They are making Kevin Keegan’s Entertainers look cautious and defensively sound by comparison and, for supporters of Newcastle United, Eddie Howe’s current vintage feel more like the Tormentors.
But how they enjoyed another crazy contest in which their team attacked with flair and defended with customary despair. This time, though, they won. Just.
They had to take the lead three times to achieve victory, and on each occasion it felt fragile. Forest beat Newcastle 3-1 in Boxing Day’s reverse fixture and they know how to exploit the gaps that Howe and his players just cannot plug.