Hi, everybody, and welcome back to the Garibaldi Red podcast, a Nottingham Forest podcast. I'm Mike Sayes, your host. Three years ago today, Forest lost 2-nil to Middlesbrough in the Championship, which saw Chris Euten's last game in charge. Forest was sat bottom of the table before Steve Cooper came in. And fast forward three years, Forest beat Liverpool yesterday at Anfield for the first time in 55 years to continue their unbeaten Premier League start. What a game, what an atmosphere, what a moment for the club and for all the staff and players and everybody involved and associated with Nottingham Forest to discuss all of the game. Some key standout performances from pretty much most of the players on the pitch and whether this is the start of something special, joined first of all by Forest Trust Board member, podcast regular Steve Bennett. Steve, you were old enough, weren't you, to see the last win at Anfield?

I knew we were going to start there. I was old enough to be alive, Max, but I wasn't there because I was only 10. But yeah, just fantastic. And I have been to every single Forest Liverpool game, home and away and at Wembley since 1976, apart from, I think it's two. So I've been waiting for this for quite a while.

Yeah. And I actually turned to you, didn't I? It was halftime and I looked up at you, Steve. It was good to see you yesterday and I said, 'Forester is going to win this, one nil. ' I pointed at you and said, 'One nil. ' And there we go. I will tell everyone the lottery numbers later on. Also joined by Dave Asprey, who comes off the subs bench for today's episode, quite last minute. But Dave, good to see you. You're a bit like Callum Hudson, a doy popping up out of nowhere and winning it right at the end. How are you, mate? Have you recovered? Has it sank in yet from yesterday?

I've had worse weekend supporting Nottingham Forest. Max, let's say it like that. Yesterday was It was chaotic, but it was wonderful and joyous. Do a reward for our fantastic fan base who've been... I had to go through the mill quite a few times in the last few years. And just reward for Our coach, who was outstanding, our staff, who prepared from the outcome, prepared beautifully. And full reward for our fabulous squad of lads. What a grand bunch they are. Smashing fellows, all of them, decent people. Worked hard, worked for each other and pulled off probably our best result for decades, really.

Yeah, for sure. Totally agree. Yeah, and it was a nice moment at the end. We were all there, actually. This is probably the first podcast we've done in a while where we're all at the game. Steve, if you just want to kick us off with your thoughts on the game as a whole and just really sum up how you're feeling. What a moment, what an atmosphere. And as mentioned just then, that full-time whistle was something really special, probably the best almost atmosphere post-game since Wembley when Forest got promoted.

I just think the whole occasion was fantastic. For me, and Dave was there, it started on Thursday night. Just to mention it briefly, as the Trust, we put on an event on Thursday night where Ryan Yates and Nat Johnson from the women's team, I had the absolute privilege of having a half an hour, 40 minute conversation with a pair of them. And before we came into the room, I had a brief chat with Ryan and Nat, and Ryan went, I think we're going to win on Saturday. And he said it from a viewpoint that there was no arrogance. It was just based on confidence, and I guess what they'd been working on in the week. And as soon as they announced the team, and it just seemed that, okay, there's a real This is either going to be a tactical masterclass or we're going to get blown away. And it was quite clearly the first. And for me, it all started from the fullbacks, as you touched on earlier. Moreno, what a fantastic debut. And Salah escaped a couple of times, but a player of his quality is always going to. But then when he did, he was rushed and didn't really cause any danger.

On the right-hand side, Iina was just fantastic. As he seems to be every game. Robertson was starting to get more and more frustrated. Dias, Nunez all had a goal on that wing and didn't get past him. I still can't quite believe that we picked him up, what was it, 15 months ago for nothing, and here he is in his second season. Those pundits and the media who criticized Forest for their recruitment, it's probably time they had a more balanced view and stopped talking about us as a club that, 'Oh, yeah, Forest always do loads of business and this and that. ' Actually, the players on the pitch yesterday who we've brought in recently, Ward Prowse was, and we're going to use this as a compliment, was completely anonymous in that you didn't see him anywhere, but he was everywhere. Milencovitch at the back is going to help to bring the best out of Murillo, sell It was a whole team of really, really good performances. And then what struck me in the first half was that we were playing to get to 60 or 70 minutes and then make some attacking substitutions when Liverpool were becoming frustrated and becoming tired.

And it worked absolutely perfectly. And I think as others have commented elsewhere, did teams not realize Why is that Hudson Adoy is going to get it on the left and cut in and hit a swerving shot into the bottom left hand corner or right-hand corner, depending on your point of view. But it was unstoppable. I mean, Alison was completely flat footed. And as you say, the atmosphere as Forest fans in the ground was just fantastic. You've probably seen it. I posted a picture on Twitter X late last night with, towards the end, the Forest players coming up towards the Forest fans, and the other three sides of the ground were completely and utterly empty. And I posted it as every picture tells a story. But the celebration at the final whistle was on a par. I mean, nothing will be ever quite good, I guess, not for a while, but on a par with Wembley. But the whole day was just, yeah, fantastic.

