lost that loving feeling

Last Friday, the long term future of Nottingham Forest was secured as Nigel Doughty announced his plans to invest a further £5m in the club and take over as Chairman, a position which he stated he could hold for 20 years or more.

Good news that few can deny, news that finally puts some kind of clarity over the situation surrounding the City Ground. Issues still remain that need addressing, such as the decisions that led to this take-over becoming necessary in the first place and the future of Forest’s current crop of stars as we attempt to clear our considerable debts, but at least we have some kind of grounding to base any future problem-solving on.

There can be no denying that this is a long term solution, but the short term still looks difficult. While the £5m injection is enough to keep the financial wolves from the door, it will only hold them for so long. At Friday’s EGM, both Doughty and Hart said that Forest would still need to sell players to raise the much-needed funds.

Of course, selling players is normal practice for medium-sized clubs like Forest, but it is a very bitter pill to swallow. After so many years of doom and gloom, the fans must now say goodbye to the bright starlets who made this season worthwhile. Despite yet another mediocre campaign which is now thinning out into the tedium of midtable security, talented youngsters such as Jermaine Jenas, Gareth Williams and David Prutton have treated us to their ability and attitude, giving us long-desired hope for the future.

These three players alone, represent everything that is good about Nottingham Forest at the moment - skill, composure, sportsmanship, passion, youth - and selling them represents a step back in the progress of the club. Unfortunately, if Forest do not get some cash to pay back their borrowings (now standing at an alarming £20m) then there won’t be a club at all.

In the short term, this will damage the club and dent any promotion hopes we may have for the next few seasons. But in the long run, we will be better off. As part of his long term vision, Doughty plans to invest further in the academy that developed Jenas and co.

£6m of his initial investment went on the Wilford Lane facilities and he speaks highly of the work done there on breeding new players. Despite losing Paul Hart over the summer, the U19s have carried on where they left off from last season’s Championship winning campaign with an impressive record of results.

However, last month building work was stopped on the site until Forest could guarantee themselves good to foot the bill. Doughty’s £5m, plus the value of one of Forest’s top prospects, will be enough for Forest to prove themselves viable and for work to begin again.

It seems it is necessary for Forest to sacrifice one or two of the academy’s best products in order for the production line to continue. For the sake of the many more brilliant players in the mould of Jenas and Bopp it will inevitably produce, then the unfortunate prospect of Forest becoming a selling club might just be bearable.

After all, Doughty was very keen to point out that although Jenas will probably be sold, it will only be for “the right price”. As Forest have already turned down quite substantial bids from Premiership clubs, “the right price” could be in the region of £6-8m - a undeniably good price for an 18-year-old. This kind of money could come in handy for improving Forest’s training facilities or tempting promising young players to Nottingham.

The important thing to remember is that Doughty and his board of directors are acting in the best, long term, interests of the club. The sale of Jenas, not to mention the possibility of losing Stern John for nothing in a few months’ time, might not seem like the best way forward for the Reds. But over the long haul, clearing the debts and cutting the wage bill will enable us to move forward in a positive and secure way.