Countdown to the big kick-off: Chris White, CPMG Architects

Chris White, project director at CPMG Architects, is a long-suffering Nottingham Forest fan. Will his pain end next season? We asked him how he thinks Forest will fare when they kick the season off on Saturday.

What was the high point of last season?
Not surprisingly, the home victory over Derby County was the high point. The game was played on a Friday night (for Sky TV) leading to a vociferous atmosphere with the majority of fans choosing to ‘make an afternoon of it’. We outplayed Derby with a performance that suggested Dougie Freedman might actually have the ability to put out a team that could take a game to their opponents.

Favourite other team in your division?
That is easier to answer than it would have been, thanks to Burton Albion getting promoted. My family (on my Dad’s side) all come from Burton, in fact I’ve traced my family tree back to the 1840s when the first White moved there to obtain work. That, combined with Nigel Clough moving there as player/manager in the late 90s, meant that I’ve followed their results for the past 20 years. I’m really pleased for them, and apart from two games next season, I hope that they manage to consolidate their position in the Championship.

And least favourite?
There are 22 teams who are my least favourite… seriously though, Derby County purely based on rivalry (although my Dad’s dad was a fan so I wouldn’t go as far as to say I hate them), and Newcastle. For some strange reason, they seem to think that football is more important to them than the rest of the country.

Have you been happy with the close season?
I’ve been pretty ambivalent about the whole thing. The antipathy demonstrated by the England players align with that of some of the Forest players last season; as I get older it is becoming harder to continue to commit emotionally as the fans are getting very little back in return. I hope the new manager can inject passion, commitment, and respect for the club and its heritage.

Sterling’s behaviour after Euro 2016 is representative – in my mind – of the feelings most players have, this kind of ‘ah well, we didn’t win but look how much money is in my bank account’. I hope that isn’t the case – I have friends who are professional footballers and most understand their responsibilities as a player of a football club and give nothing but 100% – it worries me that not all have this approach.

To be successful we need players who strive for success as part of a collective, and a manager who can amplify that drive through motivation (shout at them, put an arm around them – whichever is appropriate) and underpin that with a simple, effective tactical approach to winning football matches.

I keep looking at clubs like Burnley (a town with 80,000 occupants) and Bournemouth (average attendance circa 11,000) and why they are being so successful. It’s simple, attack-minded managers, players who want to play for them and do well for the club with the secondary (not primary) benefit, progression of their own careers.

How do you think you’ll do next season?
Depends on the above – in my view, whilst I accept that we all need to be realistic, Forest shouldn’t be going into any season when in the Championship expecting anything less than a top six finish.

Predicted finish?
If the manager can instill the type of player who can buy into culture described above then top six, if he can’t then mid-table mediocrity.

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