FRANK Clark has seen more than a few players come through the ranks at the City Ground.

As a player and as manager, the friendly northerner has witnessed hundreds of burgeoning talents bloom in a Nottingham Forest shirt.

Now, in his role as chairman, Clark admits he holds a great deal of regret that he will not get to witness Patrick Bamford fulfil his potential in the Garibaldi red.

But, having reluctantly sanctioned a £1.5m sale of the 18-year-old striker to Chelsea, Clark concedes the tide is changing for Forest.

And, while they might once have been able to hold on to bright young talents like Andy Reid, Michael Dawson and Jermaine Jenas as they found their feet in the game, he fears the club may be fighting a losing battle when the big guns come calling in the future.

"I am disappointed I won't be seeing Patrick develop in a Forest shirt, but that is how the game is going," said Clark.

"If you look back over the last 12 or 15 years at Forest, we have been able to hold on to our young players as they make the step up into the first team.

"People like Dawson, Reid, Harewood and Jena s were in our team and playing, before the really big clubs came in for them.

"Nowadays, the big clubs are paying fortunes for kids of 13, 14, 15 and 16. They are getting them even younger.

"They are not prepared to wait. If they see somebody, they will pay what they have to pay to get them into their academies.

"It is getting more and more difficult to hang on to your young players."

Of equal concern to Forest in the current climate is holding on to the five or six key players who find themselves out of contract in the summer at the City Ground.

Skipper Luke Chambers, defender Joel Lynch and wingers Garath McCleary and Paul Anderson are among those whose deals expire in a few months.

And, while the club hope to make all of them offers in the near future, Clark points out that even the money raised from the sale of Bamford and Wes Morgan – who joined Leicester for £1m in January – may not go far.

"An average player at this level could earn £1m over three years," said Clark. "That is why we said all along that we need to trade. We still need to do that.

"We have too many strikers, which is why the squad is not balanced. We need to try to address that, for financial reasons and for the boys themselves.

"When you have six or seven strikers, you do not need to be a maths genius to work out that not all of them are going to get regular football.

"That needs to be addressed. In terms of wages and long contracts, it is perhaps better for us to get two or three players who are not playing regularly off the wage bill, to look at the ones who are playing regularly."

Clark also admits that the days of Forest paying seven-figure transfer fees have probably gone as well.

But he points out that Forest have a good track record of plucking players from the lower divisions.

"We have done that in the past. Cohen came from Yeovil, Lynch from Brighton, McCleary came from non-league," he said.

"We are not going to be paying millions of pounds in transfer fees, that is for sure.

"We are going to try to get more young players in the side as well.

"There are two or three others in the youth team who have a chance, who might come through.

"They are not at the level of Bamford or Jamaal Lascelles, but they have a chance, if they can develop physically.

"Young Kieron Freeman at Notts County is doing well. He is reaping the benefit of playing senior football at a good club, at a decent level.

"That will do him the world of good. We have a 24-hour recall now, so we can bring him back any time if we need him.

"But we don't want to bring him back to sit on the bench or not play, because we can tell already that the experience he is getting there is benefiting him hugely.

"Hopefully, next season he will be stronger.

"There are one or two others who are a year or two behind him, who have a chance if they can continue their development.

"They will get a chance in the first team, if only because of the wage situation."

Clark is well aware that the recent poor run of form has provoked a sense of frustration and concern among the Forest faithful.

But he has no complaints about hearing fans voice their frustrations at games – and is encouraged by the fact that Forest fans are still demonstrating their loyalty by turning up in large numbers.

More than 23,000 fans turned up for the game against Burnley last week, on a freezing Tuesday evening.

"I have played in a few games myself and, every time you lost at home, you would get booed off the pitch. So I am not worried about that," he said.

"That is part of the game. To keep turning up in those numbers . . . I can't ask any more than that.

"And the team have to get the supporters going. We can't expect supporters to come in and get the team going, it has to be the other way around.

"The only message I would give them is to ask them to keep turning up in those numbers.

"I appreciate that these are difficult times, that people do not have much money in their pocket.

"The support, while I have been here, has been terrific. The crowd on Tuesday was amazing, considering it was a freezing cold night and the team had not won in five or six games at home.

"To get more than 23,000 was superb. It was a great response from supporters.

"And I understand their anger and disappointment. I am only here to help.

"We all want the best for Forest. We are all doing the best we can to try to get this turned around. Hopefully, we will."