Season summed up in a nutshell by home defeat
SAFETY STILL NOT GUARANTEED AFTER TERRIERS TAKE POINTS AT CITY GROUND
IF ever a game summed up what has been a dismal season for Nottingham Forest, this was it.
Missed chances, individual errors and a generally disappointing display – Saturday lunchtime’s 2-0 home defeat by Huddersfield Town in the Championship was the Reds’ campaign in a nutshell.
Chris Hughton’s side were masters of their own downfall as they failed to capitalise on a bright start and then fell to goals from Aaron Rowe and Juninho Bacuna either side of the break
Here we look at some of the big talking points from the City Ground as a four-match unbeaten run came to an end.
■■Transfer message
Hughton is generally fairly straight-faced when facing the media, whatever the result and however his team have performed.
But he came as close as he has done to publicly giving his players a rocket after this one.
There’s no doubt he will have done that in the changing room – what was intended to be a swift emergence for his post-match interviews (to avoid coinciding with the national silence for Prince Philip) took a little longer than expected, no doubt in light of the afternoon’s display.
When he did speak, in his own measured tone, the manager made clear that stepping off the gas in the final games of the season is “not acceptable”.
And he dropped a blunt hint that individuals who should be playing to earn deals or secure a place in his future plans did themselves few favours against the Terriers – not that many came away with much credit on this occasion.
“We’ve all still got to make decisions about players in the summer,” Hughton said.
“Apart from the obvious thing that in every game you play, you’re playing because that’s what you’re paid to do, that’s your job and you want to do the best you can; also, every opportunity to play is an opportunity for me to see the qualities you’ve got.”
That message should be ringing in players’ ears, loud and clear.
If Hughton is still in two minds about some in his squad, these last few matches will be when he decides one way or the other.
He will learn a lot about players’ attitudes – those whose levels drop off when they think the job is done and those who continue to put in 100 percent.
■■Not over the line
Forest, more than any other team in the division, should know it is not over until the big lady starts bellowing – and she’s not even warming up her vocal cords yet.
Last term’s horror show should be fresh in their minds in that respect.
Safety is still not guaranteed. Mathematically, the Reds are not there. Almost. But they *almost* finished in the top six last year. Almost counts for nothing.
Ten points and a fair few teams between them and the relegation zone means they have a decent cushion and should be OK.
But a couple of performances like this, paired with positive results for a few of their rivals, could make for a nervy finish.
Forest need to avoid getting dragged back into that dogfight.
In any case, that’s not the mindset the squad should have.
It shouldn’t be about doing just enough to survive; it should be about wanting to end the campaign well, even if there is nothing tangible to fight for.
Players shouldn’t need the threat of relegation to motivate them into giving a good display. But they sure as heck cannot afford to be complacent.
■■Window solutions
The sooner this season is over (with Championship status intact), the better for the Reds.
Then they can put it behind them, move on and plan for a much better 2021-22.
In-between that, there will be a big transfer window, which only continues to grow in importance.
Hughton has specified strengthening his attacking resources will be
at the top of his shopping list.
And the 90 minutes against Huddersfield only served to underline why.
Aside from a promising 20-minute spell at the start, the hosts didn’t put their opponents under anywhere near enough pressure – as was the case a week ago, in the 0-0 draw at Bristol City.
Filip Krovinovic had a hat-trick of opportunities early on but put one wide, saw another saved and had a third blocked.
Apart from that, the Reds had all of the ball but no real sign of a breakthrough.
Joe Worrall even took matters into his own hands to try to force something,
making a surging run towards the area and having a pop from outside the box.
The supply line to Lewis Grabban was almost non-existent.
If Hughton’s side are to compete for a top-six place next term, they need more quality in the final third. Signing players who can provide that is a must.
■■Individual errors
James Garner received a consoling pat on the back from Glenn Murray as he trudged down the tunnel at full-time.
It was a stray pass from the Manchester United loanee, a mix-up with Scott Mckenna, which led to the opening goal.
He has barely put a foot wrong since his move to the City Ground. It was just unfortunate that his first real mistake ended with maximum punishment.
But that’s the Championship; opponents, no matter where they are in the table, will pounce on the slightest slip.
And as Hughton pointed out afterwards, in that instance, Garner needed more assistance from the senior players around him.
He is young and still learning. That one will have been a particularly harsh lesson.
Forest had largely cut out individual errors in recent weeks. They have become harder to beat under Hughton and had been on a good run of form prior to this weekend.
It’s difficult to be completely flawless at the back all of the time, though – even for the best teams. And that comes back to the biggest problem the Reds have, which is scoring enough goals.
Finding the back of the net takes the pressure off the defenders, who, at the minute, have little margin for error.
Improvements are needed all over the pitch and Forest’s issues won’t suddenly be transformed by the addition of a couple of quality attacking players.
But that’s where they need to start.