That's Why we're Going Down

Another reasonable performance, another series of golden opportunities squandered, and another defeat.

As the rumbustious visitors dryly observed, that is why we’re going down.

I have, on occasions in the past, stood between crowds of men roaring so passionately for Calderwood’s removal that their faces swelled purple and their fists clenched with palpable rage.

Southend on a bitter Tuesday evening and Doncaster on a sobering Friday in Yorkshire are two excellent examples.

On both occasions I felt sure that no manager could outlive vitriol so impassioned, and so wholesomely justifiable.

But never, at any point as a Forest supporter, have I been so sure of a manager’s imminent dismissal as I was this evening.

To flick on the radio and hear Calderwood drawling in his usual fashion was, at that moment, as much of a blow as the defeat itself.

The dwindling group of supporters that continue to lend backing to Calderwood have patience and equanimity beyond a level that I am naturally capable of.

It just isn’t about palatable performances, sparks of promise, or spates of injuries anymore.

It is a cut and dried case of one win in thirteen matches.

Six points from an available 39, a soul-destroying 22 goals conceded, and not a single point – not even so much as a fortuitous draw – from 540 minutes of away football.

There is scarcely a manager anywhere in world football that would not be facing serious pressure in light of a record so distinguishingly abysmal.

In the case of Calderwood, who has tested patience to breaking point so habitually, it is nothing short of startling that he remains in charge.

Forest were much-improved this afternoon, and the ‘now or never’ spirit rippling throughout the entire club inspired an encouraging first half of promising counter attacks and half-chances.
It was looking good.

But clubs at the foot of the table are prone to misfortune and, almost immediately after Forest squandered a series of opportunities, we conceded the crucial opener.

Moments of promise followed but, in reality, the remainder of the game was an exercise in frustration and futility.

It is a recurring theme. And it is for that reason that Calderwood’s removal is so essential to our slim hopes of surviving in the Championship.

Realistically, Forest need to take – on average – around 1.4 points per game from this day forth to have any hope of survival.

Can the gentleman at the back who thinks Calderwood is capable of this please turn off the light when he leaves?

Thanks.

Quite at Home

More worrying than tonight’s frustratingly sterile performance is the comfort and ease with which Forest are sporting the look.

We have slipped comfortably into our role as basement boys, and with slumping shoulders and dropping heads we are wearing the t-shirt, the wristwatch and the baseball cap to boot.

Confidence at the club is almost non-existent. As a supporter group we are clinging to fading optimism but our players are expecting to lose fixtures and expecting positivity to result in punishment.

On numerous occasions this season we have been unlucky not to take points, but through a process of sustained misfortune we are looking every inch a side that faces a bitter struggle.

All of a sudden the cracks that were papered over by early season enthusiasm are gaping.

Instead of an ‘exciting young squad’ we look inexperienced, clueless, and frankly petrified; a rabbit in headlights.

Defensively we are an accident waiting to happen, in midfield we appear to have the personnel but we are relying on sparks and fortuitous breaks, in attack – without Earnshaw – we have no Championship quality.

The club is rock bottom, and with even one win seeming far beyond the side it is difficult to imagine how – over the course of the season – we are going to win enough games to stay afloat.

We are gradually but clearly being exposed as impostors; players we had faith to begin with are now gasping for air at a level they are not comfortable with.

And our manager, never revered and barely tolerated, is increasingly out of his depth.

It is a conundrum. A workmanlike boss cutting out the culture of calamity and grinding out results is appealing now.

But in twelve months, if survival was achieved, the tolerance levels for grubby football would plummet alongside unwarranted demands for promotion.

On a similar note, if removing Calderwood did not cure the problems then the last dice will have rolled. What then?

All I can say is that, although many of our supporters would lack the capacity to appreciate it, laborious football in mid-table would suit us for years when juxtaposed with the prospect of a fatal return to the third tier.

The buzz and passion has drained from the City Ground crowd; the novelty has expired and frustration reigns.

As compelling as the argument for stability may be, I find it hard to accept that Calderwood may remain in charge beyond Saturday if three points are not returned.

The rot must stop immediately, because a quarter of the season has elapsed already and, at the foot table, we are looking quite at home.

Match Ratings Vs Ipswich [H]

Camp – 7 – vocal, assertive, comfortable in leaving his line, quick and accurate in his distribution and eager to play short balls to defenders. Smith divides supporters like no other player, but if this is representative of his usual nature than I’m in Lee’s camp (groan).

