Just Got Back

The Forest Way?

2010-04-10T19:47:00.002+01:00

For the first 45 minutes this was a timorous stand-off between two sides with very little on the agenda - and it was dull.

Lounging in the spring’s first real burst of sunshine I could comfortably have dozed off, and the half-time hugs and kisses in the "groundbreaking integration scheme" nearly finished the job.

But Forest are a settled side now, and for the first time in months quality alone supplied the points.

The tantrums and mood-swings both on and off the field have subsided, automatic promotion has been stoically conceded, the loss of players to both injury and frugality has at last been taken on the chin.

With dummies back in mouths Forest are a force to be reckoned with and the second half showed it.

Ipswich didn't come to contain or absorb, they had a spirited jab at Forest but the opening goal sent them sprawling.

Guy Moussi has grown into the side in the absence of McKenna, Tyson had his strongest game from the flank in some time, we defended bruskly but effectively.

A 3-0 win probably exaggerates our dominance, but midway through the second half I stirred from my slumber and realised that Ipswich had vanished without trace.

For all the po-faced debates about desirable play-off opponents, it’s worth remembering that we’re the team others will be looking to avoid.

From week to week my play-off aspirations and trepidations are wavering. The comfort with which we restrained Cardiff, in third gear throughout, and the ease of today’s points has restored my optimism.

I can still picture a weak-kneed Forest side crumbling without explanation against a fitter, healthier, hungrier Wembley opponent.

It’s a symptom of joining the Forest ranks in the mid-1990s with the descent in full throttle. It just fits in with Forest’s way.

But in his time at the club Billy Davies has treated the ‘Forest way’ with nothing but contempt. And the closer we get, the more I am starting to believe.

NB Condolences to Chandler Corner’s ‘jesus’ the steward who will surely be dismissed for having a sense of humour. The orange-coated Mediterranean security chief, a would-be Jason Bourne figure, was furious at the obvious signs of humanity.

Your job is to absorb and incinerate passion and interest, he will surely be told.

Ratings:

Camp – 7 – a quiet afternoon, dependable in the most part and gobbled up a couple of in-swinging second half corners.

Chambers – 7 – fairly trouble-free performance and, albeit by accident, he’s again on the scoresheet. I wasn’t exactly looking to the skies for answers as he hobbled off, but he’s doing ok.

Wilson – 7 – prone to dozey moments at either ends of the season and somebody will need to hit him with a wet fish before the play-offs. But he did the business today.

Morgan – 7.5 – a wall of a man. Sat Navs should come equipped with an ‘Avoid Wes Morgan’ option for the Championship’s ailing forwards. Give the man a pay-rise.

Gunter – 7 – having quality like Chris Gunter in our side is one of the main reasons why we’re in this position. Back in my day, lad, it were Nicky Eaden or Gino Padula.

Tyson – 7 – Ipswich are not bruisers and there was a lot of space on offer. Personally I felt he took advantage, though rather hap-hazardly, with an improved performance. In any case, he’s still a centre forward or nothing for me.

Moussi – 8 – he still has plenty of Ali Dia moments, but Billy is currently building the team around him in McKenna’s absence and he is stepping up to the plate.

Cohen – 7 – standard Cohen stuff. I’d give him a break now.

Anderson – 7 – the whippet. He’ll do damage between now and the end of the season because his energy is flawless.

Blackstock – 6.5 – another candidate for a short break.

Earnshaw – 7 – a busy afternoon, and a lot more effort than last week. When he needs goals, he gets them.

Subs:

Nah, can’t be arsed. Give them all a 7.

Marching into Battle

2010-04-05T21:33:00.001+01:00

It was always going to be a 0-0.

The TV cameras, the consternation of grappling a play-off rival, the fact that today's 'VIP legend' was Steve Chettle (whose honours include several man of the match awards...)

But it was a good 0-0; feisty and spirited - and viewed in a refreshingly proportionate context.

There has been a notable shift in the demands and expectations of the Forest crowd this weekend and the changes have been reflected on-pitch.

Gone are the cantankerous grumbles and accusing fingers. Today Forest had the determined air of troops marching into a battle, for better or worse.

Cardiff started the game confidently, all pomp and fury.

By the final 20 minutes they had both eyes on the clock and two hands cupped firmly around their balls. We had them wobbling, and the pressure which sparked handbags within their own ranks is not something they have faced often in 2010.

For the first time tonight I saw some evidence that Forest have adapted to the various blows. If Rob Earnshaw hadn't been wearing his Cardiff boxer shorts we'd have snatched all three points with ease.

We are not likely to match the vigour and glory of a side boasting Nicky Shorey, Paul McKenna and a host of players in career-defining form.

But finally we are waking up to the realities and adjusting to them. The compromise of our full-backs and the absence of a midfield water-carrier are still obvious, but they are no longer reducing us to shambles.

It has to carry on. We need to chalk up an away win and carry our home run into the play-offs.

A week ago I gave us no hope but something about our steel this afternoon has resuscitated my ailing faith. Billy just might do this.

Ratings:

Camp - 6.5 - virtually nothing to do

Chambers - 7 - a solid performance and one or two good crosses. He is only let down when we try to break with pace and he struggles to find the right pass

Wilson - 7.5 - strong and convincing throughout

Morgan - 7.5 - continues to look every inch a top-end Championship defender. There have been times Wes hasn't even looked like a footballer and, along with his manager, he deserves great praise.

Gunter - 8 - a storming performance, despite the ongoing setback of his limp left foot

Cohen - 7 - a consistent and prolific workhorse who will be worth his weight in platinum come the play-offs

Moussi - 7 - another strong performance but he again forgot how to kick half way through the second half. He's prone to that

Majewski - 7 - he's had busier games, but it was no disaster

Tyson - 6 - doesn't have the mettle to take players on. He belongs on the shoulder of the deepest defender, waiting to pounce. As a winger he's really not much good at all

Blackstock - 8 - a handful all afternoon, despite being punished seemingly for winning headers on several occasions

Earnshaw - 7 - decent all-round display but he really doesn't like to score against Cardiff. Next time he slaps his head like a true Cardiff reprobate he should be slapped with a fine

Subs:

McGoldrick - 7
McCleary - 7

Three Blinks

2010-04-03T19:42:00.001+01:00

It's very difficult to get excited about these pergatorial pre-playoff bouts. Conversely, it's very easy to be riled by them.

Having made the laborious and fairly wet journey alone I was feeling markedly uninspired in the build-up to kick-off.

Alas, within seconds of the game starting, I was alive with the spirit of rage.

The sodden pitch, the black skies, the slurring natives. Forest didn't fancy this. Three blinks after the first whistle we fell behind. Another blink later we ballooned possession into the stands from the re-start.

The travelling faithful were silent, glum. Billy was nesting in the back of his dugout. Guy Moussi was literally hopping with fury as aimless balls whisped gaily and relentlessly over his head.

It looked like a long afternoon, and for the first half an hour I saw no way into the game.

The hosts looked disturbingly but unequivocally stronger. That trip to Wembley seemed a long way off.

But Bristol City have been noted for their sluggishness all season. The urgency drained, the natives receeded, the legs wearied.

I'll stop a fair bit short of saying the difference in quality started to show, but Moussi's inexplicable and brilliant equaliser swung them game in Forest's favour.

Without ever fitting into the shadow cast by the great Forest side of late 2009 we took charge of proceedings.

In the second half we increasingly bossed possession and carved open the wings. Joe Garner, in a rare appearance as a - hold on to your seats - centre forward, could and should have won it from three yards out.

And of course the game couldn't finish without an invitation for a little more scarlet-faced fury.

The City goalkeeper fled his goal like a reeling whippet and lunged into a 50-50 tackle with Nathan Tyson.

He came off badly in a challenge that could just as easily have shattered Tyson's glass legs.

But the referee brandished a yellow card, awarded the hosts a free-kick, and spent the eight minutes of stoppage time awarding sympathy free-kicks to protect the centre forward dinosaur who deputised between the posts.

If I may be churlish for a moment - he bottled it.

In fear of the flammable home crowd he began to question his decision to 'only' book Tyson and couldn't face a late winner.

Although it's probably just as well we didn't grab one. Given the sneering repugnance of the home supporters I fear I may have exploded with happiness if we'd won.

Strange things, these pre-playoff bouts.

Ratings:

Camp - 7
Chambers - 6
Wilson - 7
Morgan - 7
Gunter - 7

Boyd - 6.5
Moussi - 8
Perch - 7
Cohen - 6.5

McGoldrick - 6
Adebola - 6

Now for drinks.

Fog on the Tyne is all wet

2010-03-30T21:16:00.001+01:00

Motorways, queues, service stations, lagers, loads of rain.

At one point there was a football match too but that bit was fairly dull.

Last night’s game surely consigns Forest to the play-off drama – and secures Newcastle’s promotion.

The mood at the end of the game was certainly one of finality.

Forest fans descending the 15,000 steps sang Que Sera Sera while the Newcastle supporters, newly awakened after their 70-minute slumber, slapped each other’s backs and planned for the Premiership.

The last time we sang the ubiquitous (and presumptuous) Wembley song Forest launched into an impossible unbeaten run and snaffled second spot.

I don’t see it happening again. But on a more positive note, at no point were Forest embarrassed.

It was a fairly solid performance across the board but the difference in quality was fairly obvious.

One or two of our players froze on stage and became preoccupied with trying to avoid mistakes, stunting our creativity. We can only hope this isn’t a precursor to a Wembley meltdown.

