Tricky and tidgy winger – one of the League's most talked-about players – who started at Stoke, made his name at Forest then moved to Derby
Commons started his career with Stoke City, making his debut in a Football League Trophy defeat against Blackpool in October 2001.
A cruciate knee ligament set him back a year but his form during the 2003/04 campaign was good enough to seal a move back to his native Midlands with Nottingham Forest. At the City Ground he quickly earned a reputation as a skilful, ball-playing midfielder who could also get forward when the opportunity arose.
Following the departure of playmaker Andy Reid to Tottenham, Commons became the side's go-to guy and most recognisable danger-man for opposition fans and players. In summer 2007, with Forest stuck in the third tier and Commons out of contract, many expected him to move up a division but he signed a one-year deal.
However, some Forest fans began to turn against him and despite the team sealing promotion the following summer, he left the City Ground on a free after scoring 32 goals in 138 games. The Forest fans will not have been pleased to discover his destination: he made the controversial switch to arch-rivals Derby in the summer of 2008; he and Rob Earnshaw (who travelled the A52 in the opposite direction the same week) were the first players in 15 years to switch directly between the deadly East Midlands rivals.