Chambers – 5 – error prone, confidence in tatters, and positionally appalling. A League One footballer.

Wilson – 6.5 – a reasonably solid performance, but tough-tackling Wilson is the leader of a creaking defence that looks a division below the required standard.

Morgan – 6.5 – as with Wilson; no startling personal errors but even Ipswich’s cautious attacks left us looking fragile.

Bennett – 5 – solid and brave, as ever, but his use of the ball was woeful.

Anderson – 6.5 – covered a lot of ground and threatened regularly with his rapid dribbles and pervading runs. Unfortunately he conceded a stupid penalty that has cost us dearly.

Fletcher – 6.5 – does exactly what it says on the tin, nothing more or less.

Cohen – 6.5 – extremely busy, as ever, but not the creative drive we were looking for in our increasingly aimless attacks.

McCleary – 7 – faded with the game, as he did on Saturday, but he is full of confidence and beating players for fun.

Cole – 5 – a luxury that we cannot afford. The only way he could be less mobile is if he was in a chair.

Tyson – 6 – his pace is a threat, but he is not scoring goals and – frankly – that is all he is asked to do.

Subs:

Lynch – 5

McGugan – 7

Martin - 5

Scouting for Pigeons

I still vividly remember the last time Forest played Queens Park Rangers. It was, of course, the day of our inevitable relegation.

I can still see the Chelsea fans, drinking in a bar near Wembley and making ‘down’ gestures with contemptible grins as the coaches rolled by.

I can still see the banner that two Derby fans unfurled over a motorway bridge, it read: “Bye Bye Red Dogs, Get Down, Stay Down”.

It was same day some supporters turned their back on Nottingham Forest, while others wept into the night and knew they would be coming back in spite of their better judgement.

It was the day that three miserable years of third tier football began; bringing volumes of frustration so enormous that they tested the commitment of even the most ardent supporters.

And today many of us are fearing that we will soon be re-entering the nightmare.

It wasn’t a bad performance by any means, but at the moment it never seems to be. The results just aren’t coming and we are very quickly beginning to look very much at home in the relegation zone.

For 45 minutes we pressed QPR, sustaining enough pressure to draw eager chants of “You’re Rich, but You’re F****** S***”.

But clear chances were few and far between and it would have taken a deluded optimist to bet on us actually netting one of them.

Tyson and Cole were isolated from a midfield that sat deep.

The occasional runs of McCleary and Anderson caused clear problems, but when their balls reached the penalty area it was always too slow for Tyson, and too quick for Cole.

At half-time the players were applauded warmly and there was little doubting that a comparable second half would bring a win.

But the second half was by no means comparable. QPR scored against the run of play, confidence drained to empty, and the second goal sealed the points well in advance of the final whistle.

Lewis McGugan’s free-kick sparked flickers of hope but, in reality, we were going nowhere.

It was an exasperating afternoon, made infinitely worse by the fact that there is no clear light at the end of the tunnel.

To remove Calderwood would be exceptionally harsh if only his side’s performances are measured.

But one win in eleven paints a more telling picture, especially when set alongside a record of six straight away defeats – a monkey that will now adorn our backs for the remainder of the season.

Travelling supporters as numerous and as vocal as Forest’s deserve considerably more, but it’s a familiar feeling by now.

And on top of everything else I spent the afternoon flanked by a number of Forest’s most irritating Southern supporters.

We should be immensely proud of our fan base in the nether regions, but some of them simply shouldn’t be allowed outside – never mind into football grounds.

Highlights include the trendy chaps dressed like Scouting for Pigeons, or something, with their Topshop girlfriends in tow.

And a special mention for the heavy-set gentleman who screamed impetuous praise for Andy Cole throughout, whilst roaring: “KERR-MON SMIRF-EEEE” every time our number one received the ball.

What happens next? No idea. Calderwood simply cannot be more than 90 minutes from losing his job. Can he?

Match Ratings: Vs QPR [A]

Smith – 6.5 – not at fault for the goals, although he nearly spilled a simple shot into the net in the first half.

Chambers – 6 – one of his stronger performances this season; got the basics right.

Morgan – 6 – an afternoon of frustrating battles that he didn’t always win, epitomised by his fruitless cameo in attack.

Wilson – 6 – not his strongest performance by any means; a fallible part of a defence that never fails to look suspect.

Bennett – 6 – solid and eager to move forward with attacks, but his crossing was as ridiculously poor as ever.

