‘Forest are good at shithousing, but you lot did it better that day.’ - Nottingham Forest Preview
Brady Frost, Feature Writer
Twitter: @brady0894
Source for image above: Nottingham Forest
Rich Ferraro from Forest Ramble talks playoff hopes, why Town will be safe from relegation and how Danny Cowley upset Nottingham boss Sabri Lamouchi.
Well, you wait three months for football to return and Huddersfield go and put in a performance like that against Wigan. As David Hartrick said on fellow Town podcast Ooh To Be A, at least they can’t play any worse.
Luckily for Town, they have a chance to redeem themselves against the Nottingham Forest side they beat earlier in the season. However, Forest who drew in the first game back, conceding a last-minute equaliser to Sheffield Wednesday, will be hoping to get revenge at home against The Terriers in the match on Sunday.
We can only hope Danny Cowley’s side will have shaken off their first game jitters, or else Huddersfield fans might actually be praying for those iFollow streaming issues. To find out more about our opponents, Rich Ferraro from Nottingham Forest fan podcast, Forest Ramble gives us the inside scoop.
This will Nottingham Forest’s first home game since football restarted. Photo source: Nottingham Forest
How do you feel about Forest’s promotion hopes after the first game back after the restart?
It is so difficult to say whether anything has changed! The same Forest frailties were there - not keeping possession well enough and conceding a late goal. However, there were encouraging signs that Forest were more or less maintaining the same mentality (Sabri Lamouchi's favourite word) and style of play.
How would you rate Forest’s season prior to lockdown?
Looking at the bigger picture, I think every Forest fan would have taken a play-off place at the start of the season. Just when we looked to be making some progress last season under Aitor Karanka, the wheels fell off, so this season it has been refreshing to keep the same manager, have an identity to the way we play, and to look competitive for 90% of the time.
In your opinion, what needs to be done to have a successful end to the season?
Realistically, much will depend whether the midfield axis of Ben Watson and Samba Sow can play. Watson missed his first game of the season at the weekend, and Sow is an absolute colossus, but his knees are made of biscuits. Forest look much stronger, more fluent and competitive when these two play together. We also need our back five (Brice Samba in goal, plus Cash, Figueiredo, Worrall and Ribeiro) to stay fit and sharp - they are a great unit. If it goes to the play-offs, I would be quietly confident, despite the Reds' woeful record in the end-of-season tournament.
Joe Lolley, who scored in last Saturday’s game, has recently come off Twitter. Photo source: Nottingham Forest
Has anyone from the club been a community hero during lockdown? Have any of the players misbehaved?
Over the last 2-3 years, Forest have been a great community club, and during lockdown had a lovely social media campaign championing Reds fans working in the NHS. Joe Lolley was fairly vocal, on political and social issues, but he must have had some nasty responses because he came off Twitter a few weeks ago. Maybe they were commenting on his lockdown hair (which to be fair, is nowhere near as bad as Aleksandr Mitrovic).
Who’s going to be your key player in these last eight games?
Difficult to say - Forest are a real team when at their best. I have already mentioned the back five, and Brice Samba has been everything you want in a goalkeeper and more - big personality, not scared to take charge, gives confidence to his defenders and a complete shithouse! However, at the other end, we have a brilliant striker in Lewis Grabban (arguably the best all round centre-forward in the division), and in Lolley and Sammy Ameobi, two players who are capable of producing something out of nothing.
What did you think of Huddersfield when they played against Forest earlier this season?
Forest are good at shithousing, but you lot did it better that day. There was some bitterness as it seemed as though Danny Cowley was rather unsporting, shall we say? Sabri Lamouchi has played and managed at the top level across the world, and apart from that day, we have never seen him get upset like that. Let's keep the battles on the pitch...
Forest boss Sabri Lamouchi has recently signed a new contract with the club. Photo source: Nottingham Forest
What have been Forest’s weaknesses, is there anything Huddersfield can take advantage of?
As I mentioned above, Forest aren't brilliant at keeping possession - when under pressure defensively, we give it back to the opposition far too easily and therefore invite pressure on ourselves. If Sow is playing, that doesn't happen as much, because he is brilliant and bringing it out of defence and transitioning into attack - but he isn't going to play much. John Bostock can so that as well, but Sabri doesn't seem to fancy him for some reason.
Who has been the standout performer this season?
The leading contenders for Player of the Season would be Brice Samba, purely for the impact and confidence he brings; Matty Cash for switching from being a utility midfielder to arguably the best right-back in the division (and AC Milan wanted to buy him in January!); however, Ben Watson has been the glue that has held the team together - sitting in a DM role, he gives his centre-backs an outlet, marshalls the team and brings knowhow, experience and leadership. Before Sabri came in, Watson had been told he could leave (and not many fans would have mourned his departure), but now we will be disappointed if he doesn't stay.
Which players have performed well but gone under the radar to other clubs in the league?
It's a tough one that - I would say Tobias Figueiredo. I have always liked a rugged, old-fashioned centre-back, and Toby fits the bill. He has had a couple of nightmare moments, not least on Saturday when he was outmuscled by Connor Wickham for Sheffield Wednesday's equaliser, but I will put that down to fatigue - and it happens to all defenders at some point. He is a 100%-er who is keeping former England international (and Forest legend), Michael Dawson, out of the team.
Rich Ferraro from Forest Ramble predicts Huddersfield will avoid relegation and Forest will make the playoffs. Photo source: Nottingham Forest
Is there anything Huddersfield need to be on the lookout for in this game?
It depends on our team selection. The number 10 role is probably the one that is most up for grabs - on Saturday, the regular incumbent, Tiago Silva, played in a deeper number 8 role, meaning that young Brennan Johnson could play in the advanced midfield position. Johnson is the son of former Forest and Ipswich striker David, and has real potential, but like many youngsters, he might struggle a little against very physical opponents. It is not out of the question that Joao Carvalho, the forgotten man, could get a run-out - he is a real confidence player so it remains to be seen whether he has regained his mojo during lockdown.
What do you think of Huddersfield so far this season?
The first part of your season was a disaster, wasn't it? David Wagner was always going to be a hard act to follow, and you need a manager with his own systems and a strong personality to take over. Unfortunately, you didn't have that for a while. I am not entirely convinced by the Cowleys as yet, but it is early days and they have had a hard job to do - but at least they know what they want, and how they want to do it.
What’s your score prediction for the game?
Oh no... how can we predict anything at the moment? My gut says a low-scoring game, but with all the late goals we have been seeing, it could end up 3-2 or something. To Forest, I hope.
What’s your end of season prediction?
Huddersfield to stay safe, Forest to scrape into the play-offs, and statues of Sabri Lamouchi and Danny Cowley to be erected in our respective city centres, knowing that the good townsfolk will protect and cherish their legacies.
How do you think Huddersfield will get on against Forest? Let us know in the comments!
