Nottingham Forest

Pat Riddell
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest's biggest game in Europe for 30 years. A night under the lights at the World Famous City Ground. And everybody's talking about… ticket prices.

A place in the quarter-final of the Europa League awaits the winner of Nottingham Forest versus Midtjylland. And while Thursday's first leg on the banks of the River Trent could've seen one of the smallest crowds of the season, the club finally saw sense.

Adult tickets — anyone over the age of 18 that is, no youth reductions here — were originally priced between £50 and £70. Those same tickets are now between £25 and £40 and, fingers crossed, we will see a crowd of at least 20,000 for a game that needs supporters.

It's not been an inspiring time for the club. Tickets that were extremely hard to come by, haven't exactly in the same demand recently. In the same breath, we've wasted millions of pounds on payments to sacked managers — three at the last count — while season ticket prices have risen to levels unheard of just a few years ago.

Thankfully, rumours of above-inflation rises for next season have also been quashed. Prices will not increase and a young adult category (18-21) will be reintroduced, following consultation with supporter groups including Forza Garibaldi and the Fan Advisory Board.

Forest fan Ellie Molloson's impassioned appearance on The Overlap went viral recently, her opinions on the atmosphere at Premier League stadiums touching a nerve with many. The club, to their credit, have listened to fan concerns and acted accordingly.

Thousands of fans kept their season tickets through the Reds' years in the Championship and League One and it seems that loyalty has been respected. Relegation — which is still a serious threat —would do huge damage to that loyalty. Worse still, is the prospect of the future generation of supporters being priced out of supporting their local club.

There are times to criticise the club and there are times to praise the club for listening and reacting. It seems we are in the fortunate position of having an owner who is very clearly invested in the club's success, but very much invested in the supporters too.

At a time when Forest need all the support they can get, the only way to progress is for everyone to be pulling in the same direction.

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Nottingham Forest and Brazil defender Murillo, 23, is one of several defenders on Manchester United's shortlist of potential summer signings. (i paper), external

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The decision to reduce ticket prices for fans attending Nottingham Forest's Europa League match against FC Midtjylland is "class", says club captain Ryan Yates.

Earlier this week, BBC Sport's Nottingham Forest fan blogger - which you can read below - explained there were large spaces to be filled in the stadium and supporters were widely debating prices.

On Wednesday, Forest announced they would be reducing ticket prices, external in a bid to make The City Ground as full as possible.

Nottingham Forest take on the Danish side on Thursday night, with the winner across two legs rewarded with a spot in the Europa League quarter-finals.

"I think it's class from both the fans to raise it and from the club to listen," Yates told BBC Radio Nottingham.

"The more we can sell The City Ground out under the lights, it's only going to give us that extra boost when we need it.

"It can be difficult, a strong team – when The City Ground is rocking and it's a sell-out, it's a difficult place to play for any opponent.

"At the end of the day it is difficult times for many supporters.

"The fans will really respect that they've listened and been able to give the opportunity to some fans that haven't had the opportunity to come to The City Ground in the Premier League.

"I hope it goes down well."

Listen to Yates by hitting play above or on BBC Sounds here

Explore all Nottingham Forest audio

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira has been speaking to the media before Thursday's Europa League game against Midtjylland at The City Ground (kick-off 20:00 GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Pereira confirmed Stefan Ortega "may be a couple matches out", with Dan Ndoye also unavailable, however, Jair Cunha is fit and "will be in the match".

• On the club dropping ticket prices, external and the importance of having a full stadium: "I know as a club, we need to be ready as a club. Not only the players, but the supporters, everyone must be ready for this fight, for this big challenge. Not only in the Europa League but in the Premier League. We need to be committed. We need the support of our fans. We need to feel the energy and we need to make them proud of our work."

• He continued: "I think it was a good decision to make because it's not easy for the supporters. On Thursday night, in the rain, it may be raining, it's not easy to come. But the passion, what makes the difference is the passion that we feel inside of us."

