January trio have given us a timely lift, says Christie
NOTTINGHAM Forest’s January signings have given the team a timely boost in their bid to climb the Championship table.
Filip Krovinovic, James Garner and striker Glenn Murray have all “hit the ground running” and made a big difference for the Reds, according to team-mate Cyrus Christie.
Murray scored twice on his full debut away to Wycombe Wanderers last weekend, a win that lifted Forest to 18th in the Championship table ahead of the visit of Bournemouth today.
And Christie says the recent additions are central to a more positive outlook amid a turnaround in form by Chris Hughton’s side.
“They have hit the ground running,” said the defender.
“Jimmy Garner has come in and done really well.
“For me, as a full-back, with the way I play, he’s been good for me. He gets the ball quick and switches the play. It makes my job a lot easier and it’s a lot better for the way me and Knocks (Anthony Knockaert) play, especially, in getting the ball out quick.
“You saw at Birmingham (against Coventry) what can happen when that happens.
“There’s a lot of healthy competition in there.
“Glenn has come in with a lot of experience. You know he can score goals, he’s done that all his career, and Filip is a wonderful player as well.
“They are three great additions to the team and they add some healthy competition.
“We’ve still got a few boys to come back from injury as well, so things are looking up.”
Murray signed a short-term contract from Brighton & Hove Albion on deadline day last week.
At the age of 37, his wealth of experience was on show against the Chairboys as he opened the scoring with a fine finish, then won and scored a penalty after the break.
“He’s been there and done it. He scores goals wherever he’s gone,” said Christie.
“It’s not just his goalscoring ability, it’s the way he holds up the play and brings others in. He shows his experience.
“You could see against Wycombe, he gave us a different dynamic to what we’re used to.
“He got himself in good positions. The finish for the first one was unbe
lievable. To take it that early, he maybe knew he didn’t have the legs anymore!
“He’s a great finisher. He’s a great personality to have in the changing room.
“I’ve played against him for many years. He’s always scored goals and always been a tough opponent to play against.
“He’s bringing a different dynamic to this team.
“You know you can play the ball up to him and it’s going to hold up and he’ll bring others into play and he’s going to be in the right position at the right time.”
And with one defeat in 10 League games, Fulham loanee Christie is confident Forest are heading in the right direction.
A tough run from the middle of November to December saw them fall to six defeats in seven outings, but there is a belief they can soon start climbing further away from danger.
“It hasn’t fallen into place as quickly as we would have liked - you can probably see that within the games,” said the right-back. “It’s been fine margins.
“Sometimes things haven’t gone our way, but in recent weeks they have. That’s the nature of football.
“We’ve had new lads come in, who have helped.
“And since the new year, there’s not been as many midweek games, which has helped as well.
“It’s given us time to adapt to how the manager wants to play. He’s got his ideas across and we’ve been able to work on it.
“Over the course of the season, we’ve limited teams to minimal chances. Most of their shots have come outside the box.
“If you speak to Brice, there’s been a lot of games where he hasn’t really had to make a lot of saves. In that sense, we’ve done well.
“But we all now, going forward we have to do a lot better. We have to create more chances, punish teams and put the ball in the back of the net.”