Former Nottingham Forest manager Steve McClaren has suggested that the Reds have become something of a one-trick pony in 2019-20.
He’s not wrong, they have.
It’s a hell of a trick though and many Championship rivals have yet to find an answer to it.
Which suggests that Sabri Lamouchi will keep breaking it out.
Why wouldn’t he?
To sit fourth with 11 games to go means that you are doing something right.
A formula has been found which allows positive results to be collected on a regular basis.
That is all that matters.
Not how much of the ball you see, how many shots you fire in or how attractive you are on the eye.
Points on the board are the be all and end all.
Plans
Original Image: Nottingham Forest/Graphic Design: Beth Davenport
Forest have 59 and remain within sight of the automatic promotion spots.
If Plan A works just fine, then there is no need for B, C and D.
Lamouchi proved as much again in the 1-0 victory over Cardiff, with a counter-attacking approach delivering another notable win on the road.
The Reds were not free-flowing in South Wales, but they didn’t need to be.
McClaren told Sky Sports News in the aftermath of a showing against the Bluebirds: “That worries me a bit little bit because that’s kind of all Forest are.
“I think they are more than that, they can play more football. The likes of West Brom, Leeds can do both.
“They can keep possession, but also cannot keep possession, defend and also in transition.
“They have got everything, but Forest are a bit one way to win, and they are doing it very well, they are getting results.”
Give with one hand and take away with the other.
Recognition
McClaren acknowledges that Forest are “getting results”, but considers them to sit in the shadow of Leeds and West Brom.
His is an opinion that has been shared by a number of pundits across the current campaign.
The Reds have received little recognition for their efforts outside of NG2.
They are not media darlings and continue to upset the apple cart by daring to succeed with a philosophy that many refuse to embrace.
That is their loss.
Nobody at the City Ground is going to lose any sleep over the opinion of others.
Success and stability has been craved for so long that it no longer matters how the end goal is reached.
It is not as though Lamouchi’s side are in some way cheating their way towards a potential top-six finish either.
They have merely found a way of getting the job done.
If that is so obvious, and cause for supposed concern, then why haven’t they been found out?