Thinking the Unthinkable

Things just can’t get much worse for Nottingham Forest at the moment, and after yet another defeat the future is looking increasingly bleak.

It’s a familiar sensation; so familiar in fact that it is morbidly comforting.

The key difference between now and the innumerable low points of the recent era is that we don’t even have a grudge through which to channel our despair.

Supporters leaving Hillsborough this evening were, more than anything else, baffled.

The biting disappointment, the anguish, and above all the fear are usually expressed through some form of vitriolic assault on the players.

At the moment the feelings are simply bubbling beneath the surface, and nobody can quite imagine what is coming next.

We are one of the league’s top spenders, we have a promising set of players, we are playing to a standard at least befitting of mid-table, and yet the results are just not coming.

Although Forest were far from convincing throughout, there is almost no doubting that we deserved to leave with at least a point.

Wednesday keeper Lee Grant tipped two goalbound headers narrowly over the bar, and his sprawling save to deny Andrew Cole’s low drive is perhaps the most conclusive epitome of our evening in Yorkshire. It just wouldn’t go in.

Prior to today’s game I was unusually satisfied with Calderwood’s attitude, and I have spent hours convincing myself and others that we will turn the corner before too long.

But after tonight’s game it isn’t looking anywhere near as simple.

This is precisely the kind of ‘run’ that can very quickly become a full-scale dogfight.

And with players scratching their heads and despairing at the end of every unjust defeat there is good reason to doubt our squad’s character in the face of adversity.

If our worst fears are indeed realised, games like this evening’s will be a suitable reference point for where it all went wrong.

Yet another freak deflection saw us fall behind after a drab but competitive first half, and – circumstances as they are – it was always going to be a long way back.

In throwing men forward we conceded any scrap of defensive resilience and both sides squandered clear chances as the clock ticked by.

Every Forest attack was a story of agonising potential, thwarted by through balls drifting centimetres off course and the goalkeeper’s fingertips.

Nothing dropped for us, and even the ball boys played their part.

Under duress from the red-faced, black-toothed natives, one youngster shamelessly sat with his arms folded and allowed goalkeeper Grant to run down the clock by collecting the ball at his leisure.

It was one of those nights.

The major concern at the moment is that we are having those days and those nights with terrifying regularity.

There is, of course, a chance that we will bag the elusive three points and set about a run that will haul us to the paradisiacal obscurity of mid-table.

Until that run comes I just don’t know what to think.

Dropping back into the third tier is, at this stage, unimaginable. It doesn’t even bear considering how few of those supporters who backed Forest through three years of horror would be prepared to do it again.

Currently dwelling in Sheffield, the conclusion to my evening was literally wrestling my way on to a heaving ‘Supertram’ amongst droves of the aforementioned slurring Yorkshiremen. Things can only get better.

Match Ratings: Vs Sheffield Wednesday [A]

Smith – 7.5 – several good saves to keep us in the game as we pressed for an equaliser.

Chambers – 6 – the five-strong defence at last gave Chambers the license to be distinctly average. A big improvement on this season’s norm.

Wilson – 7 – a solid display.

Breckin – 6.5 – looked more assured than Morgan, who is seeing out his annual donkey spell.

Lynch – 6.5 – nearly caught out a few times, but I was generally impressed with his mobility and scrapping.

Bennett – 6.5 – sometimes ran out of ideas when pushing higher up the pitch, but he got the job done.

Perch – 6.5 – grew into the game, but the midfield was too lightweight with Thornhill accompanying him.

Cohen – 7.5 – worked hard, played a number of excellent balls, but his shooting let him down at crucial moments.

Thornhill – 6.5 – some nice touches and good movement, but was sometimes bullied out of the game.

Tyson – 7.5 – dug deep and used his pace to excellent effect, wriggling in behind their full backs on a number of occasions. He was the most-fouled player on the pitch by some margin.

Cole – 6.5 – his best display in a Forest shirt, but it’s not difficult to see why some Forest fans will never take to him. He has some excellent touches and brilliant ideas, but he is perpetually reluctant to play the simple balls and an Andrew Cole sprint is about as likely as a Forest win at the moment.