Deploying Tyson as a centre forward, and thus using him in his only viable position, could have changed the game.

The pitch at Newcastle looked as long as the stadium is tall and Tyson’s only real contribution was a burst of pace in the opening exchanges. On the wing he was hidden, or hiding, and his pace was rarely exploited.

It was a fair effort, but really it was far too easy for a side who should have been worried about playing us. The first goal ended the game.

And without wanting to sound like Billy Davies, two or three new faces in January – or even March – may have reduced the gap.

With the play-offs fast approaching we must address our away form as a matter of urgency. It will also be important to maintain our home form if we’re to bag a Wembley spot, but how we will adapt to our compromised ambitions remains to be seen.

The ‘famous’ Newcastle supporters were a fairly predictable brew of the jobless, brainless and hopeless. Quiet too, regardless of what the sycophants on TV may have said.

But the more affable sorts boozing in the town centre afterwards were predictably talkative and humble in victory. Significantly better company than the slurring chumps we see most weekends.

It’s the sort of trip to the sort of stadium we ought to be making more regularly. Here’s hoping.

Ratings:

Camp – 8 – several smart saves to keep us in the game.

Perch – 7 – far more suited to right-back, several eye-catching tackles and an improved all-round performance. But from where I was sitting, admittedly about nine miles above the pitch, he still looked lost.

Wilson – 7 – a solid performance overall

Morgan – 7 – seemingly dependable on any occasion

Gunter – 7 – caught wrong-footed several times on the left, but a Gunter operating at 60 per cent is preferable to Perch or Chambers lumbering in the same role

Anderson – 7 – never really found the freedom to make an impact, but he didn’t give up trying

Majewski – 7 – plenty of effort but little to show for it on the night

Moussi – 7 – improved distribution and a better all-round performance on the bigger pitch

Cohen – 5 – the usual blood and guts, but a lot of his passes seemed to end up in the wrong hands – or the crowd.

Tyson – 5.5 – up front or nothing as far as I’m concerned. He’s useless on the wing.

Blackstock – 7 – won plenty of headers but there was no way through.

Billy's World

2010-03-20T19:54:00.000Z

The reason for Angry Bill’s ongoing rage is obvious.

For Billy Davies, the world and all of its elements are orbiting Billy Davies.

It is an uncompromising system of attack from a man whose success lies in relentlessly expecting the worst.

Every kick, every slide tackle, every cough and every splutter is a potential plaudit in his name. Likewise they hold the key to his downfall.

By January he saw glory and adulation within snatching distance. He heard the lauding of his name, tasted the satisfaction of proving critics wrong, revelled in the absolution for ‘that bloke from down the A50’.

In his mind the riches were stripped gracelessly from him by a lack of ambition from above.

Of course, he has a point. Three new signings at a cost of around £4m would probably have carried us over the finishing line - and he wants everybody to know about it.

I can almost see him on the Wembley turf, head cocked sideways to the camera, enthusiastically blaming defeat on ‘missed opportunities to strengthen’ and our ‘learning’ side.

It’s a symptom of a Billy Davies management, and one that endures in its appeal to those who grew exasperated to fury at Colin Calderwood’s meagre grovelling.

Another symptom is points growing on trees. Games like today’s would so often have ended in defeat under previous regimes, but the current Forest side has fostered the ability to spring a surprise.

It was a miserably wet afternoon. Heavy, oppressive and muggy, with bad smells lingering in the air. The match was a chore to watch and, evidently, a chore to play.

Peterborough were slow to start and looked every inch a League One side. But when our opening goal was out of the way they broke out of their chains and had a real go.

We defended both wings poorly, inviting attack, and our own advances were all too frequently into blind alleys and cul-de-sacs.
It was a non-event, sodden by teeming rain and further dampened with bickering and poor performances across the board.
But it was three points.

Everything is pointing towards another season in the Championship, but as long as Billy is at the helm there remains a distinct possibility that something ridiculous will happen.

His sides invariably have that ballistic capability.

He’s a miserable bugger and needs to stop moaning. But after all, the world does revolve around him...

Ratings:

Camp – 8 – a string of excellent saves to keep us in the match
Gunter – 6.5 – scrappy and got forward often, but he was too easy to pass at times.
Morgan – 7.5 – bison-esque, including trying to head a ball that was literally on the ground. The striker’s foot just bounced off his chops.
Wilson – 7.5 – a solid performance.
Perch – 6 – oh well, we’ll have to sign a left back on loan then... I wouldn’t be surprised if the outward hobble was scripted.

Anderson – 7.5 – at times he was our only outlet, despite having to feed on scraps.
Moussi – 6 – did a fairly good job of keeping things ticking over, but under Billy he seems to have been put on the leash. The livewire 75-yard crosses and miraculous wriggles have been replaced by an altogether more sensible Moose. I’m not sure I like it.
Majewski – 7.5 – always had a pass ready. Another individually competent performance in a midfield system that flopped. He and Moussi were too far apart, but he had a good game.
Cohen – 7 – the usual blood, guts and thunder.

Blackstock – 7 – a handful throughout, but no cutting edge.
Earnshaw – 7 – lively enough, stunted by his selfishness at times but he notched the winner.

Subs:
Chambers – 6
McCleary – 7
Adebola – 6.5

Beautifully Fickle

2010-03-06T20:40:00.001Z

Of all the people.

You could almost see the knowing smirk filling Chambers’ chops as the cross sailed by the goalkeeper and landed on his forehead.

A long afternoon of clubbing balls into the stand and wrong-footing himself were forgotten in a second. Football at its best.

The unadulterated rage of the Swansea supporters still mourning the penalty decision was the icing on the cake. When I calmed down after three minutes of screaming I expected a further five of clinging for dear life.

But there were no such tribulations.

The game seemed to end a few seconds later and the job was done. And what an important job it may prove to be.

Every time I unfurl the white flag and brace for the play-offs Billy pulls another rabbit from his magic hat, sparking butterflies and wild thoughts.

West Brom are Championship heavyweights with a deep and proficient squad which should, at face value, have no problem storming over the line.

Newcastle, all of a sudden, are on a different planet.

Forest have a threadbare squad, minus a captain, with League One footballers stepping off the bench and plunging thousands of feet into an alien promotion charge.

Exactly one week ago the writing was on the wall, now Billy’s scrubbed it off again and anything seems possible - injuries or not.

Silly season is well and truly underway, and it makes a nice change for us to be at the sharp end of it.

Ratings:

Camp – 6 – a few dodgy clearances and an otherwise quiet afternoon.

Gunter – 7.5 – a spirited performance; dug in at the back and surged forward with real determination.

Chambers – 6 – not a defensive masterclass. If Wilson is out for weeks not days it will be a grave concern. But his goal could prove vital.

Morgan – 7 – found Kuqi a handful, but kept him quiet overall.

Cohen - 7 – better than Perch, but with McKenna crocked he may be needed elsewhere.

Anderson – 6.5 – let down by his failure to take on the last man. Again.

McKenna - /

Moussi – 6 – needs a water-carrier to set him loose, he isn’t a ‘midfield general’.

Boyd – 7 – flashes of excellence but there’s more to come.

Majewski – 6.5 – bewildered in the floating role, but fed on scraps and thrived in the 10 minutes before he was subbed.

Blackstock – 7 – did an important but thankless job of leading the line alone.

Subs:

McGugan – 6.5 – sloppy at times but he grew into the performance.
McGoldrick – 7
McCleary - 7

Bitter

2010-02-27T21:00:00.001Z

To the eternal optimist our blood-and-balls slog against Sheffield United and Middlesbrough was the mark of a side grinding through adversity - as the triumphant invariably do.

To the discerning eye it was the paltry offerings of a spent force.

The reality is probably somewhere in between, and in any case we are far from crisis. But increasingly our fate seems mapped.

A run-in of false dawns, misplaced excitement, an exasperating stammer on our travels, and ultimately a ‘play-off lottery’ come six months late. Inevitably a summer of mourning our squandered January.

It all seems to make a lot more sense than the possibility of us surging into second place, and after a performance like today’s second half it’s a fait accompli that almost seems inviting.

I can’t put my finger on what went wrong. It just stopped. The second half display was not especially dreadful, it was just non-existent.

Leicester were fairly poor, an average side delivering a passable impression of a contender. It’s how they’ve thrived all season in a poor league.

But for at least 65 minutes of today’s game they had the upper hand simply by being on the pitch.

Forest started as though slowly waking from a long afternoon snooze, but by the end of the half the class was beginning to show. Cohen was beginning to burst through the centre, Blackstock had the measure of his hefty opponents and - as the bar rattled - we seemed to be on the cusp of glory.

Then came half-time. Effectively the end of the match.

At 0-1 our players did not relish the guts needed for a fightback, at 0-2 they couldn’t wait to get off the pitch, at 0-3 they sulked. And so did I.

The fact that it’s Leicester shouldn’t mean too much to a Forest fan. We’re the illustrious and apathetic statesmen, after all.

But it is impossible not to be shaken by the sight of so many revelling cross-breeds who, prior to the 70th minute, were among the most forlorn supporters we have seen in decades.

Never before has “you only sing when you’re winning” been more accurate.

And after the Forest fans respectfully and enthusiastically joined the minute’s applause for a man few of us have even heard of, it was somewhat galling to hear “where’s your Cloughie gone”, “Brian Clough, what a wanker” etc.

They're a bitter sort, Leicester fans. At the moment, so am I.

Ratings

Camp – 7 – quick off his line all game and not to blame for our meltdown. I didn’t see much of the free-kick but it beat him all ends up.

