Hello, everybody, and welcome back to the Garibaldi Red podcast for what seems another huge Forest game. It gets bigger and bigger every single week, doesn't it? As Forest travel to Goodison on Sunday for a huge clash in front of the TV cameras, where the Forest fans will be in full voice, hopefully, after a pretty disappointing week off the pitch. But on the pitch, Forest hoping to get a result because it is needed. And joining me to discuss all of that. No Dave, sadly, no Mark. Who better to call up on the subs bench? I promise you weren't a third choice, Sarah. Sarah Clapson joins us. Reds correspondence. Sarah, how are you? You well?

Yes, good. Thank you. Good.

It's another big game on Sunday and we're all going to be there. And it just feels like, doesn't it, Sarah, with these remaining games that it does get bigger every week, but it also seems like just the nerves go into the games and you can feel it in the crowd. And obviously Everton, they've been in a similar situation to Forest, so it almost becomes the whole points deduction thing and relegation. And I think Goodison really will be... I don't think any of the crowd will have the fingernails left by the end of the football.

Yeah, I mean, it's the PSR derby, isn't it? And it's a big game at the bottom end of the table as well. I think a lot of it is going to be about who deals with that pressure and that tension, because there's pressure on Everton as much as there is on Forest as well. So I think the mental side of it is going to be really important on Sunday. I don't want to mention it again, but set pieces will be crucial. Forest need to deal with them. Obviously, we know the respective records when it comes to set pieces in the Premier League this season. So that's a concern. But hopefully there's been a lot of work done on the training ground and And hopefully, Forrest can at least deal with the threat. It's such a massive game, isn't it? Just carry so much weight. If Forrest can get a good result, you think what that can do then for the remaining games and how it would change the table? I guess the table could look different anyway because it's on the Sunday, there are games on the Saturday, that could affect things. So there's so much going on around it, so much, so many different subplots that it's just it's going to be nervy, a scrap.

I think it's going to be one of those games and it's who handles it best.

Yeah, I suppose you could... Yeah, just the tension. And I think when you look at something you can touch on their set pieces and a problem that we talk about every week. Again. Yeah, again. And we get sick and tired of talking about it. But Everton will look to utilize that. Sean Dyche He just watches Forest most weeks. And last season he was at the city ground a lot of the time. And he knows really how to do a job on Forest. What's different when we last played them is Steve Cooper was in charge. Now we've got new notes. And when we go away from home, we set up a little bit different, more attacking, more on that front foot and in particular in the counter attacking stages of the game. But you expect that Everton will look to just utilize what Forest's weaknesses are. And that's the set piece is ultimately. Everton have got the height in the box. They've got so many players that can take a really good corner and score from them. I think I haven't got the stat to hand, but I think they're in the top five in the Premier League.

Yeah, I think everybody in the Premier League knows what Forest Achilles heel is. It's blatantly obvious, and Everton, absolutely going to pick up on that. You're right about the height. I think that's maybe... I mooted it earlier in the week, but maybe thinking of going to a back three, maybe that might help solve it. If Willy Bolley was fit, I would absolutely start him because I think he had that and he's got that physical presence. He's got that experience. And Murillo and Andrew on my Bamadele are great young talents who have got bright futures ahead of them and a lot of promise. They've done really well. But for a game like Sunday, if Bolley were fit, I would absolutely bring him in. Whether, I don't know, bring Niakate in for a three if Boli is not fit, I don't know. Is that maybe a possibility or is that maybe going a bit too negative? I think it's going to be interesting to see how Nuno does approach But if you're not able to watch it, Forest still don't have the best of records away from home. Still only two wins this season, so it's an improvement a little bit on last year.

But considering how big the remaining away games are, So get a good result, put in a good performance on Sunday, and that really sets up the final two away games. And Burnley and Shefford United, maybe their fates might be decided by the time that Forrest play them. Still doesn't mean that they're going to... If anything, it might give them a bit of freedom. So I still think those two are going to be massive games as well and real scraps. So how Forrest approach Sunday, how they fair against Everton, I think, will tell us a lot about how the last two away games are going to go as well. So it's going to be interesting to see how Nuno does set things up and whether he gets Forrest on the front foot, whether he really wants to go for it. I think he has to. I think he have to in these remaining games.

Yeah, I think everything's on the line. Yeah, it is. I think the fans probably more than ever, will expect Forrest just to go for it. And you're playing a similar team like Everton that have had all the points deductions that are still in a relegation dog fight. And there's no reason why Forest can't go and do a job over them. Easier said than done much.

