The Vital Forest Fan Interview: Quentin Seik

Q – How long have you been following Forest and what was your first game?

Since 1985 when I was taken to my first game – a 2-0 win over Chelsea at the City Ground – by my step-dad. They’ve been an obsession ever since.

Q – What are your most memorable moments as a Forest fan? Good and Bad.

Best moment – Psycho scoring THAT free-kick in the Cup Final. Roy Keane’s bullet header in the semi-final the same year runs it a close second.

Worst moment – There are so many I feel only a top 3 would do it justice:
3 – Drunkenly celebrating wildly in a Bristol pub at 180mins of the Play-off semi-final with Sheffield Utd, thinking that we’d gone through on away goals only to be tapped on the shoulder by the barman, informing me that Extra-time had kicked off.
2 – Des Walker’s own goal in the 1991 Cup Final. Definitely not the worst of times as a Forest fan but try telling the 10 year old me that at the time.
1 – Finding out we had lost to Yeovil in the 2007 play-off semi-final gone out to a friends birthday dinner thinking it was all wrapped up.

Q – Since you have been following Forest, what would your best starting eleven be? And who is your all time favourite player?

GK- Lee Camp
RB- Chris Gunter
CB- Des Walker
CB- Michael Dawson
LB- Stuart Pearce
RM- Steve Stone
CM- Roy Keane
CM- Neil Webb
LM- Ian Woan
S- Stan Collymore
S- Teddy Sheringham.

Manager – There is only one – BC.

Favourite Player – Stuart Pearce. My idol as a kid to the extent that I taught myself to play left-footed so I could be like him!

Q – In your opinion, what is the best goal you have seen Forest score?

The aforementioned Psycho freekick and Majewski’s cracker against West Brom.

Q – Best and worst away ground visited?

Best – The Olympic Stadium in Munich, and I’ve always had a soft spot for Highbury.
Worst – Stamford Bridge for the rubbish beer and frankly appalling lack of atmosphere, although the noise 3,000 Forest Fans made throughout a 3-0 shellacking brought a lump to my throat.

Q- Which player(s) would you like to see us sign this summer (realistically)?

The word ‘realistically’ is a huge caveat. Guedioura would be a good start to stabilise the squad. Clearing out the chaff on big wages might be as important as signing new players.

Q – All seater stadia. Good thing, or a bad thing?

From a personal point of view it feels utterly unnatural watching football sitting down, even in front of the TV. I’d love to see at least one stand in each stadium cater for those who want the terraces back. My friend Martin a fellow lifelong Forest fan has written an excellent book on the subject: http://cutpasteandtrace.bigcartel.com/product/from-football-grounds-to-soccer-stadiums.

Q – What are your thoughts on how Forest did last season and how did it compare to your expectations?

The darkest season since Cloughie left. Very little good to say about anything on the pitch but events of it made them pale into insignificance. Whatever your thoughts on Nigel Doughty his heart was in the club. The reaction of fans to his death reminded me of what it really means to be a Tricky Tree. That, and with the subsequent relegation has left me feeling strangely positive about the clubs resilience and the future.

Q – What are your expectations for next season in the Championship/Where will we finish?

I’m praying for a season of stability and a solid mid-table finish. Much depends on how the summer pans out but even if we get new owners and strengthen then I cant see us reaching higher than somewhere between 10th and 16th. If we continue to lose players at the rate we’re going then relegation looks almost inevitable.

Q- With the introduction of Financial Fair Play coming soon, do you think NFFC should spend their way to promotion, or adopt a more frugal approach in trying to achieve it?

There’s no easy answer to this. Leicester City proved last season that spending in the Championship doesn’t necessarily buy success or even progress. That said I’m really concerned that FFP will create a huge divide between the clubs relegated out of the Prem and the rest (the same thing will happen with the Champions League clubs and everyone else). Barcelona / Swansea and at the opposite end of the spectrum Stoke, have shown that with a strong philosophy a club can achieve success against financial disparity. We need to do everything we can to foster Forest’s philosophy to build for the long-term – and I think we all know what playing style that involves!

Q – Name a former Forest player you were most disappointed to see sign for another club?

Roy Keane.

Q – What’s your opinion on Steve Cotterill and will he bring success to the club?

He is in a difficult position and I cant fault his effort but I haven’t seen anything from him that suggests he can bring us success even with a generous new owner funding him. When the Wally with the Brolly left my first choice was Sean O’Driscoll and nothing’s that’s happened since then has changed my mind.

Q – New stadium, or renovate the City Ground?

The City Ground is in a great location in the heart of the city, unlike a lot of modern stadia. A well thought out renovation that maximises the potential on the site of main stand would be my favoured option and if they need an Architect then I’m keen to give it a crack!

Q – If you could give one piece of advice to the eventual new owners of NFFC, what would it be?

Dig deep and get us back up to the Prem! More seriously we need to have a systematic approach to blooding the youngsters that we bring through so that we can get some value from the Youth Academy and if we do go on to sell them its for reasonable money. Similarly the vital core of the senior squad needs to be identified and given contracts that mean they don’t leave for nothing.

Q – Where do you sit/stand at the City Ground?

Not being a season ticket holder I’ve sat pretty in pretty much every stand and block of the City Ground over the years. Having moved to Australia over the course of the last season I generally watch the game now on my laptop whilst being bombarded by bizarre Thai adverts!

Q – Name the celebrity you would most like to meet.

Charlize Theron.

Many thanks to Quentin for taking the time out to answer the questions. If you would like to take part in the Vital Forest Fan Interviews, then you can find a copy of the questions here. Just email your answers to forest@vitalfootball.co.uk and we will publish them on the front page.