Nottingham Forest don’t deserve a lap of honour at the end of the Championship season, according to club legend Kenny Burns.
That was the message from the former two-time European Cup winner when he spoke to the Nottingham Post earlier this week.
The Reds would’ve hoped to still be in the mix for a play-off spot at this stage of the season. However, their failure to find any sort of consistency has cost them.
Although things haven’t gone to plan under Martin O’Neill, there are still positives to take from this season. It’s the first season in a few years where the Reds haven’t had any fears of relegation. That’s one step in the right direction.
There’s no doubt that there is still a lingering feeling of disappointment. The mood around the club was as good as it’s been for years at the start of the season. But it just hasn’t delivered as much as it could’ve done for numerous reasons.
Improvement
Although there has been improvement, Evangelos Marinakis did make a significant investment into the squad in the summer. He would’ve expected a much stronger challenge for promotion to the Premier League.
It’s fair to say that the majority of supporters do feel that the squad has underachieved to some extent this season. But Burns believes that the squad simply isn’t good enough and requires a significant overhaul in the summer.
He told the Nottingham Post: “A lot of players in that squad should be having a look at themselves over the summer, because they should be doing better.
“I don’t think this squad is good enough, and I’ve said that many times this season.
“What I really hope doesn’t happen on Sunday is that our players do one of those walks around the pitch after the last game.
“I understand they’ll want to thank the fans and show their appreciation, but it’s like a lap of honour. Can the players say they’ve done enough to deserve that? I don’t think they have.”
The Reds have the opportunity to win their third game in a row at the weekend. The recent wins against Middlesbrough and Queens Park Rangers saw the Reds secure back-to-back wins for only the second time this season.
O’Neill has a big job on his hands in the summer to determine what the squad requires. Two or three quality additions in the right areas might be enough.
For the meantime though, he’ll be focused on preparing his side so that they have the best possible chance of ending the season on a high.
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