Nottingham Forest can move top of the Championship on Friday night if they are able to beat Stoke City at the bet365 Stadium.
Admittedly, it may be for less than 24 hours, but it’s a sign of the start to the season they’ve made under the management of Sabri Lamouchi. They haven’t lost in the league since the opening day of the season against West Bromwich Albion.
Club legend Garry Birtles has recently spoken in the Nottingham Post about his main concern for the Reds moving forward. He doesn’t believe that they are creating enough chances under Lamouchi. The Reds have only managed two shots on target in their last two games.
The two-time European Cup winner said: “Chances being created is something of a wider concern – I don’t just mean at Arsenal as that was never an easy mission against good players on their own patch.
“Barnsley were much the better side at the City Ground on Saturday, and without doubt, deserved to get something.
“I should add my praise to the Reds because that was most certainly a game they would not have won previously, so that does bode well.”
It’s easy to see why a lot of supporters believe that Birtles is being negative. The Reds have made a promising start to the season, and it’s easy to forget that Lamouchi is only a few months into the job.
There’s no doubt that it was always going to be difficult to compete against Arsenal after making six changes. The Reds weren’t at their best against Barnsley, but they found a way to win, which is something they haven’t been able to do in previous years.
‘Surely it’s pretty obvious’
Ahead of the game against Stoke on Friday, there’s certainly plenty to be positive about.
There’s no doubt that these comments have sparked a huge debate on social media, with the large majority of supporters disagreeing with the 63-year-old. Seat Pitch have rounded up exactly what Reds supporters are saying.
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