Gunter – 6.5 – caught short at the back a few times but did well on the overlap.

Wilson – 7 – a fairly solid performance, overall.

Morgan – 7 – reliable as ever, including a pitch-length dribble while his colleagues sulked.

Perch – 5 – not his worst performance, but he is a weakness and there is no way around it.

Anderson -5 – dismal, failed innumerable attempts to go past players and couldn’t get the ball under control.

McKenna – 5 – too many aimless balls and incomplete passes. If dropping him for a fortnight will bring him back to life then I’m all for it, not that we have much of an alternative.

Majewski – 6 – it didn’t really drop for him all afternoon.

Cohen – 6 – dreadful passing, but he covered a lot of ground and made some good runs in the first half.

Blackstock – 7 – an afternoon of doing his best with almost nothing.

Earnshaw – 5.5 – didn’t offer much.

Subs:

Tyson – 4.5 – didn’t offer anything.

McGoldrick – 5 – the usual.

Referee Lee Probert – 4 – a lot of referees are pedantic, but few are as smug about it. A catalogue of seemingly imaginary incidents.

An inquest heard

2010-02-10T01:07:00.001Z

A football club which came within months of Premier League football for the first time in a decade failed to buy a single player in the January transfer window, an inquest has heard.

Nottingham Forest FC, aged 145, from West Bridgford, collapsed without warning in early February 2010 after a long spell of almost perfect health.

Dr William McIntosh Davies told Nottingham Coroner's Court the club was ‘making really positive steps’ in the run up to its death and had even found itself ‘in a really positive situation.’

“As far as Dr Davies was concerned this young club was on the rise” he added.

The court heard that paramedics found the club on its knees at an industrial estate near Coventry and pronounced it dead at the scene.

An autopsy later revealed several square pegs had been forced into round holes.

“Basically the club had just run out of legs” Dr Davies said.

“The Incoming Stock Committee were handed a very long list of remedies, but it seems that at some point between Christmas and the end of January that list was lost.”

Mark Arthur, the club’s full-time carer, told the court: “We made valiant attempts to address points made on the list, but the remedies proved elusive.

“If Dr Davies is interested in arranging to borrow some of them in the short-term we are still more than happy to assist him.”

In his summary Coroner Nick Kerrs told the court he had ‘absolutely no doubts’ about the cause of the club’s downfall and recorded a verdict of suicide.

Ends

After two dubious performances and a familiar bout of internal turmoil, tonight’s game seemed somewhat ‘do or die’.

If it was, we’re dead.

Contrary to earlier reports we may even have been dead before the game started. Forest were present in body but not in mind, and the same applies to our travelling supporters.

The physical appearance of lumbering red shapes may have implied otherwise, but absolutely nobody from Nottingham turned up.

A 15-minute spell at the start of the second half brought faint promise as Coventry questioned their own solidarity. But our rhythm was cruelly interrupted by the referee collapsing beneath his beer gut.

What followed was sheer farce. Perhaps it’s an ardent, deep-seated sexism talking but I found his female substitute hysterically inadequate.

The six minutes of stoppage time represented compensation for half of what we were owed, and Coventry gobbled up another half of that as players eagerly writhed on the turf.

But we can blame nobody but ourselves. It was a dispirited, lethargic, sulky performance from a side that was second best all night.

The Championship is a frenzied place and in three weeks we may well have the champagne on ice again.

Blips are to be expected in such a marathon season, and even if it is a blip which destroys fall hopes of second spot we will scarcely have cause for complaint.

But it increasingly seems that our idle January will again leave us fretting over what might have been.

RIBs (Ratings in Brief)

Camp – 7 – spectacular save immediately before the goal. Couldn’t keep it out but wasn’t at fault.

Gunter – 6.5 – one too many sliced clearances, but a fairly steady performance.

Morgan – 7 – a creditable performance, thwarted by occasional aimless distribution.

Wilson – 7 – all at sea once or twice in the first half, but he’s not the reason we lost.

Cohen – 6.5 – a waste at left back, but immediately better-suited than Perch.

Garner – 4.5 – I don’t blame him, but there is nothing about his game which suggests he is a suitable winger. He hates his football at the moment and
couldn’t wait to leave the field, but has the season been so bad that the ironic cheers were necessary? Thought not.

McKenna – 5.5 – plenty of looping side-footers, spiralling into no man’s land. Has Ian Breckin returned as coach?

Moussi – 5 – his reluctance to move with the ball slowed us down at times and he failed in his responsibility to release the wingers.

Majewski – 6.5 – dire first half, but he found his tricks (and presumably got his head right...) in the second.

Anderson – 5.5 – a fairly anonymous evening.

Blackstock – 7.5 – worked well with limited resources.

Subs:

Earnshaw – 5
McGoldrick - 5
McGugan – 5

A word on our venue for the evening. The Ricoh Arena is the only stadium in the world which captures perfect silence and stalls the movement of sound. Ironic jeers from the home supporters invariably arrived three minutes after a chant or on-field incident, as if delivered by pigeons.

The leg room, however, I found exemplary.

This is what we don’t want in Nottingham if England 2018 gets the nod.

Unpretty

2010-02-06T20:30:00.001Z

It wasn’t pretty, not even close. But after a week of ball-breaking, hair-tugging, fist-clenching frustration it was exactly what we needed.

I felt more down-and-out in the build up to this afternoon’s clash than I did at the end of last week’s.

The comradery and unanimous spirit of resilience that followed our Pride Park meltdown has been stretched to breaking point.

First Raging Bill’s “long list of targets” was snipped to a paltry three by the Transfer Mafia, who subsequently called in sick on deadline day for what felt like the 20th successive January.

Radoslaw Majewski was left feeling alone and unloved, West Brom continued their revival and – after appearing vaguely catchable for a week or so – Newcastle demolished a promotion rival to remind the rest of us why signing players in January is a good idea.

Yes, we needed points. And for a long time it looked as though we weren’t going to get them.

Under Irvine Shefiled Wednesday [see City Ground scoreboard] are what a smug pundit might call a ‘well-oiled machine’.

With McKenna under the cosh, and with a congested midfield and stubborn defence to contend with, we were blunted for the second game running. Progress was hardly aided and abetted by our redundant left flank.

What appeared to be a dubious penalty gave us a vital lift, but it was not a catalyst for the magic to return. This was all about patience and balls.

It was the worst home performance in some time; scrappy, stunted, and flat. But a hopeless optimist may point to the fact that this is exactly the right point of the season to start playing badly and raiding points regardless.

To concede a late equaliser against a form side and still recover to win is not the mark of a falling side.

Our wheels may have creaked a little this week, but they haven’t come off just yet.

The most satisfying moment of the afternoon was flying down the concrete steps to goad the Wednesday fans - launching straight into a potentially fatal mass of writhing idiots.

Football can be cruel at times, but we’ve been in their boots often enough.

Ratings:

Camp – 7.5 – some poor kicking, but he gobbled up everything and kept a cool head under pressure.

Gunter – 7 – dogged performance. Job done.

Morgan – 7.5 – Iron Wes delivers again.

Wilson – 7.5 – dependable and cool-headed.

Perch – 6 – spirited second half display as we dug in for the win, but his backward passing and frenzied dislike of possession are an ongoing concern.

Cohen – 7 – his mileage proved useful late on.

Moussi – 7 – a frustrating game for Moussi as opponents swarmed, but he picked out a few decent passes and kept going.

McKenna – 6 – has lost his magic wand in recent weeks.

Tyson – 6 – with a left-back entirely devoid of the ability to play forward balls he was never likely to be busy.

Earnshaw – 6 – a poor game by his own standards, including some very bizarre touches (Tyson-esque, I daresay).

Blackstock – 8 – did the business where it mattered most.

Subs:

Anderson – 7.5
Adebola – 7
McGoldrick – 7

Referee – 3 – don’t come again.

We'll be back...

2010-01-30T17:19:00.006Z

It was written. Football can be as predictable as it is manic, and today’s meltdown has been lurking in the shadows for some time.

A performance that would have satisfied Colin Calderwood only compounded the inevitability.

From the first whistle our opponents had the upper hand, and for the first time this season our players were guilty of believing their own publicity.

The net result was arguably the worst performance of the season – and indisputably the worst result.

Nobody can argue that Forest are the superior side, even on today’s evidence, but we have been reminded of our frailty in the face of a side that will not let us play.

Whether most Championship opponents will have the resolve to sustain the work rate needed to topple us is another matter.

Nonetheless, today’s collapse is a blueprint for future failure.

When our equilaterals are scythed and our wingers are clipped we are as fond as the next team of ‘lumping it’ – and the cap doesn’t fit.

Not for a moment did we look capable of winning the game, and not for a moment did an opener for the home side seem anything less than inevitable.

But today’s fall behind enemy lines did not carry the same tear-jerking sense of injustice and rage that it has done in the past.

There was something hollow in the revelling of our adversaries, something defiant in Angry Billy’s upward gesture; something addictive in the burst of song that followed our players as they slumped to the dressing room.

I could be alone in this, I could indeed be completely wrong. But for some reason I feel more confident than I have at any point previously that Forest will be somewhere near the top of the table come May.

Promotion may well be too soon, but I have insurmountable faith that our manager will be more determined than ever to flip the odds.

Yes, we’ve been brought to our knees. But the snarl clouding Raging Bill’s face at the end of this afternoon’s match tells me we will not be down there for very long.

Ratings:

Camp – 7 – a fairly solid performance, despite the steady torrent of pressure leaking through his left back.

