | OneFootball

ChatGPT names the best 11 to have played for either Derby County or Nottingham Forest in their careers

There aren't many fiercer rivalries than the East Midlands derby between Derby County and Nottingham Forest.

There have been several legendary names to play for either side of the rivalry, with some even crossing the border and making the 15-mile trip over to play for the other side of the battle.

Often, fans of either club will gather and discuss a 'best eleven' made up of players who played for either side, with plenty of disagreement on who should, and shouldn't, make up the side.

To create a definitive answer, Football League World has turned to popular AI chat-based service, ChatGPT, to come up with their best eleven made up of players who have played for both Derby and Nottingham Forest.

GK - Peter Shilton - Both

The legendary Englishman with over 100 caps for the national team opens up the list, and both Forest and Derby were privileged to see Peter Shilton line out for their sides.

Shilton's best years as a player came during the five years he spent at the City Ground. Brian Clough brought him to the club following their 1977 promotion to the old First Division, and his side conceded 24 goals en route to winning the title at the first time of asking.

Alongside the league title, Shilton won the League Cup and two European Cups at Forest, the latter coming in back-to-back seasons between 1978 and 1980.

A five-year stint at Southampton followed before he joined Forest's rivals, Derby, in 1987, where he spent another five seasons, albeit with less success, and actually suffered relegation in his penultimate campaign at the Baseball Ground.

Shilton is highly regarded as one of the best to ever do it in his position, and both Derby and Forest can happily say that he played for their club.

RB - Ron Webster - Derby County

Ron Webster spent nearly all of his career playing for Derby. He spent 18 years there from 1960-78, and made 530 appearances, which currently is the second most in Rams history.

Webster was a big part of the Clough era at Derby between 1967 and 1973, where the Rams won two league titles, and Webster would win one more after the legendary manager left, too.

ChatGPT outlines him as a tough, dependable full-back who gives solidity and experience in this combined eleven.

Because of all of that, Derby fans especially remember him as a legend in the game.

CB - Igor Stimac - Derby County

Igor Stimac will possibly be seen as a surprise to many on this list, as the former Croatian international didn't spend long at Derby and played less than 100 games for the club before making a switch to West Ham United.

However, his impact, leadership and quality earned him the captaincy at the club during his spell, and ultimately a place in this combined eleven.

Stimac's first season at the club saw him partner Dean Yates at the back en route to a Premier League promotion. The Rams would finish inside the top ten in two of the three top-flight campaigns he spent at the club, conceding fewer and fewer goals each year.

CB - Des Walker - Nottingham Forest

Des Walker broke through the ranks at Nottingham Forest under Brian Clough, making his debut as an 18-year-old in March 1984. From that moment on, the rest was history.

The former England international won five trophies at Forest — the League Cup twice, the Full Members Cup twice and the Centenary Tournament of the Football League in 1988, as well as three third-placed finishes in the First Division.

He also won the club's Player of the Season on three occasions, too, before moving to Sampdoria in 1992, and then spending eight years at Sheffield Wednesday from 1993.

However, the legendary centre-back couldn't end his career without going back to the City Ground, playing for two more seasons there with the club in the Championship between 2002 and 2004.

AI states that he was almost impossible to beat one-on-one and was highly consistent across the decade he spent at Nottingham Forest.

ChatGPT feels that Stuart Pearce is a "natural pick" for the left-back position in this combined eleven, due to the popularity he gained with the Forest fanbase, his leadership, energy and more than a few free-kick goals.

Pearce's Forest career spanned 12 seasons, most of which were as the club captain, also winning a couple of League Cups and Members Cups in the same backline as Des Walker, alongside scoring in the 1991 FA Cup final defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

The attacking full-back is seen as a legend in the City Ground, and the man they call 'psycho' would be terrorising opposition wingers in this combined eleven.

RM - Stefano Eranio - Derby County

Another Derby pick here whose time spent at Pride Park wasn't too lengthy, but the impact that Stefano Eranio had on the Rams fans is enough to put him in these conversations.

The Italian wideman is highly considered to be one of the most influential players to play for Derby. The former Genoa and Milan man didn't win much at Pride Park, but he was part of the early 2000s Rams sides who were consistent Premier League top-half finishers.

He almost retired at Derby, but for a year spent at Pro Sesto back in Italy. He was 31 when he arrived at the club, but he left a well-liked member of the Derby family.

CM - Archie Gemmill - Both

Scottish central midfielder Archie Gemmill is more well-known for his time spent at Derby County, but he did, in fact, make the switch from the Rams to the Trees in 1977 and spent a couple of seasons at the City Ground.

What he shares with both sides, however, is title wins under Brian Clough. He won the First Division twice at Derby in 1972, under Clough, and once more in 1975, before being brought to Forest by the legendary manager at the same time as Peter Shilton, helping his new side win the title again in the 1977/78 campaign.

Despite only spending two seasons at the City Ground, Gemmill won the League Cup and the European Cup as well in what was a very productive stint there.

His versatility and reading of the game are why AI have him in this side, but his contributions to some golden times for both clubs will have helped, too.

CM - Martin O'Neill - Nottingham Forest

Martin O'Neill was also a big part of the golden era of the late 70s at Nottingham Forest, but he was also someone who was a contributor in getting to the level where the Tricky Trees were able to challenge for league titles and European accolades.

The Northern Irishman's first season at the club actually culminated in relegation from the top flight in the 1971/72 campaign, and the following five years were spent in the second tier.

However, Brian Clough's arrival turned that on its head, and O'Neill continued to be a big part of the Forest side. His competitiveness, work rate and leadership place him in this combined side.

LM - John Robertson - Both

John Robertson's entire professional career spanned playing for both Nottingham Forest and Derby County across 16 years.

The Scotsman started at Forest, making his debut in 1970, and the 13 years he spent at the City Ground during his first spell were productive to say the least.

Like O'Neill, he endured relegation, second-tier football, and then the resurgence under Brian Clough, but the part he played in cup finals especially earns him a place in the Forest history books, scoring the winner in both the 1978 League Cup and 1980 European Cup finals, and assisting the winner in the 1979 European Cup final.

He was sold to Derby in 1983, but injuries derailed his career shortly after that, and his time with the Rams was short-lived, as was his return to Forest in 1985.

A disappointing end, but there's no doubting the impact that Robertson had in the big games, making him worthy of a place on the wing.

ST - Steve Bloomer - Derby County

The late, great Steve Bloomer was a goalscoring machine for Derby, and is currently the top scorer in East Midlands derby matches between the two sides.

First joining the club in 1891, Bloomer spent 19 years at the club in total, netting 332 times in 525 games across two spells for the Rams, and a scoring record that impressive should see him on this list now and likely forever.

ChatGPT states that his natural instincts in front of goal, which made him a prolific frontman in his era, "guarantees a threat up front," and this combined eleven wouldn't mind that threat at all.