Yeah, absolutely, mate. Absolutely. I think a special moment for many Forest fans that have traveled away for many years and followed the club through some pretty crap times, including the depths of the Championship. No disrespect, but going to Preston and Blackburn and all those Tuesday night games where Forest draw nil-nil or lose in the last minute and haunted by the 8,000 home fans that are there. So it was a special moment yesterday and also good work on the trust event, Steve. Dave, you were there in attendance as well, and just shows the confidence, really, that the players have at the minute under Nuno, which we will touch on. But Dave wanted to touch on a little bit, first of all. I've seen a few comments on social media from, I think, some people that potentially don't, trying to phrase this right, don't know what they're talking about in some way, shape, or form. They were saying that they thought it was quite a fluky performance. Completely disagree. I thought Alan Sheeragrave, great credit to Forest on match of the day. Would highly recommend you go and watch that analysis. And it wasn't a fluky performance, was it, Dave?

Steve mentioned there, we frustrated them until 70 minutes. We played this narrow formation for a reason. It really was a tactical masterclass from Forest and certainly from Nuno.

Well, I'd recommend everybody listen to Alan Sheer. I think Alan is part of our family now. He seems a convert. I heard him say a couple of weeks ago that he didn't think Boris would go down. The eulogy that he gave us last night was just great to watch and great to listen to, and he was absolutely sparked on. In no way, shape or form was that a fluke. It was almost like it was rigorously planned, as Steve mentioned. I listened to Ryan avidly on Thursday night when he came in the room. Sometimes you get football Let's give it the bravado. Yeah, we're going to do this, we're going to do that, we're going to do whatever else. But Ryan used a very, very specific word that stuck with me. Steve will know the word. I'm going to say, Ryan, somebody asked him the question about Anfield, and Ryan I said, Yeah, we're not being cocky, but we're going there with an expectancy, was the word Ryan used, right? And as I watched the events unfold yesterday, it's almost like, Forrest had a feeling this was going to happen. Forrest had almost worked this out.

And the psychology of the two teams was fascinating to watch. One was, We should be winning this. This should be a show. And the more they spiraled, it was almost... And on occasions in We asked Forest to come rope a dope and let a team beat themselves before Forrest had delivered the... No, that didn't happen yesterday. The planning, the team spirit, the togetherness, the unity was there from minute one to minute 95 or whatever it was. And it was so brilliantly thought out. We've always heard in the media the last couple of weeks since they beat a distinctly average Manchester United team. It was Liverpool, Arnie, he slotted straight into the clot slip stream, and here we go. Well, he got out of thought totally yesterday. The idea that Nuno worked out, he started with a pretty no formation, but it was solid. And then as Shira pointed out last night, the back four worked with the guys in midfield to close off the spaces and hunting packs. And Liverpool, after 10, 15 minutes where they pretty much on top. Then Liverpool were like, Well, why is this not naturally happening for us? And it spiraled from there.

And Liverpool just basically disappeared up their backsides and Forest just flourished. And then, like Steve said, Have this plan. Let's stay in the game for as long as we can and then unleash what we've got on the bench. Callum will obviously get the credit. It was a beautiful goal. I think Callum is the most predictable guy in the world in football terms. But it's like, we'll try and stop him then. What was Conor Bradley doing? Conor, you're on there to stop him cutting inside. Alice and Becker should know where it's going. It happened so many times last week, but they can't stop it. I was really taken with Anthony Langer because I thought Anthony was moderate at best against Wolves. And there was some frustration about Anthony. But yesterday, the ball he played to Callum was a thing of wonder and beauty. It completely dislocated Virgil and Canate, they became like the bystanders in a game that was going on. The goal was beautiful, and he hit it from outside the box. But that goal was founded on a bedrock provided by Ola and Milinkowitch and Marillo and Moreno. And Steve said, and everybody said it, the two fullbacks were out of this world.

I came back in the car with the lads I went with And there was a very strong feeling that Ola Eina was the man of the match because he was doing the defensive stuff. He cleared off the Leander member as well just before we scored. And he was doing the defensive stuff and he's doing the attacking stuff. Moreno won a foot race with Mohamed Salah, took the ball off him and went around him and played it, and he made him look average. Morgan didn't have his absolute best game, but Morgan works his socks off. Morgan could be the glamor player that thinks, I'll only do it when the game's going our way. No, Morgan digs in. Woody didn't It may be necessarily have his best game, but Woody was there holding on, being a nuisance. Woody could have scored. In fact, if Woody had been safe, Callum had been there where Woody was, it would have been 2-0. And then you had Anthony Alanger's chance at the end. That Alison Becker, it could have been three or four nil. So the idea that anybody would say it was a fluke. And I watched one guy today saying basically Liverpool lost because they were tired from the international break.

