Hello, everybody. Welcome back to the Gariboldi Red podcast on a Friday, for Friday brunch. Here to discuss another big game for Forest away at Tottenham. It's the weekend, a Sunday evening game after all of the train strikes, and they're not train strikes now, but it's staying on a Sunday evening as the Reds who aim, really, to transfer that brilliant win over Fulham into this one on a Sunday night as London calls. And someone else that joins us bright and early. Not so bright and early for me. The sun's shining, it's about lunchtime. I'm wide awake right now. But someone that isn't is Mark Turner, a Forest fan and regular to the podcast, who is all the way joining us all the way from America, where it's about, is it 6:00 in the morning, Mark? Just got out of bed, haven't you?

Quite literally, mate. Quite literally. Yeah, it is. It's bright early, but delighted to be... I was actually guttied to miss you on the last episode. I know you reached out to me and I'm like, Oh my gosh, the opportunity to finally talk about Forest victory. I'm not available. So no, very excited to be with you today.

Good. Well, at least we'll be talking about something positive. And And hopefully that transfers into the game. You replaced Dave today, actually, because Dave normally does Friday brunch with us. So who better than to replace him? I've heard Dave's agent's fees are getting quite big, hence why you had to step in last minute, Mark, because we know you don't charge Not too much.

Absolutely. Just the one cream egg. I know Dave's for a full bag of mini eggs.

Yeah, you're right.

So he's worth it.

Do you know what? Me and Dave normally have a conversation about what we've had for lunch, given that we always do this Friday show at about lunchtime. So what have you had for breakfast? Or have you not even had breakfast yet, Mark?

Literally, mate. This cup of coffee right here, this is all I've been able to consume so far. So yeah, we've got breakfast to look forward to still.

Good. Well, fingers crossed, I won't keep you long. And we can talk about Forest and good stuff, and then you I can go and have some breakfast, and I'll let you go back to bed or something. Let's start with how we're feeling at the minute then. On a Friday, it feels nice to be talking after a Forest win. Just how big was that win on Tuesday, Mark? And And how are you feeling about it all at the minute?

I'm feeling very... I'm feeling strangely optimistic, I suppose. Obviously, I've been a little bit of a downer for the last few weeks. So I think with good cause in regards to not only the results that Forrest have accumulated, but how they've been playing. We talked at nauseam about how this team doesn't look like a team, how there's no cohesion. I was made to eat my words and then some, and did so very gleefully on Tuesday, particularly in that first half, where the real Nottingham Forest rocked up. So can we duplicate that again on Sunday? I would hope so. I mean, it's going to be challenging away from the city ground. It sounds like you guys made an incredible den on Tuesday night. It must have been amazing to be there.

Yeah, the noise was incredible. It felt like last season. For so long, there's been this call out for the fans to bring the noise. I think the fans have still brought the noise to a decent level, comparing it to some Premier League clubs. Finally, the players brought the performance and Forest got a win, which of course helps. Yeah, just the atmosphere. It was the old man's birthday and he was buzzing. I looked across to him when it was about five minutes to go to the end and everyone's on their feet singing Forrester Magic on and off the pitch with the scarves in the air. And I thought that's surely the best birthday present that could have given him, really.

Yeah, that's wonderful. That's fantastic. So, yeah, hopefully more of the same on Sunday. I was taking a look at the last time a two teams met, of course, was back in December when Steve Cooper was still at the helm. And I rewatched highlights from the game as well, just to refresh my In my memory, I think, Max, wasn't that the game where Brennan Johnson got injured in the warm-up?

Yeah, it was.

