It is a question that has been asked more than once since their season ended in July: would Nottingham Forest’s season have turned out differently had the stadiums not been empty during those fateful final months?
With the roar of a couple of thousand away supporters, could Forest have held out for three points at Hillsborough or Pride Park? Would a fan-generated atmosphere have made a difference in the 1-0 defeat to Barnsley at Oakwell in the penultimate game of the season?
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It is hard to imagine the scale of the uproar and indignation that would have echoed around the City Ground against Stoke City on the closing day. Had 30,000 people been there to offer their views on the painful collapse, would Sabri Lamouchi’s position have come under even greater scrutiny? We will never know. Instead, there was only agonised silence as the players sat broken on the pitch.
The head coach’s position was questioned in the aftermath of one of the most dramatic failures in Forest’s recent history, but the focus did not linger on the past for long. Once the decision was made to keep faith with Lamouchi, the priority was to look at the future.
For every action, there is a reaction. In the case of Forest, it is a renewed desire to ensure nobody has to experience that level of frustration and disappointment again, particularly once fans can return to stadia. Owner Evangelos Marinakis held intense discussions in Athens about the failures of the season but Lamouchi’s job was safe.
When he was appointed a year ago, the head coach’s challenge was to inspire a promotion push. That objective remains, but plenty has changed. There has unquestionably been a reaction.
There has been a shift in transfer policy and there have been numerous changes to Lamouchi’s backroom staff, most notably Ahmed Kantari and Guilherme Ramos joining to form a trio of assistant coaches alongside Bruno Baltazar.
As Forest head into a second season under Lamouchi, there is another question to address: are they better equipped this time around? It is hard to say before a ball has been kicked in a Championship game, but it feels as though the answer is, “Yes”.
The work done in the transfer market has been more than solid. Without breaking the bank, Forest have strengthened impressively in almost every area of the pitch, adding players with experience of second-tier football.
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Tyler Blackett offers versatility in defence. Jack Colback can fill the void left by Ben Watson in midfield. Fouad Bachirou looked assured on his debut in the EFL Cup defeat at Barnsley and will add dynamism and drive in the centre of the pitch.
Lyle Taylor will offer technical quality and competition for Lewis Grabban up front, with Miguel Guerrero’s transfer for a nominal fee from Olympiacos ensuring that Lamouchi has a few different options to call upon. Forest even experimented with playing two strikers in pre-season, which is a stark contrast to large parts of last season when Grabban was their only experienced forward option.
Luke Freeman arriving on loan could prove to be the most important signing of all, with Lamouchi finally landing the player he believed could solve his side’s creativity problems back in January. Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder was reluctant to let Freeman leave midway through the season, but the impact made by former Forest man Ben Osborn in the second half of the campaign at Bramall Lane may have been a factor in prompting a change in heart.
With one or two further additions still in the pipeline, Lamouchi is already able to call on an improved squad. However, even more importantly, the head coach should be better equipped this season. Lamouchi arrived in Nottingham with experience in international management (the Ivory Coast) and in club football (El Jaish and Rennes) but admitted at the time that he did not know a huge amount about the Championship.
He has learned some lessons the hard way, but he will know much more about managing at this level. Talk to the Forest players and they speak of a man who has been adept at man-management and motivation from day one. Now he will also be armed with a better understanding of the challenges he faces. It is more than just a cliche when people talk of “no easy games” at this level — but the Championship looks to be a slightly different beast this time around.
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Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion and Fulham were promoted and replaced by Watford, Bournemouth and Norwich City — the division lost three big hitters, to be replaced by clubs with a strong recent history of Premier League football.
Brentford (9-2) are the bookies’ favourites to win the title after narrowly missing out on automatic promotion in July. Norwich (11-2) and Watford (6-1) are just behind, then come Bournemouth (11-1) and Forest (12-1). It is tight, leaving the impression that no side will dominate in quite the same fashion as West Brom and Leeds did for long spells. Compared to last season, the fixture list does not feel quite so intimidating. Few sides should scare Forest.
As ever, Forest’s biggest enemy will probably be themselves. Perform to the level of which they are capable and they will finish in the top six. But if they allow themselves to suffer a repeat of what we witnessed in the final two months of last season, the outcome will be very different.
For fans, the same cycle continues. The annual bout of frustration and disappointment has been replaced with the familiar feelings of cautious optimism. Bright, beautiful hope exists that this will be the year Forest finally end their two-decade-long exile from the top flight.
By the time Preston North End visit on the final day, the City Ground should have been open to fans again for many months. The first year under Lamouchi provided many reasons for positivity, reasons to believe that success could finally be on the horizon. But his challenge, nevertheless, is to build a promotion push that is sustained right until the final whistle of the final game.
Any future inquests into failure will likely have a very different outcome, leaving another familiar cycle to start again on the banks of the River Trent.
(Photo: Nigel French/PA Images via Getty Images)