McClearly caused problems after coming on, and for two minutes Moussi looked a decent player again. But it was too little, too late.

Bracing Ourselves... [Includes Ratings]

Another frustrating afternoon’s football, and another game without a win.

Forest are learning a cruel lesson about the realities of stepping into a higher division.

The strength of the signings and the post-promotion buzz had people in high places saying silly things.

But the reality is that the higher you climb in football, the more it becomes a case of “do or die”.

Charlton bagged an away win in midweek and will have been content to take a point from the City Ground.

And sadly, for all of our huffing and puffing, they have taken exactly what they came for.

A subdued Addicks performance saw Forest’s pacy breaks force enough chances to win two games.

The confidence was returning, the system seemed to be working, and the points looked to be en route.

Alas, the breakthrough never came and Charlton recovered to force chances of their own.

The overall result is yet another frustrating outcome, and another deflating week of staring at Forest in the bottom two of the table.

Forest’s biggest test will be riding the current storm.

Morale has been pummelled to breaking point on the back of three reasonable displays that have yielded almost nothing at all.

Two more games without a win and it will be time to buckle up and assume the brace position.

Our bad run is taking the tell-tale evolutionary steps to becoming a bad season.

A mention, also, for the banal Charlton supporters who - aside from occasionally turning to gesture to the Upper Bridgford - had not a song between them. A poor turnout, and an even poorer performance, from another set of supporters that harness perpetual delusions of grandeur.

We Forest fans are probably not as special as we like to think, but we're some way ahead of sorry sorts like this lot!

Ratings:

Smith – 7.5 – produced a world class save to keep a point on the table after a fairly typical afternoon of mediocre distribution.

Chambers – 4.5 – the struggle continues.

Wilson – 5.5 – a characteristically solid display, marred by several dopey moments allowing players to slip by him. Could have seen red.

Morgan – 6 – made a constant stream of essential blocks.

Bennett – 6.5 – full-throttle Bennett, perhaps a touch inhibited by a premature return from injury.

Perch – 7 – excellent ‘tackling back’ and a solid overall display, despite momentary teething problems having switched to right back.

Moussi –5.5 – confidence is, all of a sudden, in great scarcity and nobody embodies this quite like Guy Moussi. Around either penalty area his heart rises to his throat and his decision-making crumbles. He has lost, for now, the almost miraculous ability to pick out a pass in any situation.

Cohen – 7 – again the hardest worker, who again covered the most ground. Cohen’s transition from exemplary League One workhorse to fiery box-to-box star has been one of the brightest aspects of our promotion so far.

Martin – 7 – selfish, mercurial, inconsistent; a running homage to a certain Portuguese winger. But he is incredibly dangerous when he gets going. McCleary, his replacement this afternoon, performed well – but in my opinion Martin is a fairly good example of what rough diamond McCleary should be aiming for, in a technical sense at least.

Earnshaw – 7 – as busy as ever, and always likely to spin or flick his way into a goalscoring opportunity. The man oozes ‘Championship’ from every pore and, should his injury be at all serious, we will greatly miss his quality.

Tyson – 7.5 – a constant thorn in the side of Charlton’s defenders and holding midfielders. When Tyson is fit and interested he is remarkable to watch; chasing lost causes and crossing the field with searing speed. Unfortunately a few too many of those causes were lost ones this afternoon.

Subs:

Thornhill – 6.5 – very unlucky to be sent off, although some referees would have penalised his hand-ball in the penalty area.

McCleary – 7

Cole – 5

Defensive Circus

A highly entertaining evening’s football, marred unspeakably by fifteen minutes of madness and Forest’s poor use of possession throughout.

But it isn’t all doom and gloom, despite yet another defeat.

Many teams set up with a point in mind at ‘Fortress Deepdale’ but Calderwood’s Forest, usually characterised by excessive caution, were happy to search for all three.

Preston may have shaded the first half, but it was a refreshingly open game.

