“If you go up one side of the mountain, you’ll eventually have to go down the other side.”
At 32, Nottingham Forest forward Chris Wood was just asked if he enjoys all the positive headlines.
The New Zealand international has been in the spotlight, scoring eight of Forest’s 15 goals so far in the league, but his thoughtful response reflects his journey through 12 English clubs. clubs including Burnley, Leeds, Leicester and Newcastle.
“It’s about making the drop on the other side as small as possible to recover and form a new mountain,” says Wood, speaking to BBC Sport ahead of Saturday’s home game against Ipswich. “Mentality is huge in sport and football. If you can control that side of the game, it helps.”
“You go through mountains and waves all season long. It’s not just about shooting yourself up. That’s what they told me [former technical director] Dan Ashworth when he was at West Brom: It won’t always be easy.
“There will be those waves and you have to take advantage of them and hope that the disadvantages are as small as possible so that the advantages are as large as possible.”
Wood, who scored 14 league goals last season, became the first Forest player to win the Premier League Player of the Month award in October and is closing in on Bryan Roy’s club record of 24 goals in the competition.
Under Nuno Espirito Santo, he has scored 19 goals in 28 top-flight appearances and says he has found a coach who understands and values him.
“You have to find where you are appreciated. Coaches have their own style and how they want to play,” says Wood at the club’s training ground.
“That’s not something I can control. It just means you might not be in the right area or in the coach’s cup of tea. “There’s always a coach who likes a number nine, or a false nine.
“I’m not a man who is going to beat two or three players and stay in the top corner, I’m a man who depends on service. If they can’t supply me, I can’t score.
“It’s about finding the role that suits everyone and, fortunately, with Nuno that’s the case.
“The six or seven loans I had when I was young taught me a lot about how to be appreciated and valued. It’s not always about you as a person or a player, but how you connect and build with a team. A lot of that comes from your control “
