Average Player Ratings - August

One month of Championship football has elapsed, and it’s time to see who has made the biggest impact on the second tier of English football.

Of course, as with all statistics, there is a case for dismissing the ‘results’ out of hand.

But seasonal average ratings, at the very least, provide a reasonable gauge of who’s thriving and who’s hiding.

Unsurprisingly, yesterday’s sorry afternoon in Wolverhampton (read all about it below) has had something of a sobering impact on the totals.

Paul Smith, Chris Cohen, Lee Martin and the enigmatic Guy Moussi were the top performers for the month of August.

Luke Chambers, meanwhile, is the only player to register an average of below five.

The list in full:

Guy Moussi – 7

Paul Smith – 7

Chris Cohen – 7

Lee Martin – 7

Nathan Tyson – 6.75

Kelvin Wilson – 6.5

Rob Earnshaw – 6.5

Wes Morgan – 6.25

Garath McCleary – 6

Julian Bennett – 6

James Perch – 6

Ian Breckin – 5.5

Luke Chambers – 4.5

Bench-warmers Andrew Cole and Emile Sinclair are missing from the list but both averaged six, whilst injured Lewis McGugan earned an average of 7 from his two league appearances.

On-loan Manchester United winger Lee Martin leads the Man of the Match haul with two, whilst Nathan Tyson and Guy Moussi have one award each.

You can click on the thumbnail below for a nifty graph, drafted at short notice by the...erm...technical department.

Another Level...

One of the reasons why Forest fans were so ecstatic to win promotion is that we knew football would be interesting again.

And interesting it certainly has been.

One month in and already there has been delirious highs and razor blade lows in almost equal measure.

Today, if I may state the ludicrously obvious, was something of a low.

There was almost literally no contest; it was a thorough whitewash, and excruciating viewing from the first whistle.

The Wolves players could very well have played the game in tuxedos; sipping champagne and tapping cigars as the Forest players waved them genially by.

It was a thorough rout, it was a comprehensive drubbing, it was men against boys, it was – frankly – as many clichés as you see fit to throw at it.

In the early stages we were visibly intimidated, and as Wolves moved up the gears we were rattled. The Forest response was disquietingly submissive.

At 2-0 I feared the worst, at 3-0 I lost grip of any distant and absurd notion of a fight-back, at 4-0 I was driven to an apathetic smirk.

There is a point in almost all situations when the mind releases you from all sense of concern; a recognition of inevitability, and a resulting comfort.

Being on the receiving end of a 4-0 scoreline at half-time represented that moment this afternoon.

At that point a total humiliation is a certainty, and those who can manage to do so begin offering their chins to bear the impact.

Circumstances as they were, I spent most of the second half observing the mise en scène - that is, everything but the pitch itself.

There was the usual full-hearted attempt from a brave few who stood, scowling though they were, and sang to themselves.

Others frothed with rage and targeted players within earshot for savage abuse; occasionally picking brawls with natives sat 80 yards away.

The majority took in the remainder of the game in a stoic silence, momentarily rising to gesticulate at another wayward pass.

In reality it could have been double figures this afternoon if Wolves hadn’t slipped into neutral.

They struck the bar, saw a goal ruled out for offside, had Smith deny them from point-blank range – and they had countless other attempts whistle inches wide.

So what does all of this mean? I’m not sure.

For one thing I don’t think it’s time for panic stations just yet.

Only a few days ago we were satisfied by a brave effort against Sunderland and still beaming after the three points against Watford.

The concern comes in defence, where we have shipped ten goals in the opening four league matches.

Another concern is our away performances, which have – all things considered – been absolutely atrocious thus far.

But there is almost certainly enough about this side, especially when it is purring and moving forward with flair, to guarantee a mid-table finish.

It’s just a shame that our first ‘real away day’ since spending three years in League One had to be ruined by the football itself.

Forest fans filled the away section at Molineux as we have so many times before.