By the time the tide began to shift in the final minutes of the half there had been a number of excellent opportunities for both sides.

What ruined Forest’s game was the complete inability to handle possession under pressure.

When Preston moved through the gears, the Forest response was invariably to bowl the ball long – and inevitably straight back to the opposition.

We have seen it a hundred times before. It has cost us dearly in the past, and tonight was no different.

Forest were serving up possession on a silver platter from the second half’s first whistle and we didn’t recover until, in reality, it was much too late.

Farcical

The crucial opening goal was farcical.

A banal Preston corner drifted across the box; Jon Parkin planted his enormous rear in the way of two Forest defenders, and Yule Mawene rose unchallenged to nod past a baffled Smith.

There was plenty of finger-pointing in the aftermath to the goal. Guy Moussi may not speak English, but something tells me Kelvin Wilson’s remarks were of universal clarity.

Forest remained in slumber, and a few minutes later the game seemed completely beyond reach – more atrocious defending from our prize-winning defence, now complete with square blocks in circular spaces.

Our response was accidental at best, and the result of a communication breakdown between Mawene and his goalkeeper.

It did enough to revive hopes, and thereafter we showed flashes of the performance that was so encouraging in the first half.

But in reality we didn’t come at all close to pinching an equaliser that we probably just about deserved.

There was 20 minutes of reasonably sustained pressure but virtually no chances.

Circus

Once again we have been schooled in the increase in quality that comes from stepping up a division.

Preston are not a million miles away from Forest, not by any means, and yet they are getting the basics right.

We have to learn to walk before we sprint, and that includes stamping out the defensive clumsiness that has seen us ship goals at Wolves, stumble to Burnley, and throw away a point this evening.

Alas, the most worrying aspect of the defeat was not the defensive circus or indeed the poor ball retention; it was the players’ reaction to it.

Slumped in the penalty area, stunned by another harsh defeat, the dejected Forest players carried a distinct air of “what next…?”

Three points on Saturday is, all of a sudden, absolutely vital.

Match Ratings Vs Preston [A]

Smith – 6.5 – several excellent saves, but some suspect dithering for the first goal and a series of powderpuff flaps at dipping crosses.

Wilson – 7 – out of position and dragged inside on occasions, but he was the only assured defender we had on the pitch.

Morgan – 5 – a clumsy display, peppered with moments of reassuring robustness. Unfortunately he was embarrassed in his battle to contain Mellor and Parkin.

Cohen – 7 – the Cohen engine worked overtime again, despite him being dumped at full back. One or two notable errors, but overall he was one of the most dependable Forest players on the pitch – again.

McCleary – 6 – particularly hard-working and excellent at beating his man, only to run into danger and lose possession. He seemed to be running into cul-de-sacs all night.

Moussi – 5 – a weak performance. Usually held up by his remarkable ability to pick out a pass from almost anywhere, tonight he struggled with the simplest of balls and displayed the same gangly clumsiness that had people fretting during the Burton friendly.

Perch – 6 – broke up play well, but in a 4-4-2 with Moussi in poor form he just doesn’t have enough in the tank to drive a team forward.

Martin – 6 – he covered plenty of ground, as he usually does, but the spark just never seems to be there when we are losing. He’s happy to run at players and try speculative drives, but when this isn’t working his only response is to flail and sulk. He’s a wannabe Ronaldo.

Earnshaw – 6.5 – very little assistance, and dangerous in bursts, but not the livewire we needed.

Cole – 5 – occasional deft flicks and intelligent balls, but why oh why did I keep thinking of Neil Lennon? Cole did not so much run as he did strut, and he literally did not jump for a single header (perhaps he was weighed down by the chip on his shoulder). Forest fans are not the most tolerant and, by and large, we won’t stomach laziness. He was heckled when leaving the field tonight and I certainly joined in. Why? We were 2-1 down and he ambled gradually off the pitch as if he’d netted a hat trick. Brett Ormerod’s going for nothing and I’d sooner have him than Captain Bling if this is anything to go by

Subs:

Tyson – 6

Thornhill – 7

Chambers - 6

Treading Water

Forest fans may well have reason to feel hard done by the referee’s decisive penalty award this afternoon.

