The Mood

[valspoodle]

Came back by car on Saturday from watching L2 Colchester game with my West Ham son in law and there were two guys sitting in the car, both convinced their side was going down. He's not bothered by other clubs and their form, he just looks at the Hammers remaining fixtures, their form so far and, though he agrees they are fighting, thinks it will all be too much for them.

I just think that we aren't good enough, full stop. The players we have should get us out of trouble, but I can't see them gelling into a cohesive team enough to gain the necessary points.

So two fans each vying for the final relegation spot. The only hope we both have and the fervent wish of both is that Spurs are worse than both of us and we scrape enough points to overhaul Spurs and send them down. Now that would be fun and historic and worth SSN spending time discussing when it happens!

 

[kenred64]

I can see West Ham beating Fulham on Wednesday, while I can’t see anything but a mauling for us at City, so into the bottom 3 we go.

Agree Captain, and once we are in the bottom 3, I don't think that we will get out. Even our consistent 7/10 players are showing signs of fatigue and pressure and I am afraid that one or two others have already checked out.

 

[Colbackstreet Boys]

Obviously i’d much rather not get relegated I do find some of the dread surrounding potentially having to play Preston and Stoke amusing. Like Brentford and Bournemouth are any more glamorous.

I don't want it either (at all) but it doesn't fill me with dread either and wouldn't be entirely devoid of positives.

It would be much cheaper (direction of travel on pricing is really concerning at the moment), easier to get tickets and should (**SHOULD**) prompt a much needed and radical rethink on the club's (lack of) strategy and operations that could prove much more successful in the long term. Anyone who has been paying attention in the past few years won't be surprised in the slightest to see us hurtling towards the drop.

Plus would be nice to win some games for a change...

All said with caveat that relegation is never desirable and will be very damaging in short term.

 

[valspoodle]

Hand on heart, even though this is from someone who no longer goes to matches, I will not be heart broken by relegation. Thoroughly pissed off, perhaps, but as long as the club survives and keeps playing, I'll live.

 

[chaospunx]

Same boat im not wishing for relegation by any means ive been really enjoying the premiership but if it happens it happens and absolutely nothing any of us can do about it supporting your team has always been about enjoying the highs surviving the lows.
We are lucky in the grand scheme of what the things the team we fell into suporting has achieved over the years some supporters see nothing of note ever ive been going long enough to see both sides.
What made me happy is me and my son had a great day yesterday bar the actual 90 mins and thats all its about really.
Saying that were not even in the bottom 3 yet and 30 points to play for and some European football still to enjoy chin up lads by forest standards this is so far a minor disaster

 

[redodare]

Tails articulates the need for unity - us against the world - that led to us punching above our weight

Morgan Gibbs-White embodies the spirit Nottingham Forest need to fight relegation

New manager Vitor Pereira is trying to foster the sense of unity that has served this group of players so well in the past

www.nytimes.com

History shows relegation is no guarantee that unity returns. Far better we rediscover it soon

 

[GregorRobertson]

I think if we’re in touch with 17th after the Tottenham game it will still be all to play for. Here’s hoping for a miracle Easter resurrection of Chris Wood.

 

[Captain Sinister]

Agree Captain, and once we are in the bottom 3, I don't think that we will get out. Even our consistent 7/10 players are showing signs of fatigue and pressure and I am afraid that one or two others have already checked out.

It’s not something that comes to me easily, to accuse some players of checking out but I do think it is now happening. The fact we have so few alternatives to the regular starting XI does complicate the issue, as does the confusion created by having 4 managers, each with a different approach to playing styles and man-management.
Throw EM’s volatile interventions with players and managers and it is a right poisonous club to be at. Us fans seem to have been forgotten about as interested parties. The club seems to see us purely as economic units.

 

[Grenville 1898]

Do I want Forest to be relegated? Absolutely not. You'd have to be nuts to want that. However, what was possible is now becoming very probable. The signs are there.
Will I stop supporting and backing the team. Absolutely not. After 50+ years of supporting Forest, hell is likely to freeze over before that stops, irrespective of which division they are in.

 

[Captain Sinister]

Do I want Forest to be relegated? Absolutely not. You'd have to be nuts to want that. However, what was possible is now becoming very probable. The signs are there.
Will I stop supporting and backing the team. Absolutely not. After 50+ years of supporting Forest, hell is likely to freeze over before that stops, irrespective of which division they are in.

My mates on the south coast can’t believe me when I suggest relegation is now almost a certainty. They watched yesterday’s game and all concluded we are better than West Ham and Spurs.
I can’t see it myself though.
West Ham players don’t appear to have given up, despite the 5-2 defeat at Anfield.
I think Spurs’ players may well have.
It’s going to boil down to our 6 pointer when we play them in a couple of weeks.

 

['mist rollin in']

I find it utterly bizarre that some fans would prefer relegation as the Championship is fun! The Championship is only good when you're actually fighting to get in the Premier League, the very thing that some people seem to hate.

It is becoming increasingly hard to remain positive, but I absolutely want us to stay in the Premier League. The disappointing thing at the moment is that players got what they wanted by speaking out against Dyche, yet they don't appear to have demonstrated enough desire to fight this battle.