• Asked whether there would be a point where he sacrifices the Europa League to focus on Premier League survival, he responded: "We'll see. For now, we try to be competitive in both."

• He added: "I need to try to balance, to be competitive in the next game and afterwards against Fulham. It is important for the players to be ready to help the team, we need to be ready to challenge and perform."

• Pereira also went on to praise his side's work ethic as they try to balance Europe with their relegation battle: "We have quality in the squad, they are working hard, with good energy, trying to understand the tactical demands. We will be ready."

• The Forest boss admitted Midtjylland, who they lost to in October, will "not be easy to face", particularly with their set-pieces: "We must learn with the last game against them and play with our qualities, because we have the spirit. We have our qualities, our tools, our organisation, our dynamics. Tomorrow I believe that, with our supporters, we can play in a very good level and to get a good result."

Hit play above to hear more from Pereira speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham's Colin Fray or listen on BBC Sounds here

Got a question about Forest? Get in touch here and we'll put it to our experts

Manchester United have added Nottingham Forest's Ivory Coast midfielder Ibrahim Sangare, 28, to their transfer shortlist for this summer. (CaughtOffside), external

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Nottingham Forest's hard work against Manchester City on Wednesday has put the fans on their side, says former Reds defender Brian Laws.

Forest secured a point in a 2-2 draw at Etihad Stadium and, in a season full of uncertainty over managerial appointments and Premier League survival, Laws thinks the supporters are starting to reconnect with the club.

"What all the Forest fans really want is an honest day's work from the players and consistency," Laws told BBC Radio Nottingham.

"Give your all. You can't kid the supporters - they know when you've put a shift in and when you've worked hard, and they know when you've been up for the game. And the players were up for the game, there was no question about it and the fans showed their appreciation.

"It's something the fans crave and when you don't give it, they'll let you know, and I think that's fair because it hasn't been frequent or consistent enough this year.

"But that connection with the fans is so important at this stage of the season. Particularly with where we are [in the table], we're going to need every one of them.

"As long as the players give that effort and commitment, you'll have the fans with you all the way."

Listen to more from Laws on the Shut Up And Show More Football Podcast on BBC Sounds here

Manchester City are close to completing a deal to sign Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest. (Teamtalk), external

Anderson favours a move to City over Manchester United, but Forest value the midfielder at more than £70m. (Talksport), external

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The latest episode of BBC Radio Nottingham's Shut Up And Show More Football podcast has landed on BBC Sounds.

David Jackson and Colin Fray are joined by former Forest defender Brian Laws to discuss Wednesday's 2-2 draw at Manchester City.

Listen below or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Explore all Nottingham Forest content on BBC Sounds

Tom Gayle
BBC Radio 5 live commentator

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Looking through the Nottingham Forest team-sheet at Manchester City, I posed the question to my co-commentator Rachel Corsie 'how is a squad with this much talent battling to avoid relegation?'. Now the same can be said of Tottenham and West Ham, yet as it stands, one of the three look set to go down.

To be successful, your big players need to show up. Irrespective of if you're fighting for honours and European qualification at the top of the table, or scrapping down at the bottom to preserve Premier League status.

I can say with some confidence Morgan Gibbs-White, Elliot Anderson and Murillo will be playing top-flight football next season.

I know it, the players' representatives definitely know it, and I'm sure the majority of the packed-out away end who made the trip to the North West know it.

What's most important in the here and now is they all showed up and contributed significantly to a game which many, myself included, had prematurely written off as a routine Manchester City victory.

The reels and clips will naturally gravitate towards the audacity of Gibbs-White's backheel finish, Anderson's curler past one of best goalkeepers in the world, and Murillo's block on the line with just seconds of the match remaining.

However, this was a result achieved via a collective team performance, not just the pivotal wow moments delivered by this talented trio, and we shouldn't get away from the fact this was a game Vitor Pereria's side could have actually won.

If it was in doubt beforehand, this was a display which demonstrated Nottingham Forest are capable of sticking out their chests and going toe to toe with the best the Premier League has to offer.

