'Forest do not do things the easy way - why change now?'published at 12:31 15 April
Pat Riddell
Fan writer


Full-time at the City Ground on Saturday was subdued in a way we have not experienced in a while. There was little applause, yet no booing, just a quiet sense of disbelief following Everton's last-gasp winner.
As the crowds shuffled out, the sunny weather barely reflecting anyone's mood, that sense of disbelief has shifted from the surreal feeling of being third in the Premier League for so long to the real battle to cling to a dream we never thought possible.
The fight for Champions League qualification is well and truly on. While a fifth place might have been guaranteed last week, following Arsenal's dramatic win over Real Madrid, we have been dragged into a slog with Manchester City, Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Chelsea we had so far avoided.
Several of those sides have yet to face each other in the run-in and, with six games to go, a lot can still happen. But maybe this suits Forest. Maybe being the underdog is what our current mentality desires. Maybe we just have a blip to get through before returning to the form we have had most of this season.
You cannot win every game in the Premier League and, as I have often said, you learn more from defeat than victory. The drive and determination from Nuno Espirito Santo and his squad has been clear for all to see in this campaign and it is pretty obvious what the players will be feeling right now.
Forest do not do things the easy way, so why would we change now? Everyone at the club has been pulling in the same direction for such a long time, it feels like whatever happens now there will not be a quiet finish to any of the remaining matches at the City Ground this season.
Find more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club, external
