Car Park £8, Tea Bag £2, Three points...

...lovely.

This win is exactly what Forest needed.

Derby’s rout took a club on its knees and rubbed its face into the dirt. It felt as though Forest were a doomed side who had played its last hand and still failed to recover.

Now there is a light at the end of the tunnel again. It is suddenly less difficult to believe that Davies can plot a course to safety.

He is a shrewd manager; an intelligent man with more faith in his own ability than anybody else’s. And in games like this his conviction is invaluable.

Forest were hammered and pillaged for the opening 30 minutes. Reading strode forward in waves, savaging us from the wings and battering into the box.

They are an imperious side packed with strength, and a more than adequate seasoning of top quality players.

For a long time the sides looked a division apart.

Our wing-backs, for all of their sweat and tears, had a torrid time of keeping crosses out of the box. Smith – with just about every finger in the ground pointing at him – made a fairly woeful fist of sweeping up the clutter.

At one point he was quarrelling with his defenders, each of them arriving with a separate complaint for him to field. At the same time Reading were taking a short corner with no Forest players watching.

The first Reading goal did not seem too far away. But it didn’t come, and instead the restlessness of the crowd – and indeed the side – gave Forest a lifeline.

Davies watched, mused, fumed and eventually got it right. Smash and grab is, after all, his speciality.

By the end of the first half we looked a lot more settled, and the second half swung almost in Forest’s favour. By no means did we dominate, but attacking the increasingly heartened pocket of Forest fans behind the goal we more than held our own.

Reading were throwing men forward in search of a win, and the space they left behind them facilitated some of the best football Forest have played all season.

It wasn’t Brazilian splendour, but it was simple, functional football involving forward runs in the middle and common sense balls into the channel. The addition of Guy Moussi’s exemplary passing should not be underestimated.

McGugan’s opener brought renewed vigour, and increased frustration in the stands.

The 30 subsequent minutes were rough, tense and – at times – extremely nervy.

But this was not Reading’s day, and no amount of unwarranted stoppage time was going to change the outcome.

It may, on the other hand, have shaved a century off the collective life expectancy of travelling fans.

We are nowhere near out of the woods yet and we have an enormous struggle ahead. But with the spirit and sense demonstrated in the second half of this game we will have enough about us to stay afloat. Just.

I’m delighted to have taken 3 points from Reading, whose £8 car parks and £2 tea bags will have soured more than one Saturday afternoon before this one.

Have we struck the iceberg?

Sour medicine to swallow.

The club is in an appalling state. It is clearer this evening than it has ever been before.

We were promoted by default with a fairly poor side, and Calderwood lead us into the Championship with a skeletal squad and barely enough paper to hide the cracks.

Now we are in freefall. The manager is trapped somewhere between his pride and his reason, his threadbare side goes weak at the knees whenever pressure comes knocking. And, in sum, they are simply not good enough.

It is a sickly weak side of pallid skeletons and fluttering stomachs. The more experienced professionals in the team, including Smith, Breckin, Wilson and Chambers, are a division above their standard. The youngsters have been thrown overboard without their floats.

And if Nottingham Forest are sinking like the Titanic, today could well have been the iceberg.

Only an ailing Forest side can destroy the pageant of a derby day with this level of barbarism.

The stage was set to perfection. The sun illuminated the ground as though it was the first day of summer, and with the tannoy silenced the atmosphere bubbled to a searing crescendo. But from the first whistle it would only get progressively worse.

An average but industrious Derby side with simple ideas and basic efficiency left Forest reeling.

We were physically bullied and tactically outclassed. Derby have learned from each of their meetings with Forest and have improved every single time.

Today they sat deep and absorbed Nathan Tyson’s runs, they closed down our mechanical 10-yard passes and squeezed tight on our tottering defenders.

Forest meanwhile, had taken nothing from a humiliating defeat and two scrappy draws against the very same side. Hulse and Commons again looked twice the quality they actually are. Their defence will scarcely have an easier game all season.