But whilst the fans always turn out at Wolves, the Forest teams rarely do, and today we have taken that to another level.

Ratings: Vs Wolves [A]

Smith – 5 – made several good saves to keep the score down, but his powderpuff punch caused the second goal.

Chambers – 2 – struggled terribly, as he has done in every game. Everything Wolves did was channelled down the left, and this was a deliberate reaction to Chambers getting absolutely everything wrong. At one point one of their men cut inside, only for Chambers to carry on running toward the corner flag for several paces without noticing. To a neutral, his performance was probably hilarious.

Breckin – 4 – very adept at handling height as he’s strong in the air and a clever defender. Alas, faced with Wolves’ pace and power he was fairly useless. Why on earth was Kelvin left watching from the bench?

Morgan – 5 – poor performance, although he propped up the defence in the second half. Throughout the first half he was out-muscled several times – I felt a bit like a child realising for the first time that his or her Dad isn’t a superhero.

Bennett – 5 – not the worst player on the pitch, but he did little to stop the rot.

Perch – 4.5 – careless, clumsy, wasteful and powerless before the ruthless Wolves attack.

Moussi – 4.5 – cut out of the game completely, by far and away his weakest display in English football. Apologised to the supporters after the game and threw in his shirt to apologise.

Cohen – 5 – ran out of legs and formed part of the anonymous midfield.

Martin – 4.5 – sulked, gestured and hid for 90 minutes. Two man of the match performances show his talent, today showed his fairweather tendencies.

Earnshaw – 5 – busy though he was, he achieved little.

Tyson – 6 – the only player in our side that ever looked likely to do anything of note, and even he wasn’t very good at all.

Just because...

Click the above, and smirk!

A Real Treat...

A lot of pretentious types have made a considerable fuss this week about the Olympic Games knocking football from its back page pedestal.

Others have revelled effusively in catchphrases like ‘greatest show on earth’ and feigned unmitigated joy as Britain’s medal tally spiralled.

Personally I spent the week looking forward to 3pm today.

And to have guaranteed entertainment like that in advance of this afternoon? I’d have hand-packed every gold medal and paid the postage back to Beijing.

It’s afternoons like today’s that offer vital reminders of what following football is really worth. And it just can’t be matched.

Five goals, a lorry-load of chances, tension in potentially fatal quantities, songs reverberating about the City Ground and – ultimately – three beautiful points.

The collective relief and exuberance had the stairways and streets buzzing, and to wash it all down with news of a Derby County home defeat – well, it’s almost too much to enjoy at once.

All of this probably reads like a foreign language to people who don’t follow football, and it’s a great shame.

Each to their own, as the saying goes. Some people get their kicks from picking out garments in New Look, or taking photographs of trees, or enjoying weekend breaks in Wales, or writing poems and sending them to Reader’s Digest.

That’s absolutely fine. But you just don’t know what you’re missing out on.

Of course, in a few weeks time we’ll probably be cursing a ‘wasted’ afternoon and feeling very sorry for ourselves again.

It’s all part of the magic – if it wasn’t for the lows, the highs probably wouldn’t feel this good.

In terms of performance this afternoon we were far from perfect, but we lined up with enormous attacking intention and that is the most satisfying thing of all.

Despite the standard of opposition being far lower, there is every likelihood that the same midfield system would have been deployed almost as a flat five 12 months ago.

Instead Garath McCleary and the exceptional Lee Martin were glued to the Watford full backs. They moved to supply Earnshaw from the channels with an energy and a volatility that we haven’t seen for years.

Chris Cohen and fans’ favourite Guy Moussi provided eclectic and determined support for every counter attack, and not once did we lack imagination or direction in the final third.

There were extended periods when possession was sloppy and Watford’s physical, direct approach bullied the game into their favour.

But League One’s Forest would have responded with an impotent cocktail of long balls and sidewards football into cul-de-sacs.

