Nottingham Forest chairman hits back at transfer…

Nottingham Forest chairman hits back at transfer strategy 'nonsense'

Nottingham Forest chairman Nicholas Randall, KC, has responded to critics of the club's transfer policy since their return to the Premier League.

The Reds have signed 30 players since their promotion to the top flight was confirmed almost a year ago. Steve Cooper's side beat Huddersfield 1-0 in the Championship play-off final last May to secure their return to the top flight for the first time in 23 years.

And Forest have their fate in their own hands this season with two games to go to ensure they stay in the top-flight. The Reds are three points clear of the relegation zone and face Arsenal on Saturday (5.30pm) before travelling to Crystal Palace on the final day

In a wide-ranging interview published on Youtube, Randall discussed transfer policy since promotion and what it will look like in the summer.

"We'll be in a completely different position if we stay up," he said. "We would have a squad which has real potential but, by definition, it would be a squad which has proved itself to stay up, which would be highly significant.

"I'd hope things would get better. There is a lot of nonsense spoken about strategy. I think when you are in that position and come up through the play-offs then you can't just sit there and be academic about it.

"You've got to actually bring the bodies in, the players in, and you've not got much time to do it. Of course, there were plans and structures, but as with everything the market for players moves rapidly, none of it is straightforward.

"Often when you're the team who has come up through the play-offs, you are bottom of the pecking order. Players are reluctant to come to you and agents are reluctant to come to you because they think, 'Well you are the ones who are most likely to get relegated'.

"All these factors come into play. They all impact on market rates and prices, but we think in the circumstances that faced us that we did a pretty good job of it. I think the fans know we have given it a really good go, and on the law of averages at the moment we're going to be alright.

"The circumstances we faced last season are entirely different to what we will face in the next window, whether we're up or down, but we have, we believe, good people in place and we will always make decisions in good faith and for the best of the football club."

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