Gunter – 5.5 – a tireless effort from a player who was more angry than anybody to lose. But he was not at his best.

Morgan – 7 – one of the few players to escape with any credit. I dread to think how we’d have coped without him.

Wilson – 6 – reasonable but unspectacular, did not have the fire in his gut that we sorely needed.

Perch – 3.5 – a performance uncannily similar to Joel Lynch’s disastrous contribution on our last visit. Absolutely everything seeped through him as he cowered timorously in the corner. One left back please. Immediately and if not sooner. If Newcastle have any intention of using him at left back we should send him there for free.

Cohen – 5.5 – no end product to his labour.

McKenna – 4 – the defining memory of the game will be our skipper side-footing balls into no man’s land for seemingly no reason. His worst game in a red shirt by an almost immeasurable distance.

Majewski – 6 – flashes of excellence, but his stamina continues to let him down and he wasn’t consistent enough in his sparks.

Anderson – 5 – he just wasn’t up to it today, it was abundantly clear from his slouched shoulders.

Earnshaw – 5 – no service, no involvement.

Blackstock – 5 – failed to get a hold of the game as he chased nothing balls.

Substitutes – 3 – Moussi and McGugan floundered, Adebola just conceded free-kicks.

Just one decade to go

2010-01-16T20:46:00.003Z

I can’t resist the feeling that some of us are getting a little carried away.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m itching to join the dumbstruck masses in the queue for ‘Camp – 1’ England shirts. But looming beyond the horizon of every weekend’s triumph is an ominous mountain.

I can almost see it sneering from behind the Trent End.

January, February, March, April and May will spill through each of our fingers like water from a tap. We’ll do our photocopying, send our emails, make our calls, drink our beer, and live our lives as ephemerally as ever.

Except when it comes to football.

In Championship terms, January through May is effectively a decade.

Steady performers will buckle, high-fliers will swoon, doomed souls will be absolved, and one side will – as always – put together an endless, snarling, fist-clenching assault on the top six.

Our own assault has left many a nose bloodied, but do we have the mettle to survive another twenty attempted slaughters?

One thing that will certainly help is full-throttle ecstasy from the stands, but already I can feel our love-drunk worship eroding beneath the uncomfortable twitch of expectation.

That said, this afternoon’s shift was an exceptional response to the midweek setback.

The first half was painfully straightforward. Reading huffed, harried and hustled but we bossed possession without breaking sweat and surged into the final third seemingly at will.

It is indeed the ease with which we strolled into a 2-0 lead that contributed to our second half wake-up call.

But even in top gear and rallying against a Forest side with one foot in the bath, they didn’t have enough. Not by a long shot.

Lee Camp’s heroics did no harm, his shameless and emphatic milking of the glory were the highlight of the afternoon.

Chest out, arms in the air, furious scowl, balls the size of coconuts. This is the breed of man that will carry us to greater things.

And the longer our ludicrous league run continues, the closer I get to that queue.

Ratings:

Camp – 9 – the fact that he was interviewed about a possible World Cup appearance is insane, but it is also a tribute to his exquisite form. He’s capable of the remarkable, but at the same time he organises, he commands, he claims, and he is confident enough to exude confidence to others.

Gunter – 7 – typical dogged Gunter, tidying up and roving forward with unbridled rigour.

Morgan – 7- another job well done.

Wilson – 7.5 – the born-again hero.

Shorey – 6 – I didn’t like his pre-match assessment and the challenge that prompted his sending off was hopelessly clumsy. He is a cut above most players in the Championship, but at £25,000-per-week I expect him to stay a cut above for a while yet.

Cohen – 7 – kept a cool head in picking out Anderson for the opener.

McKenna – 7 – less on his plate than usual, particularly as we controlled proceedings early on, but a characteristically solid performance.

Majewski – 7.5 – faded in the second half, as he often does, but his jaw-dropping comfort on the ball was a major factor in our stunning first half.

Anderson – 7.5 – cool finish and tireless display. Increasingly he’s one of the players I’d trust in the promised land, should the unthinkable happen.

Earnshaw – 7 – another game, another goal.

Blackstock – 7 – should have passed to Earnshaw late in the first half and it would have been a different game thereafter. But would Earnie have passed it? Don’t be stupid.

Subs:

Perch – 7
Chambers – 6.5
Tyson – 6.5

We're Nottingham Forest, Unbeaten Today

2010-01-12T23:54:00.001Z

Assuming, of course, you read this after midnight.

So it’s finally over then? And what a way to go. An extreme weather endurance test in front of what looked – and sounded – like 300 miserable Brummies.

What a niggardly way to snatch the plaudits from a side so rich in spirit.

If tonight’s lead balloon of a cup match ultimately proves to be the turning point in this season of courage and mystery it will be a rich tale of injustice.

But in our defence, the FA Cup doesn’t really count. Does it? We fielded a weakened side against the form club of the Premier League and still raked enough opportunities to snatch a win.

What’s more, some of those fringe players didn’t look so shabby after all. Ok, Luke ‘Captain Sensible’ Chambers conceded 500 throw-ins with panic clearances, and David McGoldrick resumed his million (Zimbabwean) dollar finishing.

But in the most part we more than held our own. James Perch looked better than I ever remember him being with an all-action display, Garath McCleary was all over them like a sneeze, and Big Deal had no quibbles when it came to demolishing top rank defenders.

Joe Hart was their sponsors’ man of the match (sponsor of the sponsors’ man of the match sponsor was Tesco, by the way).

Perhaps the only real concern, other than the fact that we have (sort of) lost our unbeaten run, is the ability of the side to cope without Paul McKenna.

Guy Moussi did a noble job of marshalling the park with his elasticised legs, but when he left the field our decorous triangles soon became a distant memory.

Scraps for the wingers and shovel-loads for Adebola were the paltry alternative.

But let’s not busy ourselves with these fears just yet. After all, McKenna will be back, Moussi is fit, Majewski was on the bench. Blackstock, Earnshaw, Shorey and of course Arron Davies weren’t even involved.

Saturday’s game is what matters. Tonight’s technical glitch doesn’t count because only 300 miserable Brummies came to see it.

So keep your voices down, stay firmly inside your lucky boxer shorts and get to the City Ground on Saturday.

We’re Nottingham Forest, unbeaten away.

Shhh.

RIB (Ratings in Brief)

Camp – 7
Perch – 7.5
Chambers – 7
Morgan – 7.5
Cohen – 7
McCleary – 7.5
Moussi – 8
McGugan – 7
Tyson – 6.5
Adebola – 7
McGoldrick – 6.5

THIS IS FOOTBALL

2010-01-09T00:48:00.001Z

This is getting out of hand.

We’re not on a ‘decent run’, we’re not ‘going steady’, we’re not even punching above our weight.

In actual fact we’re bulldozing our way aimlessly but inexorably into paradise.

Time and again I brace myself for the collapse; the jaw-shattering reality check. Time and again Brooding Bill outstrips, outfights and outfoxes all challengers.

When Chris Cohen’s curling effort crept past Scott Carson’s grasping fingertips this evening I found myself floundering in footballing delirium.

I literally could not believe we were 3-0 up against the promotion certainties – in their own parlour.

It didn’t make sense. And for three solid minutes I howled, gesticulated and bounced through the confusion.

But in retrospect, from the sanctuary of a warm home and with several hours of reflection elapsed, I can almost see a method to this madness.

Cast your minds to the explosion of furious ecstasy from Radoslaw Majewski as his impossible volley bulged the net. Remember fondly the sobbing elation of Chris Cohen as he sealed the points. Consider warmly the indefatigable, incredulous work rate of every single player.

Our team is an ocean of superlatives. Their endeavour could be deemed machine-like if the expression did not so crudely dismiss the sheer organic quality of our heart-on-sleeve heroes.

The quality is there, Fuming Bill has made certain of that. But the potion he has stirred surreptitiously into the cocktail is worth two of every penny he has spent.

If nothing comes of our outlandish foray, the manager will retain a firm place in my affections for his success in restoring romance to our football.

Remember cowering beneath a bin bag as a month’s rain fell on Swindon?

Remember standing in the biting cold as amateurs Woking punched Megson in the kidneys?

Remember cringing on a windy night in Southend as Calderwood had a nervous breakdown?

It’s all gone.

My feet buzzed with the sensation of total numbness this evening; my fingers throbbed red as blistering cold gnawed the flesh. But all I could think was: ‘this is proper stuff, this’.

I didn’t even mind the 45-minute lap of Sandwell as stewards and locked gates made for a complicated route back to the car.

It takes a marvellous man to achieve these things.

So that’s that. We’re perfect and everything is beautiful. There are another thousand games until the end of the season and all manner of catastrophes are lurking.

But please, Angry Bill, let’s stay perfect and beautiful until the end of January.

If satisfaction is delivered on the penultimate day of this month I might be ready to die happy.

Ratings:

Camp – 8.5 – gobbled up what felt like hundreds of crosses and searching corners.

Gunter – 7.5 – one or two early errors but a fearless performance.

Morgan – 8 – coped well with the influx of beasts in the second half.

Wilson – 8 – what a turnaround from the petulant brat who dropped a nut at Bramall Lane.

Shorey – 8 – who’s Gareth Bale? Get your wallet out Supreme Leader Doughty.

Cohen – 7.5 – one or two untidy moments, but his work rate (and goal) proved invaluable.

Majewski – 8 – what a finish. I happen to think he had an appalling first 20 minutes; slipping between absent and atrocious. But he certainly shut me up.

