Sean Dyche began his tenure as Nottingham Forest manager with victory under the City Ground lights as his side beat Porto 2-0, a night of celebration 30 years in the making and a welcome performance of passion and identity that Forest had lost over recent weeks. George Edwards was at the match
Last night was the night that every Nottingham Forest fan has been waiting for since what feels like forever.
It was 166 days ago that the Reds secured Europe, only 30 days ago since they first ventured into the Europa League with such confidence, yet that feeling of togetherness and positivity felt like a lifetime ago.
Nottingham Forest felt lost, and the club needed something to recapture its identity and realign its pathway; everything about yesterday’s historic night on Trentside did just that.
From the second ‘Mull of Kintyre’ was rung out with vigour just before kick-off, it felt like Forest’s night. Everybody believed and was on board — from the players, to the manager, to the stands. Unity is what has made the club so successful over the past few seasons, something lost over the past two months but regathered by the departure of Ange Postecoglou and the arrival of Sean Dyche.
The past 48 hours display exactly where Postecoglou fell short and exactly why Dyche feels like the man who could take Forest forward.
Since Sean Dyche’s first press conference there’s been a buzz, a confidence and a belief emitted from everyone surrounding the club, culminating in last night’s showing of brilliance.
He selected a team that made sense and set them up in a way so obviously aligned to their strengths. He disappeared down the tunnel at full time, making it all about the players and their achievement rather than himself.
And he won. He won against perhaps the best team Forest have played this season, minus Arsenal, something Postecoglou failed to do in eight matches with a side composed of such riches that no Forest manager in history has been at the helm of.
Forest didn’t just win; they nullified one of the most in-form teams in Europe, Porto mustering just two shots on target across the 90 minutes, while finding a way to get in the box and make it count in their moments.
Every player seemed to give 10% more, buoyed on by a crowd that gave everything they had, behind their team from minute one to minute 90, united as one once again.
The display elucidated everything you’d want to see in a performance and everything about the identity of Nottingham Forest.
All that we ask as supporters is that every player performs to their best and leaves nothing out there. That’s not to suggest the effort wasn’t being put in previously, but it felt as if they had that extra bit of grit and determination that had been lacking, bodies on the line and a desire to protect their goal in a way that hasn’t been displayed all season.
Morgan Gibbs-White spoke post-match to BBC Radio Nottingham of Forest’s “willingness to defend” in a style “that suits us”. That sums it up. The Reds looked far more settled than they have of late, and they felt freed.
Freedom was what ultimately made Forest successful last night. They were unleashed to play in a way that suited them, creating the sense of security that has served Forest so well over recent times.
And they were confident. The swagger in which both Morgan Gibbs-White and Igor Jesus strutted up to the penalty spot exemplified the feeling and spirit of the whole team, the whole stadium. It felt like a tidal wave of positivity, Forest securing their first European win since 1995.
Everything felt aligned and like it fitted. Even when it looked like Porto had equalised, the fight lived on. The City Ground rose to drown out the celebrating visiting supporters and recapture the team’s focus, and once the goal was disallowed, it felt destined to be a night to remember.
Forest’s first clean sheet since April was a welcome comfort, a roar of relief echoed around the stadium once the full-time whistle blew, signifying the stopping of the rot and the sign of a new, exciting era.
One performance and victory doesn’t make amends for how Forest have started the season. They still have lessons to learn and progress to make.
However, what we saw last night laid the foundations for success. Forest looked recognisable and felt magic once again. They’ve gone back to their roots and to a system that suits them so well, and it feels that everyone is back on the same side.
There will be bumps along the way, but it feels that a page has been turned, a new chapter has begun.
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