No sooner is combative midfielder Jack Colback back through the doors at the City Ground is he requested to model the clubs new away kit a day before its release and now we all have the colours of blue and yellow (and ginger) to get used to again as the Reds announce a striking number by kit suppliers Macron.

The blue shirt with yellow trim is sort of in homage to the flowing River Trent although not entirely obvious. Fans have given it the marmite appeal either ‘loving’ or ‘hating’ whilst some fence sitting have declared that it might even be a ‘grower’… But whatever your opinion the real reason for the photo is not about the £49 plus fee you’ll have to pay if you want to buy the shirt, but is instead about a player that now aged 30 could become an essential part of Nottingham Forest Football Club’s push to finally break their Championship hoodoo and get back into the Premier League after 21 long years absence.

The Ginger Pirlo has re-joined the Reds to many fans appraisal as potentially a predecessor to Ben Watson, should Sabri get his way I do worry that a midfield three of Colback, Watson and Yates (or even Sow) would make the team even more one dimensional than previously seen but here’s hoping that by getting in early, signing Colback will now allow the club to free up some space elsewhere and perhaps get rid of some of the dross that needs to be ridden in order for the team to move forward and push those at the top of the table for promotion.

The signing of Jack suggests possibly that Lamouchi, who played no part in managing Colback’s 55 previous games at Forest, has nothing to do with many of the ins and outs of the club (which we all knew anyway), but in Coaching I hope that he see’s the former Sunderland, Ipswich and Newcastle midfielder as a ‘like-for-like’ replacement on 35 year old Watson, rather than one that can fill a role beside him as many have seen (like poor men’s Gerrard’s & Lampard’s) that has not particularly worked well in the past.

Hope is now to build a side around Colback holding in Sabri’s favoured 4-3-3 (or 4-2-1-2-1 to be precise) as Forest owners should now look to fill the pieces to a jigsaw that last season was never quite complete, all be it close at times to at least being filled around the edges.

Rumours are a plenty with Ivan Toney of Peterborough United the latest ‘headline’ name… But first there is a number of current players to either retain or let go should the price be right. Should Forest lose any of Cash, Worrall, Carvalho or Lolley they’ll all need replacing if the team is to better on it’s seventh place finish this season gone.

Whilst Colback is a start, he needs not be the end, for Forest it could be a busy few weeks of ins and outs and one that can define the outcome of the season ahead by the business that they do. Getting it right is key… Like the shirt launch, however the way that has gone down it all seems a little underwhelming… Let’s hope the transfer news provides a little more optimism.

Colback over Watson yes… But yellow over blue would also have been better!

*Main image @NFFC Jack Colback models the new blue away kit.