Okay, so he never got to make his return to the city ground with his new team, at least. But I remember it being a fairly even game And then in the end, top of one, two, nil. And I think they were probably good for it at the end. But when I look at the starting lineup of the 11 that started that day, Max, I'm seeing only maybe five that might start on Sunday. Murillo, Nico Williams, Yates, Alanga, and Gibbs White. I don't see anyone else in that starting 11 who's either fit to start or is being picked to start right now. So it'll be really interesting to see How different Forest looked. We did score that day. Alanga had a goal to Slown, you might remember. But also, you might remember, Turner had one of his trademark Klangers, laying Kulisewski in after he... Actually, Turner got an assist. It might be a nicer way to phrase that. After you put them all at Coolis FC's feet and say, Go on, have a go. It'd be interesting to see how Sunday looks.

Just did a classic Forest thing and gave a team an easy goal when no one ever seems to do that for us, really, or not very often, really. It's an interesting one, actually. You mentioned there the players and Nico and Marillo, just to name a few, that will most likely start compared to that team. That has been the problem, hasn't it, this season, Mark, that Forest just haven't had that consistency, and we've lacked it. But you'd hope now with a win, almost him keeping the same team in terms of Nuno, you'd think that it starts to be a little bit more consistency. And even if this is a game that Forest lose, but if you're playing the same 11, if you've still got that momentum, you're almost creating consistency there, which we vitally need going into the next seven Cup Finals as people constantly talk about.

Yeah, you make a great point. And I think it's something we've skated over a little bit in the Forest's first year back in the Premier League, we had a relatively... At the beginning, we didn't have a settled squad, obviously, because we had 25, 26, whatever it was, new bodies showing up at the city ground. And So it took Steve Cooper a little while to work out the mishmash that he had been given. But once he did and things really settled down, that's where Forrest started to hit their rhythm. And there's definitely a correlation there. This season, I think due to injuries and again, an influx of new players, things just seemed unsettled from the start. Forrest didn't get off to too horrible of a start, but then once the wheels came off, they came off in spectacular fashion, of course, costing Cooper his job, ultimately. I think we are starting to see a little bit more of a settled side now, Max. There are still a couple of moving parts. I thought it was interesting that Gio Reina didn't start on Tuesday after his encouraging cameo the previous game. So Nuno obviously still tweaking a few things there.

But I think one thing that we are happy to see, Max, in terms of things being settled in a forest side, are Callum Hudson and We're doing at one side and Anthony Langer at the other.

It would help if I didn't put myself on mute there, wouldn't it? It's a good story.

It's going to make it difficult for us to have two-on-one conversation. Yeah, it will.

I was going to say, yeah, it'd be interesting. I'll just let you do it, Mark. To be fair, maybe I'm the half asleep one and not you. You're right about Anthony Langer and Hudson Adoy, especially on either side. Not such the link-up play, but the consistency of having those two there, the chances and the goals that they're creating. Alanger's had a bit of a quiet game, but saying that still contributes lots, the pace he brings. The same with Hudson Adoy, we gave a stat the other podcast, and I'm trying to remember it now off the top of my head, and I think it was he had something like 17 20 appearances for Chelsea and scored four goals. He's had 22 for Forest and he scored five goals. That sums up the impact that Forest have had on him. And Max actually talked about on the last podcast that this was the right career move for him after him having injuries and Hudson Adoy coming into form. And you just hope that's still your bedroom, your bedtime alarm, isn't it? You couldn't have done that better. You busted, yeah. In case you overslept for the podcast.

But when you look at, particularly Hudson Adoy and Alanga, those two players just become so important for Forest and didn't actually cost them. They were almost on the cheap. Anthony being around 15 million and Callum Hudson Adoy being around the three to five million mark, that's not known. It's a bit undisclosed. But for those two, to say that they're under the 25 million mark, in modern day football, to get two players like that, it's a steal when you look back at it, really.

