No such thing as a free hit - especially when Forest are usually the ones being hit. Christ. The PL is ruthless. How to kill any optimism for a team that is still looking for a new manger bounce? A midweek away trip to Man City. Strap yourself in. This could get ugly.

In Better News: we were wearing all red once again. As ever, I love this. It helped that City were wearing Malmo blue. STRONG Munich ‘79 vibes here. A 1-0 away win would be nice.

The situation is clear for Forest for what remains of this horrid, horrid PL season: out shoot West Ham - and possibly try and drag #lolspurs into it. Whatever West Ham can do, we can do better. I think? Good luck with Haaland and Foden back in the City starting line up.

What’s happened to those 115 charges, btw?

Forest switched to a back three.

DEFEND! DEFEND!

DEFEND! DEFEND! DEFEND!

Oh bloody hell. We’re in for a long evening here.

We started off half decent for the first thirty minutes or so. Forest never really threatened to break through, but the defending was strong as they soaked up the pressure.

There were the occasional glimpses of the magical football that this group of players is able to string together - even away at The Etihad. And what a crap name for a football ground that is, btw.

The inevitable City goal came. The defending wasn’t quite as tight as it should have been. But it wasn’t a disaster. Don’t fall apart, stick to the plan, hold tight.

And then it happened. MGW has been outstanding under Pereira. His basic instructions seem to be: you have the talent, this is YOUR team. Do what you want, run the show. The back-heel was brilliant. There was even a half attempt at badge kissing with the celebrations.

Now then. Don’t poke the bear. Sit back, defend. An away point here is a bloody decent result. But the bear was poked. City were annoyed and took the lead once again.

Hey hoe. I was still relatively happy that we hadn’t collapsed with a 5-0 drubbing. Goal difference may yet be key come the end of the season.

I was about to say that Anderson was having another average under the radar game. And then somehow he managed to be on the right end of a classic 1-2 move, and he had the finish to match.

Bloody hell. We’ve only gone level once again. We couldn’t, could we?

Time for TAIWO! I love it that he is somehow still earning a living as a PL footballer. We know he’s probably a Championship starter at best. But don’t fault the enthusiasm.

The defending for the final fifteen minutes or so was immense. It felt like Forest of last season all over again. Coming away from The Etihad with a point is superb, even if West Ham did win away at Fulham.

The fixture list has been a little bonkers. We share the same fixtures as West Ham, with Forest playing Fulham next, whilst West Ham face City. That end of season shoot out has seen us edge ever so slightly ahead.

I watched us get relegated wearing pinstripes back in 1993. Thirty three years later and Forest are sleep walking into relegation, wearing bloody pinstripes all over again. I flogged my original Shippo’s kit about a decade ago. I was done with Forest. I was wrong, obvs.

I do miss that kit. It had a thick quality to the cut. It didn’t age, despite repeat wearings and washings. And it had the Umbro logo. The Copa remake is a decent substitute. Back to the Future, etc. Back down to the Championship.

“Here in Nottingham and far beyond, there are and will continue to be groups who gather — in pubs, at gigs, on terraces — because Julie once brought them together. That restless, creative, quietly defiant spirit remains her lasting legacy”

Left Lion on Julie Pritchard

The crappest of Crap Match Reports - ‘cos Brighton away was… crap. REALLY crap. The most excited I got all afternoon was seeing TAIWO back on the sub’s bench. And that’s saying something.

Which was all something of a shame, as Brighton away looks like a half decent day out. You get a weekend away on the coast, and the away end at the shitty nu mega stadium looks surprisingly like an old-fashioned big expanse behind the goal. SHOUT OUT as ever to the thousands of Forest fans who had their weekend ruined by another lacklustre Garibaldi display.

The three goals came quick and fast. One step up, two steps back, etc. It’s easy to gloss over our poor defining. But it’s worth mentioning the class of the MGW strike, plus his all round performance on the day. He seems like the only Forest player that is up for the fight right now. Perhaps he knows that if relegation happens - and it’s looking increasingly likely- then his next move is likely to be another sideways one such as Brentford or Fulham.

It’s saying something when your crappy Crap Match Report leads with relegation. Which is exactly where we are heading without anyone apart from MGW to score any bloody goals. Christ, this was desperate stuff. After the second half substitutions, we simply don’t have a team with enough experience to avoid the drop. Never mind all the pre-season talk of building two squads - we barely have one decent starting eleven right now.

City away on Wednesday. Oh JOY.

A top stat from Sir Colin of West Bridgford ahead of KO: Forest have the 3rd best all time record in Europe for keeping clean sheets. Blimey. And so taking a 3-0 lead into the second leg at home to Fenerbahçe, you know what you need to do. History repeating itself, etc. BC bloody loved clean sheets. Not so Ange the Clown.

