Sign up NOW for the latest Reds news and views direct to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

For so long, that was the message from opposition managers when they brought their team to Nottingham Forest's City Ground.

Reds fans were famed for their lack of patience and ability to turn on their team if things were not going their way early on in games.

But things could be changing – a more positive environment is being created, and it was all born out of one of the most frustrating seasons in Forest's recent history.

On the pitch, it has been a campaign of struggle for Forest with the Reds needing to save their best for last; a 3-0 win over Ipswich Town on the final day to secure their Championship safety.

Off the pitch and in the stands at the City Ground, a movement of supporters has attempted to generate a positive, vibrant atmosphere, despite the problems in the boardroom that had engulfed the club.

As Forest enter a new era under the ownership of Evangelos Marinakis and a future that glistens with promise, Forza Garibaldi can reflect on a job well done.

Sitting in the Peter Taylor Stand, gazing around the place they call home, two of Forza's main cheerleaders, Greg Mitchell and Matt Oldroyd, reflect on a campaign that ultimately ended on a positive note, opening the door to a future they hope will herald positive times on the banks of the Trent.

"It was an extraordinary day against Ipswich, and we've probably never had a game quite like it with so much riding on that game," said 31-year-old Matt.

"Relegation would have been such a disaster.

"About 25 minutes in, I was as scared as I've ever been and scared is the right word, but it all came good, thankfully."

The final whistle saw something of an expression of delight but ultimately relief, as fans poured onto the pitch, cheered, danced and released red smoke into the clear blue Nottingham skies.

It felt like a defining moment in the history of the club that for a long time has been wallowing at the wrong end of the second tier.

"We've been able to say, 'right, there's an opportunity now for this club and there's a little bit of a good feeling amongst the fans'," added Matt.

"It's been a spirited and defiant mood among the fanbase, people had enough of it."

Greg, 32 and a lifelong Reds follower, offered a look inside the minds of those fans that Marinakis described last week as "tired" of their club.

"Because we've had so many years of turmoil, I think this season everyone had just got a little bit bored of moaning, being at everyone's throats," he admitted.

"I don't know whether Forza came along at the right time but we could just not believe how many people were turning up to events, and if they couldn't come were so disappointed.

"The fans had got to the point where it's been a spirited and defiant mood. We've been at every game and we know how bad it's got at this club.

"All the people we've met throughout the season, we were all together, we were all making one of the biggest noises I've ever heard at the City Ground (against Ipswich)."

Forest's takeover has now been completed, though the pair wonder what might have been had things gone south on the final day and League One would have been Forest's fate.

"We'll never know now, although the noises were that it wouldn't matter takeover-wise if we'd have been relegated, just how important that win was.

"Thank God it went the right way.

"I'm just so excited about next season.

"You look at Evangelos Marinakis' history at Olympiacos. He spent well at the beginning and then the team has developed. He hasn't really spent a lot in the last four or five years.

"We're one of the worst spenders in the league, it would be nice if we could have a strong, solid pre-season with the manager we finished with for a start and the coaching staff."

Forest's issues under Fawaz Al Hasawi have been well documented, as good people have been allowed to go and it will take time for the club to regain its former self, something Forza acknowledge, while tipping their hat to the support they've received at times over the season from those that have remained.

"We've got some great people at this club who have been here for years, ones who've managed to survive," said Greg.

"We've built that relationship and they've helped us out massively, there's good people who work at this football club."

From bad sometimes comes good and in Forza's case, Matt reveals how it could have been a different story had the Reds been winning on the pitch.

"If we were a successful side, challenging for promotion, there's a good chance it would never have come about," he said.

"We did the 150 anniversary march last season with a gathering at the Clinton Arms. After that, we saw the spirit and togetherness and everyone was talking about how great the pre-match environment was.

"Greg and I spoke quite a lot before last season ended and said to each other there's something here that we could probably use."

Looking into the future, will it grow into something bigger? "We never thought about what it would become and still now there's no plan – there's an appetite for it," added Matt.

"From the boat trips at the start of the season, we've had hundreds at every event."

"Next season it's going to be bigger and better," added Greg.

"We've got a lot of ideas, we've started to think about how we can turn this into something and make it sustainable.

"There's a need to create a different culture among the fanbase. We don't want to be seen as a set of fans who turn on their team after 20 minutes.

"It's about creating a matchday experience. When the team isn't very good relatively speaking, we need something more out of a game.

"It's about finding that passion for your team, creating an atmosphere, even if it's half a percent that can help the team and spur it on.

"A winning team is so much easier to get people to support."

Greg continued: "With everyone together, we could be a half-decent side under this manager.

"We can have a bright future."

Forza's impact hasn't gone unnoticed either, with filmmaker Jonny Owen supporting the group and attending events.

The Welshman stressed the importance of a movement that helps to promote a positive environment in and around the football club.

"They've been fantastic and I don't think there are too many clubs in Britain that have an organisation like that," Owen said.

"You can't do that much about what happens on the pitch, but off it, what you can do is have a great day out.

"Forest's history is phenomenal, you've got to celebrate and build on that. The boys do it brilliantly and bring it into a modern age – I think that's fantastic."