Utter nonsense. Nottingham Forest won one nil, like they won one nil at Southampton. And on both occasions, Nottingham Forest, their victories were more emphatic than that one nil suggests. It was a brilliant performance, not like a four or five nil win, but the magnitude of the task in front of them to do And to do that, when we're still effectively trying to establish yourselves in this lead was just monumental. I had so much pride, and I had not been able to stop smiling, but I didn't get to sleep until about three o'clock last night. I just kept reliving it in my head. You know what I mean? It was wonderful. Absolutely wonderful.

I think one of the things to add, Max, is all the team, there was an incredible work rate. It's evident that there's a really good team there. The preseason has worked really well for us. The players they brought in all not only add skill and talent, but they add something to the squad. And it's clear from all the out of training shots and all the dressing room shots that this is a group of people who they get on. I mean, they won't all get on with everybody, but they get on as a team, I think. And the one word I don't think either of us have mentioned yet, which struck me about yesterday was the discipline. Because they went out to play a formation that wasn't a boring park the bus formation. It was a formation that allowed them to absorb Liverpool's pressure, but also always carried a threat, particularly as the second half, as Liverpool got a bit more wayward and a bit more frustrated. And then we just... I mean, the plan worked. It was a tactical masterclass, but the discipline of the players, all of them, and in particular, the new ones who came in.

I mean, let's remember, it was Moreno's debut. It was Ward-Prowse's debut. Morata came on for the last 5, 10 minutes, made his debut.

These are all players that we brought in in the last month, but they slaughtered straight into what seems to be from the outside.

A really strong team ethic. And yesterday was absolutely a day to be a Foreston.

Can I add to what Steve just said? If you look at the photo after Callum scored, the first two guys to get to get to get to get to Hama Daley and Harry Soffolo. They're not even on the pitch. And I thought, I've got to touch on Ward Prowse. I thought he added so much calm, maturity. His experience as an England international and as a guy who's played in the Premier League a lot longer than most of our guys was so crucial. Little passes here and there. He came close to being that guy that we've craved for years. Somebody who runs a game for Forest, with all the best one in the world, that's not Ryan's game. Ryan was beautifully described in an article I saw last night as the Irritator in Chief. But boy, did he do a brilliant job. He's here again. They write him off Ryan Yates, and Ryan Yates finds the way. He's the most adaptable guy within the Nottingham Forest organization you'll get. Nicolas Dominguez went a little bit under the radar, worked his socks off. He looked jiggered when he came off. And that A combination of Nico Dominguez and Ryan and Jwp look really, really good.

And Anderson, Dave.

See, Elliot Anderson as well is just, again, there's a lot of guys in our squad who are proving points. So Jwp fell down the pecking order at West Ham, proving a point. Elliot was on the fringes at New Castle, proving a point. Callum, more than anybody, and that's what touched me yesterday, I got quite emotional, really. Callum had terrible injuries. At Chelsea, his career seemed to be spiraling. And look at him now. And I think it's wonderful. And a lot of our lads have got their individual stories, but the whole thing has been woven together to make one solid unit. And won't be tired anybody now... I mean, we have to make sure. I mean, to be honest with you, the best thing I heard from Nuno was we start thinking about Brighton. Last night and yesterday was for enjoying Liverpool. For me today, if we go to Brighton and get beat, then it takes away from the Liverpool because these next run of fixtures, if any on your point of view, they could be difficult fixtures or they could be good opportunities because Brighton at the Amex, I was just saying to Max before we started, Steve, Ipswich town went there yesterday and got a point and gave Brighton something to think about.

So Nuno will think, well, if Ipswich town and Kieran McKenna and his newly promoted side can go there and get something, why can't based on what we did against Liverpool? And Nuno now has a right to expect, well, you did that at Anfield, I want you to do it to the Amex. I want you to do it against Fulham in a fortnight at Stamford Bridge and then home to Palace and away at Leicester after the break. So the lads have set the bar now and Nuno would say, Well, you did it at Liverpool, let's do it. When Nuno said, all I'm thinking about, he said it to Colin, I've got to give Colin some props. Me and Dawn, we met Colin at the services on the M62 with Davy Jackson. We all swore around- Sorry for Colin. Yeah. And I tell you what, Colin was at a do at William Gunn two or three weeks ago. And he was asked, Do you think Forrest are capable of one of these shot results that makes everybody in football in this country, sit up and take notes. And Colin went, I've already said it, I think we'll win at Anfield and beat Liverpool.