Despite a sensible and ordered performance, Derby did not make it easy for themselves today. That job was Forest’s.

The only thing missing was a red carpet for their sauntering midfielders to glide across.

Davies defended the effort of the players in his irritable post match thoughts but I cannot agree with him.

There is no way Forest played in a manner that reflected the scorching desires of supporters. If anything they paraded a barefaced disregard.

In my short years I have seen Forest plummet from Premier League comfort to third tier mediocrity. But I don’t think I have ever been as disgusted or as disillusioned by a Forest side as I was today.

With 20 minutes to go I could easily have left. Only a perverse self-deprecation, and a bit of morbid curiosity, kept me in my seat.

And I certainly was kept in my seat. Despite half of the stadium standing up, the stewards and police made it clear from an early stage that myself and neighbours were to be seated and silenced.

The orange-coated chief called twice for police reinforcements to repeat his instructions. His wry smile rather sums up the day.

What happens from here I do not know. This is the sort of day that should see blood spilled and heads rolling in consequence.

But the manager has barely had time to tidy his desk, the acquisition panel lives on, the country’s premier bigot continues to run the club in the chairman’s absence. And the chairman’s chequebook continues to gather dust.

If today’s tipple is stiffened by a return to League One, the hangover could last a generation.

Ratings Vs D*rby [H]

Smith – 5 – woeful uncertainty in dealing with balls into the box. The entire defence is less confident when he plays. The looks of horror on his face when he came flying off his line late on told a thousand stories.

Chambers – 4 – how many of his long balls forward fell straight to Derby feet? Too many to count, that’s for certain.

Morgan – 5.5 – salvaged a clumsy display with one or two botched roves into attack. The defence as a whole was pulled apart by some very simple football, and he has to take his share of the blame.

Breckin – 4.5 – excellent last ditch tackle on Commons in the first half, but he was pulled to pieces.

Heath – 5.5 – struggled defensively but showed more confidence on the ball than most of his colleagues. He can hold his head up, but our defence is not the sort to comfortably accommodate burgeoning youngsters.

Anderson – 4.5 – I’m pleased that, as a loanee, he was prepared to fight his way into the side. But he wasn’t ready for a return, and it showed.

McGugan – 5.5 – as frustrating as his ‘energy levels’ were, again, his individual play was our only outlet all game.

Perch – 4 – anything but captain material. Stupid penalty.

Cohen – 5.5 – all of the huffing and puffing a man can muster, but this was not his day.

Earnshaw – 5.5 – scored, but missed plenty of chances that he’d have bagged if fit.

Tyson – 4 – an unwelcome return for the brick-feeted first touch and runs into scotch mist.

Ratings Vs Reading [A]

Smith – 5 – no problems in the second half, but he had some shocking moments in the first.

Chambers – 6 – struggled at times, as he often does, but he looks fitter, leaner and a lot more comfortable at the moment.

Wilson – 6.5 – reasonably solid performance.

Morgan – 8 – frequently held together a collapsing defence in the first half. There is no doubt in my mind that he should keep that armband.

Lynch – 6 – probably his strongest display in a Forest shirt. Not perfect, but better.

Anderson – 7 – caused them a lot of problems by breaking forward with pace.

McGugan – 7– he was excellent, but only in patches. A Lewis McGugan that performs for 90 minutes, every week, could play in the Premiership.

Moussi – 7.5 – looked tired at times, but his sensibly-crafted passes bought priceless space and time. Ran himself into the ground towards the end.

Cohen – 7.5 – the usual tireless display, coupled with some excellent passing.

Earnshaw – 6.5 – spent most of the afternoon staring into Duberry’s midriff, but he made a nuisance of himself.

Tyson – 6 – not in the game and injured early.

Subs:

McCleary – 8 – sometimes he is truly awful, today he was exemplary. He’s quick, reasonably strong and he likes stepovers. It’s no wonder why leggy defences don’t like to see him come off the bench.