Much easier said than done.

I just wanted to pick up on the Willy Bolley point, and I will say as we're recording this, the press conference hasn't been done. Do you expect many changes, Sarah? We talk about Yates as well, particularly Dominguez, maybe coming in over him. I'd favor that. And I totally agree with you about Bolley. And it's It's interesting to see actually going back to a back three. Yes, Forrest wants to go for it, but there's one thing that Forrest don't want to do is concede one or two in the first half because it really could be game over then.

Yeah. I mean, it's not something that Nuno has done. He's tended to stick with this similar formation. So So it would maybe be a bit of a surprise if he does. And obviously, he does have a few decisions to make, though, I think. If Alanga is fit, I'll bring him back in. I think his pace could be really useful in a threat. The suggestion was that it wasn't a serious injury and that he was expected to be in training this week and he should be okay for Everton. So I thought Gio Reina did pretty well on his first start, but I would bring Anthony Alanga back in. I just think that the three of him, Morgan Gibbs-Warrant and Callum Hudson-Odoy are the key to getting forward and getting goals and getting something from it. So I think his pace can be a real... It can cause Everton And problems for sure. I think I'll probably agree with you about midfield and bring Dominguez in. Ryan Yates hasn't had the best... The last two games haven't been his best. He had those two errors last weekend. Obviously, the Spurs game, not the best. So if you're going on form, I think Dominguez, I thought, made a difference when he came on against Wolves.

So I think I'll probably make that switch as well. It's, yeah, It is a tough one, though. I don't think there's a lot in it. I think it's quite a close call. Yeah, blessing Paul Reine, he gets a lot of stick and He's got a lot of grief after last weekend, again, particularly. I still think he has a part to play. I don't agree with this whole, 'he's a terrible footballer and he should not be playing in the Premier League'. I don't agree with that at all. But if you are going on form and if you're going on the last two games, I can absolutely understand the decision or at least the option of bringing Dominguez in.

Yeah. And I think Yates, a game against Everton, is it a game for Yates? Yates is a player where he almost breaks up the game a lot with fouls. I just don't think that will be forest game. If you were going away, maybe to a top six side or possibly top 10, you'd argue to play Yates a little bit like Topnam.

I mean, I guess you could argue either way. It's going to be a scrap. It's going to be a fight. Do you want somebody with that battling mentality, which Ryan Yates has? Domingos has it as well, to be fair. He likes getting stuck in and he's good at getting the tackles in and obviously has that technical side as well. So I think it's a fairly close call. I don't think there's a great deal in it.

Yeah, it will be interesting to see. Just wanted to touch on players areas like Morgan Gibbs-White and Anthony Alanga and Gio Reina. We had a good appearance the other day, but you could argue that he didn't really lead to much. And then the substitutions were questionable. However, I thought the young striker, Riberio, did really well. I'm not saying he's going to start by any stretch of the imagination, but I can imagine it maybe coming on towards the end. I suppose when you've got players like him on the bench, and then we talk all the time about leaders, you've got Morgan, you've got Alanga, their two players, instantly you think they've got to start for Forest for such a big game. They lead that line as such, not just on the pitch, technical ability-wise and football-wise, but also mentally. I think when those two are in the squad, I think other players, younger players, particularly more inexperienced players, not for one stage saying that these players are in-experienced, but potentially maybe struggling amongst a huge relegation battle and things off the pitch and on the pitch for Forest. Players like Morgan and Anthony really do lead that line, don't they?

Yeah. I mean, if anybody's going to drag Forest to survival, it's going to be more than gives white because he's really stepped up in the last few weeks. And he's... I mean, you could see he was fired up last weekend for obvious reasons. But even before that, he looks like he's got the bit between his teeth. And I think he enjoys that responsibility and having that the onus on him to do something and to really get the team going. I think he enjoys that. I think he likes having that on his shoulders. And he relishes it in a way. And Forrest need him. He is so, so important. But equally, the likes of Anthony Alanga, Callum Hudson-O'Doy, Chris Wood, Everybody, it's such a cliché, but everybody has got a really big role to play. Games like this, at this time of the season, you need collective performances. You need your individual players to step up and stand out and do incredible things. But you also need to play well as a team. You also need to play well collectively. We sound like a bit of a broken record talking about all the time, but that Fulham game was the epitome of that.

