Good afternoon. Hello. Welcome to the Garabaldi Red podcast, a Nottingham Forest podcast on this fine Friday lunchtime. Or shall we say Friday brunch with Hayes and Asprey. That might become a new feature very soon as Dave giggles away. I'm Max Hayes, your host, and today, delighted to be joined by Dave Asprey again to preview another big clash for Forest away at Brighton on Sunday. We are live on Facebook Nottingham Forest News and Garibaldi Red on the YouTube channel, so be sure to get your comments in. No Friday cooking questions, please, but many football questions, and me and Dave will do our best to answer them. Dave, let's start. First of all, how are you? I think I can imagine that you've recovered from the Liverpool game now.

I was recovered as soon as it finished, Max, to be honest, because as I walked out of the city ground last week, mid It's that hurricane of anger and vexation and frustration, I knew none of it could be changed, and I couldn't control any of it. None of us could control it. A referee made a decision. However egregious or outrageous that decision was, it can't be changed. As I've just said to you before we came on, you can't have like, 'Hi, Liverpool, do you want to come back? We'll play the game again. ' Can't do that. I've always been of a mind that the referee is right even when he's wrong, which might upset a few Forest fans, but there's no point bothering about it now. It's in the past, stuck there in hard concrete of the past, and we have to move on. I think our lads, in particular... I mean, the thing is with it, Max, Paul Tini made a mistake. Everybody knows it. Paul Tini would probably admit he's made a mistake himself because hindsight is an exact science. And Forest, in certain ways, were culpable. We had the best two chances of the game, Anthony Misdon.

We should have rosetted the ball after the restart to stop Alexis putting that beautiful ball into Darwin Nunez. So to say it's the referee's fault or it's too simplistic, it was a confluence of things that went on, Max. But the bottom line is it can't be changed. And What I would like is that if there's a sense of injustice within the squad in the dressing room, I want them to use it as motivation. Moments like that in your life, not just in football, but any sphere of life, you can go one of two ways. You can melt under the pressure, or you can grab it and use it as a motivational tool. And I'd like to think that Nuno this week and the lads have all been sat in that dressing room or on the training ground and developing, putting a chip on their shoulder about it and saying, Okay, we've had this thrown in our faces. Let's push back and let's go and The best way for Nottingham Forest to answer everything that's going on is to put in a performance at the Amex on Sunday of good football, working together, being that family.

I think the spirit in the squad is great. It's probably, if anything, what happened last Saturday will drive them even closer because as I know from recent events, terrible adversity brings units closer together. I hope that when we go to the Amex on Sunday, we take that cause and use it for our benefit and to do as much damage, if you like, to whatever Brighton and over I'll be wanting to do. I think that's the only way to go on with it.

I think after the The podcast on Monday for me, I have calmed down about the referee and I've moved on. And like you said, you can't change history, you can't change the past. So we move on to a huge game against Brighton that we will touch on. We are live on Facebook and YouTube. Mauricio says, Ciao from Italy and also says, After the big defeat here in Italy, I'm afraid Brighton will be angry and hungry to battle us on Sunday. Yeah, that's not a bad point at Yes. So when you look at a game on Sunday, Dave, and in fact, before we do, I want to just quickly touch on where Forest are potentially at the moment. And obviously we hear the outcome of the points deduction very soon. Forest, it's the last day of almost the hearing with the Premier League for Forest, allegedly, at breaking PSR rules, otherwise known as FFFP. It's such a complex situation. I don't really want to get into that too much. But you almost feel, Dave, that Nuno will be motivating the players ahead of Sunday. And also around the club at the minute, there might be a bit of a siege mentality, given that, look, we're Forest and everybody's against us at the moment.

And we've got this points deduction looming and we're having these bad referee decisions. And I can remember, Dave, we've had this conversation in the past. You talk about Luton having that siege mentality, Everton having that mentality. Potentially, it's Forest's turn and it's almost Forreys against everyone, us against everyone.

