It’s probably something that every Forest fan would rather have forgotten about and moved on from by now, but talk about that capitulation against Stoke just refuses to go away.
The 4-1 defeat to the Potters ultimately cost Forest what had seemed even at kickoff in that game a relatively secure place in the play-off places this season, but that defeat means that we are already facing up to the prospect of another season in the Championship.
Now, the latest to have his say on that infamous night that is still less than a week ago, is Chris Kamara.
The former midfielder was covering the game for Sky Sports, and it seems he has some explanation for just why things played out the way they did, as he told The EFL’s YouTube channel: “When I was designated the Forest game the producer said to me: ‘Do you think there’s still something in this?’ and told him no, I could not see Forest conceding four goals.
“Forest are not a side to ship goals like that, but once again it was the nerves, their confidence.”
Explaining why it may have been the case that things played out like that, Kamara went on to add: “I think the players could sniff the Premier League and then, all of a sudden, their nerves start to jangle and the positive football you once played is no longer being played, that’s what happened to them.
“I was there to see if visibly on the night and it was really strange. Their confidence was nowhere to be seen. Forest players were doing things that they would never have done and they blew it.”
Do you agree with Kamara's observations here?Yes
No
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This has to be a concern for Forest going forward you feel.
The fact that nerves are appearing to set in even when there is only a – seemingly fairly secure – play-off place up for grabs, does not bode well for any future promotion battles the club might find themselves in.
That therefore, is an issue that Lamouchi and co. will surely have to address at The City Ground, but having already lost out once here in such extreme circumstances, it is hard to see Forest going into any games with similarly high stakes, with too much confidence in the near future.