Ratings Vs Birmingham [A]

Smith – 5.5 – before today he had improved some aspects of his game, including his throwing, but today showcased perfectly why some supporters are not happy with him. He invites pressure on to the entire side by snubbing back-passes and inviting defenders to hammer the ball into the stand. At one stage he aimed a limp wrist at a comfortable cross and missed completely. New balls please.

Chambers – 5.5 – some of his forward passing was very poor today, especially when he had time to think about what he was doing. Defensively he was left sprawling at times but he has had much poorer games this season.

Wilson – 6 – solid in patches, but he was a guilty component of a back three that lacked composure all game.

Morgan – 6 – lifted spirits with another cameo in attack, but one or two mistakes in defence.

Moloney – 5.5 – missed a couple of headers and found himself stretched for most of the game.

Heath – 6 – worked exceptionally hard to stay afloat and was one of our better defenders. Struggled in points, but he is coping well.

McGugan – 7.5 – not a particularly combative effort, but he seemed to have regained his talent for the occasion. Quiet in periods, he had several magic moments with his footwork and nearly carved something from nothing three or four times.

Perch – 6.5 – some important tackles to ease pressure on the defence. Provided nothing on the ball, but played a fairly important role for most of the game.

Cohen - 7.5 – another tireless effort and some good football. I was impressed with Cohen’s breaking forward today, despite one or two frustrating moments.

Garner – 5 – just was not involved.

Tyson – 7 – his pace is a tremendous asset, but alone it is not enough.

Subs:

Newbold – 6 – the experienced defenders saw him coming from miles away. We did see his pace for the first time as he ran across field to fight a lost cause.
McCleary – 6 – I can only think of one run that caused problems.
Breckin – 6 -

A blue day n'all that...

Birmingham was a worthy setting for a laborious afternoon of irritation and disappointment.

It is a city of destitution and misery.

A polished centre masks filthy residential sprawls where English is a second language and despair leaks from every blackened wall.

Decaying red factory buildings once bubbled with the innocent patter of Brummie workmen. Now their shattered windows and rotting walls make the city a sadistic caricature of its own industrial past.

I have heard good things about the enthusiasm and thrust of the St Andrew’s crowd. But on today’s evidence, it is one of the worst places in the country to watch football.
Inside it is grey and dull and has the suffocating feel of a workhouse. Out in the stands it is not a lot better.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Birmingham fans made as little sound as is physically possible until they look the lead. Not that there was an awful lot to shout about.

The first half was dogged, unpleasant and irritating. Forest contained the hosts but rarely threatened beyond Tyson’s bursts of pace.

There were one or two moments of promise as Cohen battled forward and mustered some excellent football, but it was very occasional.

An early Tyson breakaway ended with him ballooning his shot into the stratosphere. It was no surprise – the furrowed pitch was fit for rugby league. Or cricket in Antigua...

Birmingham did not have a lot to their game. McLeish has an impressive battery at his disposal, but it was Forest’s defensive fragility that gave the home side their edge.

Paul Smith’s save from Larsson’s free-kick, just a minute before the break, was one of the first saves of the match. The first half seemed to have lasted a week.

Billy Davies made a spirited attempt to raise spirits with a rallying call on his way to the dressing room. The Birmingham fans, meanwhile, received their half-time ‘special guests’ with silent ignorance.

Sadly the second half was always destined to fall in their favour. Forest had worked tirelessly and defended desperately to keep the contest open, but with Tyson frustrated and Garner invisible it was probably always going to be a 0-0 or a defeat.

The first goal was a huge blow. Davies’ brought on Newbold and McCleary and for a few minutes there seemed to be life in the side. But the longer we played without equalising, the less threatening we looked.

Birmingham’s second was a perfectly-executed toe-poke from a tight angle. I think I made more of an attempt to save it than Smith did.

The game ended with a winded Forest side clinging on to its dignity as Birmingham searched for a third.

It was not a disastrous performance by any means, but our weaknesses are again being exposed for all to see.

The back three were rattled all afternoon, the young wing-backs gave everything but were stretched to breaking point.

There was a concerted effort to forge outlets from nothing as Cohen and McGugan probed for openings, but without pace on the wings we are shamefully dependent on Tyson’s pace.