Yeah, it It really is. And I think, again, you use that phrase modern day football. The game has changed so dramatically in the last 15, 20 years. I think one of the things that has shifted is the importance of your wide players. It used to be when I used to play in school, all the good players were picked for the spine of the team. Your centre-backs, your central midfielders, your striker, obviously. And anyone who could barely... Didn't have a first touch, was stuck out wide where they could do the least amount of damage. In modern football, that seems to have flipped on its head a little bit. Of course, you still want quality through the center of the park. But if you look at those players who really perform this season and the areas of the field in which they've done so, and I don't just mean at Forest, I mean, you look across the Premier League, you look at people like Cole Palmer, you look at Phil Foden, who arguably is better in the middle than he is out wide, but has played most of his minutes for City this season out wide. You look at Sonny and Brandon Johnson at Spurs, the team we're facing up to on Sunday.

And of course, at the city ground as well in Callum Hudson, the DOI, and Anthony Alanga. And then you also go back into the fullback positions as well. And we know the importance of the overlapping fullbacks or the inverted fullbacks. Every week it seems to change, a It's a different type of fullback. I think Pep Guardiola is creating the new fullback as we speak. We're going to see that new version this next year. It'd be fascinating to see what he comes up with next. But my point is having quality out wide and giving opposition team, something to think about in those areas has become increasingly important. So the fact that Forrest have those options, we know Morgan Gibbs-White can slide out there as well. Geo Rana can certainly do a job out there as well. So Forrest do have options there. They do have things to give opposition managers and teams something to think about. And I think that's going to be important on Sunday, Max. I think it's going to be really interesting to see what Tottenham do out wide. Right now, they're struggling offensively. Sonny's off the board a a little bit. Brennan Johnson, actually, does seem to be the one player who's in form on that front line.

Kulishevski, again, also seems to be off the boil. Richarlison, likewise. So it's going to be really interesting to see what those teams do on the flanks. But I I expect that Callum Hudson, Ador and Alanger are going to have a big say in Sunday's game. And again, I think the fullbacks will, too. I think particularly Nico Williams, who's had a great season so far.

Yeah, it's a very good point, actually. Quite a few comments coming in to us on Facebook and YouTube, as We are live. This one, three points this Sunday, and the beach towels are in the washer. What's that noise? I don't know, though. It's Forest. This one from Steven, afternoon all. Mark says, Hi, how's it going? Keep watching everyone, quite a few of us in, and be sure to get your comments to me and Mark. I was going to say try and keep Mark awake, but probably try and keep me awake too at times. Not that Mark puts me to sleep, just that...

Good grief.

Ready for the weekend. You mentioned actually there about the wide players, Mark. That's an area that Forest will surely look to exploit and use tomorrow, not tomorrow, Sunday, because a team like Tottenham at home will be all guns blazing. They need a win. They're going to be pushing. Forest can launch a nice little counter attack, and you've got Hudson, Adorna, Langer on both wings and the fullbacks, as you mentioned. And there you go. That's where Forest will create most of their chances, surely from.

Yeah. Forest, I think the thing is going to be key on Sunday, Max, is that Forrest come out of the traps hot. I think the one thing we saw on Sunday, which has been really uncommon this year, and you've seen this with your own eyes at the city ground, is the plodding fashion in which Forrest have started most games. They've been on their heels. They've allowed the opposition to really grasp the nettle. And then Forest have spent most of the second half trying to fight their way back into the match and get something out of it. That was completely reversed on Tuesday. I wouldn't say reversed because I thought our second half performance was decent as well. But Forest came out of the traps hot on Tuesday, and they're going to need to do the same against Tottenham, despite the fact that Tottenham are going through a sticky patch right now, despite the fact that their forwards, their offensive line, aren't really delivering, or haven't been delivering for the last few games. The one thing that Tottenham are going to have, of course, is that home crowd. And you're dealing here with a team that's very athletic.

So if you're going to try and release Callum Hudson-O'Doy and Anthony Alanger down the wings, their pace is going to be important, but their willingness to run, their willingness to stretch the Totem defense, their willingness to peel off and get behind them so that players like Morton Gibbs-White can ping those balls through spaces and stretch that defense. It's going to be really, really important. This Totten team can run all day. And we know that under Anj Postakoglu, they are very offensively minded, and we'll go to the final minute as well. For us, energy is going to need to be high, and it's going to need to be high from that first whistle.

