‘It gives the team an incredible lift’ – has Chris Hughton started the turn-around at Nottingham Forest?

It has been more than 100 days since Nottingham Forest last enjoyed the sweet taste of victory. Saturday’s hard-fought victory at Blackburn Rovers has been a long time coming.

July 1, 2020 – the date of Nottingham Forest’s last win, a 1-0 home victory over Bristol City courtesy of Tiago Silva’s excellent second-half goal. 108 days.

Back then the Reds were sat fourth in the Championship with an equidistance of seven points separating them from both seventh-place and the top two automatic promotion spots.

It seemed a blip in the road, a small hurdle that they would pick themselves up from before going on to continue to ensure a play-off spot, potentially fighting for promotion to the Premier League.

Instead, however, the Reds went on a torrid run of six games without a victory – including a catastrophic 4-1 home defeat to mid-table Stoke City.

The dramatic implosion had many calling for the sack of boss Sabri Lamouchi. After a lengthy post-mortem into the affairs of last season, he was, however, trusted with the reins for this season.

It did not take long before he began to prove the ambition of the club, somewhat developing his own squad to include much greater strength in depth.

Additions flowed during the first few weeks of pre-season. First Jack Colback joined on a free transfer from Newcastle United, followed four days later by the arrivals of Lyle Taylor and Tyler Blackett.

Before long, Lamouchi had added a total of 13 signings to his already large squad.

With such an influx of players, time was imperative in allowing the squad to gel and build relationships with each other. Owner Evangelos Marinakis, however, was desperate for success. And that was needed immediately.

When the Frenchman had failed to pick up any points in any of his four opening Championship matches, the revolving door was thrown open and he departed the City Ground.

Just 20 minutes separated Lamouchi’s arrival and the departure of his predecessor Martin O’Neill – similarly, he received the same treatment. The 48-year-old’s seat at Forest’s historic stadium was barely cold before it had been occupied by Chris Hughton.

The former Tottenham Hotspur defender came to the City Ground with expectation aplenty. His previous successes in taking Brighton & Hove Albion and Newcastle United to the Premier League has brought the same level of belief in the East Midlands.

Since taking over around two weeks ago, Hughton has enjoyed an international break to get to know his players and “make decisions” over who he will look to utilise at the City Ground.

No-one was quite sure what to expect, therefore, as the Reds travelled to Lancashire to take on Blackburn Rovers in Hughton’s first outing as Forest boss. Would the mental hangover of last season’s pain that Lamouchi had endured carry on under Hughton? Would the Reds enjoy a new manager bounce and revival?

Based on the first 89 minutes of Saturday’s fixture at Ewood Park, it looked as though the struggles were to continue. The Reds were scrappy against Tony Mowbray’s side but where Hughton could take pleasure was their defensive soundness.

Heading into the fixture, Blackburn Rovers were the league’s top scorers and were boosted by the emphatic start to the season enjoyed by Adam Armstrong – who had scored five goals in four games.

Ryan Yates, a player often criticised by Forest fans, returned to the starting eleven for the first time since September 19 and produced a strong comeback performance – including an assist to Joe Lolley’s late winner.

It may have been a dogged performance, but Hughton left Ewood Park hopeful such a result would “restore confidence” and provide the team with an “incredible lift” going into the next few games.

Hughton arrived at Forest knowing he would have a busy schedule soon after being appointed. Including Saturday’s victory at Ewood Park, the Reds have five games in the 14 days before the next international break.

Among those fixtures include home matches against newly-promoted Rotherham and East Midlands rivals Derby County within the next six days.

Saturday’s goalscorer, Joe Lolley, however, says the club must now turn their focus to moving up the table. Speaking about the club’s realistic ambitions this season, he stated that promotion “has to be the aim” for the Reds following the “fresh start” provided by Hughton’s arrival.

It may be too early to say whether Hughton has started a turn-around at Nottingham Forest, but the hectic upcoming schedule could propel the Reds into a much more competitive position.

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