Nottingham Forest fans gave Aitor Karanka the type of atmosphere that he was longing for since taking the job.
Speaking to Nottingham Forest’s official website, manager Aitor Karanka has praised the club’s fans for their effort in Tuesday’s 1-1 home draw with Reading.
Lee Tomlin scored an 85th-minute equaliser to snatch a point for Nottingham Forest on a night when defeat looked probable after Omar Richards fired the visitors ahead shortly after the half-hour mark.
The hosts had a 12th man in the form of the 21,000 vocal supporters in attendance.
And the Spanish manager, who has won only one of his seven Championship games since replacing Mark Warburton at The City Ground last month, reveals that they created the type of atmosphere that he’s been waiting for since joining.
“I’ve been here for six or seven weeks now and I’ve been waiting to hear an atmosphere like this one tonight,” he told Nottingham Forest’s official website.
“My first three home games have been a nightmare but tonight I finally got to experience the incredible atmosphere here and I was delighted with how the crowd got right behind the players.”
Karanka’s only league win at Forest has been a 2-0 win away to Championship leaders Wolves, but three defeats and two draws since that one illustrate that the Reds haven’t quite kicked on despite such a big scalp.
Nevertheless, Forest are still eight points above the relegation zone, so although the former Middlesbrough boss – who won promotion in 2016 – isn’t having an immediate impact, he will be judged on next season.
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