Yeah, it sure is. Chris says here, quite fancy that high line that Spurs-I agree. Exactly. They do play that high line, and that's an area that Forest will, I'm sure, look to exploit. And Nuno will be telling the players about this weekend ahead of the game. It's funny because you look at the way Forest are at the minute, Mark, and you almost look at the next seven games in terms of running, and everyone writes the Tottenham and the City game off instantly. But it would be classic Forest, wouldn't it? To try to almost go and get a point or even better and get three points, cause a big upset at Toppneum on Sunday evening. And then next week we play Wolves at home and it's not so good and it's a bit different. But this is where for the next seven games, almost no matter who Forest played, there's no easy game in football. It's talked about a lot, but there isn't really. Forest have to be almost targeting all the games as trying to go out there and win, and anything less isn't great, but against teams like Tottenham and City, if you get a point, still great results.

Yeah. I mean, this may sound like a bit of a nonsense statement, Max, but the last time I was on, I talked about how important momentum is in football, both within a game and from game to game. I would be quite happy to see Forest win the next four and then lose the remaining games, because I think that'll be enough to keep us up. I think that momentum, that consistency, that ability to take points game after game after game is going to be the thing that carries Forest over the line. I think you're absolutely right. If we look at these games like, you know what? I don't think we can win that one. Oh, yeah, that's a banker. Then I think we're setting ourselves up there for a fall. That being said, I know I'm being a little hypocritical here, and I've joked that it's whatever it is now, seven Cup finals plus the City game. I'm discounting that game. But I don't think you can. I don't think You can discount any game. And as challenging as this Sunday's game looks on paper, as the legendary Brian Clough used to say, games aren't played on paper, they're played on grass.

And I think the way Forest is playing right now and the way that we've demonstrated, and I say right now in the last game, the way we demonstrated that we can come together, that we can play as a team, I think we should go into Sunday's game bullish.

Yeah, and not to get ahead of ourselves, but when you look at Fuller and The Side that has been lingering around eighth, ninth in the Premier League, had some good results against Liverpool, had some good results against Man United, and Forest played them off the park, particularly in that first half.

Can I just say as well how awesome it is? We never get this as a fan base to see the opposing team's coach, who, by the way, because obviously I was watching it on TV, looked like he was on the brink of crying the entire game. He did. He looked so incredibly depressed. How awesome it is for the Forest fan base to see an opposing team's coach make three substitutions 30 minutes in in response to the fact that we're violating them. That might be my highlight of the season.

Yeah, It's probably one of mine, actually. In fact, Max said on the last podcast, it was like watching Prime Barcelona at its stages in the first half.

He went a little over the top there.

Yeah, I thought that too. But we'll let him have his moment, bless. We love you both. Yes. Mark says here, Should play The same side that played Tuesday, especially at home for the remainder of the season, shows a more attacking side than two defensive midfielders, home and away. We played the best I've seen at home first half in years. I totally agree. I think it was the best in a long time, possibly the best in the whole time that Forrest had been in the Premier League. So for you then, Mark, for this game, surely got to be the same team. Would you be looking at making any changes? You look at a player like Chris Ward, 2-2, possibly 3-3 now for him. He's in the top record at the minute. In terms of comparing with other strikers in the Premier League at being up there in terms of goals and actually shots created. Play him on the high line, keep the same team. Consistency, surely?

Well, let me circle back to the team selection here in just a second and hone in for a moment on Chris Wood? Because I'm glad you mentioned this, and this is a question I have for you, which is there's been some chatter online these last few days about Chris Wood and about the fact that if Taewooh were one year, I think general wisdom at the beginning of the season would suggest he's our number one striker. If a one year were fit now, which, of course, he won't be for Sunday's game, we don't think, but if he were, would you still consider Chris Wood the starter and a one year on the bench?

