Nottingham Forest comfortably despatched Ipswich Town on Saturday extending their unbeaten stretch in the Championship to seven games.
The Reds are starting to look like genuine promotion contenders with a devastating brand of forward-thinking football.
Boss Aitor Karanka has drawn criticism from a minority of supporters previously, with some cynics citing the negativity of his style.
The Spaniard has now started to blow such a theory out of the Trent; with his team showcasing a clinical edge in the final third.
In previous years Forest have been soft. Teams often rolled The Reds over, tucked them in and kissed them goodnight – three points, thank you very much!
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Times are thankfully changing for the better.
Karanka has made Forest tougher to beat; although that hasn’t come at the expense of scoring goals.
The Reds’ second goal against Ipswich made a mockery of a common delusion around some parts of the City Ground; that playing the ball back makes you negative and ineffective.
Playing away from the goal you are attacking is sometimes a necessity. Watch the top European sides who regularly come up against ultra-defensive teams and you will see that they retreat back frequently.
Some of the more ‘old-fashioned’ supporters will have been up in arms, as Forest stroked the ball around nonchalantly last weekend.
Given how well The Reds picked off their opponents for their second goal, those of the persuasion that every ball needs lumping forwards were made to look very foolish.
These changing times are proving a joy to behold on Trentside; although supporters must remain patient as Karanka tweaks a winning formula.
Good ball retention is a mandatory attribute for any successful side, playing in any league, anywhere in the world and Forest are no exception.