So when we saw him, we were all like, you said, like Max said, we're all going up saying, Colin, what are next week's lottery numbers? And it's just lovely. So So the thought of Colin saying it and Ryan Yates saying it on Thursday night, what was a terrific day. And Steve, I've got to give Steve some credit. He hosted the consummate professional he is. It was a fantastic evening. And here we are. But we have to start thinking about a really tough task next week. Fulham are not going to be easy. They're playing some good football. Chelsea could be anything. They nicked a win last night. So they're hard fixtures in and of themselves. But if we take what we did yesterday into these fixtures, there's no reason why we can't get to the next international break and be nicely ensconced mid-table or maybe even top-off, which for us, given where we've been these last 25 years, basically, it's astounding.

Yeah, it is.

We're 20 minutes in. Do you want to ask us question two?

I was just about to say, Steve, I love doing podcast with you two because I can almost So throw a firework in and just step back. It makes my job a lot easier. Thanks, both. Well, because we've touched on it so much, we've got to stay on the back for a little bit. And obviously the debut from Alex Moreno, 40 successful passes for him, a 67 % pass in accuracy, nine jewels on the ground. Pretty much a solid debut. Steve, as Dave was mentioning there about players proving points and coming in. Not that Alex Moreno has to prove a point, But again, he slotted in and you could tell he was a Premier League player straight away. I just thought, as you mentioned there, yes, Salah got out a few times, but very rarely he slotted in. It just shows how good and key the recruitment has been to this perfect forest starting away as well.

I think all you can do is compliment and congratulate the recruitment team this time, which is perhaps different from what we've said in the past, because in the past it hasn't been as... I think we said this on an earlier podcast, Max, it hasn't been as considered. It doesn't seem to have been in the past as well structured, but there seems this time to have been a plan. My instincts would be, and none of us will ever know, but my instincts would be that it's been a real team effort in terms of the recruitment. So Nuno and his team going, We need more resource in this area and that area and that area. But everybody who stepped onto the pitch yesterday, whether it was for 90 minutes, 60 minutes, 75 or 5 or 10, made a contribution. I mean, look at Jotter Silva when he came on. And how does Jotter Silver, whatever he is, five foot something, win a header against Virgil Van Duyn to give Alanger a chance of going through and potentially scoring a second goal? I mean, that's because his enthusiasm, because of the stage of the game, because of his tenacity, because he just wanted to win the ball.

But I think, as Nuno says, and let's refer to Nuno a little bit, yesterday was fantastic. And any of us who were fortunate enough to be there will always remember it, because 55 years is a long, long time to go without a win at Anfield. But it needs to be without dampening it, it needs to be a stake in the ground. We need to use that confidence that yesterday's win will have given us, the tenacity and the belief that it will have given us to go So, okay, this is season three in the Premier League. Let's look up. Let's not get ambitious and ahead of ourselves, but let's look up instead of always looking over our shoulder. ' When you look at the bottom with teams like Everton and Southampton who so far played four, lost four. Somebody pointed out to me last night, after four games, we've already got eight points. We only got 32 the whole of last season.

It's a very good point, Steve. It's a very good point. Actually, just to stay on that about almost the start and where the Forest can continue to build on this. Forest, so far in the Premier League, have ranked first for shots, first for shots on target, and fourth, fourth for goals conceded. We are probably, and in fact, we're the only team to go to Anfield and win there in terms of this season, obviously. And also for the last, I think it was since 2017, I think, Leeds. And I think there's one other team, Crystal Palace, that have done that. Dave, is this the start of, again, don't want to get too carried away, but is this the start of something special in terms of Forest continuing to build, the players loving life under Nuno? Nuno seems to be building on that connection he's got with the supporters, with the fan base, with the club. Is this going to be a season where Forest are going to surprise a few people? We're not talking about Champions League here, but we're talking about a well-maintained finish, and we're going to surprise people, and we're going to have more shock results like this.

Well, the signs are there, Max. The portents look good, but we have to go week to week. And as you say, keep feet on the ground. And Nuno being the way he is, I think the process of, if you like, us warming to Nuno and Nuno warming to us from just before Christmas, just for the Bournemouth game to now, I think that's complete now. And actually on the point of people with something to prove, there was always this thing, he wasn't great at Tottenham and he's not been great elsewhere. I came away from Anfield yesterday thinking we might just have got ourselves the Wolves, Nuno, which would be very, very handy asset to have. So I think Nuno himself will... When they get together, they may have got together today, I don't know, or they get together tomorrow morning, I would imagine. Nuno will be... He'll be talking a lot about Brighton & Hove, Albion and not so much about Liverpool. He'll have Liverpool as the ordinance on the mantelpiece, and he'll remind them to look at that as to what they're capable of because that's Exhibit A. Are you good enough to go to the Annex Stadium and get something better than the nil-nil two years ago and the truly awful one-nil defeat that we had back in March, which, as far as I'm concerned, is one of our direst performances since we came back up.