But penalty or no penalty, today’s showing fell some way below an acceptable level.

The buoyant spirits rippling through the streets after the Watford victory seem a world away, and supporters today left the City Ground grimacing at the prospect of a gruelling season.

Floating in mid-table and occasionally turning on the magic at tolerable all-seater stadiums has a vague charm.

But few among us will be at all enthused by a repeat of the 2004 and 2005 dogfights.

By no means is there any reason to panic just yet, but with tough fixtures against Preston and Charlton looming it could very easily be no wins in five by Saturday evening.

And perhaps the most alarming aspect of Forest’s sudden brush with reality is that we have slipped to our knees without much of a fight.

Burnley did very little to suggest that they are capable of anything more than treading water in the Championship, but Forest looked equal at best.

The entire afternoon was an unsightly collage of cul-de-sacs and wayward balls; neither side deserved three points, and the refereeing inconsistencies only made the afternoon more frustrating.

For perhaps 20 minutes Forest were the stronger of two dismal sides, but from the moment Burnley took the lead we never once looked capable of restoring ‘Fortress City Ground’.

Earnshaw’s equaliser should have triggered a siege for victory; instead the visitors looked just as likely to bag a winner, and a disputable penalty typified a dire afternoon.

Forest’s response to falling behind for a second time was decidedly meek.

Streams of red shirts poured through the exits with minutes to spare, and those rooted to their seats at full-time had the additional pleasure of taking in the exultations of the frothing, slurring Burnley vulgars in the lower Bridgford.

What comes next? It isn’t clear.

Calderwood is already playing with a side that should tend almost perfectly to his vision of how the game should be played.

The squad is loaded with all-action midfielders and pacy wingers that should, by rights, deliver the counter-attacking festival that Colin covets. But it just isn’t working.

Last season’s showpiece defence is looking predictably stretched and just one more injury would throw us into a certain level of chaos.

For the time being we have little choice but to hope for a revival of the spirit and form that had tongues wagging, albeit cautiously, in the opening weeks.

One thing’s for certain, if we can’t overcome teams like Burnley on home soil then we will soon be treading water with weights around our ankles.

Player Ratings Vs Burnley [H]

Smith – 7 – flapped at a number of crosses, but pulled off a smart save at 1-1 to keep hopes alive.

Chambers – 4 – I have to take pity on Chambers who is woefully out of his depth and, frankly, just not good enough. One game is a blip, three games is bad form, six games is a simple lack of ability.

Morgan – 5 – somewhat clumsy and behind the game at times – definitely not one of his strongest displays. He was busy planting his backside in Akinbyi’s path when Burnley broke free to tee up the penalty incident, and it backfired.

Wilson – 6 – a reasonably steady performance; stepped in to cover for Heath’s defensive hesitance on a number of occasions.

Heath – 6 – an encouraging performance; capable and cautiously comfortable in possession, but probably not quite up to scratch in his bread and butter defending. He didn’t let anybody down, but he has a way to go.

Moussi – 6 – fell off the radar for reasonably long periods. He popped up occasionally to wriggle away from trouble or spray a pass, but he didn’t have much impact at all this afternoon.

Perch – 7 – not the kind of player that can rescue a sinking ship, often quite the opposite in fact, but he performed his tackling back role excellently all game and covered for the ailing Chambers several times in the second half.

Cohen – 8.5 – Man of the Match – relentless, determined and creative without ever finding the support his performance deserved. He is thriving in the current system.

Martin – 6 – started very brightly with some exceptional ball control and several fiery inward runs. But when the chips trickled down his performance naturally followed; something I fear we may become accustomed to.

Earnshaw – 7 – he’s doing the business in front of goal and he’s causing problems. It’s a credit to him, because I honestly don’t believe he is best suited to the role he is playing.

Tyson – 6 – bursts of pace that threatened to cause problems without really doing so. Spurned a one-on-one opportunity, as he always does.