I mean, that's a brilliant summation of it. I mean, articulate, eloquent. It sums it all up. And Nuno, let nobody be in any doubt about Nuno's feelings. I thought he conducted himself brilliantly last week, Nuno. He's not a man to be messed with. He's quite tacit, and he's quite uncompromising, I think, and he himself. The thing that gave me the most hope going into this week was Nuno last week talking to Colin, which was like 90 seconds of barely concealed content, not for Colin, but for just the situation. Obviously, we all love Colin. Colin's a legend. But it was like he went into the press conference and he was asked a question about the referee. He refused to answer it. Then somebody else asked him a question about the referee, and Nuno, quite fiercely, 'Do not insist. Do not ask me about the referee. Do not insist. ' I like Nuno. You could see Nuno was like, 'Right, let's get to work this week. ' I think he will feel a particular way about it. That was clear to see from his facial expressions and his body language last week, that he was an angry man, but it was a controlled anger, and he kept it.

He could have said untold things and got himself in a lot of trouble. He could have said something to get himself away from the dugout this week, and he didn't. I thought he kept the pan on the top on the boiling pan of water, Max. He kept it just about there. But I looked at that and thought, he's got a lot of emotion and feeling that he will transmit into our lads this week through training and talking and team team meetings and all that thing. I think, me and White, we might be the angriest team in the country at the moment with the greatest sense of being hard done by, if you like. But I also think as well, he will say to them, You had opportunities, you were as culpable in some ways as official done. He will say, he says every week they need to improve. I do think we are playing better football than we did previously match. But my view on last weekend was good teams find a way to win matches when they're not at their best, which is what Liverpool did, and maybe why Liverpool are top. And average teams that need to improve, play well and find ways not to win.

And that's also why we're 17th. But then again, taking that performance that's where he will say to them, there was so much in that performance last week to like about us. I At one point last week, the afternoon looked like it was going to go really bad for us. Brentford were winning, Palace were winning, Everton were winning. And then at the end of the day, Everton lost, Palace lost, Brentford were held to a point. Luton looked like they were going to make ground, and then, blessing, Lucadenia came and helped us all out. I think, yeah, absolutely. Everything you say, Max, in your little piece there, that applies this weekend. And I'm sure NuNo's thinking is a replica of your set of thoughts, mate. So I absolutely no doubt Forrest will be highly motivated this weekend. And I just hope they So let's use it as fuel route rather than, oh, God, woe is us. What can we do about it? They've got 11 games. I think it's 11 games to put themselves in a position to stay in the most high-profile sporting league in the world. And they got to attend to business. And what happened last weekend, it can't be changed now.

It's got to be forgotten, really.

Yeah. And it's certainly a difficult challenge, those 11 games, 11 Cup finals, probably. Yeah. For Forest, hoping to get any points on the board, especially given a points deduction. Do keep your comments coming on Facebook and YouTube. Any questions? Me and Dave happily answer unless they're about, I don't know, lunchtime recipes of what to eat on a Friday brunch, something like that. We're probably not the best. Just steam it up.

A box of fish fingers in your oven, steam some spinach, carrots, some broccoli, and away you go. Pop a bit of sauce on, and that's it. I don't cook, I just heat up.

We want to have it for lunch, Dave.

I think it might be chicken Kiev's, actually.

Right. Let's stay on Forest instead of chicken Kiev.

Absolutely.

Interesting point I've been thinking Dave, actually, this week, and I was talking to a mate about this yesterday. When I look at Nuno on the sidelines, I feel at the moment, and it might be a point that many Forest fans will agree, and maybe many will disagree, too, but I feel like Nuno is a bit of a lost man. He looks down given the recent refereeing errors, recent turmoil off the pitch with a possible point seduction. Not that the players aren't playing for him at all. I'm not saying that by any means. I just think there needs to be more of a connection between him and the supporters, and it's very difficult for him to come in, and I keep talking about it, off the back of a great manager of Steve Cooper, a fan's favorite. But I just want the Forest fans to feel new now and get him and really almost build a connection with him like they did with Steve, because the next 11 games, he's going to need it and the team are ultimately going to need it. It is a cliché, but the fans really can be the 12th man.

Yeah, they were for most of the game. We said on the show last week, Max, that if Forest could get through the first 15 minutes of that game against the league leaders unscathed, get us on board, then it can be quite powerful. And I think the atmosphere in the city grand was great last week. Everybody was in on it. As for Nuno, he and Steve are just different personality types. I think I don't know. They are what they are. They're both individuals. Nuno, I think Nuno is a little bit more, I don't know. Preserved, that's what it's called, Dave. Possibly, I think the language barrier. To see the difference in the two, I always get the program every home game, and Steve would write a monolog, Philip Page. Nuno is very to the point and what have you. I think he's come in, and I think there's a... I think everybody respects him. But what Steve Cooper did on a personal personal level. I don't think that's Nuno's way. We tried that and it got to the point where it didn't work. We have to go and try something different now. I think he's a little bit more of a disciplinarian than Steve was.

