After a quite incredible 2022, Nottingham Forest will be eager to make the next 12 months just as memorable.
Last year saw the Reds secure a return to the top-flight after more than two decades, reach the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and clinch big wins over West Ham United, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur in the first part of the 2022/23 season. They then kicked off the new year by producing a spirited fightback to draw with Chelsea at the City Ground on Sunday.
So what might the rest of this year have in store for Forest? NottinghamshireLive’s writers make their 2023 predictions.
READ MORE: Forest show their potential as important marker achieved against Chelsea
READ MORE: Forest face six big transfer decisions in January window
Sarah Clapson
However the next year pans out, safe to say it will be one heck of a ride. The battle for survival will no doubt go right to the wire.
Can Forest come out the right side of it? They’ve definitely got it in them to stay up, and performances like the second half against Chelsea should give the players the belief they can do just that. It’s going to be tough, make no bones about that, and the Reds’ away form needs to improve (without wanting to tempt fate, I’ll go out on a limb and predict an end to that winless run on the road in the near future), but if anyone can pull it off, it is Steve Cooper. Don’t ask me to predict where Forest will finish in the table, but there is definitely reason to be hopeful of avoiding the drop.
Away from the league, there’s a great chance of making the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup - which would be some achievement. A home tie against Wolverhampton Wanderers is certainly winnable. Manage that, then over two legs to compete for a place in the final, you’d be brave to bet against the Reds, regardless of the opposition.
What will happen in the transfer window is tougher to call, although whatever business gets done, you can count on steam coming out of pundits’ ears. How dare Forest make signings to cover for injuries and to try to stay up!
We won’t see another window like last summer again, but if Premier League status is retained, Evangelos Marinakis could dip into his pocket again to try to help the club push on. He is an ambitious man and he will have big plans for the future - the planned redevelopment of the City Ground, which could start this year, will come into that.
Other predictions? Ryan Yates to win Player of the Season. Gustavo Scarpa to become a cult figure and spark an uptake in skateboarding in Nottingham. And the rest of the season passes without a single VAR controversy… Well, we can but hope.
Matt Davies
Plenty of what could happen in the next year could be defined by the next month alone. On the pitch, Forest have league games against Southampton, Leicester and Bournemouth (with Leeds and Fulham first up in February). Off it they have a crucial window to fine tune the squad with signings.
Of course, this being Forest, fine tuning could mean sweeping changes, but that feels a lot less likely than the summer of 23 signings. If Forest nail this month then is plenty of cause for optimism. As it stands they are right in the thick of the battle at the bottom and it feels like the relegation battle will go down to the final few games, if not the last day. Every Premier League point is so hard won - just look at how well Forest to play to draw with Chelsea.
Since this is a predictions column, I'll predict that Forest will stay up so long as they find a way to pick up some points away from the City Ground. In terms of cups, a long run to Wembley is possible but would be a bonus and nothing more. Premier League survival is paramount. If the last few months have taught me anything, it's that the Championship is just awful - a league no one cares about unless you're stuck in it.
Other predictions? Morgan Gibbs-White to play for England by the end of the year even when Gareth Southgate can choose from Foden, Grealish, Maddison, Saka, Rashford et al.
Dean Henderson will stay if Forest stay up and Djed Spence to return in the summer if his Spurs nightmare continues. He needs a Cooper type manager not a Conte one. Plus he can finally prove Neil Warnock wrong by shining in the Premier League at the City Ground.
Do you agree with our predictions? Have your say in the comments section below
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