[derbybaggie]

Ska’d’s first match preview from the start of the season - rollercoaster indeed

And so it begins again. Less than three months after last year's frustrating campaign came to a frustrating end, Albion have a lot of new faces around the club, not least in the dugout, as Slaven Bilic throws his cap in the ring to try and sort out the ongoing shambles. His early noises all seem to be about not getting carried away, but whether that's a grim assessment of the problems behind the scenes or simply a deft bit of expectation management before we get down to firing on all cylinders, it's too early to tell.

We will, at least, have some inkling of what awaits after Saturday evening, when we visit the City Ground to take on Forest. Last year's trip was eighty minutes of mediocrity followed by an absolute whirlwind at the end which might have seen us snatch a win, only to settle for a 1-1 draw. The same result this time round would be a decent start to the season in the circumstances, but as ever, our fortunes for the months ahead won't be defined by the very first game. It'll simply be a small taster of just how exciting and sickening this year's rollercoaster is likely to be.