I think Steve was everybody's big brother, open door. He had that distance from the team psychologically, but he was everybody's elder brother, mate, thing. I think Nuno is a little bit more, I suppose, authoritative in a way, but you can't not what he's done in football. And I think he's got... He's a strong guy. I think there'll be some strong words this week. But I think The way Nuno will get that love from... I mean, it's a hard-hearted, ruthless business football. Give us results. If we were to go on a run, right, and win these next 11 games, and end up, if we were to do it, it's unlikely, but if we were to do it and we'd be mid-table, I think if we stay up, the love for Nuno will then generate of itself. I don't think it's any disgruntlement with him. I did see one person last week say, We've won one in so many. He's got to go. It's just too early to say that, but they're just different people. And what's good for one is different for another, mate.

Yeah, no, I agree. It's an interesting point. I suppose we'll see how the connection might forge with the supporters, and especially given if Forest stay up. Right. Let's touch on this weekend's game, what we're here for, mainly. Brighton. It's quite funny because we did the preview for Villa Dave. We've done the preview for Liverpool. I suppose Brighton are a club where Forest will be looking at and hoping to be like Brighton in 5-10 years time. A great manager in deserve. He obviously had Graham Potter before who went on to all the things, but did a brilliant job. The clubs very well ran off the pitch, a decent fan base, decent stadium, decent area. It's probably a club that Forest, one day, aspire to be, surely in the Premier League.

Yeah, I think it is. I think Mr. Marenackis has looked at what Brighton & Hove, Albion have done. And they are superbly run. Tony Bloom, I think, is one of the best owners of a football club in this country. I think he's a lovely man. He's very shrewd. They seem to be or seem to have been one step ahead of the game, knowing, say, for example, they were going to lose a key player. They always seem to have a replacement. Their scouting procedure is excellent. So much to like about Brian and O'Nevall. It's Again, a bit like Lutentown, and Bournemouth, and Brentford, it's one of the great stories of football. It isn't that long since they were at the Withdean Athletic Stadium playing in what now be League 2, what they've achieved, like Luton, it's a fairy tale. What they did as well when they came up, Max, they paid their dues their first four seasons in the Premier League. And this has stuck in my mind, especially in giving context to what we're doing at the moment. They finished, I think they finished 15th, 17th, 15th, and 16th in their first four years in the Premier League.

They just scraped up those four years and stayed in the division. And then all of a sudden, I I don't know if it was almost overnight. They just like, Why me? Right now, now playing like an established Premier League team, and I've become an established Premier League team. They went through that purgatory of four years of just relegation fights and just keeping the head of a war to be able to get to that sunny upland. I've looked at us as we have to do that ourselves. You don't just go straight up to the Premier League and become, Right, we're at home here. Some teams have gone up, done really, really well in their first season. Leeds United, I think they were ninth in their first season when they came back up on to Bielsa. And then it started to unravel, and it's unraveled to the point where they've gone back down. They're probably likely to come back up. So with Forest, it's just keeping your head above that dotted line. But with Brighton, the only thing I would say about with Brighton is I just see the gloss has gone off a little bit in the last couple of months.

I don't know if I'm right in thinking this, but they won only five of their last 22 or 23 games. And I just felt with Brighton, they've stopped being what we like about Brighton. Because I really like Brighton. I think they play great football. Like I said, it's a cracking stadium. The whole set up is superb. I just felt recently they've lost their mojo a bit. I think maybe they've reached an optimal point of like, this is as much as we can do with Europe and stretching the squad. They make a lot of changes. They've made more personnel changes than any team in this division. And that can't be helpful. It's almost like De Zube doesn't know his best 11 or has to settle. Injuries obviously play a part. They've had suspensions, they've had people sent off, things like that. But it just feels like... We talked about maybe a good time to play Liverpool last week. I think this might be a good time to play Brighton. The only thing I would say is it's two teams who are wounded coming into the game. We're wounded from what happened last weekend with all the controversy around us.

