Can you remember in the Summer NEP Interview Doughty's - BLUEPRINT FOR PROMOTION!??? Of course it was just a piece to sell more season tickets!!
This was our Savious last interview for NEP.
As a man who has amassed a multi-million pound fortune as a venture capitalist, Nigel Doughty has spent years successfully predicting what the future holds for big businesses.
But, while he may have developed a sixth sense when it comes to the value of stocks and shares, he has learned one thing when it comes to football - you can never second guess the future.
When Nottingham Forest were relegated from the Championship in 2005, it was expected to be only a brief sojourn into the third tier of the English game.
In the end, it has taken a long, gruelling three years for Forest to escape the clutches of League One.
And, while he is making no promises, Doughty is not prepared to rest on his laurels when it comes to pushing for a return to the top flight.
But his ambition is very much tempered by realism when he is asked whether the goal this season is for a second consecutive promotion.
"I am not in the business of making predictions, I am in the business of making Nottingham Forest as competitive as possible," said Doughty.
"We will have to wait and see on that. We are building a squad for the next few years and I believe it will be competitive and of a level of quality that we have not seen for a number of years.
"The fans here will see that we have a good squad, that we have invested a substantial amount of money in the squad by the time the season starts - both in capital and wages. Success does not come cheap.
"It is difficult to put numbers on these things, when it comes to new signings. If you say you want to bring in three players and bring in two, people say 'ah you were wrong'.
"If you say you want three and bring in four, you get the same thing."
What does seem certain is that, over the course of the next week, Forest could make as many as four further new additions, to go with the £2.65m capture of Robert Earnshaw and the loan signing of Liverpool winger Paul Anderson.
Frenchman Guy Moussi, a defensive midfielder from French side SCO Angers, is believed to be close to signing in a £300,000 deal.
Leicester midfielder Stephen Clemence, who is 31 in a few weeks, is another known target, following their relegation into League One.
And, perhaps most audaciously of all, Forest are believed to be planning a move for 36-year-old former England international and Manchester United and Newcastle legend, Andy Cole. :2funny:
Doughty, unsurprisingly, is not one to be drawn on specifics.
But he does concede that one area, above all else, has been the club's priority over the summer - ensuring that they have enough firepower to flourish in the Championship.
"You look at the squad last season. With Nathan Tyson being injured for much of the time, offensively we could have improved," said Doughty.
"Defensively, I am not sure if we were the best, but we had one of the best defences in the country. :2funny:
"And we have been focusing our targets on players who can make us more attack-minded.
"We have a terrific goalkeeper
, a terrific defence :no: and some terrific midfielders. But, other than Nathan, I don't think we would have been competitive [up-front] in the Championship. :whistling: TYSON HAS BEEN POSSIBLY OUR MOST EFFECTIVE FORWARD!
"We needed to remedy that, but we are working towards doing that, certainly with the signing of Robert Earnshaw."
On that front, Doughty says that the Earnshaw capture is a statement of intent, when it comes to the calibre of player the club are pursuing.
"We are a big club and people appreciate that we have ambition to move forwards," he said. "We have a good young manager and the Earnshaw and Anderson acquisitions are at a different level to what we are used to as a football club.
"You always have to think about being competitive in the division you are in, but you always want to be thinking about whether the players you sign are capable of playing in the division above as well.
"That is always a question you have to ask yourself. Now we might know that some players are capable of playing in the Championship, but are they capable of playing in the Premiership?"
In the meantime, it is the fans Doughty hopes Forest can reward for their patience over the past three seasons.
"We are a big club with a very big, loyal, fan base," he said. "They are superb, particularly away from home and we are looking forward to hopefully giving them something to cheer about.
"At the very least, I am sure the meat pies might be a of a bit better standard in the Championship."
And, in 12 months time, Forest may yet be preparing to join the prawn sandwich brigade in the Premiership.
Or back to the horrible pies in League ONE!!