The ideas are there, the organisation is there, the common sense is there – but we are probably three or four players light of a side capable of punishing sides like Birmingham.

It is difficult to speak highly of our hosts. They have a talented line-up, but they will struggle to maintain their status at the top of the table with performances like this.

I’m glad to be out of Birmingham, I’m glad we’re potentially seven days away from revenge against the Rams.

But I am fearful and annoyed that we are heading for a brutal dogfight that could so easily have been avoided.

QPR [H]

For most Forest supporters Wednesday night was a new low. Striding into a 2-goal lead brought unbridled ecstasy to the City Ground, and with it scenes of chaos to rival those of the promotion in May.

By the end of 90 minutes Forest were left stunned; a heavy-legged, battle-worn Reds side had melted beneath a ruthless Derby resurgence. Supporters were an ugly collage of violently angry and simply inconsolable.

The mood remained flat up to and beyond kick-off on Saturday, and spirits soured further when Nathan Tyson joined the injury list after only ten minutes. It is probably easier to get a bed with the NHS than it is to find space in the teeming Forest treatment room.

Forest rode their luck in the first half; a confident QPR side pushed their way in behind Forest’s new-look defence and the ball was twice cleared from the line in a burst of pressure.

But Forest’s relatively youthful line-up has been praised consistently by Billy Davies, and the dogged spirit he has spoken so highly of proved vital.

A spell of perseverance at the end of the first half culminated in Luke Chambers being toppled on his way into the penalty area. Lewis McGugan buried the resulting penalty past Lee Camp in the QPR goal.

The euphoria was short lived. Seconds before half-time QPR punished Forest’s slack defending and netted an equaliser. Davies seethed on the touchline, and after the half-time break he was raging again as QPR sauntered into a 2-1 lead.

A Forest side lacking any notable outlet looked down and out - Garner the only senior striker was playing with a shoulder injury and the youthful wing backs, despite their efforts, had little effect going forward. But Forest were handed a lifeline, ironically, by Lee Camp.

Camp became a favourite during his loan spell at the club, largely for his penalty saves and his mobility in dealing with crosses. Both skills failed him on his return, to Forest’s great advantage.

Chris Cohen rose at the back post, beating Camp to the ball, to bring Forest a crucial equaliser on 67 minutes.

The goal brought colour to the cheeks of Forest supporters who steadily regained their nobility throughout the game. Wounded and flinching to begin with, supporters were eventually buoyed sufficiently to deliver the usual anthology of anti-Derby ballads.

A draw is not a bad result in the circumstances, but fans will be hoping that Davies has more to choose from next week against high-flying Birmingham City.

Smith – 6 – no real problems, or shining moments.

Moloney – 6 – he found himself floundering at times, despite making every effort to adapt to a difficult role.

Chambers – 6 – he is never the strongest of Forest’s ailing defence, but he kept his head above water in the most part this afternoon.

Wilson – 6 – a steady performance, soured to some extent by one or two clumsy incidents.

Morgan – 6.5 – continues to be solid and incredibly dedicated.

Heath – 6.5 – assured, confident and every inch as worthy of a place as his colleagues today.

Thornhill – 7 – confident and efficient; his range of passing improves with every game he plays.

McGugan – 7 – much improved on recent weeks. A confidently taken penalty, several mazy runs that opened up play when outlets seemed otherwise scarce.

Cohen – 7 – another goal, and a very important one at that.

Garner – 6 – struggled with the early knock.

Tyson - /

Newbold – 6 – plenty of effort, but he was a little bit lost at times.

A nightmare that may never be erased

Just what can any one of us say about that?

I am inconsolable. I am subjugated. I am furious to the brink of insanity.

The callous brutality of football has swept me to despair and it is an experience I can never forget.

True glory was dangled before us this evening, and just as our grip tightened it was wrenched far from reach.

When I relive the delirium, the madness, the sheer chaos of the first fifteen minutes I feel physically sick. Some how we were two goals up, every fan in the City Ground stood to roar in glory and it was as loud as I can ever remember it being.