They've just come off a thumping in Rome, and it's almost like both teams are looking for a reset, and they'll probably both be angry. It might be quite a feisty game on Sunday, but I just felt the derby's body language, Max, is quite noteworthy for me. It's almost like seeing him, and it looks like he's going through the motions a bit. I was talking to a friend who went to Craven Coties last week, we were full and beat Brighton quite comfortably, and he felt that Brighton didn't really turn up, and Desearby picked a pretty much second-stream team. Obviously, he had the Roma game in mind, but it just feels like Some of them have lost their way, but Evan Ferguson, we all had Evan Ferguson down as the next big thing, a young striker. Evan Ferguson is a hell of a player, but he hasn't scored for ages. And it just feels like the bits of Brighton and they're all floating about without really coalescing. And I just think this might be a good time to play them. But we've got to attend to us. We've got to use all of that hurt If you like, to power us through.

We win there on Sunday. I mean, that's a hell of a result. I mean, you're hoping that Palace... I mean, Pallies played Luton. So much as I like Luton, I like Luton, but I want them to get beat every week. Because I do think it's them and us. Everton are at Manchester United. Who else? Sheffield United are at Bournemouth. But I mean, Sheffield United, goodness me. I watch them on Monday night. I feel really sorry for the Blaze fans because That was a betrayal of all the money they paid to go to Bramble Lane and all the emotional investment. It was an embarrassment of a performance to the Premier League, really. And Burnley, I'm not sure where Burnley are this weekend, but. I think it shows maybe the gulf, Dave, doesn't it?

Between the Championship and the Premier League and just the quality difference. And potentially, you look at the teams in the Championship now that are on the verge of promotion, Ipswich, Leicester, Leeds, just to name a few. I often think that if they played in the Premier League now, that they actually may be... I just think the quality last season, no disrespect to Luton, Burnley, and Sheffield United, but the quality of the Championship last season And isn't where it's at now. I think since Leicester and Leeds, particularly, and got relegated, it's been more of an interesting league. Do you know what, Max?

You might get this weird situation. It's been in the back of my mind, this odd occurrence where the three that went down come back up and the three that came up go straight back down. I'm not sure it's ever happened. But there's always a first time for these things. And You get a feeling that... Luton have got a game in hand on us, but there's still four points about that. That game in hand is at Bournemouth, which obviously be an emotionally charged evening because of what happened when Tom Lockheer collapsed at Dean Court. The only team that... If you look at the top of the Championship, the bottom three of the Premier League and the top three in a bit, Ipswich. I'll tell you what, they did half score Kieran McKenna, I actually think he's doing an incredible job at Ipswich town. What he's achieved there in a quiet way, it's a brilliant bit of coaching. This week, I watched the game, they were playing Bristol City. They were two on down We got eight, nine minutes to go and somehow find a way to win it. Every time people write Ipswich off, they just come up.

They can't possibly keep up with Leeds, Leeds, Southampton. Then you got West Brommen Hall in there as well. I think they're really good teams, but you're absolutely right. The gulf between the top of the Championship and the bottom of the Premier League, there's a bit of a goal, but the goal from the bottom of the Premier League to certainly the big three at the top now is huge. But then on the other side of that, mate, Forest, who was 17th, played the League Leaders last week, and that was a game that Forest could have won. So maybe Forest showed that the goal isn't that great. Do you know what I mean? It's almost like at the moment you establish some trend or theme, along comes a fact, say, well, actually, that's not quite the case. When Arsenal played Sheffield United, the golf was colossal. When Nottingham Forest played Liverpool last Saturday, the golf wasn't all that great because I actually think, Anthony sticks his two chances away. We pull off an incredible famous win. So, you know. Yeah.

Football. Football, isn't it, David?

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, onkers, mate.

So much. Yeah, exactly. It is. And also it's funny you actually mentioned it, just on a side note, I wouldn't mind it, which getting promoted. I always... I can remember when Forest beat them on the last day to stay up with Warbiton. Cheeky plug as well for the Mark Warbiton. If you've still not listened to that on Garibaldi reddit, it's still out. So be sure to listen to that and mark touches on that brilliant day. And I actually can remember Ipswich, the fans and the manager in particular, Mick McCarthy at the time, were very complementary to Forest. And I can remember And I think Mick McCarthy saying in his interview that he was glad his side lost because Forest was such a big club and he didn't want to get them relegated to League One. And it just made me feel like... I love him. Yeah. So for those reasons.