Today we roved forward at every occasion, we left men forward when defending corners, we hurried throw-ins and harried possession even at 2-1 up.

It was, to regrettably summon a Calderwood cliché, a “real treat”.

It’s morbidly, perhaps embarrassingly, amusing that a few days ago we were in tears over the injury crisis and struggling to see where a win would come from.

Three points and a bit of real entertainment; that’s entertainment the football way, can make a remarkable difference.

This weekend it’s a bronze medal for Southampton, a silver medal for Forest, and a gold medal for football.

We bloody love it.

Ratings: Vs Watford [H]

Smith – 7.5 – personally I felt that, despite flapping at one or two crosses, he commanded his area with far greater authority than we are used to.

Chambers – 5.5 – I don’t want to make Chambers-bashing a regular pastime, but he is getting caught out far too often at this level. I’m in a good enough mood to suggest that, perhaps, he’ll settle in with more games.

Breckin [C] – 7 – I trembled at the prospect of Ian Breckin versus a Championship attack, but this afternoon he read the game superbly and won some vital battles. He was caught out a few times, and he still loves curling the ball into the top corner of the stand, but this was a very solid display.

Morgan – 7 – compensated for one or two lapses of concentration by dumping several challengers on to their backsides and living up to the song we sing about him.

Bennett – 6.5 – keen as always to put his body on the line and this was a good display at the back, without exactly moving worlds.

Perch – 6.5 – after sitting out much of the first half with a niggling lack of talent, he broke up the play and tackled back excellently as we held on for the win.

Moussi – 7.5 – he shall forever be compared to his performance against Reading, which was literally perfect, but there’s no doubting the Moose’s credentials as a vital Nottingham Forest player. He’s always on hand to pass to, he always finds a pass, and he has greater enterprise – as a central midfielder – than we have witnessed at Forest for years.

Cohen – 8 – similar to last weekend at Swansea, Cohen went above and beyond the call of duty to cover every blade of grass on the pitch. He was scrapping in every defensive battle, but he was up to support every attack.

McCleary – 6.5 – acceleration, confidence on the ball, the willingness to run at defenders; he has all of the credentials to succeed, and I’d like to see how he fares after 5-6 games in this role. Today it was a bit too much for him.

Earnshaw – 7.5 – a constant headache for the opposing defence, and benefited hugely from the support he received.

Martin – 8 – Man of the Match – probably just about our best player for the second week running. He can cross, he can shoot, he can dribble, he can pass, he’s exceedingly pacy. What’s the catch? There’s always a catch.

Subs:

Tyson – 7.5 – scored a vital goal and his pace wreaked havoc.

Sinclair – 6

Cole – 6

Back to Work

Delirious contentment and boundless optimism were the prevailing motifs of the opening weekend, but today was all about making a resounding return to ground level.

An early morning start, a bad head, an irksome journey and a disappointing defeat in swirling rains. It all seemed uncomfortably familiar.

And for the first thirty minutes our performance was indeed befitting of the third tier.

Swansea systematically dismantled our possession game and sprayed the ball through gaping holes in our defence with an embarrassing ease.

What little our hosts didn’t break down we broke down for ourselves; passes were aimless and incessantly failed to reach their targets, and our defenders played musical statues through every counter attack.

As the Welshmen attacked in waves, our defenders waving them gaily by, I felt a familiar sinking feeling of ‘this is going to be a long day’.

We’ve all had it. Usually it surfaces when you have spent the days leading up to a game imagining bright sunshine, flowing lagers and boisterous chanting without ever actually thinking about the football.

It’s a quite daunting realisation, and coupled with last Sunday’s deceptively pleasant affair it was rather like returning to work after a fortnight’s holiday.

Swansea’s opener triggered pandemonium amidst the grunting, snarling locals who drowned out the travelling contingent for a fairly long time. Forest were doing little to little to dampen the mood.

