There is little escaping the fact that it has been a long few years for Nottingham Forest and their supporters.

Poor players, managers, and most of all awful ownership have all been contributing factors to the problem that has spread around the club for the past half-decade.

In fact, Forest fans haven’t really had much to shout about for nearly a decade in the Championship.

Billy Davies, who led Preston North End to two playoffs, took over at Forest and also led them to the upper echelons of the Championship. The manager who went on to achieve promotion with rivals Derby took Forest to the playoffs for two seasons running.

Davies’ second spell at the club wasn’t anywhere near as successful, but he has been the Reds’ most successful manager in terms of league finishes and win percentage in recent history.

Nearly a decade later, the good feeling around the club is back. That is testament to one man: their Spanish coach, Aitor Karanka.

Karanka, who led Middlesbrough to the Premier League, has been tasked with taking Nottingham Forest to the top flight.

So far, he isn’t doing a bad job. After spending big in the summer, dividends are starting to be shown on the pitch, with Forest now 5th in the table.

Karanka has made the City Ground a fortress, and made them tough to beat on the road, which is showing in the fact Forest have lost just one fixture all season, with a decent defensive record.

It’s been a tough decade for Reds supporters, but Karanka seems to be the man to bring the good times back.