With Champions League qualification on the line, Nottingham Forest can afford no unwanted distractions as they head into the closing set of Premier League fixtures.
Unfortunately, Nuno Espirito Santo has already had to deal with fixture chaos recently, with the FA Cup fourth-round tie against Exeter played on a Tuesday rather than a weekend.
Chris Sutton deemed the Exeter fixture date unfair and it potentially impacted the following weekend’s Premier League fixture as Forest laboured to a 2-1 defeat to Fulham.
Having travelled down to Exeter for the Tuesday game, the mileage would’ve piled up for the Forest squad that week as the trip to London is lengthy enough, leaving next to no time to train at Wilford Lane in the meantime.
The Forest manager won’t be one to start making excuses, but trips like these can cause extra fatigue for his players, with the loyal Reds fans also forced to reschedule their lives around costly away trips, which makes their anger at the latest Premier League TV selection news understandable.
Nottingham Forest fans angry at rescheduled trip to Tottenham
Espirito Santo hailed the City Ground atmosphere against Tottenham in the reverse fixture, but he may not have the energy from his fans to rely upon in April when Forest travel to North London.
The Forest website confirmed that the away trip to Spurs will take place on Monday, the 21st of April, with kick-off scheduled for 8 pm. The time alone is a problem for most fans, but with it being the Easter Monday bank holiday on top of it all, fans took to social media to voice their anger.
One fan said: “Spurs away on a Monday night is a rubbish decision!” Another added: Spurs 8 pm on a Monday night. What a mess.”
Another fan sarcastically said: “Cheers, Spurs away on a Monday night,” while another asked: “Don’t they take the fans into consideration?”
One fan pointed something out, saying: “Good luck with public transport in London on Easter Monday.” With another fan adding: “Moved Spurs away to 8 pm on Easter Monday – thanks for nothing.”
If this wasn’t bad enough, there is still room for yet more fixture chaos if sides who play Forest perform well in European competition.
European wins could still change Nottingham Forest’s fixture list
Forest are looking to qualify for European football’s top table, and with the Premier League set to receive a 5th Champions League spot, it’s more than possible. For this season, though, European competition looks set to be a nuisance.
In italics next to Forest’s rearranged fixture with Aston Villa for 5:30 pm on the 5th of April, it says that the details are “subject to Aston Villa’s progress in the Champions League.”
This means that the 5th of April could well change once again, potentially to a midweek should Forest continue to progress in the FA Cup and book out remaining weekends.
Spurs are also still in European competition with their Europa League ambitions and whilst their progression may not directly hit the Easter Monday clash, the knock-on effect could still land at the doorstep of the Forest coaching staff.
Hopefully, next season, Forest will be in the driving seat of these decisions with European runs of their own, but for now, the fixture chaos is likely to continue.
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