Anderson – 7 – extremely quick, a good crosser of the ball and a hard-worker. The lad is clearly very talented. Drifted out of the game at times but it’s something that can probably be attributed to his lack of fitness.

Fletcher – 7 – a zero nonsense, tough-tackling midfielder with a propensity for simple passes. Sammy Clingan with a pair of balls?

Cohen – 7 – worked himself into the ground but couldn’t fill the creative void.

McCleary – 7.5 – disappeared when Forest went behind, but in the first half his pacy and exceptionally confident runs were a real highlight.

Cole – 4 – a passenger; no strength, no pace and – more importantly – no effort.

Tyson – 6 – all the effort in the world, but he doesn’t have the control or the vision to threaten unless it’s with his pace.

Subs:
Lynch – 6
McGugan – 7
Davies – 1 [touch]

The Clock is Ticking

The dark nights are closing in now, bringing with them bitterly cold evenings and swirling rains.

It is shaping up to be a long, uncomfortable winter for Nottingham Forest.

This evening’s drive home was one of the gloomiest in a long time and the afternoon’s football preceding it gave cause for grave concern.

Again Forest created enough chances and enough sustained pressure to secure all three points.

Again Forest entered the dressing room at full time with nothing to show for their efforts.

There is only so many times supporters will hear “we didn’t deserve to lose” before the camel’s back will buckle, and Paul Smith’s second half howler prompted the first ‘Calderwood Out’ chants of the season.

This time around I don’t think many people are holding Calderwood directly accountable, but with the club’s form spiralling into chaos it is inevitable that there will be demands for his head.

Just who else can be blamed? Calderwood’s superiors have financed a side that is tailor-made to suit his take on how the game should be played.

His players are making a suitable effort and his side is creating enough chances to land points, but Forest are rock bottom of the table and completely out of ideas.

Should any perspective be needed, it can surely be drawn from acknowledging the fact that Forest have taken one point from twenty four available.

It is a humiliating run of misfortune, almost akin to Derby County’s startling incompetence in the Premier League.

In the press Calderwood is persisting with an irritatingly collected veneer.
I can only imagine that behind the scenes he is acutely aware that his position is under serious threat.

If Nigel Doughty really does have no intention of removing Calderwood then it genuinely is time to worry.

There is no way that the side’s performances are a justification for sacking a manager, but satisfactory performances will not keep the club in the Championship.

Although he needed his fair share of good fortune, and though he took a scenic route, Calderwood did succeed in his obligation to restore Forest to the second tier.

On that basis I was content to back him until at least November.

I now fear that by November we will be too far adrift, and simply too used to slipping up.

Losing is a very bad habit to shake, and Calderwood has done nothing to suggest that he can do anything more inspiring than wait for our fortunes to change.

The footballing world will wince and articles will circulate about the impatience of chairmen in the modern game.

But it’s what one might refer to as a necessary evil.

Looking down at our defeated players, despondent, defeated and baffled once again, I just couldn’t see beyond the need for a major change.

The clock must surely be ticking for Calderwood.

Match Ratings: Vs Palace [H]

Smith – 4 – his impromptu walkabout had disaster written all over it, and ultimately it cost us any hope of a revival.

Perch – 6 – steady if unspectacular in the right back role.

Wilson – 6.5 – a solid enough game.

Morgan – 5 – one of those games in which Morgan’s overwhelming simplicity is exposed for all to see. A clumsy display, characterised by a high ball rebounding from his shin and sailing out for a Palace throw.

Bennett – 5 – too eager to perform his inane stepover, and responsible for squandering almost all of our opportunities.

Thornhill – 4– did his best to put himself about, but lightweight Thornhill was a spectator from start to finish. Contributed as close to nothing as possible.

Moussi – 7 – his best performance for a while, and now he’s injured.

Cohen – 6 – with Thornhill, and later Cole, sitting in his usual role I don’t think he had much of an impact on the game. The work rate was there; with Cohen it nearly always is, but this afternoon the impact was not.

Martin – 5 – failed consistently to make an impact; just not his day.

Tyson – 6.5 – plenty of running with very little to show for his efforts. His pace causes a lot of problems, but where are the goals?

McCleary – 7.5 – comfortably Forest’s best player. Happy to take players on, cutting inside and outside; the best McCleary has looked as a Championship player.

Subs:

Cole – 7.5
Davies – 5
Chambers – 5