I'd play Chris Wood on Sunday. And I've been a player that... I haven't been a player, thank God. I've been someone that's been highly critical of Chris Wood as a player, especially when he started. And I've actually exchanged a few conversations this week with Forrest fans and people I know about that. I didn't think he had a great start for Forrest. I often wondered what he would bring the same way I think about Divo Karigi at the minute. But then he's in form. Chris Wood scoring goals, and that's what Forrest needs at the minute. How long have we talked about Mark, someone for Forest? We've lacked someone for so long that can score goals. It's as simple as that, that leads the line and does that. Taewo, of course, has been that player, particularly last season. This season, yes, at the start, but he's been injured. He's out every other week at the minute. So for me, start Chris Wood, keep him there, keep the consistency. If Taewo is fully fit in two or three weeks and he shows a little bit more in training and Chris Wood needs a rest, then you start Tywo and have Chris Wood as that super sub, really.

Do you agree?

Yeah, I think I do. I like Chris Wood. I know he had a rough start, but I'm a Chris Wood fan. I have been for a while. But to be fair, the other day, I would say about him is I thought he was a little limited in what he could bring to the team. I thought he was a bit one-dimensional, and he's proved me to be an idiot. I mean, he has scored all of the goals this year, the whole... The slew, the variety. We thought he'd just be getting headers and off-crosses, but he's been fantastic. So I do agree. I think when Taewo comes back, I think Chris Wood retains his place for me. And in terms then, the starting lineup for this Sunday, Max, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. I don't see the need to make any changes there in particular. One other player I am going to hone in on very quickly, though, and again, get your take on is Alaa Ina. Of course, the news came out this week that Forrest activating an extension to his loan, right? By an additional season? Yeah. Okay. What are your thoughts on that, given that we have 632 players on the squad?

Is he one you want to keep around? Are you excited by that?

I think so. Yeah, I think, again, he offers a little bit different to Forest, the pace he brings. We We just talked about it then about having the wide players and the overlapping fullbacks and players in a way that can change the game because the Premier League is so hard. You've got to compete against so many different teams. Often, managers can get found out for setting up their teams too predictable. We've seen that with Forest in the case, particularly Cooper towards the end of his tenure or maybe at the start of last season, too. So for Forest, I think you need players that are different and you bring something that is different. And his pace as well. Sarah actually compared him on the last podcast. I know When Tavares gets a little bit of criticism, and not scapegoated in a way, but fans are unsure about him. But before he got injured, Tavares, he was coming good. He had flashes of brilliance, he had on the ball in terms of pace. I think that's what Al-Oran can bring, is that pace down the flanks when Forrest counterattacking. So for me, it's a good option, like you said, though, Mark, so many players in the squad.

I think what we're seeing, this all depends on whether Forrester stay in the Premier League, but we're going to see a completely different, almost, set up in the summer. We're going to see a different line of recruitment. I think we're going to see a different selection process in terms of what squad new know, or if it's a different manager in the summer, once. And it's going to be a long rebuild period. I think for the time being, though, I think I can imagine everyone at the football club is just focusing on survival. Although you never know, Marenake is probably out trying to sound like a WNDY kid or something. He can't stop. He's like a kid at Christmas. I know.

Absolutely. Now, I think your observations regarding Tavares are on point. And the one issue I have with Tavares is no doubt he's got an abundance of pace. There's no doubt he brings something to the team, both defensively and offensively. Although I don't know that he's necessarily as strong as Aina in the defensive category. I just find Tavares to be a little bit selfish. He's single-minded to a fault, particularly when he's attacking. I think Aina is more of... I think he provides more of a natural balance to Nico Williams at the other I think gone are the days of having one really strong fullback either side of the field, and then the rest is filler. I think you need to have four really strong fullbacks to provide you with that rotation, given how much fullbacks are being asked to do, again, in modern day football. So I think having Nico Williams, having Ala Aina, Harry Toffalo, one other, potentially two others, because there's still some question around whether Toffalo is truly a Premier League fullback. When he plays well, he plays very, very well, and when he doesn't, he can get a little exposed. But either way, I think you need to have depth in those positions.