That was a mother's day, and it was a mess. They just come off a four-nil defeat in Europe, and Forrest was just utterly beige, utterly beige. So I'd like to think that Nuna will want to address that. So he'll keep their feet on the ground. I mean, the spirit is fantastic. Absolutely. I love this. Like Steve said, Nico Williams came on to replace Moreno. Now, Nico made a brilliant tackle on Mo and came away with a ball, and then he charging up the line. And there was just a... Every single one of them seemed to have had like a... They'd been chipped with a positivity chip to say, right, I'm going to play a ball forward or I'm going to put my body on the line. And I love this. I love being a Nottingham Forest player. I know what it means for that lot over there in the away section. I know what it means to those thousands outside Anfield who love it equally as we do. There's a sense that they get it, all of them. It's taken a while. I've always said that it's interesting, it's going to be bright this week.

I have a feeling, I don't know if it's an explicit thing or not, but there's a sense that the way we're developing, evolving, our guiding lights in the club are looking at if we can do what Brighton did. Brighton struggled for two or three years before they ended up getting the result that we got yesterday. And then it did lead to a rise to being established. And in fact, a rise to Europe after four or five seasons. It's always going to take time. So I just think he'll keep feet on the ground. He won't let anybody... There'll be nobody getting ahead himself. And he's a disciplinarian, and it's good that Steve brought the word discipline, because For us, for that to a T yesterday. Everybody seemed to know their job. Everybody seemed to have confidence in themselves and of their mate. They played like a family. And we've craved that. I've craved that for a long, long time. Our great teams of the late '70s and then the late '80s, played like families. They all looked like brothers and got on so well. I just get the sense that that is the kernel of what we've got within our club at the moment.

I got a sense of it from listening to Ryan Yates the other night, and Nat Johnson, who was fantastic, speaking on behalf of the women's team. This is a club that seems to be gradually, incrementally going places, but always retaining that sense of what's important. And it's a good solid base to build a culture of establishment in the Premier League. So, yeah, it could be, Max. Me and Steve are so We're long in the tooth, us too. And we've seen so many times we're going, Yeah, this is it. This is the launch button. Then the next week, maybe not. So you just got to... But we'll see what goes on. We shall see.

Love this comment from Mark, With Morgan Gibbs-White, James Ward-Prowse, and Callum Hudson, the joy at Forest, are we in the presence of the fitness instructor, DPA, Dave Pumpe. That is quite a good comment, Mark. Fair play.

Give it a glaffe, Mark. One o'clock tomorrow at dinner time mate, and he talk to you.

Do you know what, Dave? We're going to have to do a podcast where you're like, PT me or something. We're going to talk about Forrest for half an hour while on the treadmill or something like that. You need to include me in that one. Sorry, Steve. You sure you don't want to invite him?

He's good enough already. He is.

Let's touch on another Daveyton. Well, not another Daveyton for Forest, but more of a positive performance from him, of course, and slotted quite nicely. And Steve, you mentioned he went under the radar. James Ward-Prowse, most touches in the game, most completed passes, most passes in the final third, and most importantly, most interceptions. He was a player that stood out a lot in terms of statistically and someone, again, just what a sign in and also nice to have someone that can take a decent corner for once.

Yeah, I didn't notice him at all, and that's not being dismissive of his performance, but he did exactly what you would expect James Ward-Prowse to do. The frustrating things. We didn't get any free kicks on the edge of the box that would have just kept it. But how on earth does he come to us? That final transfer deadline day signing, and you think we've actually signed James Ward-Prowse because I was there. I can't remember. I think you were, Dave, because I remember you and I talked afterwards. I can't remember if you were, Max, but that time we played at West Ham, and we He lost, what was it, 4-1, 4-2. And he just completely and utterly ran the game. And that's 12 months, 15 months ago. And West Ham bought him for 30 million from Southampton when Southampton got relegated. And All his stats and everything last year. And then thank you very much, Julian Lopeteghi, for getting rid of him because, as you said, Dave, he's got a point to prove, but he hasn't because he's got that maturity, he's got that experience. He'll just come and do what James Warproust does. And we're very, very fortunate, very fortunate to have him.

But what an addition to the squad. I mean, as those stats show, Max. And he came straight into the team and what he played all 90 minutes.

Yeah, he was outstanding. Yeah, he did.

