Collymore: Players don’t realise how big a club Forest really is (interview for Newbettingsites.uk)

Former Nottingham Forest striker Stan Collymore has told NewBettingSites.uk that he believes players don’t realise just how big of a club Nottingham Forest is until they play there and experience the City Ground’s atmosphere.

Speaking to NewBettingSites.uk, Collymore said: “The great thing about Nottingham Forest is that you don’t realise how big the club is until you get there. I played for clubs in big cities like Liverpool and Aston Villa, and you feel the size of the city and the history of those places as soon as you arrive there. Nottingham is different because in terms of size it’s a tier below those places and it has a real gentle feeling to it at times, it’s a lovely county to live in.

“When you sign for the club, you could be forgiven for initially thinking you can just go there to enjoy your football and fly under the radar, but you can’t. The fans expect the kind of football that Brian Clough played and they will let you know if you’re not up to standard.

“When you go there you feel how nice it is, you feel like you could happily live there and enjoy your life. But once you walk into the stadium, you realise that those fans have seen Trevor Francis, Viv Anderson, Peter Shilton, Stuart Pearce and players of that ilk who have won major trophies.”

Top-half finish would be a real success

Collymore suggested that a top-half finish would be a real success for Forest, urging fans not to get carried away with hopes of European football.

“We can’t forget that only two seasons ago Forest brought in an unprecedented number of players in a single transfer window,” he said. “Many of them were seen as deadwood at other clubs, but they were good players. Steve Cooper and Nuno Espírito Santo whittled them down and now they have a more settled team. They’re not trying to play expansive football anymore; they’re playing to their strengths on the counterattack with lots of pace and a focal point in Chris Wood.

“Barring the win away at Liverpool, their first few games of the season weren’t the most difficult and there were points to be had, but they still had to get them. Now they’re in a position where they can finish in the top half of the table which would be a real success. I know Forest fans will be thinking about finishing in the European places, but I don’t think they will.”

Chris Wood and Callum Hudson-Odoi have found their home

Forest’s former striker was full of praise for Chris Wood and Callum Hudson-Odoi, whom he feels have realised how big the club is and found their home at Forest

“Chris Wood is an old-school centre forward who won’t interest the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea,” said Collymore. “He’s gone to Forest and realised how big that club is. You walk out onto the pitch and the tifos are out around the ground and you realise the history. He’s now settled in and he’s fully aware of how big the city is.

“Callum Hudson-Odoi started off at a big club in Chelsea with big expectations. Now he has found a club and a city that feels like home where he is really comfortable – the same can be said for Wood. Both of them have realised just how big the club is and how much the fans expect of them.

“They need to continue enjoying their time at the club because it’s a great club, and a great city with a nice feeling about it. It doesn’t have the big industrial feeling where everybody knows your name like you get with clubs in London, Manchester or Liverpool. It’s unique in that you can go ever so slightly under the radar there, whilst playing for a huge club in a brilliant city. That’s why you’re starting to see the likes of Wood and Hudson-Odoi enjoying their football so much.”