So I'm excited to see Aina sign up for another year.

Yeah, and I think the comments are very much like that as well. John says Aina is very skillful as well. That's a good point. We're looking midfielder than a fullback. That's an interesting point, actually. Mark says, Aina v. Johnson, pace to burn. Very interesting match up', which brings me nicely on to my next point. So thanks, Mark. How to break up a podcast.

Marks are great. Marks are just great, aren't they? Yeah. Marks and Maxes. They seem to be the best when it comes to podcasts.

The two Ms, the two Ms. Let's look at Brennan Johnson. You mentioned, obviously, he didn't play in the reverse fixture, but he will return, albeit he's at Tottenham and the Forest fans travel away from home. But that adds something to the game, doesn't it, do you think? Former player, academy graduate, someone that's provided Forest with so much. I don't think you can underestimate how much Brennan's done for the football club, especially in the promotion-winning season. But that does add a little bit of fire factor in a way, do you think, to the game? Or is it just Brenan's great and one of our own, but the game takes almost control of itself and you ignore, not the noise as such, but maybe that almost overhyped media talk about Brenan's return?

Yeah, it depends what lens you're looking at that, Max. If you're looking that through the lens of, is it going to be a bit more tasty for the team? And they're going to be up for it? They're going to be anxious to nullify Brennan Johnson? I don't think they're going to particularly care. I don't think they're going to give him any attention above and beyond that, which they're going to assign to Sonny or Kuba Letsky or anyone else that's playing, because with the exception of Ryan Yates, nobody else on that team anymore knows Brandon Johnson, right? Nobody played with him. And because, like you said, he wasn't in the return fixture or the prior fixture in December, very few have played against him. So as far as the players are concerned, it doesn't really add any additional spice. Of course, it does for those in the terraces. And I just hope that fans are respectful to Brennan Johnson. Yes, he's wearing Tottenham colors now. And no, we don't want him to have a good game. We don't want to see him assist or score. But we do need to remember, he is one of our own.

He came through our academy, and he was a huge part of why Forest were finally able to make it back to the promised land. So I hope you don't hear any nonsense on Sunday. And again, this is personal perspective. I know you pay your money, you fan as you want a fan. And so if you feel inclined to be Brennan Johnson or whatever, then you do you, I suppose. But I hope folks remember just how important a part of our recent history he has been. And I think it'd be great to see him play this game. It was a bit of a bummer. He had to pull out through injury last minute in the prior match. So it'll certainly be interesting, as the other Mark said, to see him go toe to toe with Ola Eina. It'll be fascinating.

Yeah, it will be interesting. And an interesting comment here actually from Phil, which says, Was at the Spurs game last Saturday, and they were bang average before they brought Brennan on at halftime. Very sloppy at the back and in midfield. We can get some points from this game.

Why was Phil at the Spurs game?

Yeah, I was going to say maybe Phil lives in London and maybe he's a Forest fan. Let us know, Phil. Yeah. Let's look look actually just at the game in terms of the wider picture and just how you think Forest will match up against them and almost the threats that Tottenham have, you've highlighted already, key players, Mark. But realistically, do you think that Forest could get something on Sunday?

Yeah. So weeks ago, when we were looking at the... What was at that point, the nine or 10 games we had left, you asked me that horrible question about whether I thought Forest could stay up. And it just occurred to me that Forest scouts are now watching our podcast. Phil is a Forest Scout, clearly. That's the only thing that makes sense. Wow, the heights we've risen to, Max. Anyway, where was I? Can Forest get something out of this game? Yet when I was looking at those remaining nine or 10 games, I did not have Forest down as getting anything out of this match. After seeing the performance on Tuesday, certainly we're capable of it. If you told me now you come away with a point, I'd snap your hand off. I absolutely would. Again, I talk about momentum. I think getting a point away from home in the Premier League, that's always a good thing. Do I think we could take all three points? Anything's possible in the Premier League, right? We've seen that throughout the season. We're going to have to look at the crazy Man United Chelsea game last night, which was absolutely fantastic.

