BLOG: Forest's biggest away win of season overshadowed by boardroom rumours

Forest's biggest away win of the season has once again been overshadowed by rumours filtering from the boardroom.

Paul Williams chalked up his first win as Nottingham Forest manager with a superb 3-1 victory at Craven Cottage, a game in which his new formation worked to perfection.

Henri Lansbury, a player who I have criticised at times this season, had an absolute blinder and deserved his two goals.

It was a midfield driven performance and proved that we still have a healthy squad despite all of the injuries.

But the victory has been slightly tarnished by reports from Huddersfield Town regarding the possible signing of Jamie Paterson.

An article published in the Huddersfield Examiner has received an abundance of attention over in Nottingham; it’s all to do with the Terriers attempts to sign Paterson on a permanent basis.

The paper included a direct quote from Huddersfield Town chairman Dean Hoyle: “At this stage Forest are going through a sale process, so we’re in no man’s land.”

Really? That is the reaction of every Forest supporter I’ve spoken to, but they have gone on to say that it doesn’t surprise them either.

Once again if there is any substance to this claim, then Mr Al Hasawi is showing utter disregard for his supporters.

We have begged for transparency but we are met with a double smoke screen with this and the ongoing managerial mystery.

The win at Fulham was a breath of fresh air for the 2,000-strong following that made the journey on Saturday, hopefully this will be the platform on which to win our two remaining games and restore a little pride.

Another midfielder who shone at the weekend was Robert Tesche, not bad for a guy who can’t pass forwards. Like I mentioned earlier, the system under Paul Williams has been top heavy with midfielders, but he can only work with what he has in front of him.

Dorus De Vries again made a couple of world class saves but we were never going to lose this one.

Also, another few precious minutes for Assombalonga put smiles on the faces of the Forest faithful once again.

It was interesting to hear Chris Cohen’s interview after the game too; he reiterated the comments of Lansbury regarding his role during Dougie Freedman’s tenure at the club.

Lansbury is revelling in the number 10 role and should be producing this kind of form on a regular basis, hopefully this will continue into next season for a player who has all too often flattered to deceive.

Cohen spoke brilliantly and hinted about the coming together of fans at the City Ground.

But that’s not as easy as it seems; if anybody heard my comments on BBC Radio Nottingham’s Matchtalk last night you’ll understand why.

Firstly; Fawaz must give the supporters and the staff some assurances and most importantly, some transparency.

Secondly, we need the real supporters to get behind the team, not the clowns who start mouthing off after one misplaced pass.

The City Ground is a tough gig with too much expectancy for my liking, similar to Elland Road and St James Park.

Players are in fear of failure at home and it’s no surprise to see that the best results of the season have been on the road.

Victories at QPR, Birmingham, Middlesbrough, Fulham and Leeds are testament to my comments.

I fully understand the reluctance of many supporters who are seriously thinking about giving up their season tickets.

Hopefully it’ll only be the serial moaners and maybe then the players can begin to express themselves again without fear.

On a lighter note, I returned to the academy last week to see how the youngsters are progressing.

Goal machine Ben Brereton looked a little less potent in the Under 21s as did Liam Adams.

Alarmingly, Diamantas Petravicius was well off the pace for a guy that has over five caps for Lithuania but there were a couple of excellent performances in the game too.

Andreas Karo reminded me of Jamal Lacelles and was superb at the heart of the defence whilst Elvis Otim controlled the midfield brilliantly.

He has made the transition from U18 to U21s look seamless; despite his slight frame he does the simple things very, very well.

A real unsung hero and one to keep an eye on.

So let’s get behind the team for the last two games and try to enjoy what’s left of the 150th year; who knows what the future holds?