Nottinghamshire

Colin Fray
BBC Radio Nottingham reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Nobody expected the start to the season Nottingham Forest have gone through.

Three managers before the November international break is clearly not where the club wanted or expected to be.

Yet over the past few weeks, the appointment of Sean Dyche and backroom staff steeped in Forest history has steadied things.

It has brought a return to the traits and feelings that served the club well over the previous four years or so: togetherness, determination and belief.

On the pitch, there has been a return to other familiar things.

Firstly, clean sheets: two in the Europa League, though a Premier League blank remains elusive. Secondly, and most importantly, wins: a crucial one in Europe and one against Leeds for their first in the Premier League since the opening day.

Goals are starting to become more abundant and smiles are back on faces around the City Ground too, despite still being in a very perilous position and having a seven-man injury list for Leeds' visit.

The Reds' current absentees include striker Chris Wood, winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, right-back Ola Aina and midfielder Douglas Luiz.

But there is a belief that things are looking up under Dyche and there is also hope the international break will have helped some of those injured players recover.

There is also confidence that performances and therefore league position - both domestic and in Europe - will improve.

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Pat Riddell
Fan writer

Which player is flying?: Elliot Anderson is the player who's really excelling at the moment. It does not need much explanation — his statistics are the best in the Premier League, he's slotted into the England side without any trouble whatsoever and almost every single game for Forest shows off something we have not seen from him yet.

Which player is floundering?: There are several new signings that have not quite found their way yet, although I suspect James McAtee is the one who has really struggled to make an impact. As ever, patience is required and we might not see the best of the likes of McAtee, Arnaud Kalimuendo and Dilane Bakwa until next season. The talent is evidently there - sometimes it just takes time.

Tactically I think... we are still playing catch-up. The plan after last season was to play with greater possession and be less dependent on counter-attacking. The swing to Ange Postecoglou was very clearly too far but Sean Dyche still has some tinkering to be done after he has dealt with the basics.

I want my manager to give me more... goals. It's early days to be demanding too much of Dyche as he's got a lot on his plate, although after he's got us organised at set pieces we really need to start scoring more. Three against Leeds United changed the mood so hopefully we will be less dependent on Chris Wood this season.

Our fans seem obsessed with... Crystal Palace. You could probably argue it the other way though as the anger is mostly from south London, but our fans have had a very strange relationship with Crystal Palace since they did their own damage to themselves and we simply asked Uefa a question.

But they should be thinking about... the Europa League. That is what the antagonism was over and it is really where we need to be concentrating - after the league, of course. The squad is big enough to cope with the demands. It is just about getting everyone up to speed so we are not so dependent on our first XI for the Thursday-Sunday-Thursday-Sunday games.

My expectations for the season were... equalling or bettering last season. Finishing in the top six was always going to be tough but aside from losing Anthony Elanga, we strengthened the squad. Now, however, we will be delighted with a top-10 finish - and even that is still a long way off.

Score for the season so far: Three. It can improve dramatically but it has been a tough few months.

One sentence on how you're feeling right now: Vaguely optimistic that we can turn things around. We might still be in the bottom three but a few wins and other results going our way will dramatically affect the table.

Find more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club, external

Over the past week, we have been asking you to send in the best Premier League XI your club could have put together.

We know football existed before 1992 but as a Leeds United fan asked our experts on the club to name theirs - using the Ask Me Anything form on the Whites - we stuck with their parameters.

Here's the effort of BBC Sport's Forest fan writer Pat Riddell.

And you can ask us about the Hammers using their Ask Me Anything form at the top of this page or here

Find more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club, external

Nottingham Forest will not consider selling England midfielder Elliot Anderson in the forthcoming transfer window and value the 23-year-old in excess of £100m amid strong interest from Manchester United and his former club Newcastle. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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We have, roughly, run the numbers and here is the XI your submissions have produced.

Three fifths of Nottingham Forest's watertight defence from last season has been joined by club legend Stuart Pearce and penalty-saving expert Mark Crossley in a backline that should prove tough to breach.

In midfield, do not expect Morgan Gibbs-White to play rigidly on the left, but he needed fitting in alongside a combative and destructive pairing of Roy Keane and Elliot Anderson.

Up front, Stan Collymore was a shoo-in but finding a partner proved tricky. Chris Wood's heroics in 2024-25 no doubt helped sway the vote.

Maybe get Brian Clough in charge of this bunch - or Nuno Espirito Santo? - and watch them shoot up the league.