Are Nottingham Forest in another relegation battle?

Nottingham Forest’s surrendering 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth displayed a side lacking direction and begs the question: are they in a relegation battle? George Edwards was at the match

“Nottingham Forest, it’s happened again,” was the goading yet truthful taunt directed at the away end as the Reds fell to defeat at Bournemouth once again, that losing feeling on the south coast something every travelling Red has become accustomed to over the last decade.

“Have you ever seen Bournemouth in Seville?” replied the defiant visiting support, holding onto the speck of positivity that remains in this otherwise torrid season. No, the answer currently, but the Cherries sit second in the Premier League after victory, and based on their blitzing performance against Forest, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Bournemouth in Europe next season.

And while Forest may be seen in Seville this campaign, their early Premier League form suggests they could be seen at Stoke next term.

Suggesting relegation so early on may seem knee-jerk, particularly after the positivity and warmth gained from Thursday’s trouncing of Porto and the fact Forest just never beat Bournemouth (the defeat means it’ll be over 11 years since a Forest win when the teams next meet on final day).

Yet, in appointing Sean Dyche, there was an acceptance of the alarming reality that Forest find themselves in.

At the time of his arrival following the Chelsea defeat, it was almost unfathomable to foresee the Reds picking up a clean sheet or scoring a goal, let alone picking up three points. Employing the ex-Everton and Burnley boss signified an acceptance of the fate Forest were hurtling towards — a specialist at succeeding in challenging and unenvious circumstances.

Dyche and his coaching staff weren’t just appointed because of their crisis management capabilities. In fact, a factory reset of Forest to the basics of last season, reuniting the fanbase with the club, and the fact that he wasn’t in work all seemed to be overwhelming factors of his appointment.

However, based on Forest’s league showing so far, there must be an acknowledgement that Forest are in trouble. A realist, Dyche’s acceptance is stark, revealing to BBC Radio Nottingham, “I’ve told the players they’ll be in tomorrow because there is lots of work to be done.”

The manner of defeat to Bournemouth and the way in which Forest were breezed aside presents obvious alarm bells. It felt as if Forest were using all their energy just to keep up with Bournemouth, meaning when they did regain possession, they were out of breath and unable to find their flow.

Pressing from the front, the hosts forced Forest to play one-touch football, something which may suit the likes of Douglas Luiz and Elliot Anderson, but as a collective and on the Vitality Stadium’s compact pitch, it was too great a challenge.

A paramount difference from this season to last is their goalkeeper, Matz Sels a shadow of the confident and commanding figurehead that won the Golden Glove last campaign.

Forest may contest the award of the corner that led to James Tavernier’s opener, but the way Sels failed to deal with what should have been a routine save displays a keeper shot of confidence, and wasn’t the first blunder he’s made this season.

Critics may also point at him for the second goal too, but his confidence, or lack of it, is shown by the little things.

There was an instance in the second half when a long ball went hurtling over Murillo’s head, and the Brazilian was expecting Sels to mop up, with little pressure from Antoine Semenyo. Yet instead, Sels stayed in his six-yard box — much to the Brazilians disbelief — meaning Murillo had to take control, facing his own goal, and clear his lines when the Belgian could so easily have gathered.

Sels isn’t entirely to blame for Forest’s recent shortcomings at all, but his lack of performance is a metaphor for the whole team, in a world between tactics, ideologies and structure.

We may only be a quarter into the season, but Forest sit five points behind Burnley, six behind Leeds United and 12 behind Sunderland. The promoted trio, of which all three have been relegated without much of a fight the past two seasons, are streets ahead of the Reds in terms of points, structure and confidence.

It’s also concerning when you look around and see the teams Forest currently sit with. They are a point above West Ham and three ahead of Wolves, two teams in turmoil and staring a gruelling relegation battle square in the face.

Even if they win their next two, the highest Forest could realistically be is 16th given their already frightful goal difference, provided Burnley and Fulham don’t pick up a point in that period too.

Parallels to Tottenham Hotspur’s season last year may ring ironically true, given the (albeit minimal) contribution from Ange Postecoglou. Europe presents excitement and genuine belief, uncharted waters being explored and Forest, buoyed by confidence following Porto, with favourable fixtures to come and a genuine prospect of qualification.

However, the Premier League bestows a genuine resentment and fear. Forest haven’t looked competitive in most games they’ve recently played, are conceding set-piece goals for fun and have been leading for just 103 league minutes this season.

They haven’t led a league match since Burnley away on the 20th September. In fact, they haven’t scored a league goal since the second minute of that game.

Nine games in is no time to jump to irrational or concrete conclusions. But it won’t be long until the league starts to take genuine shape and that teams begin to get cut adrift.

Relegation is something Nottingham Forest cannot afford, a relegation battle being something that many thought was well behind them after a summer of hope and optimism. Starting from training tomorrow, the Reds must find a path to move forward on and elevate themselves out of a relegation fight that they are, for now at least, undoubtedly a part of.

Follow @georgedwards05