KO came, and so did the flares from the Lower Bridgford. Yes, they were a little exciting, adding some Euro hoolie ‘glamour’ to the World Famous. They were also bloody annoying causing the game to be disrupted, not to mention dangerous. SHOUT OUT to the Fenerbahçe fella who showed his D***y kit underneath his home shirt.

Forest won’t fuck this up, right? Erm… The first Fenerbahçe goal was a right cock up. No surprises that Morato was involved. I love the masculinity, I love the neck tattoos. I don’t love the AWOL defending that led to a two on one breakaway.

Murillo meanwhile is no left back. We missed the stability of Sangare in midfield holding it all together. Lucca should either be sent back to Italy, or on a season end loan to Grimsby. We’re playing with ten men whilst he is on the pitch.

HT came, and it was time for the Big Boys. FOUR subs after the break suggested that the home dressing room at HT must have been a bit lively. I liked the reaction and immediate change. I didn’t like the pen given to Fenerbahçe before I even had the chance to finish my second half rendition of Mull.

I had a very bad feeling about this. You could feel the nervousness in the crowd come across on the telly. Cliche, cliche - the next goal was vital. Thank chuff for CHO stepping up and putting an end to the tie. This should have been a stroll for Forest at the World Famous. With PL relegation also heavy on our mind, I can’t but help think that Europe is going to continue to stretch us, rather than excite us.

The famous Forest ‘sick’ kit. I bloody hated this at the time. We first wore it back in 1995. It coincided with my move to S Ldn, and finding it increasingly difficult to stay in touch with all things Forest from afar, pre-proper the modern interweb age. The crappy kit seemed to summarise my own levels of a lack of interest. It’s now become something of a Forest icon. It was even exhibited at The Design Museum at the recent Designing the Beautiful Game retrospective. I’m warming to it, in irony, if nothing else.

Oh woe is a Head Football Coach. Oh especially WOE is a Head Football Coach who has just overseen a stunning away performance in Europe for his first game, and then comes crashing down back at home with the visit of the PL title holders.

Liverpool should hold no fear for Forest. We’ve turned them over, home and away, in recent seasons. In your head, in your HEAD, Arnie, Arnie, etc. Vitor Pereira had the simple task of repeating whatever is was that Forest managed to pull off away in Istanbul, and bring it back to the World Famous City Ground.

Picking an unchanged team was a half decent start. This was not as straight forward as it sounds. We’ve seen how Ange the Clown and Dyche both struggled back in the PL after a European hangover. But how could you change a team that was so dominant on their midweek European jollies?

The 2pm sunshine KO on the banks of the Trent seemed familiar. Forest, Liverpool, Super Sunday. If you squinted you could almost see Ready Steady Teddy scoring the first live televised goal in the PL into what was then the building site of the Trent End.

We were dominant for the first thirty minutes or so. Forest needed to make this pressure count. Liverpool were unlikely to be so forgiving come the second half.

Sangare was a MONSTER once again - and a very tricky one at that. He almost plays the game at slower pace than everyone else. Yet somehow he still manages to find the time in the middle to control the ball, slowly turn around and find a killer pass.

MGW meanwhile was running the show. He looks slimmed down - not that he was exactly bulky at any time over the past few seasons. His slender frame allows him to cut through the middle and dictate the play.

Waiting on the end of many of these early MGW passes was Hutchinson, a player that is growing in confidence with every new manager. What a ridiculous thing to say for the club’s record signing.

On the other side of the pitch and you get the impression that Neco rather enjoys stitching up Mo Salah each time they are paired together. Neco will miss him when he’s gone.

Frustratingly Forest couldn’t find a breakthrough in what was an impressive first half for the home team. The second half was all about:

DEFEND! DEFEND!

DEFEND!

DEFEND!

DEFEND!

Oh bloody hell.

On came the bench boys, making way for some very tired European legs. This was always going to weaken Forest. £200m may have been spent over the summer to give us strength in depth, but I can’t see that we’ve moved on since the days of Silva and Sosa.

The final few minutes were heartbreaking to watch. FUCK ME, VAR. You make us fall in love with you in one moment, and then the very next, you’re shitting on us live on the telly.

And so the season now becomes all about out-shooting Nuno and West Ham. Whatever you can do, we can do better, etc. We NEED these Super Sunday afternoons down at the World Famous. I couldn’t handle a return to Millwall away, midweek.

Writing a Crap Match Report when Forest are crap is easy. The words take care of themselves. Writing a Crap Match Report when Forest are fantastic requires a little more thought. Why did that just happen? What was the tactical set up? How did the fourth Head Coach of the season manage to put in place such a change in fortunes, one week after the Wolves downer that led to Dyche’s sacking?

