In a week when Sabri Lamouchi has extended his tenure at Nottingham Forest, it is hard to shy away from the impact he has had at the City Ground.
The Sabri Lamouchi Effect at Nottingham Forest
Stability, Longevity and Faithfulness
In recent years, attributing three specific words to Forest bosses – stability, longevity and faithfulnes – has proven rather difficult.
Prior to Lamouchi’s appointment last June, the average shelf-life of the ten previous managers at the City Ground had been just 252 days; Alex McLeish’s tenure of only 40 days proves quite how tough the gig has been for it’s former holders.
For context, Lamouchi is the first since Billy Davies in a long line of characters to break the trend by being offered a new contract.
Yet, the appointment of the Frenchman has done more than just provide a winning (albeit sometimes inconsistent) side.
Forza Garibaldi has been the long-heard cry from those supporters donning red and white – the ones following their beloved team up and down the country.
But after years of mid-table mediocrity, and a close-shave with the relegation zone back in 2013, things seem to have changed.
Promotion is by no means guaranteed for a Forest side flirting just four points inside the play-off spots. But, in comparison to seasons of yesteryear, this is an almighty turn around for the City Ground regulars.
As sweet as the taste of grapes in a French vineyard, Lamouchi has migrated the taste of relative success to Forest’s faithful supporters since coming from across the English Channel.
There have been inconsistencies – in particular their home record featuring heavy losses to Sheffield Wednesday and Millwall – but the current campaign has been their most successful in recent years.
Last season an eight-point gap separated them from the play-offs; the season before had seen an even larger margin as Forest finished 17th. The year before that lower-half finish, Forest had only survived relegation to League One on goal difference after a final day victory over Ipswich Town sent Blackburn Rovers down instead.
United On and Off the Pitch
It is clear that the improvement has been stagnating in recent years. Since taking over from Martin O’Neill, though, Lamouchi has made Forest fans dream of returning to the Premier League.
But, the key to a team successful on the pitch is unity away from the glare of 20,000 crowds and the many more watching on TV or iFollow – when the EFL platform works that is anyhow.
And it’s clear to see the high morale within the Reds when supporters are given a peek behind the curtain through the club’s photo galleries from training sessions.
😁🔴⚪️#NFFC pic.twitter.com/c9j7jWWE4V
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) June 1, 2020
Dropping points at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday may have had alarm bells ringing for some Forest supporters; however, it’s important to remember that it has been over 100 days since the Reds last played a competitive fixture.
It appeared as though little has changed during the enforced break – with Forest conceding a stoppage-time goal through Connor Wickham‘s header – but that may in fact be a positive disguised.
The Reds have, after all, got a great record against the top six when it comes to head-to-head fixtures.
One thing is for certain though: whatever happens this season – however it finally comes to a conclusion – the impact Sabri Lamouchi has had on Nottingham Forest this year makes the next 12 months even more exciting.
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