Left Brian: August

Left Brian - shirt illustration by Adam Poole

The full skinny:

Though Sven County have been grabbing all the headlines in the last few weeks, flaunting their new-found ‘wealth’ like an office secretary with a ludicrously gaudy engagement ring, the suddenly mousier club on the other side of the Trent has pushed its glasses up the bridge of its nose, pretended to be happy for its colleague (whilst feeling confident that it’ll end up with Jeremy Kyle getting involved), and has been getting its head down to a serious backlog of work this summer.

Yes indeed, Forest have been far the busiest club in the shire, as manager Billy Davies splashes the cash with the backing of an – ahem - English business tycoon. Amazingly, chairman and owner Nigel Doughty seems to have trusted the experienced boss (who is gradually losing his reputation as a ‘Derby reject’) with free reign over the chequebook. It might not last, but with nine signings already and several irons still in the fire (to use one of Joe Kinnear’s favourite phrases), Billy seems to be making the most of it.

This summer there’s also been talk about a new stadium being built in time for the 2018 World Cup. At the moment, Forest clearly have no need for a 50,000 capacity ground - but if we can steer ourselves towards the Premiership, then maybe the plans will start looking a bit more realistic. But would we want to leave the City Ground?

Reassuringly, it’s not all change at Forest; as we go to press, we’re are still waiting for a glimpse of the new home and away shirts. Obviously the administrative staff at the City Ground aren’t used to working at Billy Davies’ speed when it comes to preparation for the new campaign.

Pre-match drinking:

LTLF members will be drinking in The Globe on London Road this season where there’s a healthy selection of ales (unlike our previous drinking hole, the Amici Wine Bar on Radcliffe Road). The Southbank Bar is always full on matchdays too. Fans looking for a quieter pint and quality snap to boot should also consider the Lady Bay (Trent Boulevard) and The Stratford Haven (off Central Avenue).

Best Forest chant:

Has to be our version of You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling – inspired by Tom Cruise and now used to taunt opposition fans after every goal. All together now: ‘You never close your eyes any more when I kiss your lips...’

Players in:

Where to start? Billy Davies has been a revelation this summer. He’s managed to bring back five of last season’s loan players on permanent deals - popular goalkeeper Lee Camp, defenders Joel Lynch and Chris Gunter, winger Paul Anderson and striker Dexter Blackstock, all of whom had a big impact last term. Add to that highly-rated local lad David McGoldrick (from Southampton), Preston’s long-serving captain Paul McKenna and veteran striker Dele Adebola (from Bristol City), plus exciting Polish international Radoslaw Majewski (on a season-long loan), and we’ve got a team that will fill even the most pessimistic Red with hope. For a change.

Transfers out:

We said goodbye to former captain Ian Breckin at the end of last season (he’s joined Chesterfield) and shed a bit of dead weight, but so far we’ve kept hold of our first team players, despite rumours linking Wes Morgan, James Perch and Nathan Tyson with moves. Youngsters Joe Heath, Brendan Moloney, Shane Redmond, James Reid and Matt Thornhill will all get the chance to improve their games while out on loan.

Last season:

19th. Do we have to talk about last season? Not a great campaign, but at least we re-established ourselves in the Championship.

This season:

6th. If Billy can get his new squad to gel quickly then I’m confident we’ll have the talent and – more importantly – strength in depth to push for the play-offs.

Look out for:

Some fantastic betting opportunities for Forest fans. Not only are new club sponsors Victor Chandler offering daft odds on promotion, but rivals Paddy Power are running their own set of special Forest-related markets via the LTLF website.

Best fanzine website:

LTLF.co.uk, naturally, with the busiest Forest forum on the web, daily updates from passionate fans and a plethora of Forest funnies. We also feature posts from some of the
best Forest blogs, including NFFC Blog, EighteenSixtyFive  and forestfans.blogspot.com.

Tickets:

Adults £22-£30, Concessions: £6 – £22. Phone 0871 226 1980 or see nffcretail.co.uk.

Nottingham Forest official website


 

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