It was like it was built around him. Now, what I think will be fascinating going forward is The team yesterday was picked to play against Liverpool at Anfield. It'd be fascinating to see what Nuno does next weekend against Bryant. Absolutely. And one of the comments I really love last night, there was an interview I saw with Callum Hudson 'Hudson Adoy' and he went, I didn't get across. I didn't get angry. I knew what it was about, but I wanted to make sure that when I came onto the pitch, I was ready to make a contribution. And that goes back to that team ethic and that discipline and Playing for the wider good and playing, dare I say, for the shirt and for the club. Somebody like Callum Hudson Adoy, you could go through all of them. They've got a story. Forrest has given them an opportunity. What are we doing buying Callum Hudsonadoi for three million from Chelsea, which I guess by now has risen to the heady heights of five I mean, what on earth... I'm not looking to sell him, but what on earth would he be worth now? If he carries on this season as he finished last season, then does that mean he gets a chance of getting back onto the fringes of an England squad?

Yeah, that's a very good point. And just staying on that, Dave, in terms of Callumudson and Adorian and many other players that you feel like are willing to almost die for the shirt as the old phrase goes and really give everything. I mean, is that credit to them as individuals or do you think it's credit to Nuno as a coach for almost installing that belief in them and that you're here to play for Nottingham Forest? A classic example was the huddle by the away end that they've started to do, which really gets the fans up and something like that. So is that credit to Nuno, do you think, or is it more credit down to the players and Callum Hudson as a professional footballer?

Equal credit, Nuno. Equal credit, the East fantastic young lads that we've got playing for us. Good people, all of them. I defy anybody to say... I actually think Boris, in the way our lads behave and conduct themselves, I'll get him back to that sacred place for me of having the moral high ground. I still can't get out of my head the video before the Wolves game, I think it was, where the little boy in the wheelchair went, he was invited to go to training with his mom and dad. Our lads, to a man, were absolutely He was wonderful with that little boy. Fust him, made him feel special, heaped him for his goodies. Morgan gave him his boots, despite the fact that Morgan said to him, 'They smell a bit, mate. ' All of our lads showed that they understand the responsibility of playing for Nottingham Forest. They also understand the responsibility they have for their own careers. I don't think it's... I mean, Nuno will probably be reminding them, but I think what Nuno and his staff staff will have done, they'll have looked at each of the individual stories surrounding these lads and said, You have a duty of care to make your story better, and you can do it within the confines, within the environment of this historic Traditional football club, and you can make yourselves heroes.

Callum is becoming a hero. And there was a great thing about Callum early in the week. I think, well, the other... So people saying that Liverpool lost because of the international break. Fourteen A million of ours went away on international duty. So that's that little argument tossed right out of my window. But I saw an interview with Callum, and Callum was saying, he said it quite sweetly, I haven't got a song yet. It'd be really nice to have a song, booming out of our end yesterday, the Callum Hudson and Doy song. And I just thought, that lad... I remember going to the Harrogate EFL Trophy game last season. It was a lovely barmy evening in Yorkshire, and the Forest Team Bus pulled up, and it was obviously lots of kids, and we were thinking, Oh, and he's seen it, he played it. Philippe got off the bus, and every woman in Yorkshire swooned, right? And then Callum Hudson and Doy got off the bus because it was his first... I think he'd only signed two or three days before. I actually met him off the bus, me and Doy met him off the bus. He said, 'Oh, we're so glad to have you here, Callum.

We really hope everything goes well for you. ' And he goes, 'I'll do my best for you. ' And he's done that. And there's others. Harry Toffalo does it every time he comes. Raman says Just it. Jotter Silver is on his way to cult status already. For what he did against Newcastle, Anastasia said, it was a big topic of conversation. How did our little Portia Greenish out jump Virgil Van Duyn? Does that that thing up? And it's just there creating a positive vibe. It's the snowball down the mountain. It'll gather as it goes along with the right stewardship from Nuno. And I think Nuno Ryan said it, Steve will back me up on this, Ryan said it the other night that Nuno's attention to detail is becoming legendary. So there are new innovations at the training ground and around the club that Nuno has suggested, I think from previous experiences. I'd say, if we did this, then it will help them to be this. And the signs are that, yeah, we've only played four league games. Actually, somebody mentioned perfect start. We could easily beat Bournemouth, we could easily beat Mouls. We could have been looking at 12 points out of 12.

Now, that is a head- Steady.

But let's get ready for Brighton because that is tough.

There was another interesting comment came out on Thursday Night, Dave. I don't know if you picked it up, but from Will DeHugue, who's the head of fan engagement to Forest. He commented that after Ryan had made the comment that Nuno is very, very detailed, Will said, Everything that Nuno does is about creating a better environment and supporting the players. So all the decisions that Nuno does or all the requests that he makes, improve training facilities, improve backup staff, improve. It's all about giving the players an environment in which they can bond and they can flourish. And yesterday is a very early indication of that result.

Absolutely. Absolutely safe. For sure.