Moussi – 8 – untold benefits in shaking up the middle of the park; his Mr Tickle-style legs creeping around every loose ball.

McKenna – 8 – I don’t know how football happens without him.

Anderson – 8 – the whippet. Unstoppable brilliance and he should have had a penalty.

Blackstock – 8 – the hardest he has ever worked in a Forest shirt, and it paid off.

Subs:
Tyson – 7
Adebola - 7
Perch – 7.5

Fans – 10 – other than 20 minutes of insufferable tension at the end of the game, the Forest fans dominated proceedings throughout with a display to make Reds across the globe very proud indeed. Many Bubbly Brummies, on the other hand, skulked out on 60 minutes.

Barking

2009-12-28T20:39:00.002Z

Make no mistake, Raging Bill had to reach very deep into the top hat for his latest trick.

Coventry will be seething; recoiling like a wet kitten. Their show-stopping display has yielded a two goal deficit while a slumbering Forest continue to bark outside the Premiership’s back door.

This is how a Billy Davies side really butters its bread.

Throughout the last three months we have strutted, strode and scintillated. But a team that holds its own at the sharp of the Championship is one that can growl, grunt and grind.

The visitors overran our midfield, hacked our decorous triangles into frenzied loops and forced Camp into several smart saves. But they left with nothing, and ultimately Forest will be disappointed to have not added at least a third.

With a new year looming, it is worth pondering the overwhelming influence Davies has had on Nottingham Forest’s fortunes.

Twelve months ago we were pondering the very real threat of becoming a yo-yo club between League One and the Championship; bobbing moodily between the scrappy and the insufferable.

Now we are towering ominously above all challengers. Teams are posting us points without even turning up to fight for them.

Credit to Coventry for rolling up their sleeves, but the net result is the same. Forest march on again.

It is going to be quite hard to stomach when the comedown eventually begins. Knowing Forest it will be a cataclysmic derailing and not a graceful bow. But then none of us really know Forest anymore, and none of us really know what is going to happen next.

All the more reason, in my view, to enjoy it while it lasts.

The several thousand supporters who shuffled out of the ground early – again – should be lapping up every glorious second. They’ll be the first to heckle when reality returns.

But to the travelling fans who sneered at our support: do not get carried away, chaps, at most Coventry games the Ricoh Arena looks like an empty bath and sounds like a doctor’s waiting room.

Oh, and you are indeed going down with Derby.

Ratings:

Camp – 7.5 – a few frenetic moments, but numerous saves and several excellent claims as he launched from his line.

Gunter – 7 – solid and tireless.

Wilson – 8 – a fairly dozy start to the game and he initially struggled with a rumbustious Leon Best. But his last-ditch lunges kept the sheet clean. Again.

Morgan – 7.5 – rock solid. Again.

Shorey – 7.5 – one slack moment, otherwise another solid performance and some flawless crosses into the penalty area. He’d get into any side in the bottom half of the Premiership and won’t be joining Forest – but he is more than welcome too.

Cohen – 6.5 – a lost lamb at times.

Majewski – 7.5 - industrious as ever, and his shooting star surge from deep in the Forest half laid on Earnshaw’s crucial opener.

McKenna – 6.5 – aberrantly sloppy. Not a two games in two days man at his age.

Tyson – 6 – half asleep throughout and ballooned his one-on-one into the second tier.

Earnshaw – 7 – a beautiful first half goal.

Blackstock – 7.5 – difficult to contain.

Subs:

McCleary – 7

McGugan – 7

Adebola – 8.5

Clattenberg – 3 – posing in his fitted shirt and surgically-transplanted quiff, he looked every inch the twat that he is.

Have a sherry for Bill

2009-12-19T22:12:00.002Z

The tantalising reality this evening is that Forest weren’t actually that good.

The Tom Finney curtain which Preston brought instead of travelling supporters might as well have been a white flag of surrender.

For the second successive home game we witnessed a trembling opposition step out of our path, doff their caps and usher us merrily on our assent.

Preston’s performance screamed ‘have the points’ and Furious Bill is not in the business of turning down offers like those.

At 0-0 we were sharp, a 1-0 we were decisive, at 2-0 we were obstinately solid. At 3-0 we had one foot in the bath and another stretching for a play-off ticket.

Every time we scored I found myself pondering the screaming mass of swirling red scarves with the same baffled grin.

When will it end? As a Forest fan whose footballing life started in 1998 I know very well that it has to end at some point.

We are destined to be dismal. It’s a fait accompli.

But that is what makes Baying Bill’s conquest so intriguing. He does not care much for our time-honoured rubric of anti-climax and torture.

This man will spit in as many faces as is necessary to clear a path to glory.

His troops are not too shabby either. Waiting impatiently behind the impossibly mobile Adebola and the attention-hungry Earnshaw was Tyson, the division’s fastest player, McGoldrick, a £1m-rated forward, and Blackstock, a notorious marksmen.

Players like Lewis McGugan and Guy Moussi are sweating buckets just to make the bench. Yesteryear stalwarts Luke Chambers and James Perch – indubitable pillars of the Calderwood saga – are scarcely on the radar.

There is hunger, there is belief, there is competition – and there is a damn good manager shouting about it.

I have absolutely no idea if we can sustain this but I compel you all to raise a sherry to Raging Bill on Friday. We are unbeaten in what feels like a decade and Christmas is looking unusually merry.

Ratings

Camp – 6.5 – the television cameras don’t bring out the best in him. I always get the impression he’s looking at them through the corner of his eye.

Gunter – 6.5 – drifted off course once or twice but a solid performance.

Wilson – 7.5 – exceptional again; strides ahead of last season’s standard.

Morgan – 7.5 – unhindered and unphased by anything, including the introduction of Europe’s fattest strikeforce.

Shorey – 7.5 – the cameras were on, the world was watching, and transfer-hungry Shorey gave a guts-and-all performance of the highest standard. He’ll get his move, if it’s what he’s looking for, but I doubt it will be to Nottingham Forest.

Cohen – 6.5 – a lot of graft, but he’s no fan of the wing and it shows.

Majewski – 7.5 – a touch of continental class with the endearing spirit of Polish endeavour.

McKenna – 8 – a screamer of a goal and an almost flawless shift as he ran the midfield.

Adebola – 7 – continues to excel in ways he isn’t expected to. Did the business.

Earnshaw – 7 – posing aside, he was a real handful.

Subs:

McCleary – 7.5
McGugan – 7.5
Tyson – 7

Merciless Moaner’s Mythering Moment:

I know it was too cold to clap and the sort of weather that literally exterminates elderly people. But if we’ve smashed a team 3-0 all supporters should be forced to stay put until the final whistle. We looked a bit spoiled.

"We're just too good for you..."

2009-12-05T17:57:00.002Z

This one is dedicated to the four thousand Leicester City supporters whose collage of snarls, sneers and sobs will forever linger as an enduring trophy of this rout.

Talk is cheap. The cast of thousands bowled into the City Ground with great expectations but delivered little – their bungling heroes gave even less.

Prior to the game the blue mass was bewilderingly subdued; excitement peaked with a timorous ‘Leicester, Leicester, Leicester’ a few minutes into the game. But nothing followed. The puzzled travellers curled into a ball and absorbed every glorious second of the humiliation.

One blind supporter was heard enquiring: “Are there any Leicester supporters here today?”

I had a similar query about Leicester players.

That said, there was at least one Foxes star on display – arise, Mr Wayne Brown. Now take a bow, sir, for the joy you have brought to many thousands of Nottingham Forest supporters.

Alongside those glum Leicester faces, there is room in the cabinet for memories of Brown’s hysterical back-peddling shortly before Earnshaw’s third. He most certainly waved a white flag, but not before he’d vacuumed Robbie’s red carpet – and lit his cigar.

But perhaps I’m being a little hard on their slap-headed turkey of a centre half. After all, absolutely all of them were hilariously diabolical.

Considering this was Leicester’s showpiece fixture, the big day out, their performance bordered on unbelievable. There was none of the spirit, the vigour, or the life a supporter expects of a team playing on enemy territory.

They were slow and hesitant; they swarmed around our midfielders like children on a schoolyard and sent long balls into the abyss at every turn.

Their back four repeatedly left gaping spaces for our forwards to saunter into. For supporters sitting behind either goal it must have looked like cars streaming through the M6 toll booths.

We’re the cars, by the way. Wayne Brown is a toll booth.

But again, perhaps I’m being a little harsh. After all, Forest were sublime.

At times in the second half, as the passes zipped in triangles and the forwards surged on to crisp through balls, I literally pinched myself. ‘Dreamland’ is often a lazy way for brain-dead footballers to tell us they’re happy, or think they are.

Today it is the only word fit to describe our afternoon.

Something special is happening at the moment. We’re like a boulder thundering down a hill; we’re getting bigger, faster, and harder all the time. Managers of other sides are raising eyebrows and the players truly believe in themselves. Even Steve Claridge reckons we’re alright.

Last time we landed third in the Championship, Paul Hart told players to ‘cement themselves in the top six’. Davies doesn’t do cement, but he’s got plenty of dynamite.

For the first time in decades we have good players on the bench – and not because the manager is a tool, but because there are good players on the pitch too.

What a difference it makes to have a savagely competitive manager who knows exactly what he wants and isn’t afraid to ‘ask’ for it.

Large-headed Nigel Pearson was tactically raped and pillaged today. And he also looks like a butternut squash. Bad day at the office, pal.

