Will the Forest be sustainable this season?

By: Tim | July 3rd, 2008

Walk like an Egyptian... With the Euros over and done with, and while the message boards are awash with transfer rumours, it seems like a good time to take a look at Forest’s chances for next season.

Well, like the last hour on the Titanic, key players are jumping ship. If Setanta Sports are to be believed Junior is finally Agogo-ing to Egyptian side Zamalek for a measly £565,000. Commons has already moved down the A52 on a Bosman (call yourself a Forest fan, Kris?), and Sammy ‘the Northern Irish Beckham’ Clingan has been allowed to leave on a free too (sound business acumen if ever there was any).

According to the Evening Post there is ‘a sense of looming panic beginning to grow among supporters’, I don’t think this is strictly true though, there is reason to hope. Earnshaw is a proven Championship goal scorer, and Paul Anderson (signed on a season-long loan from Liverpool) comes very highly rated by the Swansea faithful.

Guy Moussi, signed for £300,000 from French Ligue 2 side SCO Angers, is an interesting addition as well. He’s still an unknown quantity in this country, but if Friio is proved right he’ll be the sort of player that Clingan never quite was: “Guy is a central midfielder who can play either in the holding role or as a box-to-box player. He’s very powerful with the ball but for a big lad he’s good technically”. Early signs of him in action are promising.

At the moment Forest are being linked to a hatful of other strikers and midfielders too. Top of the list, according to one bastion of high quality journalism, is Andy Goal – CC is keen to use his experience for this campaign and a possible player/coach role has been mooted. Other rumours include a renewed bid for Leon Best, as well as bids for Carlisle’s Joe Garner and Leicester City’s captain Stephen Clemence.

All this leads to one question, though, where’s the defence at Colin? Creativity and firepower is great, and exactly what Forest need, but we can only hope that CC is looking at the bigger picture. If Forest are going to survive this season, hell, if we’re going to push for promotion, we need at least one or two more decent defenders. Big Wes ain’t gonna cut it I’m afraid.

Anyway, that gripe aside, there are signs of life at the City Ground at last. It’s fair to say that CC still needs to win a few fans over, but confidence might be restored with a couple of good quality signings in the right place … doing the double over Derby wouldn’t go amiss too.