Former Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Mark Crossley has called upon the Reds to show their mettle ahead of the campaign curtain-raiser against Barnsley in the Carabao Cup on Saturday.
The Reds travel to South Yorkshire to take on the Tykes with Sabri Lamouchi embarking on his second season in charge of the club.
Crossley was a real hero during a playing career that saw him start out by playing nearly 400 times for Forest in all competitions.
He spoke exclusively to Nottingham Forest News on Saturday’s game, Sabri Lamouchi and the approach he should take ahead of the weekend.
Last season’s disappointment left the former goalkeeper gutted and he says Forest need to use the disappointment as their motivation.
He told Nottingham Forest News: “They’ll hopefully come back refreshed following a short break and it’s up to the players to show a strong mentality.
“I was gutted for them last season but if you take your eye off the ball it can kick you where it hurts.
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“There’s no point in dwelling on the past otherwise it won’t happen again this season.”
Forest’s campaign gets underway at Oakwell at the weekend, with the off-season break somewhat shorter this time around.
Crossley hopes that the quick turnaround from last season can benefit Forest going into the 2020/21 campaign.
He continued: “It should help the players for sure. I’d want my team to have the character to want to get straight back out there after the disappointment.
“The setback should drive the team on to do better this season, especially for the players who were part of the squad last time around.”
Forest have placed their faith in Lamouchi despite him failing to reach the play-offs during 2019/20 – a move which Crossley has thrown his full backing behind.
On the Frenchman, he said: “I’m really pleased he’s staying. I hate to see managers getting sacked all the time.
“Halfway through the season supporters were calling him the best thing since sliced bread. I really don’t think good managers become bad ones overnight.”
Tricky opener
Forest’s game with Barnsley in the Carabao Cup provides Lamouchi with another chance to decide on his best team ahead of the league opener the following week.
Crossley doesn’t agree with the notion of it being a glorified friendly as some supporters have called it, adding that Forest should take it seriously.
He said: “I think Forest will want to get off to a good start, to be honest.
“When I was playing at the club under Brian Clough he would always pick his best team and I’ve never been a fan of this chopping and changing.
“Forest could really do with getting off to a flyer and, of course, a cup run is always nice.”
The Reds reached the third round of the Carabao Cup last season. Lamouchi oversaw wins over Fleetwood and Derby before losing 5-0 to a rampant Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
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