I love that so much.

I was doing a pub quiz in Manchester with some mates, and the game was on in the background, and everyone was paying full attention to this quiz, And then it got to the last 10 minutes of the game and everyone looked up at the screens and I felt sorry for the quiz master.

Well, that's the Premier League for you. So yeah, can Forrest get something out this match? Yeah, I think he absolutely can. Again, I would snap your hand off for a point. I don't think three points is beyond us. I just think it's really important that we don't lose this game. It's not the end of the world. It's not a six pointer or a must win, but in the interests of momentum. And like I said, if we could win the next four or five, or we could win four or the next five games, I don't care what happens for the remainder of the season. Let's get it done now, and let's get all the heart rates down a little bit for the remaining few games, especially for our more senior contingent like Dave. Hi, Dave. Let's make it easy on him for the last few. I'm going to get that. He's going to come back on me now, isn't he? Yeah, he's going to come back. I've just set myself up there. But anyway, so yeah, to answer your question, I think we're absolutely capable of getting somewhere from Sunday's match. Yeah, I'm going to say- What about you?

What are your thoughts? I think a point is doable for Forest, but I think any more realistically, when you look at Tottenham under Foster Coglu this season, I just can't see it. And as you said, this is almost a bit of a free hit. Not as such, I want to go back to a Cup game where it doesn't really matter what happens because if we get spanked 4, 5, nil, it would be a bit of a disaster, especially because it kills the momentum. You then question certain players' performances. But for Forest, if we lose this, it wouldn't be the end of the world. You've got a very much winnable game. I mean, it sets up then. Again, I wouldn't call it a must win, but it's going to be a difficult game against Wolves the following week. But at the city ground, you'd hope Wolves, similar side to Forest, found themselves near the relegation zone last season, haven't this season, but you'd hope that Forest match up against them.

Yeah, it's interesting. I actually think Wolves in terms of form, and in some respects, the way they play, are not too dissimilar to Fulham, actually. I think there are a lot of parallels that could be drawn there. And arguably, Wolves have had a better season than Tottenham. I know Tottenham, we've definitely seen an uptick in terms of the way they play football, being more attacking-minded after their last three managers. Essentially, all had them parking the bus. It certainly isn't the Tottenham way or not the Tottenham that I remember. And so definitely, they've had a better season. But in terms of overperformance, I think Wolves have actually been one of the standouts this year. So that game certainly isn't a given. But if you can turn over Fulham, you can turn over Wolves. I just want to see us get at least a point from Tottenham in the meantime.

Yeah. As you mentioned there, Mark, if Forest wouldn't win the next four out of five, I'm leaving the podcast. We'll finish it there and we'll... When I'm up to America.

Beach tales, yeah.

I'm off on my holidays already. No, I've got to wait till the end of the podcast season, actually, sadly. I was going to say, Mark, it's just a shame you can't put me up in America. We have a Garrivali red, almost preseason tour.

Come on over.

Yeah, we could do like... One The thing we do have here is we have a Nottingham Forest North American supporters group.

And so we're all pretty active. I mentioned the WhatsApp that happens every matchday, but we chat in between matchdays as well. And we have little branches all over the place. There's a big one in New York, and surprisingly, and then dotted all over, right? California, and I think there's one down in Florida, and there's one in Chicago, and all over. Then we have a Canadian branch all over the place. Then just about every year, depending on the variables, but just about every year, we try and have a meetup. We find a city, we find a pub, we go watch a forest game. For two or three days, folks hang out, and it's all about forest. So whenever that one comes around, Max, this next year, I'll have to give you the details. Come on out, we'll do a recording live. Let's do it. Us of A.

Full expenses paid, hopefully, Mark. First class from Manchester.

