How will Reds bid To lift the gloom?
POLICY FOR JANUARY WINDOW
NOTTINGHAM Forest’s season so far has been largely miserable for fans to endure from their own sofas, sometimes hidden behind them.
Five straight defeats led to Sabri Lamouchi’s sacking with Chris Hughton taking over the reins.
The former Newcastle manager had sparked an upturn in form, collecting 12 points from his nine games, but Forest remain 20th in the table after the 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth.
As the January transfer window looms ever larger, we take a look at the scenarios which could transform their season, whether or not they have climbed the table or are rooted in a relegation battle.
1 Wholesale change Pros
Hughton inherited a squad which was not his. Only Anthony Knockaert has come under his stewardship and his loan deal ends in January.
Hughton might want to bring his own men in. He might feel he has to if results are poor between now and Christmas.
Owner Evangelos Marinakis has shown how willing he is to buy players as he chases the Premier League dream. Major change in January could fuel an unlikely promotion push, or new signings could be needed to drag them away from the bottom of the table.
Cons
How many signings are too many? Forest have realistically breached that threshold with 15 new arrivals since the end of last season. The new players they have are still settling and yet more change just continues the cycle of reset and rebuild, which is yet to work.
2 No changes at all Pros
Marinakis could say enough is enough and that the manager has to work with what he has. That could be no bad thing if Hughton can extract belief and quality from those in the squad currently. On paper they have that quality, but missed chances and inconsistency has proved costly. Hughton will also hope to be able to call on Joe Worrall, Lewis Grabban, Michael Dawson, Tyler Blackett and Fouad Bachirou well before the window opens.
Cons
If Forest are rooted in the bottom six come January then realistically something will have to be done or they could go down.
If they are in mid-table with a sniff of the top six then the owner will likely be tempted to invest anyway.
3 Turn to youth Pros
Forest have real talent out on loan, most notably Brennan Johnson at Lincoln City. Then there is Alex Mighten and Will Swan, who are already with the first team. Swan was on the bench at Bournemouth and appears to be a natural goalscorer, while Mighten is a prodigious talent who has been hampered recently by injury. Forest could turn to that trio to inject the energy and fearlessness of youth.
Cons
Are they ready? It would be a huge ask of young players to potentially turn a season around. Johnson would benefit from staying at Lincoln, where his excelling, if he is not going to play for Forest.
Tyler Walker is a prime example of that scenario and what can go wrong.
4 Surgical changes here and there Pros
This seems the best bet. A smattering of extra quality in the form of one or two players, be they experienced or Premier League youths. It could be lead to marginal gains which can transform the season.
One or two wins could give players confidence to climb the table.
Cons
Forest could end up spending yet more money on fees and wages where they don’t add enough to the squad to make a real difference. Radical action could instead be needed.