Never judge a book… But I bailed before even giving this metal shit a listen. Not music.

⭐

Another CMR written on the fly, no notes, just a hazy hungover rambling of what went off the night before. SHIT THE BED. We’re in a chuffing major European semi-final. How did that happen? I didn’t shit the bed btw.

You need some perspective here. Sure, I watched Forest win European Cups back in the day. The memories there are also hazy. I wasn’t BOOZING it at the World Famous back in 1979 as a nine year-old, but yep, I was there.

The 1984 UEFA Cup run passed me by. I was too busy drinking shandy (spot the theme) and skanking to The Specials at the local Youth Club.

A major regret is passing by with the 1996 UEFA Cup run.

“One team in Europe, there’s only one team in Europe!”

…was the cry when we were the last English team standing when we reached the quarter-finals. I had given up my Trent End season ticket the year before, with a new life in S Ldn about to begin. Plus I was broke, and so I couldn’t afford fancy foreign travel.

And here we are, thirty years later, and we’ve only gone one step further. This time I feel different. I have no desire to follow Forest home and away - even if that means, erm, Villa Park. I’m happy with a TNT subscription and some cheapo Lidl BOOZE.

But that doesn’t take away what took place last night, and how I personally feel about the achievement. This was Forest playing to an international audience, home and abroad. It was our chance to prove to everyone that those horrid, horrid Championship relegation battles are behind us.

OK, so it wasn’t quite the masterclass performance. But if I try and think back to 1979 - or even load up YT highlights - then even BC knew that getting over the line by any means necessary was what’s needed to get the job done.

We went strong with the team selection. You sense that the Big Fat Greek (who appears to be AWOL over recent weeks?) must have had a quiet word with Pereira about shifting priorities.

The Anderson news ahead of KO was awful. I don’t know the personal details, but for his Mum now not to be able to see him become the likely star of the World Cup over the summer is so, so sad.

I was concerned that Wood was starting. Jesus is our man in Europe, with Wood hopefully held back to do a demolition job on Burnley on Sunday. But nope, there he was, leading the line.

OUCH! Oh no! I thought the early injury to Wood was on the same knee that has kept him out for six months. Thankfully (I think?) it was the other knee. Given the choice, I would rather play eleven men of Porto and have kept Wood fit.

The game changed on the early sending off. Forest controlled the first half, especially in midfield where MGW went unmarked for forty five minutes. The only surprise was that we only had the one goal lead taking us into the break.

Porto made the necessary tactical changes after the break. This felt more like a balanced game. We rode our luck. The City Ground crowd responded. This felt like the Sheff Utd semi-final all over again.

More injuries. uh-oh. But with a major European semi now within touching distance, you’d probably take this if it meant Rocking All Over the World would be heard at the final whistle. It’s only Burnley at the weekend…

Some decent game management saw us over the line at the end. It shouldn’t have been such a nervous watch with the one man advantage. But we’re there, all set for another Euro jolly away at, erm, Birmingham.

I’ll stick with TNT, ta.

Confession: I watched this game on delay, having been out at the basketball all afternoon. It was a bloody miracle that I managed to avoid the scoreline. My iPhone has a self-imposed ban for around three hours. I quite enjoyed the silence.

I did start the playback knowing the #lolspurs scoreline, losing 1-0 away at the Stadium of Shite. This made watching Forest at home to Villa a slightly less stressful viewing. I would have been happy with a draw, but also had the fallback that a defeat would still keep us two points ahead of #lolsours.

I’ve always rather liked Villa. It must be a Midlands thing. There’s never been a nasty streak in them - be it the fans or the players. Plus there’s the shared heritage of a Midlands club lifting the European Cup. Still - three points here would be most welcome.

In true Crap Match Report style, I forgot to log any notes of interest during the playback. I felt for Murillo with the OG. He looked a little clumsy, a little leggy. The guy needs some luck to end his season with.

Neco meanwhile was outstanding. It was disappointing to hear him being booed whilst playing for his country. He’s always welcome at the World Famous, especially when he has his shooting boots on, as was the case this afternoon.

