Over a quarter of the season has gone now, and we’ve already had a good taste of Forest’s season. Forest look to grow but will it be a vintage year and age like a boutique wine, or will the Forest wine sour and turn to vinegar?
A Taste for Taiwo
Gameweek 1 – Arsenal (A) 1-2
A difficult opponent under harsh conditions but there was plenty of body in the display. It could’ve been a perfect start as Forest looked strong towards the end as they finished on a high, looking like a team that could’ve got something out of the game with Elanga and Taiwo teamed up to close the gap.
Gameweek 2 – Sheffield United (H) 2-1
It looked too tight and it was an uncomfortable watch at the end. There were too many spillages and it needed a Woody finish to give us volume and strength for a valued win. The more I think about this game, the more that it looks like a desperate performance. Forest were expected to win – they did win, but it could’ve been another must-win game that left us with a bad taste.
Gameweek 3 – Manchester United (A) 2-3
Conditions within the Forest terroir didn’t look good again as they had a difficult trip to Manchester United – the home of poor VAR decisions – but they started with a good harvest, going 2-0 up early on. It looked very positive but this was a disjointed Manchester United side that wasn’t playing well and there appeared to be internal bickering that gave Forest a psychological edge.
However, Forest didn’t take full advantage, but, hey, they weren’t getting hammered away from the city ground and, unlike last season, they were competing at the highest level by scoring and being a real threat.
Gameweek 4 – Chelsea (A) 1-0
This is where the taste of the season changed. There was optimism in the vine with a rigid defence looking abundant and Taiwo setting up Elanga for a fruity, subtle finish. Everything tasted better after this game and it looked like a promising, profitable flavour that could grow into something quite special if given time and careful consideration.
Gameweek 5 – Burnley (H) – 1-1
This is where there was a hint that this season wasn’t going to produce an award-winning finish as Forest looked to sample a cheap Claret. The game had all the characteristics of a corked wine: mouldy performance, a bad chemical reaction, bacteria at the back, and a lack of fermentation up front leaving an unwelcome aroma.
It was another home game that didn’t end in defeat but it was ultimately a game that was thrown down the drain, and the only team looking to get drunk with a last-minute winner was newly promoted Burnley.
Gameweek 6 – Manchester City (A) – 0-2
In the week in which Sheffield United conceded 8 goals, Forest went away to European champions, Manchester City, and only conceded 2. In fact, it was a bold, tasty performance, with some good fragrances as Forest dominated the game at times and could’ve come away with a giddy point.
You could argue that the sending-off was the turning point but I think Forest’s performance was underrated and, in comparison to last season, there was a new variety on the Forest vine; plump and genetically modified with a hint of maturity.
Gameweek 7 – Brentford (H) – 1-1
Sedimentary material clouded the game against a depleted Brentford side, absent of their star gambler – I mean striker.
Turner nearly got caught out with a bad mixing technique when receiving a ball from the promising Murillo variety, before Forest lost a picker at the back when Niakhate was sent off, reducing the quality.
Fortunately, Forest produced an Italian hybrid cross that was met with a heady Argentinian flavour to top up the half-empty glass.
Could’ve quite easily ended in the sadness of defeat with a few close shaves and a couple of VAR decisions that went in Forest’s favour but, despite the damage, Fortress Forest remained steady and repairs were necessary.
Gameweek 8 – Crystal Palace (A) – 0 -0
Producing nothing in the way of goals, a clean sheet is always good away from home, but if there was the time to face Palace, this was it. Without midfield game-changer Eze, Forest surely had another tasty away win on the cards.
Unfortunately, Forest couldn’t capitalise on chances and it was a bland blend that couldn’t provide a finish good enough to put on the table before the end of the main course.
Mateta’s miss relieved the away supporters and Forest dazzled with hints of South American class as Murillo’s run could’ve won the game for Forest and claim a ‘goal of the season’ award. Prior to a skilful run that produced a reaction save, he had already played a sublime 40-yard ball to Gibbs-White who hit the inside of the post with a lob.
An optimistic sip of hope came in the form of Murillo and the Argentine, Dominguez, who also shone as a potential City Ground star with a blistering shot from range which brought the best out of the Palace keeper.
Gameweek 9 – Luton Town (H) – 2-2
A full litre of disappointment that left a bad taste on the palate – could’ve won; should’ve won. Not tasted anything this bad since a two-goal league was thrown away at home to Bournemouth last season.
The fixture had all the potential of a warm region but it just went cold and Luton capitalised on acidity and poor conditions at the back.