Doing this consistently is going to be a big ask, yet for anyone questioning a desire to 'play for the shirt', look no further than the sight last night of Nikola Milenkovic taking a powerful Manchester City strike from close range, flush into this face, which he quickly shrugged off like the Terminator would, before demanding the back-line push up to try and catch the opposition offside.

We asked for your thoughts after Wednesday's Premier League game between Manchester City and Nottingham Forest.

Here are some of your comments:

City fans

Kevin: Same old same old. Switch off for the first 15 minutes of the second half, let the opponent back in the game then hope that substitutes on the hour will change things. No Marmoush when a goal is needed and none of the Nicos to shore up a woeful defence and midfield.

Dixon: As a City fan, totally disappointed at their performance, not least Foden who is the main culprit for Anderson's goal as he was the only City player closer to Anderson before the latter shot and scored. Foden didn't seem care if Anderson scored or not since he didn't attempt to tackle Anderson before the shot. City should sell him at the end of the season. I hope he won't be picked for the World Cup since he doesn't deserve a place in England team.

Martin: City looked disorganised & were too "narrow". They could not breakdown a packed Forest defence & lost the ball too easily.Forest started well but City dominated the majority of the game but reverted to sideways passing etc. same old,same old. Credit to Forest who matured during the game. Are City playing better away from home? Not good enough if they want to pressure Arsenal.

David: This current City team is a shadow of the ones of the last 10 years. Pep has run his course time for a change of manger and coaching staff for next season.

Rodrique: Disappointing end of a game which we should have seen out easily against a team who struggles to score goals. Title race not done yet because twists and turns could happen and they would. Let's pray for Arsenal to stumble and for City to win their remaining games.

Forest fans

Fosi: Great to see the fight back and the commitment, massive point! We need to cut out the mistakes and move the ball faster ! Expected to lose the game, well fought lads!

Luke: An excellent point and another performance that makes you wonder how we are where we are. Unfortunately this season, for every night like tonight there's been a night like Braga. We need to play this this for each of the remaining 9 games, and if we do we've got a chance.

Ken: The spirit shown in the second half must be carried into the remaining league games. If we do that, we should survive. Well played lads.

Sean: The team really had to put a shift in and they did. Fantastic effort and game plan from start to finish, there were even a couple of moments we could have snuck away with more. Really need to keep putting this kind of effort in now to stay up.

Ted: Manchester City didn't stumble, Forest were amazing. Awesome performance away from home. The fight was brilliant. We will stay up.

Pundits Micah Richards and Danny Murphy join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from the midweek Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds

Shamoon Hafez
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nottingham Forest were the ones celebrating a point at the end of a frantic second half, but could well have taken home all three as the clocked ticked into added time.

Elliot Anderson, who has been linked with a move to Manchester City in the summer transfer window, swung in a corner which was met by Ryan Yates at the near post, but the substitute thumped his header the wrong side of the post.

Forest needed to get something out of the game with West Ham beating Fulham and Anderson's equaliser ensured they did not drop into the bottom three but are now perilously close to it.

Despite the unlikely point, Forest remain winless in their last six league games, while ex-Wolves boss Pereira is yet to taste victory as a top-flight manager in 13 attempts this season.

Vitor Pereira spoke to TNT Sports after Nottingham Forest's draw against Manchester City: "It is not easy to play here against City, with one day less to recover. In the end we played a good game, first half more defending, but we created two big chances to score. After their goal we started to understand the spaces they concede to us, and we scored good goal.

"It was a pity the corner [City's second goal] because we knew they would try the far post. But overall I am happy with the speed, the performance, and it is very positive to see our future together.

On his confidence of avoiding relegation: "I am very positive, I believe a lot in the quality of the players. I believe with a little bit of time, I hope next week, we can increase our level. They have quality, we are organised, and I believe with this spirit we have the conditions to get points everywhere.

