WHEN we were given a televisual tour of Fawaz Al Hasawi's palatial home with it's luxurious opulence and stunning grandeur; when we were treated to a viewing of his garage, packed full of supercars, it created certain expectation levels.
Fans of Nottingham Forest thought that they were entering an exciting new era, that we could look forward to lavish investment in the club and a spectacular push for the Premier League.
Fawaz himself spoke of not only getting the club back into the top flight, but of his dream of adding a third star to the shirt via more success in Europe.
The sky, it seemed, was the limit for Forest. We were not just talking about finally getting the club out of the Championship, but hinting that he wanted to challenge the elite.
And we all got very excited about the new dawn, about seeing the club going all out to secure a place back in the upper echelons of the English game.
Billy Davies, you thought, would not have come back to the club for a second spell in charge, had he not been made certain promises about spending; about the ambitions the owners held for the future of the club.
All of this may still happen. Don't get me wrong, the new owners have shown ambition, I do not believe they have done too much that is worthy of huge criticism. Fawaz comes across as a man who desperately wants to see the club do well.
It is just that, well, we have not really had our socks blown off yet either, have we?
That third star still seems a long way off when you look at the additions Forest have made so far. Yes, I know it is early days yet. There is still plenty of time before the new season starts.
And, as I said, the players Forest have signed so far have been solid, if slightly unspectacular. The likes of Darius Henderson, Eric Lichaj and Gonzalo Jara will be useful assets in the Championship. All were sensible additions.
Jamie Paterson is also the kind of player I get excited about. To be fair to Forest, one of the things I always ask them to do is look at talent in the lower divisions; to give unpolished diamonds an opportunity.
At 21 with pace, an eye for goal and the ability to add some width to the squad, he is a good prospect. If he can make the step up from League One, he will be the one signing, out of all of those made so far, that has filled me with real enthusiasm.
I love to see young players given their opportunity to shine at a higher level when they have done well in the lower divisions – and it is great that Forest have given him that chance now.
Forest fans seem to take to players of his ilk as much as anything; they love to see young players develop at the club. So do I.
But I still find myself wanting to see more. Now we have had the solid, I want to see the spectacular. I want to see Forest make that statement of intent.
Yes, I realise there are issues with FFP; that there could be fines and transfer embargoes in the future if Forest do breach the rules.
But aren't the club's owners mega-rich? That was the impression we were given.
If the ultimate goal is that third star and building a club that can genuinely challenge in Europe, then it is not going to come cheaply. They will have to invest heavily to make that happen.
The days of a club like Forest breaking into the elite as we did all those years ago are probably gone now – without being able to match the spending power of the other big clubs, at least.
We all know that will take time – and lots of it. But if they plan to do that in the future, then why not start now?
I am not talking about going out and spending £40m on nine new players. But show that you do mean business.
Forest, in my eyes, need two key additions to add to their squad. They require a goal scorer and a leader and inspiration. Somebody to bang in 20 goals and somebody who can drive the rest of the squad on when the going gets tough, when they need a kick up the backside.
They need a Roy Keane figure. Somebody who will have somebody up against the dressing room wall if they are not pulling their weight. Paul McKenna had that influence. When he spoke, the rest of the players listened. They miss that now.
If they do have money to spend, these are the areas that need addressing.
Buy a player like that, bring in a recognised goal scorer, whether it be Billy Sharp, Charlie Austin or whoever.
When Billy was brought back to the club, expectation levels were raised by all the ambitious talk; by the open display of wealth from the Al Hasawi family.
What they have done so far deserves praise, things are ticking along nicely.
The signings they have made are good, logical and credible.
But now is the time I would like to see the club and owners demonstrate that they do mean business. I am not talking about proving they want a third star – but just that they really want to get out of the Championship.
SHOULD we be sad to see the departure of Lewis McGugan from Forest? The blunt answer is that only time will tell.
How many times have we spoken about a young man with incredible talent, but a lack of application?
McGugan still has the ability to secure himself a career as a top flight footballer. He is good enough. We have always known this, without any doubt. What has been in question has been his attitude, his fitness and his mentality.
I genuinely hope that a fresh start is what he needs. A new start away from the city where he grew up. Away from distractions too, perhaps.
And, if he cannot learn from Gianfranco Zola at Watford, then he truly cannot learn from anybody. The Italian was a player with incredible, breathtaking talent. He could work magic with a football.
But he also knew the value of hard work and determination – he would do the ugly stuff as well as the pretty.
I hope he can teach Lewis the same lesson. So far, you have to say he has a young man who has wasted his talent. But there is still time for him to change.
