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Erling Haaland gets short shrift at Nottingham Forest as Marinakis strikes gold and old boy plays for keeps
A trip to the Etihad Stadium awaits for Nottingham Forest on Wednesday (7.30pm kick-off) as they try to take advantage of Manchester City’s alarming slump in form.
The Reds go into the game on the back of last weekend’s 1-0 victory over Ipswich Town, while their opponents are without a win in seven games in all competitions. It has the makings of being an intriguing match in the north west.
Ahead of Forest’s meeting with the reigning Premier League champions, we've taken a look at the latest goings-on Trentside...
Striker battle
In his pre-match prediction, pundit Chris Sutton dubbed Wednesday night the “battle of the big No 9s”. But there is no doubt who the Reds would rather have in their corner.
According to Callum Hudson-Odoi, Forest have their very own Erling Haaland in the form of Chris Wood. City’s Norwegian star is just ahead in the race for the Premier League golden boot - with 12 goals to Wood’s nine - but both revel in the role of being the leading man for their team.
Asked if Wood is just as important to the Reds as Haaland is to Pep Guardiola’s side, Hudson-Odoi said: "Definitely! Chris gets most of our goals and Haaland gets most of their goals. Both teams are looking for their strikers to produce game in, game out. It will be the same on Wednesday.
"He (Wood) has been so good. You can see the confidence growing in him. As a team we do look towards him when we need something, and he always produces something for us. That's exactly what you need from a striker.
"He's a senior member of our team and he shows his experience with everything he does on the pitch. I don't wish he was 22 again - I'll happily take him at 32, 33 because he's banging in the goals now.
"We know whenever he's in the box he's a threat. But I feel like this season and the end of last season he's added other dimensions to his game. He can come short and link up. He can spread the ball, he can hold the ball up. He's got much more in his locker now than just being a target man in the box to aim for. That's really good for us.”
Marinakis award
According to Fabrizio Romano, Reds owner Evangelos Marinakis is to receive the European Golden Boy Career Award at Golden Boy 2024. He will follow in the footsteps of Arsenal legend Cesc Fabregas who took that title 12 months ago.
Interestingly, former Arsenal sporting director Edu was also among the Golden Boy winners last year. He picked up the 2023 honour for best sporting director. A year on and the Brazilian is expected to take up a job within the Marinakis group, overseeing the Greek’s three clubs - Forest, Olympiacos and Rio Ave - as well as looking to expand that stable.
Marinakis has already enjoyed plenty of success with Greek giants Olympiacos, where he has been at the helm since 2010. And now he is keen to make Forest a force in the Premier League.
His award comes on the back of the Reds announcing he is spearheading their new charity campaign, Home For Christmas. The club say it is a community and charity-focused campaign which is “designed to embrace the spirit of the Forest family” over the festive period.
A number of events will take place as part of the initiative, including a children’s Christmas party at the City Ground, a special “Forest Forces” Christmas Club breakfast for veterans, food and multi-bank collections, a hospital visit by the Reds’ first-team and a Memory Club Christmas party for people living with memory loss or dementia. Additionally, there will be a “Forest Family Open House” on December 23 as the club opens its doors to anyone “who feels a sense of loneliness and social isolation” amid the festive period.
Taking a chance
Nigel Doughty Academy graduate Jordan Smith has been reflecting on quite the few years as he tries to put himself in the spotlight. Still only 29, the goalkeeper is now at Hibernian and made his league debut for the club last week.
Being between the posts for a 3-3 draw at home to Aberdeen was Smith’s first league action since playing for Forest in a 2-0 defeat to Norwich City in March 2021. He left the City Ground as a free agent in 2023, then managed just five cup and trophy appearances for Stockport County last season. Now, he wants to grasp his opportunity north of the border.
“It’s been a few years for me. It’s difficult, football is a difficult industry,” he told the Edinburgh Evening News. “I personally feel like I’ve done well to stay in the game. I’ve wanted opportunities, sought out opportunities.
“I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve been at what I’d call quite elite clubs. Nottingham Forest speaks for itself. Maybe that’s me being a bit arrogant being in Scotland, it’s more of a big club in England. Stockport is then a different challenge and a time when I didn’t play. Now Hibs, all very professional atmospheres with really high standards.
“When you’re not playing everyone says: ‘Well, why don’t you play?’ It’s about taking that risk to drop down to a lower division, different potential standard. It takes a fair bit of resilience to say: ‘No, I’m going to back myself to break my way into the team by doing what I do in training.’”
He added: “I didn’t doubt myself. Never. That’s testament to character. It would’ve been easier to take an easier route - but that’s not the way I like to do things.”
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New role
Former Forest loanee Brett Ormerod has taken up a role as Bolton Wanderers’ assistant kit man. The 48-year-old will be assistant to Craig Rowson, who replaces Ted Moulden in the lead role as he has reportedly left to join a Premier League club.
Ex-striker Ormerord had a spell with the Reds in 2008 and has been backed to be a valuable member of the team by boss Ian Evatt.
“They need to know what the game looks like, the pressures of the game, and for me, Brett ticks all of those boxes,” Evatt told the Bolton News. “He is an ex-Premier League footballer, played in an FA Cup final, so if he applied for the job then we have to take it seriously.
He will be a huge positive for the players. I know him as a character, he is bubbly and positive, the lads will respond to that in the current climate. And also he is a centre-forward who has scored goals at the top level, so if ours want to pick his brains aside from ‘can you clean my boots please?’ then why wouldn’t we take that opportunity.”
