Nottingham Forest loanee Cyrus Christie has urged for fans to stick together following a plethora of criticism aimed at the players.
The Tricky Trees are going through their toughest run in years, as they sit 21st in the Championship with almost half of the season complete.
Despite having high-quality players in the squad such as Joe Lolley, Anthony Knockaert and Lewis Grabban, the Reds just can't hit their stride at all, and have picked up just one win in their last 11 games, which came against fellow strugglers Sheffield Wednesday.
Christie has been an ever-present for Forest this season under both Sabri Lamouchi and Chris Hughton, but like most players this season has received criticism for his performances from a section of the fanbase.
And amid all the negativity stemming from Forest's below-par performances, Christie has urged players and fans to stick together to try and bring the good times back to the City Ground.
"Ultimately the results have been negative. There's a lot of negative talk about the team," Christie told the Nottingham Post.
"It's about sticking together as a team and club, fans included. We, as players, have to turn it around, but we all stick together.
"It's easier said than done to draw a line under 2020. You have to draw a line under every game really.
Have any of these 22 players ever been in Nottingham Forest's academy?
"They're coming thick and fast and we can't dwell on what's gone before. We can talk all we want but we have to do it on the pitch. It's a fresh start.
"Things can change. If we put a run together, the table looks different and optimism grows. Only the players can change that."
The Verdict
It's all well and good saying the fans need to stick with the players, but those on the pitch need to give the supporters something to cheer about.
Forest fans had a miserable time of it in 2020, from throwing away their chance of the play offs last season to the horrific start to the 2020/21 campaign so you can't blame them for being overly negative.
But 2021 may bring more positive results, with their first port of call coming at Deepdale this weekend to take on Preston North End, and if Christie's words are anything to go by, a few positive messages ahead of that match from fans may do the world of good for the squad.