Don’t expect instant success
05/08/05 | by Andrew Brookes

I might well have called this article ‘Getting my excuses out of the way early’, but I think its important to look at a few points before Gary Megson’s new look line-up take the field against Huddersfield tomorrow. Like all other Forest fans, I am eagerly awaiting the start of the season and hoping that we can mount a successful promotion campaign. However, there are several reasons that may mean the season may not get off to the blistering start we’d all like to see.

Firstly, there is the fact that there were eight new signings in the summer. These players will have to settle into the team and it may take time, with so many of the new faces in the starting eleven, for them to gel into an effective team. It must also be remembered that many of the existing squad were also relatively new to the scene, with the likes of Scott Dobie and David Friio still fairly recent signings, and Ross Gardner and James Perch also in the early stages of their Forest careers.

Even Kris Commons, the mercurial talent who holds the expectations of the Forest faithful on his shoulders, has never – by his own admittance – been a regular first teamer for a whole season. With so many new faces and young players, Gary Megson has a difficult task to forge a team. The experience of the first month of first team action will be invaluable for this.

Secondly, there is the much vaunted weight of expectation. Much has been made about Forest being the bookmakers' – and indeed many pundits' – favourites for promotion. Although it sounds somewhat clichéd, and indeed a little arrogant, the team must be able to cope with being the big fish in a small pond. Once again, the experience of the first few games will teach them much about the approach of opposition teams.

Finally, the team must adapt to playing in a new league – and must do so against difficult opposition. Huddersfield Town, this weekends opponents, must not be taken lightly and by all accounts are in tremendous form. They will prove a stern test from the very start and then, within a week, Forest must travel to ‘bogey side’ Walsall and established League One outfit Swindon. Megson’s signings have been tailored to include characters that should be able to cope with such tests and they will need to display their talents in these early games.

Whilst it is possible that these obstacles may be overcome, we must not underestimate the fact that there may be a settling-in period, where the experience of so many games in quick succession in August should help. I would love to see us make a flying start and, whilst that would be extremely beneficial, it is important that the above hurdles are overcome early on. Once the new players settle in, once the favourites tag has properly sunk in and once tough early games have been tackled, Forest will be in much better shape to mount a charge for promotion.