Forest were half decent at home - that’s something that we’ve not been able to say in the PL for some time. I like our choice in goal - either Sels or Ortega are a safe pair of hands.

It was good to see Sangare back, bossing what is a very strong Villa midfield. I thought Anderson was a little anonymous, as was MGW.

Jesus ran his bollocks off, Birtles style. The switch to two strikers was unexpected. Woody didn’t really get a look in. But at least he gets another thirty minutes or so of running off the injury.

And so we finish the first game back after the silly international break with a three point cushion between us and #lolspurs. West Ham look to be on the up. I hope that Leeds fall apart, again, on Monday night.

SHOUT OUT the Forest fans, who kept the faith throughout this afternoon.

The team new landed. Chris Wood. Blimey. I wasn’t expecting that. I doubt if the Porto boss was either. Forest have clearly lacked goals this season. Goals win you games, obvs. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to imagine a world where Wood had continued to score for fun this season, and Forest are sitting pretty in the top ten of the Premier League. Hey hoe.

Also of interest in the team news was TWO Forest Academy players starting in the quarter-final of a major European competition. This is a statement that would have sounded bonkers only five years ago, as Chris Houghton started off the Championship season with the worst record in Forest’s history. Not only was Zach Abbott wearing the Garibaldi in a back five, but Ryan Yates was also Captaining Forest in European quarter-final. These things matter.

I listened to the two hour pre-match build up on BBC Radio Nottingham. Sir Colin of West Bridgford and the team do these occasions so well. It’s hard work panning out two hours of pre-match, without going into hype mode. The BBC got the balance just about right. I was all set to sync up the TNT telly pics with the radio, and then I realised that Fletch was on comms. I’ll have a bit of that. LIVE the Dream, Fletch.

KO came. The first minute was a little, erm, hairy. Christ, we could have been 1-0 down before we even got going. The three centre backs were split wide open. This was static defending, with three players that looked like they had just met each other in the tunnel. Steady the buffers. The Serbinator was clearly missed.

The inevitable Porto game came. Whoops. Time to for a re-think, time to hold your nerve. There wasn’t time for a Forest Plan B to be formed. The poor Porto fella scored the Goal of the Season a minute or so later. It was just a shame for him that it was in his own net.

Forest looked stronger at 1-1. They found their shape, and set up frustrating Porto. The atmosphere in the stadium came across on the telly as being intimidating. Some of the younger Forest players handled this well. Morato still had me with my head in my hands on more than one occasion. He is only one mistake away from implosion.

The second half was a lot calmer. I didn’t even need to reach for the BOOZE. I sat back, sipping away on my cups of tea as Forest killed off the game. This was a near perfect away performance in Europe. Ortega in goal was immense. He didn’t panic, and kept Forest in the tie.

An away draw at Porto is an outstanding result. It was all the more sweeter with most of the big hitters being rested, no injuries and no bookings. The return leg at the World Famous next week promises to be something special.

#lolspurs away, pyrotechnics for the home team’s arrival - what’s wrong with players driving themselves to the ground? - and both teams still in deep, deep shit. I didn’t buy into the pre-match narrative of win - stay up, lose and the Championship awaits. But still.

The game kicked off as though it was a local derby. Christ, that was intense. Just imagine what Captain Chaos Taiwo could do in such situations. I don’t want to talk about relegation, but what a weapon T would be in the division below.

Spurs are a nasty, petulant bunch of whingeing pros. Their game tactics seemed to be to play for a penalty each time they entered the opposition’s box. It was embarrassing. They deserve to be relegated, along with their Fancy Dan supporters.

First blood went to Forest. Jesus Christ etc. It was a fantastic header from Igor. Vitor mentioned in his post-match BBC interview that they had been working on this since arriving back from Denmark. Jesus may have a crappy goal celebration, but I’d like to see it a lot more of this during the run in.

The #lolspurs crowd started to turn early in the second half. The Forest fans were as fantastic as ever - especially after MGW fired home a second. The hand in the ears celebration is always classy. At the end of the day, we always win, etc.