It was a terrific collective performance, and obviously it got the result. So it's going to take... I mean, Forest have shown what they can do under Nuno. That's the standard. That's the blueprint. It's going out there and do it again, and again, and again, and again. You just like to think, get a bit of momentum at this time and it can go a long way. We saw that last season. I think a positive result on Sunday wouldn't just change how things look in the table. It would also be a real confidence boost, particularly with everything that's going on, as we said, off the pitch, the fact that the appeal hearing is the week after the game, everything like that. I think it would just lift the mood a little bit.

Yeah, it certainly would. It's funny. I just thought back a year ago, it was last week, a year ago, that Forest lost the leads on that awful night game and we thought we were down. And then we played, I think we played Liverpool, I think we played Liverpool the following game. And even though we lost, I think it was three, two, wasn't it? There was a sense of... Can remember walking out the ground, actually, walking out of Anfield, Sarah, and thinking, I think we're going to be all right. And you had that momentum. And then Forest took that momentum going forward. I think we played Southampton or Brighton next and got one of those crucial wins in the final run-in. And that's what you just hope Forest can do. I'd take a draw, but we need all three. All right, then, Sarah. Well, finally, I'll ask you...

Oh, you're going to ask a prediction, aren't you? How do you...

All right then. I won't ask for your score prediction.

You're going to ask me whether it's going to be...

Can you see Forrest win? Can you see Forrest And getting finally a third away win of the season.

I certainly think that they are capable of it. I certainly think that the players are there. The standard we've seen is there. It's applying it, and it is shutting out all the bit like that for us, the Gary Baldy banner from the other week. It's shutting out all the outside noise and everything else that's going on. And I mentioned it right at the start, it's who handles the pressure? And some of that falls on managers. Nuno has to make sure that the players aren't weighed down by that. It's a fine balance to take, I think, because you need to know it's there. You need to know the importance of the game. You need to know where you are in the table and that there's a lot riding on it and everything else. But you can't be burdened by it. So it's a really delicate balance. Managers have to find the right way of ensuring the dressing room is in the right frame of mind for that. I suspect we'll all be watching behind our hands. And I think it's going to be nervy. But Forest is only capable. I'm going to very sit on the fence and say that not give an actual answer is what I'm All right, then.

Well, I'll give one for you and I'll say that Forest are going to win. I've got a feeling and I might just stay in the concourse good as some the whole time. I don't think the nerves are going to handle it. Right, just quickly Before we go, Sarah, got to ask about it. And as we record this, we're set to do a podcast as well. So it will be out by the time with the Forest Supporters Trust Chair about the season ticket prices. Another thing that has dominated the headlines this week, Sarah, not needed for Forest at all, given trying to almost have that connection, togetherness with the club and the fans at the minute, a crucial time. What have you made to it? And just the season ticket prices on a whole, it really has been nothing short of a disaster, really, hasn't it?

Yeah, I mean, in terms of the timing, it's dreadful. And I can completely understand all the reaction and the anger and the frustration and everything else around it, because it It wasn't just the price increases. I think it was the messaging around it as well that was just so out of kilter. And a lot of it was tone deaf, really. It was not... It didn't help matters at all in the slightest. I think it's just a time when Forrest needed unity, togetherness. The fans are So, so important. That support is absolutely crucial. The city ground, when it's in great voice, when it's like it was against Fulham, like it has been so many times, you can see what difference it makes to the players. You can see what a difference it makes to the team. To risk upsetting that, I think it's just the timing was so I hope that it doesn't damage that link and that relationship and that they bond in the unity and everything with the crowd and the team. Because, as I said, Forrest, the players, Nuno, need the fans. And I just think it was a massive own goal from the club to be doing that at this time.

Yeah, definitely. Spot on. Totally agree. You can hear mine and Andy's thoughts from the Forest Supporters Trust. That's out on YouTube, Garabody Red, and across all audio platforms, Spotify and Apple podcasts. Right, I think that does us nicely. Safe journey to Goodison on Sunday, Sarah. Fingers crossed in the away end. I'll give you a wave when we've won 3-0, but I'm enjoying that.

As long as you're not studying the concourse, watching the whole time. Yeah, exactly.

As long as I'm braving it in the away end. Right, as always, give us a like, share, and subscribe Drop us a review on Spotify and Apple podcast because it really helps. And we will see you next time. Come on, you reds, for another big Forest game on Sunday.