Other contentious issues for anybody who cares: the phantom ‘penalty’ was definitely inside the box, the groove in the turf is visible on Google Earth. The actual penalty probably wasn’t a penalty, but it was worth it to hear the ironic Forest jeers drown out the Leicester fans.

And finally, credit to the army personnel who lapped up the praise and reignited the atmosphere while the Foxes sulked.

Ratings:

Camp – 7 – very little to do really, several nice waves at Capital One Corner.

Gunter – 6.5 – not his strongest performance, but he picked a good day for a dud.

Wilson – 8 – pulled us out of some sticky situations with excellent tackling back.

I’m not his biggest fan, but his recent form has been excellent.

Morgan – 8 – brute-like excellence from the non-stop rock.

Shorey – 7.5 – assured and convincing without ever needing to exert himself. Two excellent crosses into the box.

Anderson – 7.5 – excellent finish and a constant threat.

McKenna – 7.5 – tired towards the end, but a good performance.

Majewski – 7.5 – a lot of hard graft.

Cohen – 7.5 – indefatigable. Surprised he wasn’t sent off for the two bizarre lunges that followed his yellow card (for lunging).

Earnshaw – 10 – three half-chances, three beautiful goals. A master predator.

Blackstock – 7.5 – an incessant headache.

Subs:
Adebola – 7
McCleary – 7
Tyson – 7

Foam hands aside

2009-11-28T20:08:00.005Z

Foam hands aside, this was another very satisfying afternoon.

Never spectacular but competent throughout, Forest have turned out a thrashing with a very ordinary display.

It’s textbook Davies. Points pay bills, not performances - and he knows it.

Forest allowed the visitors their possession but stopped short of letting them do anything much with it. We saw plenty of the ball ourselves and with so much attacking quality in the side a solid defensive display was always likely to be crucial.

It was duly delivered, along with yet another weekend without defeat.

The transformation from Doncaster’s festive blitz last season is spectacular.

On that forlorn afternoon a lazy Forest side, bereft of any enthusiasm for the game, brought shame to the banks of the Trent. Around eleven months on and we are marching coolly for a top ten finish, perhaps more.

Davies - irritable, insecure and eerily shrewd - is barking this team into what is looking scarily like a play-off push.

It wasn’t ‘a good advert for the Championship as one or two couldn’t wait to say on the way out of the ground, in fact it all seemed rather dull for a five-goal game.

But during Calderwood stay today's game would have looked veritably Brazilian. One thing's for sure - it's good enough for me.

Neutrals

I suppose it would be rude to ignore today's "groundbreaking integration scheme".

The problem with the ‘neutral’ zone (surely to be dubbed the ‘Gay Block’?) is that it doesn’t provide anything especially useful. Home supporters already have a family block and away supporters could very easily be segregated into a family section – if there was enough demand.

Sitting a small group of like-minded sycophants together will earn safety chief Bexon a gold star, it may even prompt a little extra back-slapping for Supreme Leader Doughty and Chief Comrade Arthur.

But to fans on the front line it is at best irrelevant, and at worst unpalatable.

I drifted contentedly into the latter camp.

The incessant self-congratulation over the public address, the NHL-style foam pointers bearing the emblems of both sides, the mascot race unashamedly fixed
so both costumes could ‘win’. It wasn’t only unnatural, it was a pantomime.

This was an icy afternoon, cloaked in darkness with the floodlights blazing and the turf a piercing green.

What fans want in this indigenous setting is crunching tackles, flying clumps of turf and a game of football just about interesting enough to be angry about.

Or am I wrong? Perhaps this PR stunt happened to be the development we've all been waiting for. I doubt it.

Ratings:

Camp – 7 – he was annoyed to see his clean sheet spoiled. I enjoyed his blatant celebration of the Lewis’ thunderbolt; the Donny fans reeled, but I wonder what the neutrals made of it?

Gunter – 7.5 – solid display, complete with some exceptional overlaps.

Morgan – 7 – not the sponsors’ man of the match? Whose girlfriend has he bedded to solicit this indignity?

Wilson – 7 – several excellent interventions.

Shorey – 7 – the man knows how to play left-back.

Anderson – 6.5 - a busy performance, capped at 6.5 because of his ludicrous 70-yard kamikaze run. Can Main Stand fans please verify that he was screaming “save me, Lee”? Thanks.

McKenna – 7 – the terrier. Snapped at heels and kept things ticking over nicely.

Majewski – 7 – typical display, not consistently involved but dangerous when on the ball.

McCleary – 7 – fairly quiet in parts, but he worked hard and was rewarded as the visitors tired.

Earnshaw – 7 – if he plays, the goals will come.

Blackstock – 6.5 – personally I thought he looked rusty, especially because I’d grown very fond of the all-conquering, pre-injury Dexter. For some reason he was given man of the match.

Subs:

Adebola – 7 – the heavy goods wagon. A headache the Rovers defence did not relish after 75 minutes in the cold.

McGugan – 7 – four touches in about ten minutes, all of them wonderful.

McGoldrick - / - the game was over by the time he came on.

Ugly Billy’s Fuming Warriors

2009-11-01T23:05:00.002Z

There are few better places to score a last minute goal than Cardiff.

Fans from Yorkshire and Wales are graceless winners and volatile losers. They celebrate goals with a goading, Neanderthal insolence that has a tendency to leave visitors feeling three inches tall.

By the same token they respond to misfortune with crimson-faced rage and an infallible sense of injustice.

As Forest fans we’ve been at the sharp end of their schadenfreude too many times. And in a season characterised by its pleasant surprises, Lewis’s bullet equaliser was one of the most pleasing yet.

It’s not that we played badly, not by any means. In fact we contained them comfortably in the most part, leaving Lee Camp to sweep up the scraps.

But containment was the order of the day, and when Bothroyd stabbed Cardiff in front I doubted our commitment to the task of wrestling a point from thin air.

We are, after all, a mid-table side.

Or are we? Ugly Billy’s Fuming Warriors are made of stern stuff. Chew us too hard and you’ll chip a tooth.

At long last we have a side capable of winning nastily; churning out results in the face of adversity and leaving opposing supporters feeling robbed, raped and pillaged.

At the same time we are fully capable of playing effeminate triangles that are guaranteed to keep granddad clapping. It’s all too perfect; if our bubble gets any bigger it will burst under its own steam.

But while reality may be lurking, it can’t take away today’s glories.

It can’t take away the bewildered rage of the hosts when Lewis struck.

It can’t take away the fact that it stopped raining so we could walk back to our cars after already soaking hundreds of Welshmen lumbered in the front rows of the stadium.

It can’t take away the fact that Cardiff have demolished their ‘cauldron’ and replaced it with a concrete shell and a lot of plastic.

I recorded the game on Sky+ but I’m not sure if I’ll bother watching it back.

I remember Lewis’ equaliser as an impeccable roundhouse volley, ala Zinedine Zidane in the Champions League Final. I remember the anguish and dismay in several thousand Cardiff faces.

And I remember unashamedly celebrating as if we had actually won the aforementioned Champions League final.

Steve Claridge will only spoil it.

Ratings

Camp – 7.5 – gobbled up most crosses through the swirling winds, made several smart saves and distributed quickly and accurately. What more could we want?

Gunter – 7 – excellent performance against his boyhood club. To deliver such a typically tempestuous display in front of his countrymen sums up the kind of player we have. Top drawer.

Morgan – 7 – solid as a brute.

Wilson – 7 – one or two slack moments, as per Wilson’s custom. But generally he kept things very tight against a notorious strikeforce.

Cohen – 7 – dug in and produced the goods when it was needed.

Moussi – 7 – no magic tricks today but he got the job done. All of a sudden I think there’s a few goals in those trembling feet.

McKenna – 6.5 – the usual guts and simple football, but his distribution was a bit sloppier than normal.

Garner – 5 – Davies has tried to reinvent him in light of competition, but the writing is sadly on the wall.

Majewski – 6.5 – drifted in and out of the game. Sharp when involved.

Anderson – 7 – resorted to falling over in frustration several times, but his pace and quick feet are an excellent outlet.

McGoldrick – 6 – roving behind the strikers he looked capable of carving them open. As lead man up front he lacks the strength, prowess or finish to be successful at this level.

Subs:

McCleary – 7
Adebola – 7
McGugan - 8

Very Strange Times at NG2

2009-10-21T20:02:00.001+01:00

Something strange is happening at the City Ground.

Five wins in a row, a chest-puffing knockout on live television, a last gasp winner on a damp Tuesday evening. Clean sheets.

Clean sheets?

I’m fairly sure I wasn’t the only person pinching myself when Guy Moussi dementedly volleyed in his winner on Tuesday evening. I’m absolutely certain I wasn’t the only one to take celebrations a pint too far on Saturday.

It’s forgivable; this isn’t the sort of thing we’re used to.

At any other point over the last five years Dexter Blackstock’s scuffed finish would have bobbled wide, and during Calderwood’s stint – marked by its repeated frustrations – we would surely have been beaten in a game as fairly split as Tuesday’s.

The effect of the form is remarkable. Saturday’s atmosphere was hair-raising; songs rippled around all four stands for 90 minutes – just a decibel or two away from match a D*rby day.

Tuesday’s game drew 2,000 extra lurkers from the shadows they usually hide in during midweek fixtures. And they’ll have enjoyed it.

Despite a heavy-legged second half that was fraught with errors, Tuesday evening was spliced with crisp passing football, resilient defending and enough chances to win five games. Saturday’s game provided unparalleled entertainment throughout.