Oh hang on - here comes Captain Chaos. Taiwo couldn’t, could he? Bloody hell. He somehow got on the end of Neco’s cross and managed to bundle the ball home. His goals are either Goal of the Season contenders, or hit and hope. I’ll take anything right now.

SHOUT OUT to Sels in the middle of our goal. He clearly wanted a clean sheet, even with a 3-0 lead and only minutes remaining. Even a solitary goal would have given Spurs a little extra boost at home as we head into the run in.

And so Forest can’t score goals, right? Erm… With Chris Wood sniffing around after the international break, we might just pull this one off again.

Sacked in the morning, etc.

And yep - I never have forgiven Spurs for the 1991 FA Cup Final.

THIRTY years to the day since Forest last exited a European competition at the hands of Bayern Munich in the UEFA Cup quarter-final, and we’re back on the big stage. Make the most of what you’ve got. I doubt if I will be around in 2056, should we be given this opportunity once again.

The task in hand was tough: overcome a 1-0 home deficit by a bastard of a team that has already bullied us TWICE at the World Famous this season. Factor in that Forest are balls deep in a PL relegation scrap, and you can see why I didn’t hold out much hope.

I was shit scared when the starting line up was announced. Oh, I see. We’re sacking off Europe, then. This was understandable. I’d gladly swap three points away at #lolspurs on Sunday, if it meant saying farewell to Europe. But still - a midweek European fixture, under the lights, Two Stars on the Badge, etc.

A strong ref was needed. The Slovakian fella from last week seemed to be reffing by guesswork. Midtjylland are absolute beasts. We needed the calls to go in our favour if Forest weren’t to be battered away on the road once again. Thankfully German referee Felix Zwayer was up to the job.

The first half was fantastic. Forest could easily have been 5-0 up - quite something for a team that can’t score goals this season. But we weren’t 5-0 up at HT, showing that yep, we can’t score goals… I was a little alarmed at the ease in which the Midtjylland wide player was able to skip past Bakwa.

And then finally a goal! Dominguez’s superb header was one for the away fans. Christ, they have suffered on their travels throughout the season. The scores on the Danish doors at HT was all square, with three quarters of the two-legged tie having been played.

Time for Heroes; time for Ryan Yates.

Forest seem to have finally landed on the European League dream team of a squad. We were told at the start of the season that we would have two teams - one to challenge in the PL, and the other that would provide capable back up in Europe. It’s only taken seven months to reach this point.

Come back Edu? Erm, no ta.

Cometh the hour, cometh the Captain. GO ON, Yatesy, have a swing.

SHIT THE BED. Where the chuff did that one come from? On his left foot as well. Le Tissier would have been proud of such a strike.

Now what?

Defend! Defend!

DEFEND! DEFEND! DEFEND!

It was also time for the Big Dawgs to make an appearance and shore up the scoreline. But this somehow changed the whole pace of the game. Midtjylland found it easier to play against our A team than the stiffs.

The inevitable home goal happened. Extra time was needed. Arse. This is exactly what Forest didn’t want with #lolspurs coming up. It would be SO Forest to play the extra 30 minutes, go to pens, and then… lose.

And so here we go. A penalty shoot out to see if Forest can make it the quarter finals of a major European competition. We’ve come a long way since the toxic days of Chris Houghton and being bottom of the Championship.

MGW was magnificent. He even managed to channel a bit of Psycho with the celebrations. Midtjylland were bloody awful. The magic post helped Forest out big time. The third swing and a miss channeled poor old Chris Waddle.

Bloody hell. We’re through. I wasn’t expecting that. We’ve finally got one over on Midtjylland. That seemed unlikely back in those dark, dark days of Ange the Clown.

What a campaign!

We couldn’t, could we?

I hope anybody’s not stupid enough to write us off, etc.

Tense. VERY tense.

ffs - this is only poxy Fulham at home - a club, less we forget, that once erected a statue of Michael Jackson in their car park. I haven’t felt this nervous watching Forest since the Sheffield United play-off semi.