Were it not for Perch’s equaliser, borne out of an inspired solo battle by Lee Martin, we could comfortably have lost the game without forcing as much as one clear cut chance.

It had been shaping up to be one of those days, and it’s a fitting reflection of the afternoon’s fortunes that the scoreline eventually told the tale of a reasonably comprehensive defeat in spite of our revival.

The equaliser took away Swansea’s edge; their momentum slipped and they retreated several yards.

By the start of the second half we had time, space and a renewed ability to retain possession.

The signs were good, and for perhaps 10 minutes we looked capable of going on to register a victory.

But Swansea’s counter attacks, bursting with energy, efficiency, pace and movement, were ultimately our downfall.

The penalty was dubious and notably typical of a referee who short changed us all afternoon. There was no coming back a second time.

Swansea threatened constantly to strike us again on the break, which they eventually did, and we were running into cul-de-sacs.

The third goal probably wasn’t deserved on the back of our improved second half, but the three points were rarely in doubt all afternoon.

Yet there’s no reason to panic. In the second half we showed glimpses of what it is everybody has been shouting about, and we weren’t dismantled to the extent that we should suddenly fear for the club’s safety.

All of that optimism was getting a bit nauseating anyway, wasn’t it?

Ratings: Vs Swansea [A]

Smith – 7.5 – made several smart saves in the first half having been beaten all ends up by the strike that went in via the back of his head.

Chambers – 5.5 – another uncomfortable performance from Chambers who I feel is struggling to adapt to Championship football. He was pressed too deep by Swansea’s own wingers and the expanse between himself and the midfield made our system unworkable.

Morgan – 5.5 – too slow to clear the danger and too quick to stand and watch. He could and should have been on hand to block the shot that lead to the first goal, but didn’t.

Wilson – 6 – started extremely well, but ultimately capital Kelv’ was as perplexed by Swansea’s breaks as everybody around him.

Bennett – 5.5 – had similar problems to Chambers today, exacerbated by the fact that he seemed to be sulking about something all afternoon.

Cohen – 8 – out of position, but his work rate and determination to chase lost causes created something out of nothing on several occasions. A great effort.

McGugan – 6.5 – couldn’t quite make it happen today, despite having plenty of the ball he was always a few yards short of the right pass.

Moussi – 7.5 – wriggled, twisted and bounced his way out of seemingly impossible situations and did his best to open up a midfield that operated as a pack animal all game. Not every ball found its man, though.

Perch – 6 – treading water for much of the game and his passing was poor.

Martin – 8 – fast, skilful, and incredibly hard working. He flitted delightfully from wing to wing and, with better service, could have opened them up. This guy could be useful.

Earnshaw – 6.5 – huffing and puffing for nothing. He needs a strike partner and he has the potential to hurt teams.

Subs:

McCleary – 6

Newbold - 6

Nobody tell the RSPCA but...

...the Moose is on fire.

The first weekend of the football season is a fairly special time.

In just a matter of months tempers will be flaring and fans across country will be crawling with a familiar cynicism and wondering – again - why it is they actually watch football.

A fortunate but limited few will, of course, have no complaints whatsoever.

The great beauty of the opening weekend is that nobody is quite sure which side they will be signing for.

For all of the huffing and puffing in dour friendlies, and the juggernaut of transfer speculation (including subsequent disappointment), every football fan experiences the same curious optimism shortly before the big kick off.

Even the flask-carrying doomsayers who have spent the entire summer predicting the club’s imminent implosion will be childishly excited, not that they’ll talk about it too loudly.

But whilst it is quite delightful to absorb this unabridged enthusiasm, there is surely nothing better than still feeling it 90 minutes later?

In Forest’s case there is something genuinely remarkable happening. After three seasons of full-throttle fury, and five of agonising disappointment, the storm clouds have finally receded.

All of a sudden, it’s really quite nice being a Forest fan.

