Filed under: Attitude & Aptitude, Football, Nottingham, Nottingham Forest, Sport
By the time this comes out, I will know if Nottingham Forest have got relegated or not.
And while at the time of writing – April 26th – they’re [just] out the relegation places, I fear that will change.
Not simply because Everton are basically clear having beaten Liverpool last night.
Not simply because we’re playing Man City this weekend.
But because – if I’m being honest – we deserve to god down.
I hate saying that.
I pray for a miracle – or should I say, luck.
But it’s been a season that never seemed to get going … undermined by bad choices, petulant behaviour and – thanks to the Premier League and Referees Association – wrongful and unfair decisions.
What has made this worse is that for 2 years … it was wonderful being a Forest fan.
Magical even.
A togetherness between club and fans that I’d never felt.
Not even in the glory years of the late 70’s and 80’s.
It was a togetherness that basically willed them to glory.
Pushed them over the line to the supposed promised land.
And gave me one of the best days of my life in one of the worst periods of life.
And what did we find when we finally got there after those decades of pain and under-delivery?
Well, excitement … and disappointment.
Some of our making. A lot of where the game has gone.
And all of this was made worse by use and our cauldron of chaos.
No strategy. No plan. Just mayhem.
To be fair, some of this was to be expected given we got promoted with a load of loan players and no real expectation of ‘going up’ that season … hence we had to buy a squad in the blink of an eye. And some of it was because our owner has an incredible ambition and has backed that up with a level of investment we could never imagine. [Which, sadly, also was not allowed by the out-of-touch rules for promoted team spending]
But it seems we didn’t learn from those mistakes and mayhem this season and instead of letting our football do our talking, we allowed a side show of mess to get the spotlight and the headlines.
Some was justified. Most wasn’t.
It ended up being a distraction to the club and the fans … causing division, internal fighting and a label of being spoilt kids.
I want us to stay up, but if I’m honest – we shouldn’t.
Luton Town should, because they have shown the fight and togetherness we’ve sadly missed.
Not because we don’t have good players – we do, arguably the best we’ve ever had – but because we don’t have a common belief or philosophy.
Or should I say, not a consistent one.
Stubbornness. Arrogance. Misplaced expectations all added up to bad – or delayed – decisions that have cost us with the result being a team who took over 20+ years to get here, looking like a team who don’t deserve to stay here.
On one level, relegation will be a relief. The ability to let go of the angst and start again. But I don’t doubt the pain would then come back hard. The worry of not going back up. Of not learning our lessons. Of seeing good people and players being let go and replaced with imposters and imitations. Of being the poster child for failure. Again.
So I hope for a miracle almost as much as I hope for a reset.
To refocus.
Reconnect.
Reunite.
Fans. City. Team.
Because I love my club, but I don’t love what the Premiership turned us – and our fans – into.