The Big Fat Greek had kindly forked out for a new scarf for every Forest fan in the ground. Which was, erm, nice. There’s the danger here that we become a freebie happy clapper club like L******er. No ta.

I’m just starting to like the pinstripes of this season. It’s a shame that we’re likely to get relegated - again - wearing them. Some kits hold strong associations with you. Fix up, look sharp, don’t be shit, etc.

Marco Silva rocked up at the World Famous looking very comfortable in the away dug out. It’s going to take something more than freebie scarves being waved to convince him to come in the summer months. Premier League status would certainly help.

The crowd was behind Forest for the first fifteen minutes or so. I just couldn’t see what the plan was to actually score a goal. Some long punts upfield suggested playing it direct. But then Jesus isn’t exactly a target man.

Both teams looked like they were huffing and puffing, desperate for the season to end. At times it was like watching a dull Championship match. Careful what you wish for…

One of the biggest cheers came when Taiwo came on. That pretty much sums up our season, raising the roof for a forward who has scored one goal in two seasons.

Finally Ndoye did something decent. His finish was great. Oh, wait. Fuck VAR.

Subbing MGW for Yates was real head scratcher. So we’re playing for the point here, right? There was no urgency in the game. It was as if the Forest players aren’t actually aware of the deep shit we’re in.

And so a 0-0 draw and another blank at home. The stats are bloody horrid. We’ve scored only 13 goals in 15 PL games. Only one goal has been scored out of the past 99 shots. Chris Wood was the last forward to score at home for Forest.

That beautiful Brentford victory at the start of the season feels like a result from a different era. I half expect it crop up one of those Insta feeds, celebrating past glories from decades gone by.

Why did the Forest players leave the pitch smiling?

Just end this horrid, horrid season now.

Hey hoe. Here we go again. Bloody Midtjylland. They rock up at the World Famous as outsiders, intent on spoiling and soiling our promised European dream, and once again bugger off back to Denmark with a victory.

Sacked in the morning?

Not quite, this time. Although a record of W1 D2 L4 for Pereira is approaching vote of confidence territory. Except we’ve run out of road this time. Forest surely, couldn’t, wouldn’t, erm, shouldn’t once again?

Midtjylland at a very wet World Famous on Thursday evening wasn’t that bad. Forest played well in creating chances. But as we know, the main issue this season has been in scoring goals - a rather important fundamental of football.

The team news was interesting. Only three players were rested. It seemed like a half in, half our approach to balancing Europe with the PL. The plan seemed to be get the early goals, and then sack off the big hitters ahead of Fulham at home on Sunday.

Best laid plans…

The goal line clearance from Murillo was an early warning sign. Midtjylland weren’t here to make up the numbers.

And neither was the Slovenian ref. Bloody hell, he had a shocker. The fella appeared to be reffing by guesswork. The last thing Forest need right now is some injuries to the A team.

Midtjylland were ‘competitive.’ OUCH, etc. Cunha’s absence could be critical as we try and limp over the line. Milenković was a half decent replacement. At times he appeared to be playing as a right winger.

And then the downpour started. Christ, that was Biblical, etc. The ball was always only one misjudged Morato bounce away from Forest going behind. Somehow Forest managed to keep on playing the passing game - albeit with no one available on the end of the final move.

The inevitable Midtjylland goal came after a rare moment of hesitation from Aina. Arse. 1-0 down to Midtjylland. BLOODY Midtjylland. Let’s do it all over again next Thursday. The Danes are becoming something of a grudge team for Forest this season.

‘92 and ‘94 away. I’m not sure about the white kit. It doesn’t quite look right. I did have an original - or maybe that was an earlier white away? Either way, the detail on the sleeve is something that is new to me.

Forest should never wear blue btw. Except during that glorious ‘94-‘95 season, our first back in the PL after a season away. This blue effort always reminds me of Stan. For some reason we associate specific kits with certain players.

A quick shifty at my online file of Forest replicas (yep, it does exist) and OH MY DAYS. I’m up to fifteen. Whoops. As is the case with all collecting, the chase is always better than the thrill.

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.