Nottingham Forest yet again were blunt in attack and heartless in defence as they lost their first-leg Europa League tie with Midtjylland 1-0 — a performance that proved why many supporters were hesitant to purchase overpriced tickets, in a week their voices were finally heard. George Edwards was at the match
The swirling torrent of rain that engulfed the City Ground midway through the second half against Midtjylland felt symbolic of the gloom that has submerged this season, as did the manner in which they lost the game with 10 minutes to play.
Just the 22 shots — 6 on target — an xG of 1.71 and no cigar. Sound familiar?
Across their last three home games, Nottingham Forest have had 88 shots on goal but have only scored once — Callum Hudson-Odoi’s goal to secure Forest’s place in the knockout stage of the Europa League.
That pattern has come to define their season.
Since 6 January, Forest have only taken the lead four times in 14 matches, despite scoring 18 and only conceding 15 – figures that suggest relative balance. But those goals have come in clusters: four against Ferencvaros, three at Wrexham and two against Manchester City and Brentford.
In five other games, including last night, they failed to score entirely, only keeping the opposition out in one of them.
Against Midtjylland, the Reds were on top throughout. They were defensively stout, a back five protected by Elliot Anderson and Nicolas Dominguez in seeming control, dominating possession and barraging their Danish opponents’ goal.
However, many of their efforts were tame or out of frustration. ‘The Wolves’ goalkeeper Elias Olafsson was forced into just five saves, only two of them meaningful, as Forest’s bluntness in the box continued.
Sean Dyche was dismissed after his side failed to score from 35 attempts against Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Reds scored just once in five Premier League games under Ange Postecoglou.
In his sixth game in the dugout, Vitor Pereira has been left hamstrung for attacking threat, a grapple that proved fatal for his two predecessors.
He fielded Forest’s record signing in Omari Hutchinson. Playmakers who have become established during their years on Trentside in Morgan Gibbs-White and Hudson-Odoi. The Europa League’s top goal scorer in Igor Jesus.
Yet despite Pereira allowing attacking positional freedom, Forest’s firepower drew yet another blank.
When it was evident that combination wouldn’t find the back of the net, the only option Pereira could turn to was Lorenzo Lucca, who somehow looks anonymous every time he takes to the field, despite standing at six foot seven.
And the way in which they conceded the winning goal expressed exactly why many supporters feel completely disassociated with their team at the minute.
Somehow, a floated ball in from the right side, which should be bread and butter for any full back – let alone one with the experience of Ola Aina, ended up with Midtjylland substitute Gue-Sung Cho planting a header, unchallenged, past Matz Sels.
The match-defining moment, defined by either Aina’s unawareness of surroundings or an unwillingness to fight for the ball. And given the Nigerian was grappling with the Korean as the ball came over, the evidence points towards the latter.
It’s not the first time we’ve seen this from Aina.
In the dying moments against Manchester City, Murillo heroically saved Forest’s point, clearing off the line as Sels went awol. Sels, like his teammates, was rushing towards the ball to try and get in the way and preserve the draw.
Like his teammates except Aina, sprawled on the floor for over five seconds after it was his mistake that led to City regaining possession in a dangerous area, while Erling Haaland stood wide open just two yards in front of him.
Aina is not alone, but that lack of heart, that was so evident while Forest were on the rise last season, is why so many feel disconnected, and why the club is drifting out of Europe and the Premier League fast.
Seeing ticket prices of up to £70 for this fixture was a kick in the teeth for the loyalty many of the City Ground faithful had showed all season, turning up again and again despite the turgid displays that have been on repeat; no home PL win since mid-December and just one in the Europa League since.
The initial pricing was a step too far, a feeling of being taken for granted shown en masse, as large portions of the ground remained unsold on Monday, despite the club’s various PR stunts to encourage purchasing.
But the fans wouldn’t be fooled, not even by the £10 reduction Forest initially touted, many anticipating seeing exactly what unfolded last night and simply unwilling to burn the bank.
Unless they wanted a half-empty stadium broadcast worldwide, Forest had to act further and did, reducing prices to a maximum of £40 and announcing a freeze in season card prices for the 2026/27 season – for the first time since promotion – on the same day.
You can’t buy loyalty, and loyal fans are priceless. It was many of them that stuck with Forest through the dark days of Gary Megson, League One and Chris Hughton, with the faint hope that historic nights like these would return, someday, somehow.
Yet there is a ceiling to everything, and in an age where loyalty continues to be overlooked for financial gain, the actions taken by those supporters to initially boycott last night’s fixture reminded the powers at the top that they aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet, they are real people who devote their time and money to following their football club.
An eventual sold-out City Ground proved that through thick and thin, the ‘Rebel City’ will back its team till death do them part.
But what they got in return proves exactly why many were unwilling to splash out for what was the opposite of luxury viewing, and gave no indication that this torrid season is close to being turned around.
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