Just six points separate the bottom nine teams in the Premier League. This relegation fight is not going to be for the faint-hearted, that’s for sure.
How Nottingham Forest cope with the pressure over the next two-and-a-half months will be key. They are still well placed in the table, with survival very much in their own hands.
It’s probably going to be tight. It may even go down to the last game of the season. And there is absolutely no doubt that if the Reds could improve their dismal away form it would make their life a heck of a lot easier.
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But where they do hold an advantage over some of their rivals is with the sense of togetherness head coach Steve Cooper regularly draws reference to. Don’t underestimate how important that can be.
The backing Cooper’s side receive at the City Ground is contributing to a very strong home record which is keeping Forest above the dotted line. As the Welshman pointed out after Sunday’s draw with Everton: “We're really lucky that we are a home crowd at the moment that when things are going against us, the crowd gets even better. You don't see that everywhere, so we're really lucky that we've got that. I'm really grateful for that.”
Cooper is right, not every team does have that. There was some nervous tension Trentside at the weekend - the magnitude of the game and the start the hosts made saw to that. But the roar from the crowd almost drove the Reds on for a winner in the latter stages; just as was the case against Manchester City.
Not every side at the bottom end of the table has such strength of support in the manager, either. A week after West Ham United thumped Forest 4-0, their fans seemed to turn against boss David Moyes as the team lost by the same scoreline at Brighton and Hove Albion.
Our sister site LeicestershireLive outlined the lack of unity at Leicester City as Brendan Rodgers called for supporters to get behind the team following defeat to Southampton.
None of this means Forest are guaranteed to stay up, of course. It’s not that simple. If only it were.
It’s difficult to avoid the suspicion that a few points will need to be picked up on the road - and with that a few goals scored - to help do the job. Not doing so is putting pressure on coming through in the home games, which, as Sunday showed, isn’t always easy.
In Cooper, though, the Reds have a uniting force. He emphatically shut down reports of other clubs eyeing him up last week, but that they are casting admiring glances his way shows how he remains the club’s biggest asset - pulling players, fans and staff together.
Whether all of this is enough remains to be seen. But it is a factor not every team fighting to stay up is able to rely upon.
Where will Forest finish in the table? Have your say in the comments below
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