THIS IS THE MAN SOME THINK IS OUR SAVIOUR!!
This was our Savious last interview for NEP.
As a man who has amassed a multi-million pound fortune as a venture capitalist, Nigel Doughty has spent years successfully predicting what the future holds for big businesses.
But, while he may have developed a sixth sense when it comes to the value of stocks and shares, he has learned one thing when it comes to football - you can never second guess the future.
When Nottingham Forest were relegated from the Championship in 2005, it was expected to be only a brief sojourn into the third tier of the English game.
In the end, it has taken a long, gruelling three years for Forest to escape the clutches of League One.
And, while he is making no promises, Doughty is not prepared to rest on his laurels when it comes to pushing for a return to the top flight.
But his ambition is very much tempered by realism when he is asked whether the goal this season is for a second consecutive promotion.
"I am not in the business of making predictions, I am in the business of making Nottingham Forest as competitive as possible," said Doughty.
"We will have to wait and see on that. We are building a squad for the next few years and I believe it will be competitive and of a level of quality that we have not seen for a number of years.
"The fans here will see that we have a good squad, that we have invested a substantial amount of money in the squad by the time the season starts - both in capital and wages. Success does not come cheap.
"It is difficult to put numbers on these things, when it comes to new signings. If you say you want to bring in three players and bring in two, people say 'ah you were wrong'.
"If you say you want three and bring in four, you get the same thing."
What does seem certain is that, over the course of the next week, Forest could make as many as four further new additions, to go with the £2.65m capture of Robert Earnshaw and the loan signing of Liverpool winger Paul Anderson.
Frenchman Guy Moussi, a defensive midfielder from French side SCO Angers, is believed to be close to signing in a £300,000 deal.
Leicester midfielder Stephen Clemence, who is 31 in a few weeks, is another known target, following their relegation into League One.
And, perhaps most audaciously of all, Forest are believed to be planning a move for 36-year-old former England international and Manchester United and Newcastle legend, Andy Cole. :2funny:
Doughty, unsurprisingly, is not one to be drawn on specifics.
But he does concede that one area, above all else, has been the club's priority over the summer - ensuring that they have enough firepower to flourish in the Championship.
"You look at the squad last season. With Nathan Tyson being injured for much of the time, offensively we could have improved," said Doughty.
"Defensively, I am not sure if we were the best, but we had one of the best defences in the country. :2funny:
"And we have been focusing our targets on players who can make us more attack-minded.
"We have a terrific goalkeeper
, a terrific defence :no: and some terrific midfielders. But, other than Nathan, I don't think we would have been competitive [up-front] in the Championship. :whistling: TYSON HAS BEEN POSSIBLY OUR MOST EFFECTIVE FORWARD!"We needed to remedy that, but we are working towards doing that, certainly with the signing of Robert Earnshaw."
On that front, Doughty says that the Earnshaw capture is a statement of intent, when it comes to the calibre of player the club are pursuing.
"We are a big club and people appreciate that we have ambition to move forwards," he said. "We have a good young manager and the Earnshaw and Anderson acquisitions are at a different level to what we are used to as a football club.
"You always have to think about being competitive in the division you are in, but you always want to be thinking about whether the players you sign are capable of playing in the division above as well.
"That is always a question you have to ask yourself. Now we might know that some players are capable of playing in the Championship, but are they capable of playing in the Premiership?"
In the meantime, it is the fans Doughty hopes Forest can reward for their patience over the past three seasons.
"We are a big club with a very big, loyal, fan base," he said. "They are superb, particularly away from home and we are looking forward to hopefully giving them something to cheer about.
"At the very least, I am sure the meat pies might be a of a bit better standard in the Championship."
And, in 12 months time, Forest may yet be preparing to join the prawn sandwich brigade in the Premiership.
Or back to the horrible pies in League ONE!!
THIS IS THE MAN SOME THINK IS OUR SAVIOUR!!