Mick McCarthy I love Mick McCarthy.

It's a good impression, Dave. It's a good impression.

He's not mad, is he? Everything you can see is his name. I can't say anything else as Mick McCarthy, mate.

Yes. Right. Let's go back to Forest. And when When you look at the Brighton game again on Sunday, Dave, away from home, and we know that Forest aren't great away from home, you follow them week in, week out. You go to more away games than I do. You'll be there on Sunday. I won't be. Yeah.

I'm a glotin for it, Max. Yeah, you are.

How does Forest almost have this mentality? And I suppose it comes in with this 11 Cup finals and a possible points deduction. But Forest have really got to sort their away format. And we have this season, and of course, we've one more away. And you look at games like Brentford, perhaps, where we narrowly lost three, two, and we gave us a very good account playing away at there. But you just wish that Forest could go away from home and just have that confidence that they do when they play at the city ground, perhaps.

Yeah. Do you know what, Max? I always felt... I mean, last year, there was a clear dichotomy between what went on at the city ground, which effectively kept us up, and went on or didn't go on away from home last year. I always felt, and I'm not being wise after the event, that there would be a little bit more of a balancing, that we wouldn't be quite as good at home this year as we had been last year, and we might be a little bit better away from home. I think that has happened, not to a great extent. I think it's a little bit more of a lovely not many. Newcastle was fantastic. Chelsea away was fantastic. There have been other games that we've been on the road. We've been in more games away from home this year than we were last year. Arsenal on the first day, Manchester United, second away game, Palace away. We should have got something there that day, that great run by Marillo. There are other games where we've gone away from home. We've gone to Brentford, And you think, we could have got something there. So I think Forest have got better, but they need to be getting better.

It's all well and good putting in good performances, but points is everything. Points make prizes, and we need to start getting points because you can have all the nice performances in the world, but if the points on the board, then effectively, those performances have been a waste of a performance because you need to get the points on the board. And especially now, we're playing this brinkmanship game again, where we're in the mire, we're in a battle. We might lose some of the 24 precious points that we've already garnered. We might have those taken off us. So it scales the point now. Performances are one thing, but you're getting results. And it goes back to, Nuno gets results and the love from the stand, that rapport, that Steve... I mean, Steve had it, he cultivated it. Nuno will cultivate a similar love from the stand stand from the stands by getting results. It's just get the points on the board by hook or by crook. I would love it, to quote Kevin Keegan, if we went to Brighton on Sunday, played abysmally and came away with a one-nil win. I'd rather us play averagely and get a sneaky one-nil win than go there, play brilliantly and get beat four-three.

We have so much improvement that we need to make, but I do think we are better away from home, but it still isn't enough. I'd like us to go somewhere. The only place we've done it, we went to Newcastle and we just stamped our authority all over that massive ground and all over that huge crowd and all over that Champions League team that have been this year. We just dominated it and it was great to see. It was a bit blimey. What am I witnessing here? Especially having gone behind. And I think I'd like us to do that. I certainly like us to do it this week. The following week, I actually think it's the biggest game of our season. It's a Cup final. It's almost like a playoff final against Luton, if you like. If we go to Kennehville throw and get three points, then I think I would be then saying, Well, yeah, maybe We will stay up. You know what I mean? But obviously, at the end, there's this extraneous factor of what's going on in the courts and what Mr. De Marco happens to do and all this stuff. So the feast is moving around a bit, but getting points on the board is just the most crucial thing, mate, because get some on the board.

So if we have some taken off, well, at least it reduces the gut points that we get from it.

Yeah, no, I completely agree. You mentioned nick DeMarco there. He is in his final hearing with Forest Representatives and Premier League representatives today as they meet to discuss Forest Charge and all the legal stuff around that. When we do know the outcome of that, we'll have a podcast on Gary Wolde-RED. We spoke to Dave, actually, who is a financial expert. Not you, Dave, sadly. Another Dave. No, I'm not a financial expert, Max. Don't trust me with your money, mate. It's a good job you're not doing the Forest Point Seduction then. Dave Powell gave some very good points, so we'll probably have him on again next week and we'll break it down. Forests are expected to hear the Point Seduction by mid-April. It may come It may come sooner. It may come later, given various media outlets and reports. But as soon as we know more information, we will get it out there for you. Before we just actually touch on the points deduction, Dave, I wanted to just finalize thoughts on the Brighton game. Nuno is set to do his press conference again this afternoon, so we'll find out any fresh team news and stuff.