Absolutely. Yeah. Nice little mention to Will, actually. He's one of the good guys at Forest. He's a good lad. He does a lot of good work behind the scenes. Staying on shout-outs, actually, I've got to give one to my flatmate, Joe, who is a big Sunderland fan. And yesterday, he traveled all the way to Plymouth on a train direct from Manchester that wasn't direct because then he had to change three times. It took him seven and a half hours to get there. I was up at 20 past five in the morning, got back, but it was canceled along the way. Bear in mind that Sunderland Ireland lost as well in the last minute. I think there were two 1-0, weren't they? And then ended up losing three, two. And Wayne Rooney gets his first win as Plymouth manager. And he walks into the flat at 10:00 to midnight last night after I finished watching match of the day. And instead of just going straight to bed and being quite miserable, he walks in singing the Callum Hudson a Doi chant. It was just brilliant. There you go. A shout out to my flatmate, Joe. Sunderland fans are a good pun.

I like Sunderland fans. They're a good club as well. Right. Just before we go, we've got a little bit of news to touch on, which went under the radar yesterday, and that was Sangare, left out of the team completely. He's got a ham string injury. He's going to be out for two months. Ibrahim Sangare will be out, as Paul Taylor from The Athletic reported yesterday. A little bit of disappointing news, Dave, because he just got going. Yes, he was proving a little bit of a 50/50 split amongst the Forest fan base, but that's It's another injury that Forest probably don't need.

Yeah. Ibra seems to be a bit of a polarizing figure at the moment. Some think he's playing well, some think he's not yet attuned to it. He's unlucky because based on what we saw yesterday, he's going to struggle to get back in the team for a while. The point that Steve makes is absolutely right. I think Nuno has got enough variations now and enough options to pick a horse for a course team, depending on the opposition, which is a situation we've not been in as a club for quite a long time, really. So it's a blow, but We went into the game yesterday, we were walking towards Anfield, and Sangari is not fit today, which is a bit disappointing, but then... It's no respect to Ibra, but then his name wasn't thought of as the game went on because What we were seeing in front of us was so clearly defined and so admirable that it didn't really matter. I ran teams, and a team of mine had played as well as that. I'm giving them all the shirt again, right, you lads, you 11. And to start the game, did such a good job.

They're setting up that win. You get the shirts again for Brighton next week. But Nuno is far more sophisticated than I am, clearly. And Nuno will have a more, what's the word, a set idea of like, well, that worked at Liverpool. I might need to try something slightly different at Brighton. So okay, Anthony and Callum came off the bench and did what they did. Marato came off the bench. And I tell you what, right? One thing that struck me was like, Milencovitch and Marato at the back looked like two of the hardest nightclub bounces you've ever seen in your life. I thought, I'm not getting in with these trainers on a no-time. Milencovitch, he's a really sweet guy, but he looks truly uncompromising. And then Marato started warming up. When Marato come in, I just, quite childishly, I was looking at him and my God, how big is he? And he came on, and you know what? That gives us a little bit of a hard edge. So We're going to be better with set pieces. We're going to be better at set pieces. The likes of Woody and that, and if Tywo gets on, they're going to love having James Warprouse popping the ball on their heads every time and putting great balls in.

And at the back, I don't know about... I make me It's a bit hindsight. I don't know. It tends to give you a different view, but from the moment that Callum put us one-nil in front, it all looked relatively comfy. And Liverpool, the likes of Trent and Mo, Nunes did nothing. Cody Gappo was anonymous. Good players like Saba Zlae and Alexis McAllister. When Diogo Jota went off, and he's been a catnip for us, when he went off, because Dore's got this thing about Diogo Jota being... He always scores against us. And there was Diogo, I said, 'He's substituting Diego Jota. Forrest looked like they got all their ducks in a row and they said, 'Right, where would Liverpool check out us? We'll deal with. ' And I think Marato could be something really good. And then we've got a 6'8 goalkeeper. In terms of goalkeepers, the only dodgy moment was where Matt Sels did his juggling act and put the ball through his legs and stopped it going over the line. And then I looked at him because I was quite close to the goal at that end of the ground, and he had a massive smirk on his face, Matt Sels.

I was like, 'Well, I got away with one, and it might just be our day, ' and that's how it proved. So, yeah, it's a good weekend to be a Forest fan, isn't it?

It is.

Max, just going back to Sangari, I I think most of all, I feel really sorry for him.

Yeah, I did.

Because he didn't... Let me get this right. He didn't play the first... Oh, yeah, he did play the first game, didn't he? Sangari and Danilo, and Danilo He would have got injured and then came on. And he was beginning to look like the player that we all hoped we'd bought. And then he goes away on international duty. And imagine, and I talk about this a lot, but imagine how he feels as an individual and as a person. He'll, of course, be delighted that his club has gone to Anfield and won after 55 years, but he'll be absolutely gutted that once again, he's got an injury and he hasn't been able to contribute because a player doesn't move from PSV for 35 million and give up Champions League football unless he thinks he's going to make a really strong contribution. And for a variety of reasons, he hasn't been able to do that. So I understand why there are those fans who go, 'Oh, he's a waste of money and all that stuff, but let's not go down that line. He's a really good player. He hasn't been able to show it yet consistently. And like any player, they need a run in the side.