I'm struggling to see where the points are coming from; if we're not in the relegation zone on Wednesday evening, take that as a bonus, but we have to get 4 points from Fulham/Spurs and with us playing on Thursday's, that seems to be a problem.

 

[hannahd]

When people say they'd prefer relegation they don't actually mean it. It's just trying to convince ourselves that what's ahead isn't going to be throroughly heartbreaking.

 

[GregorRobertson]

It's not about preferring it for me. Obviously i'd prefer to stay up. It's more that I don't think it would necessarily be the end of the world. That said it wouldn't necessarily be "good" either. It's a game.

 

[MC Plantpot]

Nobody is going to break the cartel of the big clubs, the rules seem to enable them too. Villa running out of steam now in their efforts and FA Cup holders Palace lose their star man to Arsenal. Even Newcastle struggle to gate crash in. Kind of makes me wonder whether there’s that much difference supporting Forest than Barnsley. On the domestic front likely to win exactly the same.

 

[hannahd]

We were in the Championship or League One for 23 years...I don't remember us hating every second of it...ok League One was bad, but there were loads of enjoyable moments and players who became heroes to us like Cohen and Jack Lester, etc.

 

[GregorRobertson]

Nobody is going to break the cartel of the big clubs, the rules seem to enable them too. Villa running out of steam now in their efforts and FA Cup holders Palace lose their star man to Arsenal. Even Newcastle struggle to gate crash in. Kind of makes me wonder whether there’s that much difference supporting Forest than Barnsley. On the domestic front likely to win exactly the same.

Especially if everyone insists on playing the B-team in the cups because clinging on to the PL gravy train is all important. The ONLY thing we have really achieved in our time in the PL is a cup semi-final. That can change with the Europa league, but still that Premier League $$$ is the be all and end all apparently.

 

[Red Echo]

Confession time - any time someone says "cartel" I shudder

They're just clubs with big reputations, big stadiums, lots of fans, lots of money, so they sign the best players

Occasionally they seem to get favourable decisions but I'm not sure if a proper study w/ evidence would back it up

We've spent hundreds of millions of pounds in the last couple of years alone - highest squad value in the Europa League etc. - so we are the "cartel" to most other clubs in the world

I'm sorry but the lack of self-awareness is painful

All this talk of going back to the good ol' Championship because we can't compete with the big boys is nonsense

 

[GregorRobertson]

It’s more about not being terrified of it, as a lot seem to be.

 

[Louth Red]

The general mood of supporters has clearly changed for the worse.

Supporters are dealing with the possibility of relegation in different ways - newer recruits are more likely to walk away, longer-standing supporters are split two ways - some welcoming a return to the Championship - others still strongly defiant. I fall into the last group.

In my thirty five years as a season ticket holder I’ve witnessed several relegations but never wavered in my support. Whatever the outcome this season I will renew.

Two issues really worry me -

1. Relegation from the Premier League will be much more damaging than any previous relegation. Putting aside the parachute payments our annual income will fall from c£250m to £30m or so. The impact on player retention and recruitment will be far reaching; as will the impact on club strategy, services and staffing. As wealthy as our owner is, and his desire for immediate promotion, there will be huge pressure to deliver this.

2. The Club is divided unlike the Steve Cooper days. A by-product of four managerial changes this season. The necessary link between manager/team/supporters is fractured. This is evidenced at games and on forums such as LTLF.

Regrettably a mixture of our owners ambition, unrealistic expectations of some supporters (especially newer supporters attracted by the Premier League), and the largely poor recruitment programme in August, 2025 and January, 2026 has cost us dear.

After the fixture at Man City on Wednesday, other than the Europa League games, we have a break from league games because of the FA Cup and international games. The manager has to use that time to decide how to approach the final nine PL games.

Other than the usual pre-match pressers the players are keeping their heads down. Perhaps it’s time for the leaders to come out with clear messages for supporters - rebuild the bridges with an us against the world approach.

We have to find a way to change the mood otherwise it will continue to drift with the worst possible outcome.

COYR

 

[The Red Mill]

Resigned

 

[chaospunx]

Resigned

Who vitor

 

[GaryCrosbysStepOver]

What worries me about the probably relegation is the fact that we unnecessarily blew £200m last summer.

First of all it’s heartbreaking that we spent so much to get worse, and second the financial pressure will be immense. Unlike, say, Ipswich, we’ll be selling 90pc of the first 11 and that will make it far more difficult to compete.

The lack of stability, strategy and sensible spending last summer has been disastrous.

 

[GregorRobertson]

I say this often but how would we simultaneously sell most of our players but somehow have no money? It would be one or the other or somewhere between. (Likely towards the selling most of the players end)

 

[chaospunx]

Yeah we have enough assests to sell should the worst happen nobody wants it but it wouldn't be the end of the club far from it

 

[GaryCrosbysStepOver]

I say this often but how would we simultaneously sell most of our players but somehow have no money? It would be one or the other or somewhere between. (Likely towards the selling most of the players end)

A lot of the sale money would have to make up for the massive revenue dip though, as well as covering previous expenditure and players that will stay, but be on salaries that are too high