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Nottingham Post
Nottingham Post
Sport
Matt Davies

Brennan Johnson could now be priceless to Nottingham Forest as Brice Samba pushes his luck

Nottingham Forest moved to within four points of the Championship play-offs thanks to a 2-1 win over arch rivals Derby County on Saturday.

We looked back on that game and ahead to the fixture against Barnsley on this week's Garibaldi Red podcast with Matt Davies, former Forest midfielder David Prutton and Forza Garibaldi's Greg Mitchell.

You can listen to the full episode here, or watch it here.

Did the best team win?

DP: Forest deserved to win. I was surprised about how Derby went about it.

They had a huge chance for Tom Lawrence and then there was a formation change from Steve Cooper. It didn't wrestle the initiative back but they cancelled each other out until half time.

Second half is a different matter entirely. They managed the game well.

Wayne Rooney said as much after the game. There were a couple of decisions he wasn't happy with, but over the course of it he couldn't begrudge Forest taking all three points.

It's testament to Steve that he made that early change. It wasn't backs to the wall for Forest or anything.

That tweak stemmed the tide. It shows how well coached they are that Ryan Yates can go in and shore up the centre of the pitch.

It shows humility to think they had to change then. A stubborn manager would have left it till half-time.

Should Lewis Grabban have been sent off in the first half?

DP: You've got to understand how the game has changed due to VAR. If you are a Forest fan you're happy it's not here now, but you'll want to be moaning about it next season.

When you see that challenge live it looks very uncomfortable. You look at how high Lewis' boot is and consider endangering an opponent, is it serious foul play and excessive force? It's all three.

VAR is a moot point really, but if you look at it again it looks horrendous. There's an irony to this in that that was what I did for part of my career!

I wasn't trying to injure an opponent but I could look clumsy. I think there was enough in that for a red card.

GM: If VAR watched it again, was it clear and obvious enough to overturn? I don't think so. A straight red wouldn't have been overturned. I thought it was more of a 50/50 decision.

How important is it Grabban stays fit for the rest of the season?

DP: It was a really good finish. The first touch is fantastic before the finish.

It's an amazing to think he has that coolness in his veins when he knows that could be the only chance he gets.

He's been a player Steve has got the best out of. I'm not saying build a team around him, but why would you not facilitate the squad to get the best of him.

GM: Keinan Davis is not scoring but he's doing the right things. He's an improvement on what we have. The goals will come. He won't get loads, but goals will come.

Can Forest get promoted without Brennan Johnson?

DP: If someone offers £18m or £20m, that's a lot of money.

They've been in the Championship for such a long time and they've had to manage through a pandemic. If a club offers £18m up front that's a lot of money.

He's blossomed. There was a moment where Lee Buchanan got booked and you think just give Brennan the ball.

He's got energy, fitness and he's robust. He keeps going. The goal, if you're a Forest fan, was a magical moment you can lose yourself in.

It must be the most wonderful thing to have him as a Forest player, as a fan, and hopefully he still is at the end of the season.

GM: After the 20th time of him slapping the badge I thought he's staying. You see him lose control when he scored and you hear his Nottingham accent when he's talking afterwards.

I know £18m is club saving when it comes to financial fair play, but what if he's worth £30m in July?

We've got such a young talent and we've spent years nurturing him. I've got so much trust in Dane Murphy that we'll say he's ours for this season.

You've got to keep him under any circumstances and tell clubs to come back in the summer.

Was Brice Samba lucky not to get sent off?

DP: He just seems to get involved in things that have nothing to do with him. After the penalty goes in, it doesn't matter if Brice holds the ball for five minutes.

The time will be added on. It's a silly thing to get involved in. The ref dealt with it pretty well. He could have sent them off, but he watched it unfold and gave them a yellow.

That said, I do think it was bit harsh booking Tom Lawrence. On a different day that might galvanise Derby.

GM: This time it worked perfectly. Against Bristol City we score a penalty and kick off before they get organised then score again.

I think Samba is aware of that. I thought he was going to be sent off but he did break any momentum for them.

How he didn't get a second yellow on the halfway line when Morrison is sent off I don't know. You laugh about it and I love him but there will be a time when we're saying 'oh God, Samba' and I hope that's not a play-off final.

Without that attitude though, he might be half the player he is.

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