The rollercoaster of being a Forest fan
Article by e-Nottingham Forest Correspondent Matthew Walker
As our former leader Wee Billy Davies said throughout this season there will be ‘twists and turns’ and ups and downs before the season is out, unfortunately for us the rollercoaster currently seems to be Oblivion at Alton Towers at the moment, just one big drop. However this rollercoaster analogy got me thinking, is supporting Forest in their attempts to reach the coveted promised land of The Premiership more of a rollercoaster of emotions than supporting other clubs in The Championship?
If I base the facts on data since the Premier League inception, then yes there is a lot of data to support this theory. Since 1992 Forest have reached the top 6 of The Premiership (their highest point) and gone as low as League 1. We have tasted promotion from The Championship or its equivalent twice but also tasted relegation from the top tier the same amount of times. Within this time we have had around 20 managers who have brought renewed hope and expectation.
We have raised expectations of reaching The Premiership three times through the playoffs since getting relegated last, but on each occasion it has all ended tears in semi final heartache (not mentioning the Yeovil debacle in League one.)
Riding the Forest rollercoaster has not been an easy and pleasurable ride, but are we in a minority in having to endure a rollercoaster of emotions. The answer is certainly not. The Championship is full of them. This article could have been written by a Leicester fan, Leeds fan or the biggest playoff chokers Ipswich fans. Eighteen of the current twenty four team Championship know what Premiership football feels like.
There are currently six teams (Forest, Leeds, Blackburn, Ipswich, Bolton and QPR) who can all boast of finishing in the top 6 of The Premiership. Leeds has been there four times and of course Blackburn fans know what it is like to be at the highest point. Birmingham and Bolton fans have celebrated promotion and cried at being relegated three times.
If Forest gets promoted it will be a momentous effort via the playoffs, which we will have approached in a rich vein of form. On current form and based on our history within this lottery, this will be unlikely. However if you thought Forest were the worst offenders in the playoffs, think again. Ipswich have bought a ticket 5 times and never once got promoted via this format. Birmingham and Reading nearly match them with four attempts. Many of the teams going in to them will have to exorcise past playoff daemons.
We all have our tribal differences by our choice of football teams, but the more we look in to it, in this league almost every team’s supporters have had to endure twists and turns and the same emotions. However will I care for the emotions of other teams if we turn the season round in the last 5 games and get to the playoffs and beat one of these teams in the process, of course not.
© e-Football 2014 All rights reserved no part of this document or this website may be reproduced without consent of e-Football
As our former leader Wee Billy Davies said throughout this season there will be ‘twists and turns’ and ups and downs before the season is out, unfortunately for us the rollercoaster currently seems to be Oblivion at Alton Towers at the moment, just one big drop. However this rollercoaster analogy got me thinking, is supporting Forest in their attempts to reach the coveted promised land of The Premiership more of a rollercoaster of emotions than supporting other clubs in The Championship?
If I base the facts on data since the Premier League inception, then yes there is a lot of data to support this theory. Since 1992 Forest have reached the top 6 of The Premiership (their highest point) and gone as low as League 1. We have tasted promotion from The Championship or its equivalent twice but also tasted relegation from the top tier the same amount of times. Within this time we have had around 20 managers who have brought renewed hope and expectation.
We have raised expectations of reaching The Premiership three times through the playoffs since getting relegated last, but on each occasion it has all ended tears in semi final heartache (not mentioning the Yeovil debacle in League one.)
There are currently six teams (Forest, Leeds, Blackburn, Ipswich, Bolton and QPR) who can all boast of finishing in the top 6 of The Premiership. Leeds has been there four times and of course Blackburn fans know what it is like to be at the highest point. Birmingham and Bolton fans have celebrated promotion and cried at being relegated three times.
If Forest gets promoted it will be a momentous effort via the playoffs, which we will have approached in a rich vein of form. On current form and based on our history within this lottery, this will be unlikely. However if you thought Forest were the worst offenders in the playoffs, think again. Ipswich have bought a ticket 5 times and never once got promoted via this format. Birmingham and Reading nearly match them with four attempts. Many of the teams going in to them will have to exorcise past playoff daemons.
We all have our tribal differences by our choice of football teams, but the more we look in to it, in this league almost every team’s supporters have had to endure twists and turns and the same emotions. However will I care for the emotions of other teams if we turn the season round in the last 5 games and get to the playoffs and beat one of these teams in the process, of course not.
© e-Football 2014 All rights reserved no part of this document or this website may be reproduced without consent of e-Football
You do know we finished third in 1995?
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