AT the end of last season, Gary Mills admits he was feeling just a little lost.
He had expected to mark the end of the football season with a trip to Dagenham and Redbridge in League Two, as manager of York City, the team he had guided back into the Football League.
Instead he found himself unemployed and filling his weekend by taking a seat in the stands, rather than the dugouts.
And there was little comfort for the 51-year-old, as he made his way to the familiar surrounds of the City Ground.
Mills had begun his playing career in remarkable fashion on the banks of the River Trent, drafted into the first team by Brian Clough at the age of just 16 – and into a European Cup winning squad at 18.
But the final day of the Championship season saw two of his former sides pitched against each other, in a fight for a play-off place.
"When I went to watch that game at Forest, it was a interesting one for me," said Mills. "It was going to be one of my old teams who ended up happy – and one that didn't.
"In the end, it was disappointing to see neither of them go up, with Leicester ultimately losing to Watford in the semi-final.
"But I lost my job in March and I went to watch five Forest games at the end of the season.
"That Leicester game was obviously a crucial one, to decide who would get into the play-offs.
"And I just felt that Forest had something missing, they were lacking a killer instinct in the final third.
"When it got to the vital area, they were lacking something."
Mills believes Forest can challenge for promotion next season. But, to do so, he says they must add to their squad in several crucial areas.
"When you look at the teams who had a little bit more – Crystal Palace had Wilfried Zaha, for example – players like that can make a difference," said Mills. "Forest were lacking that and it is an important summer on that front.
"They need to get a couple of players in like that, who can win matches for them. They need to progress one step further from what they have achieved last season.
"It was a funny old year for Forest, wasn't it?
"All credit to Billy for getting them up there with a chance. But I always felt they were lacking something when it came to finishing the job off.
"I am interested now to see which players will be coming in, particularly striker wise, when it comes to giving them the edge you need to get them back in the Premier League.
"These players do cost top dollar, but... (you do need to spend it)."
Another area Billy Davies is looking to strengthen is on the flanks – and this is another area Mills agrees needs strengthening.
As a former winger himself, Mills believes a good cross is becoming something of a lost art form – but he hopes it is one Forest can keep alive next season, both from their midfielders and their full backs, pushing on.
"In the games I saw Forest did play very narrow. Everything they did went through the centre of the pitch," he said. "When you play like that you need your full backs to be pushing on and, in the games I saw, that did not happen often enough.
"I never really saw that. So I don't know if Billy will be looking to play the same way this season.
"In many teams your full backs are your wingers. If you are going to play that way, they are the ones who push on and give you that width.
"If you are going to get crosses into the box, they are the players who get crosses in for you, so they are important figures in the side as well.
"They lacked that attacking ambition when I saw them play. So, if he wants to continue playing in the same way, it will also be interesting to see what full backs are in the side.
"Not many teams cross the ball like we used to. Many teams like to play in and around the box and manipulate the ball to create chances, rather than getting the ball into wide positions and crossing it.
"It will be interesting to see if Billy does go for wingers and if he does change formation.
"A right back is probably one of the things high on his shopping list.
"But I know from experience that it is not easy to get the right one if you want to play football in a certain way.
"What I do know is that, if they are going to play the way they did last season, they will need some good full backs who will give them that edge in the last third."
Next season Mills again expects to see Leicester and Forest fighting it out for a place in the Premier League.
But, at the same time, he hopes he will not be there to see it – because he is back in the dugout himself.
"Once Leicester got back into the play-offs, I fancied them to go on and get the job done, if I am honest," he said. "But what is football like? That game at Watford was remarkable. They had the elation of getting the penalty then, seconds later, they are facing defeat.
"That just typifies what is great about this game, to be honest.
"And I hope I get the chance to be part of that again in the near future."