The sheer look of delight on the face of Nottingham Forest striker Lewis Grabban was there for all to see on Saturday.
It was the £6 million man that netted the Reds’ second-half equaliser at Elland Road and the size of the grin was telling.
Being honest here, some of the stuff written and said about the Forest talisman of late has been nothing short of nonsense.
Only last week Kenny Burns was calling for the 31-year-old to be sold and replaced by Dwight Gayle. A penny for Burns’ thoughts this week.
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Some supporters have demanded a ‘proven goalscorer’ is added to the ranks. Apparently, 37 goals in two seasons doesn’t consider you to be proven these days.
A lot is made of Grabban’s supposed laid-back attitude. Some feel that it means he doesn’t care. Essentially, because he doesn’t have a constant smile on his face, it shows that he lacks desire.
Other supporters feel his style of play makes him lazy. Basically, it seems as though some people would rather see Grabban doing four laps of a football pitch, laughing in hysterics, over him scoring goals.
Of course, we come back to the ultimate mantle of putting the ball into the back of the net.
Grabban bulged the net on 17 occasions last season. More than Britt Assombalonga ever managed in one season for the Reds – just for the record.
I spoke with a local non-league football manager on Saturday regarding the role of a striker in a 4-2-3-1 system.
He offered a pretty simple response. A striker in such a system is paid to work in the box. Put yourself in a position to get on the end of crosses and receive through balls from the number 10.
(Photo by Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
On Saturday, Grabban worked tirelessly, particularly in the second half. The notion that he is lazy, disinterested and doesn’t really care is utter garbage as far as I’m concerned.
His hold up play is actually pretty good and he has proved during his time at the City Ground that he knows where the net is.
The ex-Bournemouth man is not different from other strikers in the sense that he simply thrives on confidence. Hitting the goal trail will undoubtedly give him that in bucket loads and it will enhance Forest’s chances of a good season.
Whilst Grabban shouldn’t be immune to criticism, he is arguably our most important player right now. An injury to him would have a serious detriment on Forest’s aspirations this season.
(Photo by Jon Hobley/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The time for the talk about him not smiling or being swapped for a ‘proven goalscorer’ needs to stop.
Forest have a proven hitman and he deserves a little bit more appreciation than he is receiving from certain parts right now.