Absolutely. We're not recording this, right? Yeah, Absolutely.

Right. I think that would do us nicely. Any final points before we go, Mark? Any shout-outs or anything you want to say?

I don't have the stats to hand. This is going to be a little clumsy. You probably do know these numbers off the top of your head, but I was astonished by the Daniel Taylor article in The Athletic, right?

Where he talked about- Brilliant article, by the way. The number of years. Go on, please. If Forest fans haven't read it, I'd highly recommend that you do You can sign up to The Athletic. It isn't that much. And seriously, Danny Taylor, brilliant writer and great article from him. And just really interesting. And it's nice because it shows that you've got that Forest connection still, that Forest family feel that people talk about, really, Mark.

What was the article about, Max? Come on, you're taking the baton now.

No, no, no. It was more about, wasn't it, Forest Academy graduates and then not being a game where Forest haven't fielded at least one player that's homegrown. And he talks about the numbers and all of that.

Am I picking this time out of the air? Is it like 4,000 games or something ridiculous?

Yeah, I think it's around the 4,030, Mark. The numbers I've gone off the top of my head, but I I'll have to go back and have a look, but it's well over the 4,000 mark, which is incredible.

It is. Yeah, it's absolutely astonishing. And I think that's something that for a long time we've talked about that. We've talked about the influence of our academy, and we've seen some real high spots, haven't we? Where we've had four or five academy players in and around the starting lineup. And then we have situations like we have presently where I think Ryan Yates is the only one. But the fact there's any presence at all, and that has been an unbroken presence for such a long period of time, It's both something to be proud of, but it is also essential, I think, as well for the lifeblood of our team. We're not a team with particularly deep pockets until very recently, but generally, we're a team living on a shoestring. And I think, again, Max, that's one of the things that Forest fans draw enormous pride from when we look at our European Cup triumphs. The fact we won a European Cup is mind-blowing. The fact we won two back-to-back, it's almost inconceivable But then to do it with the team that we did it with, which arguably wasn't chock full of stars. I mean, if you think about the players that Klaffy pulled in, and I know we're going on a bit of a tangent here, so I want to wrap this up.

But if you look at the players that Klaffy brought in, And very few of them were players that were big name players at the top of their game. Even Trevor Francis, when Klaffy purchased him for a million quid, he was a player on the up. He wasn't a seasoned England international with 50 games under his belt at top flight level and 30 goals for his country. And so that DNA, that way of building teams, it's always been a part of Forest. And you can bolster that with players coming through your academy and have homegrowns, that's really, really key. So, yeah, that was a fantastic article, and it really underscored what aspect that's been so important to our club and the success of our club over the last 40, 50 years, despite being in the doldrums in the Championship.

Yeah, 100 %. Well, fingers crossed that Forest can stay there this season. And the seven Cup finals remain. Maybe if you were to exclude the city game as we always talk about.

I just realized I'm wearing city colors here. That's unintentional.

Sorry about that. Right. Well, I was going to say me living in Manchester, maybe I'm not one to talk. Appreciate your time today, Mark. Thank you. I will let you go. I think you've got a school run to do and then start the day, whereas I was going to say it's not near the end of the day here.

Yeah, run the kids to school, another cup of coffee and some scrabble eggs on some homemade sourdough bread.

Nice. Well, we know what we're having for breakfast when we do the North America meet or pay. There you go. And expenses paid for as well. Food paid for. This is getting better and better. Right, let's close it there. We'll be back on Monday for our main episode after Forest, hopefully, beats Tottenham. That would be nice, wouldn't it? As always, if you do enjoy the podcast, leave us a review on Spotify and Apple podcast because it really does help and helps us get us out there. You can also like and subscribe on YouTube and share it with everyone. Follow us on Twitter. Keep up to date with us, gariboldyred_. No more lie down, lie down, fingers crossed. Forest, hopefully not conceding from a set piece. Chris Wood, three and three. Let's hope so. Come on, you read. See you later.