And as Dave says, I'm in a WhatsApp chat and somebody on that this morning went, Oh, Sangari is out. That's a major hole. I went, Hang on, we've got Anderson, Silva, Ward-Prowse, Gibbs-White, Ryan Yates, Sosa. Who else am I missing? Dominguez.

Dominguez, no.

Danilo is going to come back after injury. Actually, within that group of players, they all bring something different. They're all pretty solid. They're all really good players. They're all part of that team. It's ridiculous to say, isn't it? We're not missing Danilo. We're not missing on yesterday's performance, Sangare. So if you think that, let's say, they both come back in a couple of months time or three months time, wow, what a midfield we've got, or what a group of midfield players we've got to play, choose from within that team ethic We're strong going forward. We've got choice and strength at the back. I'm sure the club are already working. We would again say we need a third striker because Let's give a shout out to Chris Wood when Danny Murphy, yesterday on match of the day, went, Well, Liverpool had 14 players out. Chris Wood played for New Zealand in New Zealand and then another game in Asia and then flew back and They put in a shift yesterday. What was it?.

Yeah, spot on, Steve.

So as Dave says, let's not make excuses about players traveling. They are elite athletes nowadays, and they looked after them really well, and we should look after them really well, but they all put a shift in. We're going around in circles, aren't we? But great performance, great day. Let's not get carried away. Brighton is another tricky fixture. But if we can put a run of results together over the next two or three games so that we are where we would like to be as opposed to where we have been, then actually this is going to be a season that as fans and supporters, we can look forward to and we can enjoy.

Absolutely. Nice words to end our main episode on a Sunday. Very good. And you know what, Dave, you just mentioned that nightclub reference. I just had a vision then of Dave Asprey in a nightclub That would never happen, would it?

No, it wouldn't time too much for Clean Living Boy, Max. I wouldn't get past... I mean, I wouldn't get past Milencovitch, and I certainly wouldn't get past Murata. He take one look at me and said, Dave, sling your hook. You know what I mean? But, yeah, it's Steve said, for us guys, the stages of our lives, Max, fantastic day that I'll remember forever. But all those kids and young folk that were in the stand at Anfield, I turned around, there's a lot of about seven or eight still behind me with his dad, and then there were some other kids there. They're going to have that for so long. Our lovely lads gave them that gift yesterday. It was just wonderful, mate.

And the trouble is, Dave, they'll think it's normal.

Yeah, well, we did when we were young, Steve, under Cliff, we just... Every time Nottingham Forest ran out under Brian Cliff, whether it be the late '70s or the late '80s, we thought, we're either going to win something or we're going to play really It's really, really attractive football. For so long, Forest were everybody's second favorite team, really, which was certainly the choir boys team in the '80s, the Nigel Clough Neil Webb team. I think that was the case, but it's great. But there's a lot of hard work to do. It's still only four games into a 38-game season. Somebody said in the car yesterday, Coming back, We only need three points now to be clear, of Dolby's record. Some people are still thinking in those terms. So it was just great. We've had so many glum days over the last 25 years. Yesterday was like... We've had some heart breaks, but yesterday was just brilliant.

Yeah, it was. Certainly was. Dave, Steve, thank you as ever for joining us. Sunday Service on Garabody Red, our main episode. No worries. We'll probably be on a Sunday every single week now. That's because Monday is quite a busy day. It's back to school tomorrow. No, I'm only joking. It's back to Uni. So main episode's on a Sunday from now on. We'll be back midweek as well for some other stuff. And also on Spotify and Apple podcast, we are trialing some audio only episodes where you've got my ramblings on a daily basis.

People wouldn't have to see my face then, Max. That is a distinct move forward, that.

Well, That's why they've given me the job of doing it, Dave. So there you go. So audio only podcasts are up and coming. So give them a listen if you can on Spotify. We appreciate all the support. We'll be back on Thursday or Friday as well for our preview for Brighton, which obviously takes place on a Sunday. So all happening, isn't it, for Forest? And as we sit fifth now in the Premier League, it is certainly a good place to be as Forest beat Liverpool at Anfield for the first time in 55 years. I've said that line too much in the past 24 hours. I forgot what it is. Thanks as ever for tuning in the comments. Give us a like, share, and subscribe on YouTube. Follow us across Spotify and Apple podcast. I can't really think of a witty ending. I'm not going to sing the Callum Hudson a doy chant, but Steve, get the hotel booked. We're going on a Champions League talk. Come on, you reds.

You.