Last season…

The Hart era started brightly last season. A young side, with a new formation and 'Mr Forest' in charge. All was kind of rosy for the first few games, a lack of concentration stopping us from taking four points from the first two games, and leaving us with just the one, but the team were playing some nice football. As the season wore on, Forest played some great football but never managed to turn that beauty into results. A lack of goals from midfield, plus the lack of a dynamic attacking midfielder to play that killer ball meant that we struggled to score goals. The defence was steady, and that is what helped us to stay competitive.

Mid-way through the season, the squad was lighter with Chris Bart-Williams, Andy Johnson and Alan Rogers all on their way to further their careers with more money. Bart man joined Charlton, AJ got promotion with West Brom after putting in performances never seen by him in the Garibaldi Red, and Alan Rogers got injured and is now back in Division One with Leicester (muffled laughter - Kooba). On board was now Nicky Summerbee on a pay-per-play contract - who would later leave after sustaining a rest of season long injury - and Damian Lynch from Leeds - although he was released at the end of the season.

Later to leave was Stern John to Birmingham, as Forest’s financial plight almost got to critical point. The Stern transfer a direct result of a ludicrous contract thanks to David Platt’s determination to get his man.

David Johnson also left for Sheffield Wednesday and Burnley on loan, thanks again to a big contract. It later transpired that Platts keeness to sign Johnson meant he was signed carrying an injury.

The money worries were eased by the sale of our super kid Jermaine Jenas to Newcastle. The £5m deal was a shame for him as a Forest supporter and for the club to lose one of our jewels when he could have been worth so much more to us here, but the deal was never in doubt. The fans and manager let JJ go to further his career and the board let him go to save the club!

Nigel Doughty also stepped in to buy up 85% of Nottingham Forest Football Club Ltd, leaving Nottingham Forest plc with no power at all. Mr Doughty made the running of the club his priority and has safeguarded its future, although a £20m spending spree is about as likely as Forest fans wishing Derby a speedy return to the Premier League.

The end of the season was a fight against unlikely relegation, but the team pulled together and got the points to ensure safety in the First Division. With the promised roller coaster ride from Paul Hart being more like a runaway train, the fans, staff and board all breathed a big sigh of relief.

This season…

Once again the future looks rosy. Having hung onto the talents of David Prutton and Gareth Williams, the team is pretty much unchanged from last season. While we struggled least year, the signs are that players are much more used to each other now, and with the uncertainty of the club’s future all but over it means that everyone involved in Nottingham Forest can concentrate on playing football and winning matches. Whilst we are not flush by any stretch of the imagination, a sound business plan from Nigel Doughty - plotted without the ITV Digital or the Sky/BBC revenue in the turnover - means that Forest look likely to complete the signing of Eoin Jess, and the possibility of another couple of Bosman free signings.

With wins against Mansfield Town and Newcastle United, plus a score-draw with Plymouth Argyle under our belts, and with a game against Boston United on Tuesday, the pre-season has gone very well. No defeats, although we left it late against Plymouth, and a return to scoring from Jack Lester and David Johnson. However, the one goal I have been waiting a year to see finally came in Plymouth, and I bloody missed it! Gareth Williams finally gets on the score sheet, with a free-kick too, and when he gets his first league goal, there will be no-one going barmier than me.

The worry for me is the squad depth. The team itself is equipped to push for a top 12 finish this season, but when the inevitable injuries surface, the best squad prevails. On paper, the players are skilled and should be able to adapt to a higher level of football, but the aggressive nature of the First Division does not always suit these young lads who are still growing.

The match against Newcastle showed our lads are capable of mixing it with the best. On another day we could have gone down 4-0, or we could have buried all the chances we had and REALLY shocked Newcastle with a 6-1 win. I am not under any illusions that this season will be any other than a season where Forest attack and try to win games. Last season we had to ensure we were not beaten on many occasions, and we had very few performances to be ashamed of.

Success this year depends on the following:

Hart’s tactics
Platt was guilty of changing them too much, while Hart’s criticism came from fans thinking he waited until the last 10 minutes to try and win the game. We have been playing attacking football in the pre-season, and there are plenty of teams who can punish you for bad defending in the division. The right balance is hard to find, but to keep it over the course of a season while keeping the opposition guessing, is even harder. Hart will show whether he is capable of building a team that can push for promotion in the next 3 years. Last season, the counter-attack was only used in the last 10 minutes because we never capitalised on the space. It was “keep the ball at all costs” even if it meant going backwards and allowing the opposition to re-group.

Ward’s consistency
He has been called a liability at times, but considering that, without his saves, we could have been facing Notts County and Mansfield Town this season, he should be supported. There are many keepers who have a better all-round game, but would never have made those stops. He does need to be more commanding when coming out for crosses, and has been caught in no man’s land before.

Walker and Hjelde’s fitness
The performances so far by these two are very encouraging. But is must be remembered that Des is 36 and JOH has only just had his first injury-free season with us. I have no doubt that you will struggle to find a better defensive partnership in the First Division, as long as they keep fit.

“You’ll never beat Des Walker/Jon Hjelde” - delete as applicable.

Midfield goal-scoring
The midfield's tally of goals last season pitiful. Reliance on the forwards to get goals was part of our downfall. We passed the ball around nicely, so much so that we were praised after almost every match. But more often than not, we failed to break down defences. In Eoin Jess, we will (hopefully) have a player who had a great start to the season and bagged 14 goals. One-twos on the edge of the box and a chance pot-shot will mean more goals as well as providing exciting football.

DJ’s consistency
David Johnson is the best striker we have the club - no arguments! If he gets the service, he will get you goals. He has struggled to fit into a new formation at Forest, with Sheffield Wednesday and Burnley playing the more standard 4-4-2 with wingers he is used to. Is he the right man for the job? Well he is here, he is scoring and once he has his confidence he will get you goals. Perhaps his price tag and reputation has meant that the fans expect him to bury every chance, which can weigh on a player's mind.