"[I have had only] two training sessions with the team, because the other ones were to recover the team, not to work [on new ideas]."

On City's penalty appeals: "It's normal in football. They want to win, to push the referee, this is normal. In my opinion this is not a game we can complain about the referee."

Elliot Anderson spoke to TNT Sports: "It was massive, obviously we've had a poor run, we knew coming here we would have to fight and work hard because they are a top side. We dug out a point, we are really happy.

"It keeps us pushing, we've got such a team spirit. I couldn't fault the effort of the lads, I thought we fought really hard today."

On Morgan Gibbs-White's backheel goal: "It was a great finish and got the belief going for the team.

"We've got a few days off after a lot of games. Then we will be back on the pitch working top pick up more points in this battle."

Hear more from Pereira on BBC Sounds and listen to Anderson speaking to BBC Radio Nottingham by pressing play below or heading to BBC Sounds

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Manchester City's performance

What did you make of Nottingham Forest's display?

Come back on Thursday for a selection of your replies

Manchester City make two changes to the side that edged past Leeds United on Saturday and there is a significant return to the starting XI.

Star striker Erling Haaland has recovered from the knock that kept him out of the trip to Elland Road, replacing Omar Marmoush who drops to the bench.

Nico O'Reilly suffered an ankle issue against Leeds and it appears he has not recovered in time for this game, being replaced by Phil Foden.

Man City XI: Donnarumma, Nunes, Dias, Guehi, Ait-Nouri, Rodri, Silva, Foden, Semenyo, Cherki, Haaland.

Nottingham Forest also make two changes following their defeat by Brighton last time out.

Nico Dominguez and Jair Cunha come in for Vitor Pereira's side, replacing Omari Hutchinson and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

Nottingham Forest XI: Sels, Aina, Milenkovic, Murillo, Cunha, Williams, Sangare, Anderson, Dominguez, Gibbs-White, Jesus.

There are five games in the Premier League on Wednesday and BBC Sport will bring you every moment.

• Aston Villa v Chelsea - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 2

• Brighton v Arsenal - BBC Radio 5 Live

• Fulham v West Ham

• Manchester City v Nottingham Forest -BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

• Newcastle v Manchester United (20:15) - BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra 3

Kick-off times 19:30 GMT unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

You can also listen to today's 5 Live Premier League commentaries on most smart speakers. Just say "ask BBC Sounds to play Brighton v Arsenal" or "ask BBC Sounds to play Newcastle v Man Utd", for instance.

Find out more about how to listen to Premier League football on BBC Sounds

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester City go in search of a seventh consecutive win in all competitions, hosting relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest. BBC Sport examines some of the key themes before Wednesday's match (19:30 GMT).

Semenyo shining for City

No Erling Haaland, no problem. Manchester City were without their top scorer for the visit to Leeds – the city where the Norwegian was born – but nonetheless recorded another important victory to keep the pressure on leaders Arsenal.

Perhaps it should be no surprise. City have won 14 of the 18 top-flight fixtures Haaland has missed since arriving in 2022, losing only twice.

Manager Pep Guardiola hailed the result as a "huge victory", praising his team's "incredible focus" after surviving sustained late pressure at Elland Road. Grinding out victories has become something of a hallmark for this current City side, who have won three of their past four league games by a single-goal margin.

While defender Marc Guehi played a crucial role in City hanging on to their lead on Saturday, it was fellow January signing Antoine Semenyo who was the match-winner. The Ghana international has scored six times in 11 league and cup appearances since joining from Bournemouth for an initial £62.5m, helping to relieve the goalscoring burden on Haaland.

Overall, he has been directly involved in 18 Premier League goals this season, scoring 14 and assisting four more. Only three players had higher figures prior to the latest round of fixtures.

Can Igor Jesus find his scoring touch in the Premier League?

Nottingham Forest have lost their three Premier League matches at the Etihad Stadium by an aggregate score of 11-0 and new boss Vitor Pereira believes his struggling team must "approach this game with intelligence", stressing they need to recognise "when it's not the time to press".