I can’t answer any of the above. I can only write about what I saw on Thursday evening whilst watching on the telly. SHOUT OUT to the 1,200 Forest fans that managed to make the military like trip over into Asia for a European fixture. I very rarely leave the village these days. I admit to a momentary feeling of jealousy watching the social clips of those taking on the great adventure. We use to get excited ahead of a Highfield Road away day.

The European suits were back once again ahead of KO. These are very ill-fitting. They first made an appearance midway into the European adventure away at Braga. I’m not sure why they weren’t worn in Seville back in September. Maybe it was the weather?

I’ll happily take seeing the 15 stone or so of Murillo squeezed into a poorly tailored suit, if it means that he is in the starting line up ahead of Morato. Yes, he looked a little bulky. And yes, I didn’t see any sign of the ‘injury’ that kept him away from the final dark days of the Dyche regime. Fancy that.

The suits were soon stripped off, and Forest were Welcomed to Hell wearing all red - which felt appropriate. I always bloody love it when we are kitted out in Garibaldi red from top to bottom. Now then: how to go about silencing the Fenerbahçe partisan crowd, not to mention the bloody annoying PA system?

Playing an amazing opening spell of the game might help. A couple of first half goals would almost certainly give the Forest away support at least the chance of being heard. Cometh the hour, cometh the BULK of Murillo to walk through the midfield and guide his shot home, almost Collymore style. We all knew this was coming at some stage. It had a slight feel of Des at home to Luton back in the day.

It wasn’t all Nu Forest. There was still some confusion from set pieces. The sight of MGW looking frantically at the subs to receive a message about what the chuff to do was a little worrying. The on field argument with CHO about what was about to happen wasn’t a good look. I can help you out here: our set pieces are going nowhere and near some urgent work, as they have done all season.

Elsewhere and I wouldn’t tinker too much with whatever training ground time is available between now and Sunday ahead of Liverpool t the World Famous. Having had their footballing brains coached out of them with three different messages so far this season, the instructions from Pereira seemed to be just go out and bloody enjoy yourselves.

The Fenerbahçe penalty claim looked decent to me. Some you win, them’s the breaks, etc. It would have been a turning point in the match - and indeed the two-legged tie. The perfect response from Forest was to go the other end and score… from a set piece. Scrub what I said earlier. That was no easy header from Jesus. The ball was rising. He had to rise even higher just to control it and direct it down. BACK OF THE NET.

I was happy at 2-0. Time to shut up shop. But Forest weren’t happy. They continued to press on the break. How brilliant was Sangare? He looks so immobile, but then has the skills to turn on the spot and blind side two opposition players. He’s the enforcer that Forest have missed for many years now. His pace may let him down in the PL, but he is perfect for these European away days.

The MGW third goal finally silenced the Fenerbahçe ultras. It’s all gone quiet over there, etc. Watching MGW score an away European goal for Forest in February is something that seemed highly unlikely last summer when #lolspurs were circling.

The post-match presser from Pereira was very classy. There was no finger pointing at the part-time players on the bench. He made a point of giving a hug to Bakwa at FT, no doubt with the message that your time will come. He spoke of how the win was down to the players, and not him. He’s not had time to coach them yet. The more Dyche coached them, the worse they got. Let’s hope that Pereira continues with a Laissez Faire approach.

In summary: OUTSTANDING. This team surely can’t get relegated? Good luck in selling out the WFCG for the return leg dead rubber.

Another day, another MUST WIN game for Forest down at the World Famous. With Wolves threatening to ‘beat’ D***y’s record as the worst PL team EVER, you can soon see how such hyperbole comes into play. Yes, the PL is bat shit crazy. Win, headlines, repeat. It’s a vicious treadmill, but not one that makes me romantic about a return to the Championship and away days at Fratton Park.

Harry Hodge on BBC Radio Nottingham already had us booking return train tickets to Portsmouth for next season. I was surprised at the level of his DOOM with the pre-match build up. Sir Colin of West Bridgford also came across as the most deflated I have heard him since the dark days of Houghton. I knew things looked bleak, but in the back of my mind, I never really thought that we are in serious danger of relegation. WISE UP, SUCKER.

The team news didn’t exactly extend my optimism. Morato. Oh. But to be fair, he somehow got through the game without the usual one kick away from a major mistake approach that has characterised his season so far. Morato may do a reasonable job of being a back four clogger, but the absence of Murillo always highlights how much we miss him.

I’ve no bad feelings towards Wolves, apart from the MGW nasty jibes from their away fans in recent years. As a club they have a proud - albeit limited - history. Midlanders need to stick together. I didn’t have much time for the pigeon shit style away kit. I couldn’t get Liverpool ‘89 out of my mind throughout the entire game.

