Not for the first time this spring, it was left to Forest boss Billy Davies to provide the commentary on another fascinating weekend of nPower Championship football.
A weekend in which the Canaries proved to be one of the biggest winners – without actually kicking a ball in anger.
That happens tomorrow night when Carrow Road plays host to both Bristol City and the Sky Sports cameras.
In the meantime, City fans could sit back and watch the neighbours down the road deny Leeds United another big home win, find Derby County springing another nasty surprise on a stuttering Swansea City and smile wryly as Doncaster once again proved the biggest party-poopers of the lot – this time limiting Forest to a 0-0 home draw.
Not what either Davies or the Forest fans were looking for as their season continues to poop and potter along in the slow lane.
It wasn’t too long ago that the City Ground side were piling down the outside lane with the pedal to the metal.
The fact that ex-Canary striker Rob Earnshaw disappeared with a hamstring injury merely compounded the level of frustration to be found in the East Midlands right now.
By contrast, the Canaries can – in theory – ease themselves into that second automatic promotion spot and all with the added cushion of a two-point advantage on their nearest and dearest.
“They’re edgy at the moment,” said Davies, referring to his set of players – though the same could be said of seven sets of supporters as this season’s promotion race comes to the boil.
“They’re coming off those ten games in five weeks and there’s mental tiredness – and a bit of physical tiredness.
“The squad – physically and mentally – is just not quite where we want it to be,” he told BBC Radio Nottingham.
The matching edginess within the home support wasn’t helping, added Davies.
“They’re grinding away and can I remind the Forest fans that with nine games to go a lot can happen. And I still believe that nothing will happen here until the last two or three games.
“So a word of caution. There’s many big games ahead and the more they get behind this young team, the more support they get, the more reward they will get.”
The news of Earnshaw’s latest injury blow merely added to Davies’ restive mood.
“He’s picked up a hamstring injury, so that’s another disappointment – but that’s been happening to us over the last couple of weeks.”
As for the length of Earnshaw’s absence, that – as ever – will depend on how the knock settles down over the next couple of days. “We don’t know what the situation is until we see how he is over the next 48 hours,” said Davies.
“But I remain very, very positive. And I’m not having a go – I’m trying to advise the fans of Forest. And what they’ve got to do over the next nine games is get behind these players. They’ll have bad days at the office – like they do. But keep supporting them.”
The fascinating game comes next weekend – when Forest travel to Swansea City, themselves in mid-wobble after that 2-1 defeat at Derby County.
“It’ll twist and turn – results will be strange. Every game will be difficult,” said Davies. “But as I said, there’s lots of reasons why we should be positive – and lots of reasons why we should get behind these players.”
Swans boss Brendan Rodgers was similarly frustrated by his side’s latest reverse. They are having their troubles on the road; they comfortably played Scunthorpe off the park the other week, only to lose 1-0.
Faced with a Rams side that has been unable to buy a win of late, the South Wales side once again found themselves explaining away another ill-timed defeat. Like Forest, Swansea’s charge is – right now – running out of gas. Not that their cause was helped at all by Ashley Williams’ freak own goal for the Derby opener.
“We were facing a side that was fighting for their lives and wanted to get back to winning ways having lost at the weekend and not having won at home,” said Rodgers. “And we presented them with two goals – particularly the first one. And that gives them a little bit of hope then in the game.”
The fact they entertain Forest next week will, at least, allow one or the other the opportunity to get back to winning ways. He, like Davies, noted “a little bit of tiredness setting in.”
The Canaries, to their advantage this weekend, have those extra 48 hours before the Monday night clash with the in-form Robins.
“We’ve got to keep going,” said Rodgers. “We’ve got a chance now to recover in the week.
“And there’s still 27 points to play for; we’re obviously disappointed, but we’ll look to next week and getting back to winning ways.”
And if that’s at the expense of Forest, few in Norfolk will be complaining.
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