Nottingham Forest should take no notice of the pundits as they continue to push for promotion, according to one Reds legend.
A counter-attacking brand of football has particularly suited Sabri Lamouchi’s side this season - and proved effective, taking them to fifth in the Championship table.
However, they have gone under the radar somewhat, with some fans feeling they have not got due credit from critics and observers.
Former Forest player, manager and chairman Frank Clark, though, says there is nothing wrong with the Reds’ style, adding “there’s more than one way to skin a cat”.
“I don’t listen to them much, but apparently the pundits don’t seem to rate us because we tend to be a counter-attacking team,” said the European Cup winner.
“But that’s a way of playing.
“Not everyone has to play a high tempo game and play on the front foot.
“We’ve not got the players to play that way. We’ve got players who are good on the counter-attack, and that’s okay.
“There’s more than one way to skin a cat.
“We don’t all have to play the same way.
“Just because we don’t have the majority of possession in all the games doesn’t mean we can’t win them - and we’ve shown that.
“If it gets the results, it doesn’t matter how we play.
“It’s going very, very well so far.
“If someone had said before the season started that we’d be fifth, in the play-off places, with 13 games to go, we’d have been delighted.
“Sabri has done very well since he’s come in.
“He’s got the players well organised and they’re really at it most games.
“We’ve had a bit of bad luck at times and chucked a few points away, but we’re right there amongst it.”
Ahead of this weekend’s City Ground clash with QPR, Lamouchi’s men are four points adrift of second-placed Leeds United and a further four behind leaders West Bromwich Albion.
They have taken points off both - drawing 2-2 at The Hawthorns last weekend thanks to Matty Cash’s stunning late strike, beating the Whites 2-0 at home earlier in the month and drawing 1-1 in the reverse fixture back in August.
“It’s going to be difficult to catch the top two,” Clark said.
“I do think the top two are a little bit better than everyone else in the league.
“But we are not that far away - we have taken four points off Leeds, who are one of the best teams in the league, and we drew at West Brom.
“The atmosphere in the ground for the Leeds game was the best I can remember for a long, long time.
“It was an amazing night, and Tyler Walker’s last minute goal put the cap on it.
“The atmosphere and the effort from the players that night was amazing.
“Hopefully we can replicate that again.”
