It was difficult, but turned out alright in the end
25/05/04 | by Tony

And so ends what has been a thoroughly miserable season for Forest fans - it was a season that promised so much, but ultimately delivered little. In the summer few, if any, could have predicted the relegation battle that Forest would find themselves entrenched in, despite the loss of key players in Brennan, Scimeca and Lester and the arrivals of Stewart, Sonner and Gunarsson all of whom paled in quality to the departing trio.

Never-the-less, Forest began the season in the best possible fashion, beating newly-relegated Sunderland 2-0 in blazing heat at the City Ground. However, the gaps in the side became all too apparent when Forest faced Reading seven days later. A comprehensive 3-0 defeat by the Royals gave us a taste of what was forthcoming in the new season.

Despite a 2-1 defeat at home to Cardiff the following Saturday, Forest went on to record four successive wins. During this time, Nigel Doughty got out his chequebook to sign big target man Gareth Taylor from Burnley in a £500k deal and Stephen McPhail checked in on a three-month loan deal from Leeds United. Crucially though, David Johnson fractured his leg in the 3-1 home victory over Sheffield United - this would prove to be the bane of our season.

Forest travelled to Crewe on September 20 in the knowledge that a victory could send them to the top of the table. Sadly though, Forest were out-played by the Railway Men and a 3-1 defeat proved to be the turning point of the season as it slowly but surely developed into a nightmare. Forest would win only twice more under Hart's leadership (these victories coming against the two worst sides in the division) as a string of draws and defeats pushed the Reds down the table.

By the end of January, they were occupying 22nd position, their lowest leaguer position for over 50 years. During this time Marlon Harewood was hived off to West Ham for a measly £500k after turning down the offer of a new contract and an inferior player in Marlon King was brought in as his replacement for £950k from Gillingham.

Even more worrying was Hart's lack of ideas to reverse this alarming slide. He looked as if he'd completely lost the plot and new signings Taylor and King hadn't settled into his passing style at all. A shocking performance and a 1-0 home defeat to Coventry was the final straw for Doughty, who released Hart from his contract soon after the game and quickly set about contacting Joe Kinnear about the now vacant role. Kinnear accepted Doughty's offer and was confirmed as new manager four days later. 

At the time, my own reaction was less than optimistic. "His style is long-ball," I thought, "we haven't the personnel to play in that way." With the benefit of hindsight, I can now see that was rather naïve of me as any decent manager plays in a way that suits his players. Kinnear acted quickly in recruiting the services of Andy Impey and former Forest favourite Alan Rogers from Leicester on loan, thus filling two problem positions that Hart had failed to do anything about all season.

Things got a hell of a lot better on the pitch from now on as Kinnear steadied the ship with three successive draws against Walsall, Rotherham and Gillingham in his first three games in charge. A 2-1 win over Bradford ended that long, long search for a victory and lifted the Reds out of the relegation zone (they wouldn't drop back into it all season). Two more victories and a draw in the next four games strengthened Forest's bid for survival. Then came that game at Prideless Park, which was a 100% disaster in every possible way. 

However, this prompted Kinnear to bring in Paul Gerrard on loan for the rest of the season and sign Paul Evans for a bargain £25k from Bradford. Both were instrumental in a comfortable 2-0 win over Crewe. A sweet 2-1 victory at Brammall lane and three successive draws put the Reds on the brink of safety. This was confirmed a week later with an excellent 2-1 win at Ipswich and a Johnno double. Forest then rounded the season off in style with successes over Wigan and West Brom. 

Even though the season was a massive let down, Forest's good run of form in the latter stages shows great promise for next year. With Impey, Rogers, Jess and James already on board and Heffernan seemingly poised to sign, next season's squad is already beginging to take shape.

However a new keeper, centre-back, midfielder, a quality replacement for Reid in the likely event of his departure and an experienced striker are still needed. Joe will know this and, unlike Hart, he is a shrewd operator in the transfer market and will know whom he wants to bring in. If Kinnear can get players in the mentioned positions, then we can all look forward to another promotion push next season.