Of course, it can’t last. The Championship is volatile and fickle; in three weeks we could have been spat back into 16th place, in six we could be stamped into the relegation zone.

If we can somehow brace the tide of niggling injuries, overlapping suspensions, finicky referees, and waving fortunes then things might just get an awful lot stranger.

Personally, I’m just enjoying it while it lasts.

Toes

2009-10-01T00:34:00.002+01:00

Not an inspiring evening, but an enjoyable win and one that could prove important.

We have successfully extracted six points from two tricky fixtures, both of which were fraught with frustration. Tonight especially was like repeatedly stubbing your little toe into the frame of a door.

For a long time we threatened to descend into a familiar pantomime of squandering chances until there were none left to squander.
But quality prevailed and this will be remembered as a comfortable win. After a series of frustrating home performances this is an important turning point and hopefully the beginning of a precedent.

At times we even played some fairly progressive football, and the very fact that we seem fated for mid-table brought an element of humour to the toe-stubbing.

Tyson’s various jelly-legged collapses raised sniggers as opposed to the clenched fists of a supporter fearing relegation, and quite a few were able to muster knowing grins when Gunter somehow failed to score from four centimetres.

Davies is overtly content with our mid-table destiny, and if this sort of easygoing affair is the sum of a season with modest ambitions then so am I.

Ratings:

Camp – 7 – the usual competent response to searching corners; gobble them up.

Gunter – 7.5 – aggressive, niggling and generally excellent.

Chambers -7 – sensibly backed at 33-1 for first goalscorer by a chap sitting nearby. Luke Chambers has never been so popular with anybody on the planet, including his mother.

Morgan – 7 – solid performance and kept their lumbering centre forward quiet until the last ten minutes.

Cohen – 7 – solid performance and good going forward.

Anderson – 7.5 – pace and spontaneity were a constant threat. However, what on earth was his 45-yard second touch when he broke clean through?

McKenna – 7 – a picture of competence.

Majewski – 6.5 – took advantage of some static defending with some of the best corners we’ve seen at Forest in a while. Otherwise he was quieter than he can be, but he still looks a very good player.

Garner – 5.5 – a forgotten man over pre-season, now a Davies’ favourite for every position barring the one he’s suited to.

Blackstock – 7.5 – a real handful and another goal.

Tyson – 6 – his pace almost always causes problems, but he had one of those goofy evenings where his legs quake and his concentration drifts.

Subs

McGoldrick - 7
Lynch – 6
Moussi - 6

One of those seasons?

2009-09-19T19:04:00.002+01:00

Another one of those games, no question. The real poser is whether or not this is becoming one of those seasons.

Despite rarely even flirting with competence Forest had enough chances to win three games. But a series of dubious calls by Davies and the anguishing absence of any good fortune saw Forest slump to a gloomy home defeat.

There can be no complaints. Davies favours containment and revels in wringing points from despondent performances, but when it doesn’t work it’s miserable stuff.

Blackpool are a cumbersome bunch of simple virtue. They stumble and barge their way to points, playing into the channels and limiting much of their possession to the back four. Sadly, Forest pandered to their every whim with a strategy of unrelenting through balls into the abyss.

The fleet of gilt-edged chances that shortly preceded the winning goal were the product of clumsy Blackpool errors and Tyson breakaways. There was very little else to offer.

The longer the visitors held the lead, the fewer errors there were. Tyson’s energy dwindled in tandem, leaving us with nothing.

Earnshaw’s withdrawal seemed as much of an error as McGoldrick’s starting berth, and there are few things more tedious in football than the sight of ‘big men up front’ who aren’t winning headers.

The final 20 minutes should have been a siege for the points. Instead they were monotonous and predictable.

Blackpool eased down the clock; the modest pack of visiting fans found their voices and the dissenting home crowd collapsed into an exasperated sulk.

The full-time boo-boys were drowned out by begrudging applause. But too many more points squirming down the drain and the notoriously impatient Nottingham public will find themselves enduring an uncomfortably familiar winter of discontent.

-

Lessons learned: McGoldrick and Earnshaw is a fruitless partnership. Earnshaw is the club’s most reliable marksman and should start every game alongside one of the lumps.

If Cohen is to start he must play in his natural position, not as a right winger, a left winger, a defender, or indeed a floating striker. What must the army of attackers on the bench have made of his uncomfortable advanced role?

Lynch and Chambers probably wouldn’t make the Notts County team.

Playing 4-5-1 at home to Blackpool (with ankle-biting Earnshaw is a focal point) is fundamentally wrong.

Ratings:

Camp – 6.5 – not his strongest performance.

Gunter – 7 – found himself at the byline playing searching balls into the box on three or four occasions, always a positive sign for a full back.

Chambers – 5 – endless side-footed balls looping to the Blackpool defence.

Morgan – 5.5 – dealt with the ensuing Chalie Adam with all the grace of an over-turned wagon.

Lynch – 5.5 – sometimes incompetent, sometimes a passenger.

Cohen – 6 – out of position, despite trying out several.

Moussi – 6 – some good points, but when he isn’t doing something remarkable (which he is capable of) he doesn’t seem to be doing much.

McKenna – 6.5 – strong, but lost in a system of long balls.

McGoldrick – 6 - to be brutally honest, I don't see the point of him yet.

Tyson – 7 – our only outlet

Earnshaw – 6.5 – busy and dangerous, but should have scored.

A sea of red (and a blue pillar)

2009-09-12T20:42:00.001+01:00

-

Hillsborough was queen of stadia in its day but time has pulled no punches in drawing it in line with its grim surroundings. Today the searing late-summer sunshine showcased the rusting blemishes of every corrugated wall.

But the sea of red shirts flooding Leppings Lane was a beautiful sight nonetheless, and for a few precious minutes it seemed the afternoon was going to be all about us.

Spurred by our own ability to assemble such a crowd, the boisterous visiting fans puffed their chests and blew the ball over the line after what felt like seconds.

But the noise dipped, the novelty faded and the performance collapsed helplessly into the realms of mundane, and later simply unpleasant.

Misleading early signs were that Anderson’s pace, Garner’s guts and Blackstock’s presence would be too much for an average Wednesday side.

Shortly after taking the lead Joe Garner spurned a fine opportunity by placing a glorious tee-off straight through a blue pillar and into grasping range of the keeper.

And Blackstock buckled when a scything cross-box ball fell to him with only a blue pillar to beat.

Sadly the blue pillar proved less of an obstruction when Wednesday began their resurgence.

Forest picked up bad habits, squandering possession carelessly and settling for roundhouse volleys into no man’s land. For a long time we cleared immediate danger with this ham-fisted strategy but the equaliser had always seemed inevitable.

Wednesday stuck to their task, growing in confidence throughout the half and deserving their share of the outcome.

In the second half, attacking the swamp of red, there were fleeting signs of a revival. The hosts continued to make better use of the ball, but there were enough bright sparks in the Forest side to keep hopes of an unwarranted victory alive well into stoppage time.

On two occasions in the second half the ball was sent zipping across Wednesday’s goal-line, begging in vain for a conversion.

No such luck. A win would have flattered us, and the performance asked more questions than it answered. But we had the better chances and were only a toe-poke away from a vintage Billy Davies smash-and-grab.

More irritating than the performance was the continued intervention of the blue pillars. And more irritating than the pillars was the referee, an outed Scargill-sympathiser with astoundingly selective eyesight.

Ratings

Camp – 7 – gobbled up every hanging ball with impeccable timing and confidence.

Gunter – 7 – great spirit coming forward and solid at the back.

Chambers – 5.5 – never too far from an accident.

Morgan – 7.5 – some great lunging tackles and a successful brick wall policy throughout.

Lynch – 5 – woeful distribution; mindless long balls looping off target all game.

Anderson – 8 – a real handful

McKenna – 6 – his poorest game at the club. Great desire and work rate, as ever, but played some bizarre passes into enemy territory.

Cohen – 5 – sloppy and off the pace. Needs a settled role in the side.

Garner – 6 – scrappy and determined, but cruising towards a second yellow and a necessary sacrifice for the system.

Blackstock – 7 - kept busy and took his goal well.

McGoldrick – 6.5 – decent performance.

Robert William Savage, how was it for you?

2009-08-29T17:45:00.001+01:00

***

There’s an infectious buzz around the stadium. Nausea, sensation and apprehension fill the air. A legion of dreamers are debating, daring and dreading.

Then it begins. For some the butterflies explode; a draw will do Forest, just don’t let these bastards have their moment again. Others are knocked back by their own bloodcurdling roar and nothing but a win will do.

Before anybody can make sense of it, Radoslaw Majewski crashes the ball into the top corner and a violent ecstasy sweeps the stadium. The bed-wetters are already thinking about Chris Cohen’s impossibly early strike last season, most are crushing into the aisles in delusional joy.

The swamp of Derby supporters is still, save for the dissenting V-signs of those who cannot stomach the scenes.

Every Derby attack threatens to spoil the mood, every fleeting Commons touch triggers unspeakable fury.

And then it’s two, and it’s chaos and it doesn’t make sense. But it’s brilliant.

***

What followed defies satisfactory explanation. Derby looked to have scored, but their detestable celebrations were drowned out by City Ground jeers. Relief.

Tyson broke clean through and seemed to have shuffled off path, but the ball squirmed over the line and at that moment I was within spitting distance of optimum happiness.

The third goal seemed to bring guarantees. It seemed to confirm the result and rubber stamp the evening’s beer-soaked celebrations.

I was happy for half-time to never end. The first 45 had been among the best in living memory and the second half was only ever going to be awkward. I just had no idea how much.

