The way ahead
07/07/04 | by Daniel Hawkins

Putting aside recent news of the woes with the council and the disappointments of Euro 2004, we are finding ourselves being drawn into pre-season and the impending start of the domestic season. Currently with a summer that has had more pressing issues with the debt refinance and a certain Urs-hole of a referee, the small amount of action in the transfer market may have concerned a few trickies. However, July 1 came and so did Paul Gerrard and Kris Commons. On top of the signatures of Andy Impey, Alan Rogers and Kevin James, this has signalled the intentions for the coming season. 

Last season I wrote an article about Gerrard asking him to consider a future with us. Thankfully he has decided to join us rather than opting for Ipswich or Leeds, and he brings in plenty of experience along with a commanding nature that is set to sure up our impressive defence even more and give us the back bone and platform to aim for the top. 

Commons brings us skill in the discipline that the England team seem to lack - left-sided midfielders. I have only seen this lad play once and was impressed with him then, so hopefully he can do it next season and we can have the luxury of moving our little Irish wizard into the centre of midfield in place of the hair-curling Judas and add that extra bite alongside Paul Evans. 

Along with the other signings of Rogers, James, Impey, Robertson and the Kenco Kid, are we ready? Are we all strapped in for the ride? This season is our chance to finally push for what we deserve, and with the right man at the helm - if his past record has anything to go by - 97 points will do us fine, thank you very much.

So what about next season? What can we expect to achieve? What are we hoping for? Three very important questions. Firstly, we should be hoping for automatic promotion - no consolidation, no play-off gamble, we want automatic promotion. Are we serious about it? Yes we bloody are! Achieving it will be difficult, but we can do it. We are assembling a much more credible squad and maybe a few places might need strengthening, but if Marlon King can continue that rich vein of form he has achieved with Jamaica and with Johnno fit, we are going to be formidable against anybody.

At the end of last season we had promotion contending form, we were beating teams above us and continuing that form with a stronger squad is only going to improve us. Expecting promotion is not a crime, we should expect promotion. We will take a play-off place, but we expect promotion, so in answer to the club's question of being serious, yes, we are serious about promotion, are you?

Only time will tell and, assuming the team perform to their achievable standards, we the fans of Nottingham Forest are going to have one big party at the end of the season, along with the Premiership football that we so richly deserve.