No doubt some will accuse me of being defeatist, and will point out that there are still 27 points to play for. Yes, I know that, but let’s get real here.
We are nine points behind Wolves - effectively ten with goal difference - and there are just nine games left. Is a team with only three wins all season going to bridge that gap? Pigs might fly...
It’s not just about the numbers. Our form has been so poor. It would need an absolutely extraordinary turnaround for us to escape. It ain’t gonna happen, folks.
Kieran McKenna's men need a remarkable run of results to stay up now Kieran McKenna's men need a remarkable run of results to stay up now (Image: Steve Waller) The game against Forest summed up all our shortcomings. For half an hour, it was pretty much even, then we collapsed disastrously.
Forest’s first and third goals were absolutely terrible from our point of view. Kieran McKenna admitted it.
Amid all the debate and discussion about our struggles this season, I think our defence has been lucky to escape most of the criticism. No fewer than 62 goals conceded in 29 games. That tells a pretty sorry story.
Of course, chopping and changing doesn’t help. We’ve had the Muric saga, Tuanzebe’s frequent absences, no regular centre-back partnership, and question marks about the defensive capabilities of Leif Davis.
A bit of a mess, and certainly no cohesion. All too often, we make poor defensive decisions, and at times our back four look like a bunch of total strangers. Forest’s opening goal and the killer third both happened because of a lack of communication.
Omari Hutchinson congratulates Jens Cajuste on his spectacular goal Omari Hutchinson congratulates Jens Cajuste on his spectacular goal (Image: Steve Waller) The second half was a total irrelevance. The game was done and dusted. Yes, we scored two nice goals but there was always the feeling that Forest could hurt us again if provoked.
It was good to see Jens Cajuste scoring the best goal of the game, his first for the club.
He was, once again, our outstanding player. I know Liam Delap has grabbed the headlines, but in a quiet way Cajuste has been excellent. Sadly, I don’t suppose he’ll want to play in the Championship.
Cajuste and Liam Delap were obviously brilliant signings last summer, but unfortunately our January arrivals haven’t had the same positive impact as their predecessors in the previous two years.
Alex Palmer has done well, of course, but Jaden Philogene and Julio Enciso have both been underwhelming. Enciso suffered an injury pretty much as soon as he arrived, and is still getting up to speed.
Julio Enciso struggled against Forest Julio Enciso struggled against Forest (Image: PA) Bluntly, I’m yet to be convinced that Philogene is a Premier League player, although it is still early days and it’s been tough coming into a struggling side. Time will tell.
Then there’s Ben Godfrey. It looks as though McKenna has lost faith in him. Otherwise why would Dara O’Shea be starting at right-back ahead of him, in the absence of the injured (again) Tuanzebe?
So, it looks odds-on that, for the second consecutive season, the three promoted teams will go straight back to the Championship. And without putting up much of a fight, quite frankly.
Increasingly, we have a 17-team Premier League, with effectively no relegation for the established clubs. The gap is too wide and that’s not healthy.
So, what about the rest of our season? We still have nine games to play, up until late May. That’s a long time, and we need to use it profitably, even though we know how it will end.
McKenna has an opportunity to look at players, systems and partnerships for our Championship campaign. The following thought might be controversial. We know we’ll lose Liam Delap in the summer, so should he be starting every game?
George Hirst hammers home his late header George Hirst hammers home his late header (Image: Steve Waller) I would prefer to see more of George Hirst, who will be a force in the Championship, and is a better team player anyway.
It’s a shame we can’t recall Cameron Humphreys from Wycombe, where he is a key player in their League One promotion campaign. He will be important for us next season.
The good thing about football is that there’s always the next game, there’s always the next season. There’s always cause for hope, for optimism.
Yes, we’re hurting at the moment, but we can pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down, and go again.