FOREST AWAY: Liverpool, Saturday 29th August – Fan Guide

Another era has launched. Slowly, tepidly and maybe a bit shit if we are honest with ourselves. We can see signs of what the managerial mayhem of the last 12 months has left us with and unsurprisingly a lack of cohesion and an abundance of exasperation are among them. The fear that will grip us for a fair old while yet is that we have stepped on another Postecoglou landmine, or slipped into a Dyche swamp. Vitor, beautiful, adorable Vitor, rescued our souls from the nether world and allowed us to briefly forget what has come before. We owe him our thanks for that.

Alas, his time was cut short. Obviously. Another body dumped overboard the good ship Nottingham Forest. The Glasner move made a lot of sense; he’s a winner at a similar sized club and was available. On the other hand, another failed appointment and it’s hard not to start to nosedive into an even more severe case of the jitters. What Glasner brings undoubtedly is a reputation and a standing that was alien to us not that long ago. His appointment, whatever preceded it, speaks of ambition and a desire to continue to push us on.

My biggest issue with the managerial chaos of 2025/26 was that we had no plan from one head coach to the other. Nobody was buying into a club philosophy; it felt knee jerk and wobbly. A butcher, a baker and a candlestick maker. I’ll let you decide who is who!

Oliver Glasner, as I understand, comes with his own mantra and strict formation. Our ideology once again bends to the man, rather than the other way around. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but the two needs to be in parallel, and it needs to become our method for the long term to have an ethos that is shared and is carried on from one man to the next.

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I will likely look to do something more detailed on the new away ticket system in a future guide, but it felt right to at least acknowledge it in this opening issue of the new season. I was first given some insight into this being a possible method as early as the summer of 2025 but it was necessary for our upcoming European campaign to take precedence. I was then part of a call several weeks ago to be talked through the new process and help refine it.

I’m keen to see how it works a few games in but there are some promising signs, in my opinion. Notably, it has opened the away scheme up to a much larger group which is a positive. Although clearly some will have fallen foul of just missing out on the priority bracket, and I am aware that the scheme does not accommodate those outside of season card holders which has caused some disappointment. As part of the Fan Advisory Board, there will be more structured ticket sessions throughout the season and I’d be glad to hear your direct feedback. While I am certain that no changes will be made quickly given the new scheme has only been launched and appears to be working as intended, I can ensure comments (both positive and negative) are passed on.

The best methods of contacting me directly are as follows:

E-mail: [email protected]

FG Social Media DM: Twitter / Facebook / Instagram

FAB: [email protected] (I am currently trying to figure out how I access this)

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And yes, just to confirm the obvious over 500 words into the guide, I have decided to continue with the away guides for this season having given myself the summer to consider it. On occasions the guides may be a simple re-hash of previous editions rather than a new dedicated guide, possibly the odd game might even go without, but I will aim to continue to make them as detailed and as interesting as I can. Should there not be a ‘new’ guide issued for a particular game I may not publish on social media but you will usually find it at ForzaGaribaldi.com.

 

AWAY DAY NO.1: Liverpool, Saturday 29^th August, 12:30pm KO

Last Visit: A bewildering 3-0 win last November. Goals came from Murillo, Savona and Gibbs-White.

Famous Visit: A 1-0 win in September 2024. A Calum Hudson-Odoi strike in the second half earned the Reds a first win at Anfield since 1969. Two years on we are aiming to make it three wins in a row at Liverpool.

Away End: Forest fans will again be accommodated in one half of the Anfield Road Stand behind the goal. It’s not a bad view although the right side ends up way beyond the touchline so you’ll spend the game twisted left towards the pitch.

Sunglasses / Hat Requirement: 9/10. This is the ground why this feature was added to the away guide. At any time of year there is the possibility of sun above the Kop opposite causing a real glare. You have been warned!

TRAVEL

RAIL: To arrive into Liverpool in good time it’ll be an early start from Nottingham. The direct services are as follows:

06:30 – Arrives 09:29

07:45 – Arrives 10:29

08:45 – Arrives 11:29 (This will be cutting it fine for kick-off)

A standard return is £43.70. However, I believe this journey qualifies for the EMR GroupSave discount where a group between 3 & 9 can save a third off the fare. EMR state that these savings are only available to buy at the station (not online) and all members of the group must travel together on all parts of the journey.

Direct services back to Nottingham run regularly with trains at 51 minutes past the hour, along with numerous services that require a change,

It is a couple of miles from Liverpool city centre to Anfield so make sure you build that into your planning. I am aware that there are various buses that shuttle fans between the two.

ROAD: From Nottingham, there are a few variances of the route to take to Liverpool. We usually favour the A50 and then up the M6 before picking up the M62 west. Alternatively you could head up the M1 and join the M62 at Leeds and head west. Or depart the M1 earlier and head across the peaks using the Woodhead Pass at Barnsley, although to reach Liverpool I think this route may end up a bit too complicated.

Whichever route you take I recommend using the estate near Walton Hall Park as your parking spot – specifically I’d suggest the streets in between Walton Hall Park and Anfield Cemetery. There are plenty of streets around here and an abundance of street parking. It also works well to cut through Anfield Cemetery to reach the stadium, around a 15-minute walk. Plus, as detailed in the next section, this parking spot also is quite close to Goodison Park where there are a few drinking options for away fans.

PUBS

If drinking in Liverpool, there are loads of fantastic pubs and bars across the city and my suggestion is you just wander around and discover them.

Closer to Anfield, the Arkles pub will still welcome away fans I gather, situated just across from the ground. Another sensible choice is to head to Goodison Park. Traditionally, away fans have headed to the alternate ground to where they are playing, like when we have used Arkles next for previous games at Goodison. The main venue seems to be the Thomas Frost Wetherspoons. Alternatively, very close to Goodison is The Brick and the Royal Oak. The Brick is a traditional Everton pub and we have been made welcome there on our last couple of trips. Plus it’s good to support these establishments now they have likely lost trade with Everton’s relocation.

See you in Liverpool.

You Reds!

Matt