It was too much to comprehend. For a few minutes I completely lost control of myself. My hands tingled, my heart fluttered and words failed me completely.

In the dumbstruck hysteria of it all it actually crossed my mind that I might be dying of happiness.

But the higher you climb, the harder you will fall.

Forest sank within themselves and Derby’s first goal, borne out of a simple lack of concentration, immediately spelled disaster. The early stages had seemed too good to be true, and they simply were.

It was obvious from that point that an evening of volatile twists and jerks was to follow. Six goals, extra time, penalties, a rout – anything seemed possible.

By half-time Forest had steadied the ship, but the atmosphere had never been the same since Derby’s revival started. There is no doubt that fans could sense fate lurking; ready to rise ominously and strangle the dream.

Already Forest looked heavy-legged and wary, already the writing was on the wall.

It was probably 15 or 20 minutes before the equaliser, but it seemed like seconds.

A brief foray after half-time melted beneath a Derby whitewash. Our defending was woeful; a resurgent Rams side took us to pieces and an equaliser has never seemed so inevitable.

Gazing down from the Upper Bridgford, I could not stomach the sight of the revelling visitors. I knew the euphoria that each and every one of them was living, and I hated them for it.

I sank back behind the wall of standing supporters all around me, unable to suppress a savage resentment. It is nothing short of pathetic that such feelings of revulsion and loathing can stem simply from the colour of a shirt, but that is the tribal nature of football.

And that is why the 74^th minute cut so deep into our hearts.

Commons’ move to Derby was an outrageous act of betrayal. It spat at every single one of the hyperbolic emotions I have tried to describe. The fact that it was his winner poured salt into a gaping wound.

There was no way back from there. The desire may have been there, but the players did not have the legs – and they did not have the bottle.

For the final 15 minutes we completely disappeared. The bottom line is we were dismantled by a side of greater experience, with more metal when it really mattered.

The moment when young Mark Byrne froze and collapsed under pressure late on is the moment that encapsulates our evening.

I don’t blame the youngsters, nor the players that strode on through niggles and knocks. But there is no getting away from the fact that a Forest side has tonight brought shame to our doorsteps.

In losing their nerve they have written Derby folklore, and cast us all in a nightmare that may not be erased for a very long time.

I do wonder how ‘over the odds’ those prices may seem in early May.

Ratings Vs D*rby [H]

Smith – 6 – I thought his ‘policy’ on crosses caused us big problems tonight. His communication with the defence was appalling, and part of a much bigger problem. He did deny Commons with a sharp save in the first half.

Chambers – 6 – I fully believe that he wants to perform as much as, if not more than, any of his colleagues. Nonetheless, there is no denying that he struggles at times. He is clearly giving everything he has just to keep his chin above water.

Breckin – 5.5 – I thought he struggled tonight. Solid in parts, the years ultimately got the better of him.

Morgan – 6.5 – a valiant effort, but he was part of a defence that flapped from start to finish. He didn’t win too many headers up front, but his excellent cross should have laid on the equaliser.

Wilson – 6 – competent enough on the left, but he was caught out of position a few times.

Thornhill – 6.5 – he’s lightweight, and it’s a problem, but I’m warming to him. He keeps his cool on the ball and is capable of wonderful things in possession. Tonight, however, was a bit too much for him.

McGugan – 6 – despite his best efforts he never got hold of the game. He is always a threat, but I like to believe that in a few years he will dominate donkeys like Savage and not sit in their shadows.

Perch – 6 – another one bites the dust. Davies has, to some extent, built the team around Perch’s bog standard interceptions and simple football. What now?

McCleary – 6.5 – his occasional bursts were a shining light early on, but he melted along with his teammates.

Cohen – 7 – utterly tireless. If we had eleven, or even three Chris Cohens we would never lose a derby match.

Tyson – 7.5 – if he is out too then we are in big trouble.

Subs:

Byrne – 6

Newbold – 6

Heath - 6