The game soon resembled a Championship club Vs a club that looks like it might also be heading back down to the Championship. I really don’t want to return to endless Saturday lunchtime KO’s against D***y and all the stress that brings. Neither did MGW, it seems. He was one of the few players that came out of the game with any credit. He bloody loves playing against Wolves.

Up front and Pizza Crouch was showing why the £30M possible transfer fee over the summer should never be triggered. The TNT cameras kept on cutting away to the Big Fat Greek. He didn’t seem a happy fella. The BFG only seems to turn up for these midweek games when he knows he has a decision to make come full time. SHOUT OUT to his box fresh white T-shirt. He may be a portly chap, but he knows how to keep the fast fashion industry alive. Buy it, use it, bin it. And we’re not talking Forest managers here.

The Forest fans never gave up - and neither did the team, to a certain extent. They kept on pressing, but it was clear there was little game plan. Despite all the possession and the ridiculous 35 shots on target, there was always the risk that Wolves might catch us on the break. It was fun for the first 60 minutes or so, but the final half hour was spent thinking JUST BLOODY SCORE and let’s shit house our way to three points.

It wasn’t to be. Dyche headed straight back down the tunnel at FT. He knew what was coming. The BFG did stay until the final whistle, but he also wasted no time in heading back down to his lair to make his next move. I listened to Sir Colin pad away for almost 45 minutes, waiting for Dyche to emerge. It seemed at any stage that a corner flag photo would be posted on X, and Dyche wouldn’t come out for post-match. It was much to my surprise that he did.

Fast forward six hours later. I had little sleep, I had a very early work shift. And I support Forest. Oh woe is me, etc. But yep, the corner flag variation of a photo had landed shortly after midnight. SHOUT OUT to Forest Focus for getting in two pods before the evening was out.

How can a team with Murillo, Anderson, Sangare, MGW and CHO get relegated? OH HAI Pearce, Keane, Stone, Webb, Clough. Oh, and Rosario. That ‘26 pinstripe replica should be burnt and never be seen again.

The planning documents submitted for the Peter Taylor Stand back at the start of the season declared that it is “unlikely” that Forest will be relegated. Even back in August, this raised an unlikely smile. We’re in Europe for the first time in 30 years, and we’ve just spent £200M on improving what was an already outstanding team.

This season has been a shit show, with all the mess created internally. It’s far too easy to blame Edu, but make no mistake, he really should be knee deep in it with the Big Fat Greek right now. He’s come into a club on the way up, and somehow managed to make the whole operation considerably worse. Ditto Dyche with his coaching. He’s made decent players poor. He had to go, Manager of the Month nomination or not.

Brighton away, Fulham at home, Spurs away, Burnley at home is the route to safety. But it looks highly unlikely tbh. A lot will depend on who is unfortunate to take over for the final twelve games in the PL. Plus don’t forget Fenerbahçe away next week. Good luck with that one, as they say.

I love it when we wear all red. It’s a Munich thing, innit. I hate it when we wear all read and play pants. It’s a DIRTY Leeds thing, innit.

OH MY DAYS. This was a shocker. I thought that we had seen the worst of Dyche ball with Bournemouth away, the two Everton games, and Villa away. Not to mention Sturm and Braga on the Euro jollies.

But gosh. This was a performance that has a Head Coach checking the diary to see when the next international break is. Phew. Lucky for Dyche that the Sacking Fortnight isn’t around the corner. He’ll probably last longer than the PM now.

It became clear right from the start that we’re crap on corners. OK, so we’re not privy to what takes place on the training pitch. But the name is something of a dead giveaway.

Corners are your set piece advantage. You get to deliver a cross without being closed down. Your own players should know what is coming. It seemed at times that Forest didn’t even know who should be taking them.

The first Leeds goal was unforgivable. The defence was split wide open. What made it worse was that it had to be an ex-D***y player who benefitted.

The second goal wasn’t much better; the third was a disaster, coming so soon after the break. Like the previous Dyche ball disasters, I really felt for the poor Forest fans who had made the trip on a piss poor evening weather wise.

This season will be remembered for many things: three Head Coaches; Edu loan deals that have gone wrong. But Forest losing in the rain, again, again and again is my lasting memory.

The DIRTY Leeds scarf twirlers did my nut in. So did the substitutions. MGW coming off for Yates? wtf is that all about?

The Big Fella up front at least understood his job description. Pizza Crouch did well to make contact with a high ball and head it in. I don’t think the other Forest players were even given a job description by Dyche.

And so it seems that Dyche ball is our only route to survival. Deep, high crosses, all hit in the hope of the Big Fella muscling in. One nil wins here and there, goalless draws. A fourth from bottom finish, and then pray that the Big Fat Greek calls time on the whole experiment.

I hate having my weekends ruined by constantly having to look out for other results to see where that leaves us.