But what do you think in terms of when you look at the players that have come back from Afcon and the injuries there, do you expect any changes or do you think that Nuno will probably try and stick with the team that faced Liverpool?

Yeah, I think the ones that played against Liverpool match get to go again. They all put in a good shift. They went toe to toe with the best team in the country. Any team that's above Manchester City who won five trophies last year, Liverpool above Manchester City, that makes them arguably best team in the country. Our lads certainly deserved a point from it. Could even have won it. I mean, there's so much to think. For me, I just played the same I'm 11 again. I'd be in that dressing room, You lads did me a good job last year. You'll get to go again. You got hurt last weekend. You got to kick in the crown jewels. Go and make up for it this week. I wouldn't make any changes. I'd almost make no changes because Brighton make that many changes. It's almost like Brighton's raison d'être is to just change everything all the time, and that can't be good. Whereas I think with us, I'd play the same team again. I really would. Maybe Taewo starting instead of Divock, but Divock played. I mean, Divock had a great chance early on. That shot wasn't far away.

I was right behind it in the trendset. No, I wouldn't be changing too much. Keep a settled side, let's keep a winning side, not a winning side, but a side that played well, forgive me, but a side that conducted itself really, really well. The last two games, we've lost to Manchester United, we've lost to Liverpool, but there were things in those games you think, 'Oh, it's good, but I won't be making too many changes. Same 11 for me. Yeah.

No, I agree.

Actually, can I just say, let's give Matt Sells. The fact that Matt Sells has hardly been mentioned in dispatches, to me, is a good sign. I've been on umpteen podcasts, far too many for poor people out there, I mean, to see my face all the time. But the fact that we've not been... We used to talk about Matt Turner and Adisius Flack with Divas and all that goalkeeping issues. Since Sels has come in, it's been pretty... And he made a couple of great saves last weekend. The one from the header was an amazing save. I want to give Matt some credit. He's done well, he hasn't, that man.

Yeah, I agree. My dad's actually watching the podcast live and says Dave is an expert in tea drinking. Absolutely. He is. Absolutely. Many times, David, have you been around to our- Come a mile, Ben.

Come a mile, mate.

Many times have you been to Hayes HQ and had a cup of tea and talked to us about Boris for too long. Let's finalize, Dave, before we just touch on the points deduction and a few other points, Brighton game on Sunday. Finally, how do you see it going predictions-wise? I'd be hoping that Forest can get us. I think it'd be a huge result. I mean, it'd be an incredible result if we get a win. I mean, I'd replicate last season. I'd genuinely take a nil-nil draw or a point on the board, and then you play the Cup final against Luton next week.

Yeah, we have to get something. I have a thinking, feeling that we will get something. I believe that I suppose it's calmer in it and all that stuff and life evening things out. Last week was tough, but there was lots to like about Our attitude in that. I think we can get something. I think this is a good time to play Brighton. I think it'd be a draw because I think they'll be thinking about what happened in the Stadio Olimpico last night. We'll be thinking, 'Right, we need to move on as best as we can and in the most positive way from last week. So both teams have got questions to answer. I guess most people will have Brighton to win because it's its home advantage, as we both alluded to, Max, we're not great travelers. I've just got a funny feeling for Forrest to do something this week. And thinking back to that night at the Amex, we were completely outclassed and outplayed and got a nil-nil draw. That was the night Yatesy had a black eye and his nose was bleeding. He was properly in the 20s hour, Ryan, that night. But it was a great point.

Then I think the following game after that, we beat Liverpool at City Ground.

We did.

The thing I'm looking for, you go to the Amex and padded seats, Max, in the away end. You know what I mean? Not that we were sitting- Is it really padded seats? Padded seats. I don't know why they bother. I don't know why they bother. Everybody in a way, sections stands up and for all Brighton to put all these lovely... Brighton might have arm chairs there in the away section. Nobody's ever going to pop their knoting and bums on them. We're all standing up. But if we get something, I'd be really happy. When then my mind would be soaring into the stratosphere. It'd be a fantastic... I just got a feeling that they take it away with one hand and maybe they give it back with another. And I just think life's not frustrating and vexing every day. You get days which are great, and often the great days come when you don't expect them. I just got a funny feeling, Matt. I'm usually quite pessimistic. I was on a show last night, bullying Forrest up and then said, Oh, yeah, right in three-nil. Because if I say something good about Forrest, I'm going to jinks him.