What a novelty it was to reach the 30 minute mark and not feel humiliated, broken and veritably enraged by a 0-0 scoreline.

How pleasant to bask in the sunshine with very limited ambitions and a reasonable certainty that relegation isn’t going to be a problem.

It is a very desirable arrangement; quite detached from the ‘do or die’ manacles of the third tier.

Throughout our third division escapades, which all of us can only hope to later review as an embarrassing anomaly, we collectively felt that every dropped point was a suckerpunch.

The football was dismal, promotion was the only acceptable outcome, and it really seemed quite offensive to not win every single game.

Now we are faced with the prospect of a season that some of us might actually enjoy.

There are real grounds with real crowds to visit again, and although we are going to be playing at underdog more than we have become accustomed to it is clear that we can hold our own.

Today was by no means a showpiece spectacular for the neutrals, but the playful exuberance rippling about the City Ground was enough to make it a thoroughly enjoyable affair.

We bossed possession, we defended tightly and as though we hadn’t stepped up a division at all, and the two new faces on show did enough to whet appetites aplenty.

Factor Andy Cole, Paul Anderson, Joe Garner and Nathan Tyson into equation and it’s almost enough to make a man say something along the lines of “you never know…”

I’ve been a Forest fan for too long to expect this delirium to last much longer.

But for the time being I am only too happy to sit back and enjoy the vastly underrated process of ‘never knowing’…

Match Ratings: Vs Reading [H]

The first of this season's league match ratings. WARNING: Post may contain opening day optimism.

Paul Smith – 8 – a show-stopping save to seal a worthy point and a strong overall performance.

Luke Chambers – 5.5 – by no means a horror show, but occasionally his positioning let him down as Reading players moved in behind him.

Kelvin Wilson [C] – 7.5 – a comfortable return to Championship football; Wilson’s composure could be absolutely crucial in sustaining respectable status at this level.

Wes Morgan – 7.5 – as above, a remarkably dependable performance.

Julian Bennett – 7.5 – all of his benefits and none of his flaws; got forward well and was typically savage in the tackle.

James Perch – 6 – careless in possession on more than one occasion, but he spared his overall performance with a series of important tackles. I’m not convinced by Perch as a midfielder at this level (or really the one below), but as part of a conventional five he has a role to play.

Guy Moussi – 9 – Man of the Match – frankly there must be a catch! On today’s evidence the Frenchman could very well become the centrepiece of our entire squad. He is a picture of composure, and he sprays the ball around with delectable and seemingly effortless side-footers that we simply haven’t seen at the City Ground for years. Though he is essentially a deep midfielder he finds plenty of time to roam forward, and compared with Sammy ‘The Crab’ Clingan he seems, well, perfect!

Arron Davies – 7 – busy and efficient, after his fashion, but probably not likely to have enough impact to keep his place. He looks a lot more confident this time out, but he’s a lightweight.

Lewis McGugan – 7.5 – probably tried a little bit too hard at times, but he was still fantastic. When he keeps things simple he seeps class from every pore and I think he will be quite at home in the Championship

Chris Cohen – 7 – worked hard and did his job, out of position, without rocking the boat.

Robert Earnshaw – 7 – bullied out of the game in periods, partly through his lack of strike partner and partly due to the siege marking of Reading’s centre halves. For what it’s worth, I was impressed. This is a striker of genuine quality who can take players on, finish with real aptitude and generally be a constant nuisance. This is the kind of player that we can now get used to watching again.

Subs:

Emile Sinclair – 6 – out of position and introduced at a time when we were eager to take the point and retire.

Garath McCleary – n/a

Just Got Back

Welcome.

"Just Got Back" is a no-frills chronicle of Nottingham Forest's return to the second tier of English football, and one man's experiences of following them to all corners of the country.

Expect rambling match reports, reflections on the world of football in general, and weekly match ratings that will be accompanied by a seasonal average.

Enjoy!