WE‘VE STILL GOT FIRE AT FOREST
Arter: Our attitude is spot on and will serve us well
HARRY ARTER says no one is trying to undermine Sabri Lamouchi and the players will fight to save him from the sack.
Lamouchi’s future at Forest is hanging by a thread. Only ya a second-half fightback saved d him from dismissal after yet another defeat.
Forest were dreadful in the first half, determined in the second and d eventually worth a draw.
But they are still without a win this season and are stuck in the bottom three, propped up by hapless Wycombe and pointshandicapped Sheffield d Wednesday.
Taking in last season, it is seven straight defeats and only three wins in the last 20. Lamouchi uchi (circled, ( circled, above), is lucky not to be gone already.
Arter (circled, top), bought from Bournemouth, is one of 13 players Lamouchi signed this season – the final one, winger Cafu, arrives this week.
Arter said: “Before the game it was a very vocal changing room. Everyone seems together.
“There’s not one bad lad in the changing room. That’s very rare. Even in the successful teams you’ll have a group of players you don’t feel you can rely on. But there wasn’t one player I felt that let us down.
“The lads are hurting. We really wanted to put it right. Over the course of the season that attitude will serve us well.”
Forest’s fourth successive league defeat was set up ins ide 22 minutes by Andreas Weimann and Nahki Wells.
“We can’t get complacent,” said Weimann of Bristol City’s roaring start. “We have to stick to what has got us here.”
Their early goals could both have been avoided with better Forest defending, fen but City have been reshaped into a confident, competent side under Lee Johnson’s successor as manager, former No. 2 Dean Holden.
Luke Freeman belted in Forest’s Fo o first goal of the season from f 30 yards and for virtually the whole of the second half they surged after an equaliser. But City keeper Daniel D Bentley was equal to al all that and got a standing ovation ti off his team-mates in the dressing room. They are perched on top of the table with four wins out of four.
“I’ve faced tough times in football and in life,” added Arter. “At least getting our first goal of the season is something you can take positively.”
French man Lamouchi has two weeks to stew before taking Forest to Blackburn. If he loses that the guillotine will surely come down. NOTT’M FOREST: Samba 6, Christie 6, Soh 6, Blackett 6, Ioannou 6, Arter 6
(Sow 69, 5) Colback 6, Mighten 7 (Taylor 69, 5), Freeman 7, Ameobi 6
(Da Costa 59, 5), Grabban 6
BRISTOL CITY: Bentley 8, Vyner 6, Moore 6, Mawson 7, Hunt 6, Weimann 7, Bakinson 6, Rowe 6, Paterson 6 (Brunt 78, 5) Martin 7 (Diedhiou 82), Wells 6 (Semenyo 69, 5)