Wood stepped up and provided two quality goals but there should’ve been more from him, and Sangaré dribbled in front of goal, missed the mouth and soiled his shirt.
The only positive expression is the fine tannic structure, the ageing potential and the complexity of the squad. However, substituting superior varieties for less significant blends means that the club doesn’t look ready to progress into a better classification.
Was this variety poorly managed or were the conditions not right for certain individual fruits? I feel that some were picked from the bench too early and the maturity in the field should have been left to decant, at least until the full 90 minutes.
On the whole, they bottled a very disappointing performance which started with strength and great potential to compete with a team from a lower standard of production. The classification was certainly overrated and this blend will not regain the popularity it deserves if Forest cannot create a surprise and compensate for poor quality.
Gameweek 10 – Liverpool (A) – 0-3
Turned sour; picked this fixture too soon.
Very light up front and bitter on the tongue. Nothing sharp and positive, and mistakes let the harvest go to waste. With an overly ambitious vineyard owner, I expect to see a more full-bodied version in attack.
Admittedly, it’s early days, and there is time for the selection to mature but I would prefer to be presented with a less ‘woody’ version, in an attempt to meet customer expectations in front of goal.
The season’s predicted rating:
At this stage, I gave the Forest bottle a 38-point finish, which is somewhat short of what is required to evolve into a competitive, independent harvest in a higher region of production.
However, then came Gameweek 11 – Aston Villa (H) – 2-0 – and the bottle of red tasted far more sophisticated than a 38-point bottle.
An in-form Villa side gave only the most optimistic, wine-fueled Forest fan any hope of a point.
Taiwo’s ‘complicated’ injury saw him return to the problematic centre-forward position, Danilo was back on the bench, and Forest were a sumptuous, powerful red, served from a 40-year-old Steve Cooper Vine.
Gameweek 12 – West Ham United (A) – 2-3
Confident going into the game, we all thought the result would be a lot sweeter than it was but it just turned out to be a cheap bottle of plonk.
Upon opening, the aroma wasn’t very good but, after a few more sips, it started to taste a lot more positive.
Straight from the off there was the obligatory Forest mistake that led to the bitter taste, putting them behind within the first few minutes. After that, Forest looked good for it; they were in the game.
Gibbs-White’s shot was parried to the feet of Taiwo Awoniyi who put away his fourth goal of the season, just before half-time.
In the second half, a wonderful piece of play saw Forest take the lead when Ola Aina assisted Elanga to go 2-1 up before Ward-Prowse took a few corners.
Statistically, a goal is scored from a corner less frequently than two full moons in a month but Forest managed to succeed two goals from two successive corners.
Holding a lead for about as long as a child holds their excitement upon being told that they are going on a high-speed train journey to Disneyland, Forest soon found themselves chasing the game as a frustrated David Moyes, tapping his gold Rolex, forgot that substitutions increase the added time.
To conclude, we all started to get merry for a moment but it was short-lived, with the reality that Forest had bottled something again that wasn’t quite there.
Sitting in 15th, Forest have just won once within the last eight games. If they take this one win-every- two-months stat to the end of the season, Forest have about three more wins in their locker before a relegation battle ensues.
The Taste of the Season from the Steve Cooper selection.
The taste of the season shifted against Villa with the power of a good Shiraz. Forest had a selection of depth and attacking prowess through Elanga and a precise Toffolo, with two long-range efforts from Aina and Mangala providing a full barrel of points.
And they didn’t really look troubled by the dynamic Ollie Watkins, the lively Moussa Diaby and the ever-present threat from Douglas Luiz who is, in our opinion, vastly underrated.
However, scoring two goals away from home usually brings some points to the yard but being unable to maintain a lead against West Ham and Manchester United, capitalise on a weak Brentford side, Eze-less Crystal Palace, a poor performance against Burnley, and throwing away a two-goal lead at home to Luton Town, Forest are good money for their lower league position.
Taking all of this into consideration, can Forest make subsequent gains to see them improve upon last season’s league position of 16th?
Currently sitting in 15th position after over a quarter of the season, against a mixed bag of opposition – great, good and poor – is this the range (12th-16th), or can Forest accomplish the ‘Grand Cru’, second season status of 10th or above?
We go into the International break hopeful that Forest have found a good crop that can grow into something quite special. The question is though, when will the conditions be right for Forest, and will it be too late to reap the reward of Premiership survival?
I mean, let’s face it, Forest have had a much better start than last season – more points; conceded fewer goals – and the competition out there is, in some cases, a lot weaker than in previous seasons.
Where do you think Forest will finish this season? Is your bottle half-full?