But I just got a funny feeling that our lads will have close ranks this week and Nuno will have, like I said, stuck that chip on the shoulder and said, Right, go and take it out on Brian. So, yeah, I just got a funny feeling, mate. I'm not going to give you a store prediction.

Okay, fair enough.

I just got this feeling in my waterworks, mate.

I hope you're right. And it's not the tea talking instead of.

Dave's blabber. That's the way it is, mate.

Right. Let's end the podcast on- The other thing.

Sorry, Max. Yes. The other thing, mate, we've got the spirits on our side this week because Sunday, and I hope everybody remembers this and has sorted it out, it's Mother's Day on Sunday, right? And it's very poignant and special for me because my little mom, our little Greta, she would have been 87 on Sunday. And I know for a fact that her spirit is traveling with me to the Amex. And I know her spirit has said it's going to get it Deservey and it's going to get it Louis Dunk and all these. And we're doing it for Greta on Sunday.

We are. That's a nice point, Dave. Let's look ahead to the points deduction and Forest's hearing. I suppose you'll agree, Dave, that This has got to be concluded pretty quickly. Yeah, it has, Max. We just need to find the outcome very, very soon because it is a massive distraction. It is a massive distraction to the players, is even though they are professionals, it surely must be going through their mind every single day and every single week. It just needs to be concluded soon, doesn't it, Dave?

Yeah, get it finished, get it sorted. My personal view, Max, is the longer it goes on, the more damage it does to the teams involved, the more damage it does to the credibility of football, the more damage it does to the credibility of the game and the structure that we have. Get it sorted. The rules keep changing and all this stuff. It's not helpful at all. You look a table, but you have to ignore it because, well, that could be changed any minute arbitrarily by some decision. For us, if they're going to take any points off us, take them off us next week before we go to Lutentown, because that would motivate us in that Cup final. If they're going to take, say they're going to take, I don't know, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 offers, whatever, take them off next week before we go to Lutentown and then say, Right, there you are, Nottingham Forest. There's another piece of motivation. And I say that because if you look back at what happened to Everton match, they took 10 off Everton. Obviously, they've got four back. But as soon as Everton had 10 taken off them, boy, did they become difficult to play against.

They became really feisty Everton, and they were motivated and fired up. And I'd like to think that we get some taken off, which I do think will happen. I'm resigned to it. Then it's another bit of fuel on the fire to get Forest to move forward. I'd I think it needs to be done as soon as possible for everybody involved, not just us, but all the teams around us at the bottom. Let's get on with the business of letting the football decide where clubs end up. The one thing you can't have is somebody being relegated at the end of the season and somebody staying up and then having... Actually, sorry, you're not going down, you stay up now. Just get it done.

Yeah, I agree. Let's get it done. And that's probably a nice point to end on. We'll just read out some score predictions James says 2-1 Forest. Barry says, I'm saying six points, Max. I'm guessing that's for the Brighton game and the Luton game. Frank as well saying same team, Forest to win 3-0. God, I'm lacking this positivity. Fingers crossed. Fingers crossed. That's all we've got to hope for. Dave, thank you as ever. I hope you've enjoyed Friday brunch, and we'll see you probably again next week, and enjoy the trip to the padded seat away end on Sunday. Yeah, I will.

Just before I go, Max, I need to send a little A message of support and love out to somebody, to dear old Barry, who we both know. He's not been very well recently, our old Barry, and he's a wonderful, wonderful man who goes to every game with his family. I just want to send all my love out to Barry. I know he's been a bit poorly recently and wishing him and his family all the very best.

Yeah, I agree. We echo those thoughts. Steve said a lovely message as well the other week. So fingers crossed, Barry, and hope to see you back at the city ground soon. We will see you after the Brighton game on Monday for our main show, and then as well next week for all the stuff in between. Have a great weekend. Fingers crossed for a Forest win on Sunday. And there's one positive we can end on this Friday. Paul Tierney isn't the referee.

You're heads.