Home of football statistics and historyNottingham Forest’s promotion to the Premier League after 23 years in the footballing wilderness was one of the most enthralling tales of the 2021/2022 season in England. It was even more remarkable if you consider that when Steve Cooper took over, Forest had made their worst start to any season since 1913, and only had one point after their opening seven games.
What followed was one of the most riveting promotion charges that the football world has seen for a long time. Indeed, this spine-tingling journey would end under the Wembley arch as Forest clinched promotion to the Premier League after beating Huddersfield Town in the Championship play-off final. Admittedly, that promotion means that the size of the task has now changed for Forest, and the odds to win the Premier League back that up with the Reds at 250/1 to do so.
Naturally, no informed match-day goer to the City Ground is realistically expecting Forest to win the Premier League, with the majority more than happy to settle for 17th place, so long as the club doesn’t immediately return to the Championship. The reality, however, is that Forest are set to fight for their Premier League lives throughout the duration of the season with respite not likely to come until the Reds get to the 40-point mark. Further proof of the struggle ahead can be found in the relegation market where Forest have been given a worrying price of evens to go down.
Again, this is a knowledgeable fan base that will know this upcoming season is going to be a grind which is why an opening day loss to big-spending Newcastle United wouldn’t have come as a shock. In reality, it was always going to be a baptism of fire in the North East- with Forest supporters eyeing up home comforts later down the line as more realistic opportunities to pick up points.
On that note, the City Ground will, undoubtedly, provide the ideal stage for Forest to mount a survival bid and it’s worth looking back on the Reds’ FA Cup run last season when they beat Arsenal and Leicester at home to get a better idea of what is in store for visiting teams. Indeed, this old ground on the banks of the River Trent is a hostile place for opposition teams to play their football and can so often give Forest a momentum that is impossible to wrestle back when they are in the ascendency.
The only word of warning, however, is that the Forest team that bloodied a few noses in the FA Cup last season is virtually unrecognisable now following a splurge in the transfer market. Of course, this doesn’t mean that they won’t be fervently backed by the Forest faithful, but rather, they might not have the exact synergy that inspired the City Ground into becoming a bear pit. This means that irrespective of how loud the Forest fans can get, the players will have to play their part to get the entire club pulling in the same direction over what should be an incredibly demanding Premier League season. Essentially, Forest’s future will rely on how quickly they can adapt to life back in the top tier should they not start strongly, then that sinking feeling will surely return to the club that plays its football on the banks of the River Trent.
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