Pereira's cautious approach may be understandable given he has not celebrated a Premier League win since last April, when his Wolves side defeated Leicester 3-0. But if Forest are to stay up, more cutting edge will be needed. Their tally of 26 goals this season is the second lowest in the top flight, with only Wolves having netted fewer.

Chris Wood led the line effectively last term, hitting 20 Premier League goals, but has not played since October because of a knee injury. Forest have therefore turned to Igor Jesus, who joined from Botafogo last summer for £10m. While the 25-year-old is his side's top scorer this season he has struggled to make an impact when it matters most.

Ten of his 12 goals have come in cup competitions, where he has demonstrated elite finishing, scoring with 35.7% of his shots and outperforming his expected goals figure by more than four.

But it has been a very different story in the Premier League. While he has attempted 50 shots, only 10 have been on target and just two have resulted in goals – a paltry shot conversion rate of 4%.

Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira was brought in to keep them up but he has a 0% winning ratio in the Premier League this season after 10 games in charge of Wolves and now two defeats with Forest.

It's hard to see that changing at Etihad Stadium - City are going to win comfortably, whether or not Erling Haaland is back from injury to lead their attack.

Pereira was moaning about the way Forest pressed in their defeat by Brighton at the weekend, but if you keep bringing in different managers and changing the way you play, then it is going to end up biting you on the backside.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Pat Riddell
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

The inquest has already begun. The search for answers has been under way for a while now. But the season still goes on. And the blame game for Nottingham Forest's slow demise will be far reaching – and probably inconclusive.

Sunday's loss to Brighton & Hove Albion was largely down to defensive mistakes. Despite playing as we did, a point was still achievable.

But it was the same as the previous Sunday against Liverpool. Do those errors happen if the same players didn't have to grind out a result against Fenerbahce on Thursday? Some questions never have answers.

Perhaps last season was a complete freak. A season where the stars aligned and while other clubs were off form, we had a mean defence and the ability to score from limited chances.

But that's probably being generous to the cacophony of mistakes made this season. To spend £200m in one summer and only have one or two regular performers is a disaster. Many of them may still come good, but we didn't need signings for the future; we needed signings to play in the league and three cups in the present.

It is, of course, easy to point the finger at Edu. The global head of football arrived last July and everything's gone wrong since.

The signings, the falling out with Nuno Espirito Santo and what followed… but that's conjecture. Surely he alone is not responsible for everything that's happened?

Who sacked Nuno, appointed Ange Postecoglou, sacked Postecoglou, appointed Sean Dyche, sacked Dyche and then appointed Vitor Pereira?

Evangelos Marinakis might be a man of strong will but, again, surely he alone is not responsible for all of those decisions?

The players on the pitch often bear the brunt of failure - whether it's booing, online criticism or just being dropped from the team sheet. But you have to have some sympathy for coping with the turmoil around them. Changing managers, changing training, changing tactics…

It's a mess, and largely one of our own making. But what are the answers?

Well, sign a top-class striker last summer and don't sack Nuno are the two obvious ones. But it's too late for that.

Now we simply have to be better than the two clubs either side of us in the table — West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur. Either way, the inquest will continue.

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The Observer's Rory Smith believes Nottingham Forest are underachieving this season with the players they have and actually have a better squad than West Ham and Tottenham.

"Make do and mend," to pull them away from the relegation scrap should be Vitor Pereira's attitude, Smith said on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.

Watch the full episode on BBC iPlayer and listen on BBC Sounds

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Nottingham Forest boss Vitor Pereira doesn't know whether Nicolo Savona will be able to play again this season.

The defender, who joined from Juventus last year, has made 20 appearances in his debut season for the club.

However, the 22-year-old has been absent for over a month with a knee injury.

"I really don't know [if he'll play again this season]," Pereira said at his news conference before their game at Manchester City on Wednesday.

"After the surgery, they will say something and will inform us, but it is difficult."