Jermaine Jenas examines Nottingham Forest’s Premier League progress in the latest NottinghamshireLive news.
Jermaine Jenas feels “convinced” that Nottingham Forest will avoid relegation from the Premier League this season.
With eight points from their first seven games of the current season, the Reds are in 11th place. The highlight of Steve Cooper’s team’s season thus far has been a 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
And Jenas is certain that this season is a golden opportunity for his former club to re-establish themselves in the Premier League after finishing 16th and four points above the relegation zone in their first season back.
“Nottingham Forest are still a work in progress under Steve Cooper but I’m already convinced they will stay clear of the relegation battle this season,” Jenas told the BBC. “Last year was all about staying up after they had waited so long to get back into the Premier League and, after a slow start, Forest were never very far from the bottom three.
“You could feel the tension in the air because they had taken a massive gamble with the amount of money they spent to try to stay in the top flight – and they only secured their safety with one game to go.
“Forest made a lot of signings after winning promotion and, as Chelsea are finding out at the moment, when you bring in that many players all at once, it can be a struggle to get instant results.
“The way Forest improved as that campaign went on shows what a good job Cooper did when he was given time to bed everyone in and, crucially, he has continued the building process he started.
“Forest added a lot of players to the group again this summer and they have made a much stronger start this season, especially away from home and against teams from the top of the table.
“Of course, it’s early days, but based on what we’ve seen so far, they’re not one of the Premier League’s three worst teams.” Mid-table is a feasible goal given the entire bottom half appears to be weaker this season.
“Forest have brought in some good young players, and it appears that this is a good time for them to really establish their style of play and integrate those new faces.”
“Cooper is still searching for a few bits and pieces, especially at the top end of the pitch, to guarantee more goals but, in time, I think that part will come too.”
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