The early goal that rolled over the line had everybody longing to avoid the drama and tension that seemed increasingly inevitable. The second squirming deflection sent us into meltdown.

I had little faith in our reeling defence, and I was alarmed by the sudden inability to string two passes in sequence. For a long time I had almost accepted an equaliser as inevitable, but I still dreaded it with everything I had.

The volcanic roar that followed Billy’s appeal for support dragged us over the line, and sheer grit hauled us through nine excruciating minutes of stoppage time.

The full-time whistle triggered relief akin to the promotion against Yeovil. I lingered in the stands with thousands of others to exalt in every precious moment of their dismay.

The wonderful thing about football is that it incredibly fickle. Derby had their moment in the sun last season – but it’s gone, it’s over, it’s a statistic.

All any one of them will be able to think about is the beautiful sight of Nathan Tyson sauntering by with his Forest corner flag, a subversive smirk stretching ear-to-ear.

The mêlée that followed showed the intensity of the occasion. The lifting of the Brian Clough Trophy showed that we are, finally, back on top of the old tussle.

The Forest fans who had the privilege of strolling back to their cars with hearts pounding and throats aching have been blessed with memories that will last a lifetime. Or at least until January 30...

Robert William Savage, how was it for you?

***

Ratings – is there any point? The only thing I can remember in any significant detail is launching myself into a writhing mass of red shirts after 58 seconds of this ridiculous, and stunning, afternoon.

Hairdryer Blast

2009-08-19T20:09:00.003+01:00

It’s fascinating just how much a goal can change a football match.

Crawling wearily toward half-time, a goal behind with stray passes everywhere, the home supporters were rousing from their slumber only to heckle. The side were never more than one unfortunate ricochet from a hairdryer blast from the terraces.

At 1-1 all four stands stood to sing in unison, roaring the side into the break and receiving the half-time whistle with rapturous applause.

A similar applause would have rained down in adulation at full-time had any one of Forest’s second half chances found the net. But they didn’t, and the first boo boys of the season prematurely cleared their throats comfortably ahead of the final whistle.

Forest were not very good last night, there is little point arguing otherwise. But the restlessness and impatience from the stands was typically misplaced.

Spurred by the surprising venom of Tyson’s byline in-swingers and profiting hugely from Majewski’s vigorous bursts, a win was always on the cards in spite of mediocrity in every department.

A fragile defence, burdened with a daydreaming Chris Cohen, were responsible for the collapse. And with it they were responsible for the premature fury of 18,000 Reds.

As for the performance itself, Forest were far too negative. As well as failing the physical battle there was far too much sitting deep, holding tight, and quite literally waiting for one of the various forwards on the pitch to make something happen.

For a long time our only outlet was Nathan Tyson, whose jagged runs and crosses were a rare sign of life. I initially blamed Lewis for failing in his role to weave defence and attack, but despite a strong individual display from Majewski it didn’t get a great deal better when he was subbed.

Billy favours a system of containing teams for long periods and his teams notoriously ride their luck before turning the screw.

If it brings success to the banks of the Trent, it will do for me. But it will never work if the side is going to ship four goals at home to Watford, and it will never work if dwindling home crowds continue believing they can boo us to the Premier League.

PS As an added bonus, I wasted £40 on the revolting new home shirt prior to the game and hated it so much that I left it under my seat at full-time.

Several curiosity-inspired calls to the club have confirmed that the stewards and populace of Nottingham have generously neglected to hand in said shirt. Evidently they are aware of my revulsion and are kindly shielding me from the embarrassment of wearing it.

Cheers.

Ratings

Camp – 6 – not his strongest performance, despite almost denying the second goal with his initial block. It’s easy to defend him because he spent most of the game roasting his defence. With Smith in goal, probably apologising, it could have been a massacre.

Gunter – 6 – reasonable if not brilliant performance from a player who is clearly a cut above his defensive colleagues.

Morgan – 6 – seemed to be caught in two minds all night. Several good challenges were nullified by his poor decision-making, and the fact that he was easily beaten in the air for the first goal.

Lynch – 6 – good in patches, poor in others. A lot of the Watford breakaways, especially in the first half, were via Cohen and Lynch’s side of the defence.

Cohen – 4 –played fairly well on Saturday but got absolutely everything wrong last night. Even simple passes failed him.

Anderson – 5.5 – one or two sharp moments, but generally he was just not involved.

McGugan – 6 – drifted in and out and relevance before being injured. With two months to sit out, he will be missed.

McKenna – 6 – the usual McKenna characteristics, but in a game where the central midfield might as well have watched from the sidelines.

Tyson – 7 – his crossing, which is usually fairly poor, was excellent for most of the game. When we stopped playing him into the channels, the chances dried up.

Earnshaw – 6 – he toiled and laboured but got nowhere. Sometimes he had to drop back to the half way line just to get a feel of the ball.

Blackstock – 6.5 – actually did a less efficient version of the job Adebola did on Saturday. But he scored.

Subs:

Majewski – 7.5 – planting himself high up the field, he was a real thorn in the side for Watford.

Adebola – 6.5 – bagged a goal and was unfortunate to be booked for his first action (winning a header).

McGoldrick – 6.5 – fairly anonymous, but created Adebola’s goal.

Welcome back...

2009-08-15T20:17:00.001+01:00

On one hand, it’s great to have football back. On the other, I’d forgotten how anguishing a game it is for those who care for it.

I stormed from the ground in a rage today, foregoing all new season resolutions to take it all with a pinch of salt.

There was something frustratingly flat about the game. A sense of anticlimax perhaps, or just the indelible knowledge that things weren’t going our way.

On occasions like this every through-ball seems an inch off target, every flick-on seems magnetically averted from its destination and every shot seems fated for the stand.

Adebola twice swooned in front of a gaping net (the pundit sitting behind me explained why, turns out Adebola is a ‘bag of shit’), and several scything crosses across the coal face were gallingly swept away.

The most anguishing thing of all is that we were comfortably the better side. West Brom were drab; solid and organised but ultimately blunt and boring. In terms of chances, the best ones fell consistently to Forest. And the eventual winner was cheap by anybody’s standard.

It was obvious Earnshaw would miss. It was one of those games. Yes, those. And it became more obvious with every clumsy strut toward the spot. In the end he nearly picked out the corner flag.

A penalty miss at a crucial time is as debilitating as a red card. You could almost hear the air hissing from our pin-pricked bubble.

The fans lost hope and interest, the players called it quits. Five minutes of injury time proved to be more of an annoyance than an inspiration.

Still, we have something to build on. I’m not convinced we’ve found our strongest line-up yet, and I don’t think Davies believes we have for a second. We will still sign a decent defender before the window closes, and we have matched two of the sides earmarked for a top six finish.

I’d like to see the stats for Billy Davies sides that fall behind in games. His squads usually have the spirit to recover, but they are always tactically geared toward frustrating and containing for at least the first 60 minutes.

This is at least one of the reasons why our substitutes bench reads like an all star cast.

The mystery rise to prominence of Joe Garner seems as much to do with Davies dodging predictability as anything else.

Let’s hope he dodges the critics too. Another couple without victory and the legendary City Ground grumbles will begin...

Ratings:

Camp – 7 – I’d like to see the goal again before judging, but generally he was as restless and dependable as ever.

Gunter – 6.5 – generally solid and composed, and very difficult to beat on the ground. Beaten in the air once or twice.

Morgan – 7.5 – excellent game, hauling himself into blocks and staying sharp. Increasingly looks to avoided the usual 3-month ‘wearing in’ period which returns each summer.

Lynch – 6.5 – surprisingly solid defensively, poor distribution.

Cohen – 7 – some of his crossing was poor, but generally I thought he adapted well. Fairly solid at the back and picked out a few good passes coming forward.

Anderson – 7 – busy and hard-working, but not as influential as he would have liked.

McKenna – 7.5 – simple football, do or die tackling.

Majewski – 6.5 – I like him. He has some nice touches and excellent movement. At the moment he just isn’t getting involved enough.

Garner – 6.5 – I’m not convinced by Garner in this floating role, but he gave the usual masterclass in bad attitude football and worked hard to stay involved.

Tyson – 7.5 – final ball was sometimes poor, but his bursts of speed on the wing were our only outlet for some time. We’ll be seeing a lot more of him in this role this season.

Adebola – 6 – actually played fairly well in providing a target and winning physical battles. But there’s no excuse for any number nine to miss two chances like those.

Subs:

McGugan – 7
Earnshaw - 6
Blackstock - 7

COSMO

2009-08-09T12:48:00.000+01:00

Reading is a fairly dour place to visit. The closest fans get to sampling the character of the area is by riding the buses to and from the car park – which I didn’t.

The ground is the archetypal flat-packed number, constructed in 34 minutes by a bald man with a toolbox and positioned on a hill in the middle of a motorway.

Its inhabitants are a queer sort too. Some are abrasively cosmopolitan, riding their bikes to the stadium and ‘taking calls’ mid-game. Others fancy themselves as cockney mobsters.

All of them are boring.

What made the day enjoyable was the vast army of travelling supporters; an ocean of red and white flooding the visitors end. This was one of those occasions where everybody, young and old, fat and thin, stands to sing in unison – generating the kind of volume that makes home fans screw up their faces in embittered respect.

Robert Earnshaw was given such a boisterous welcome I’m surprised Federici in the Reading goal wasn’t partially deafened.

After several months of idling in shopping centres and pretending to enjoy cricket – this was bloody good fun.

And the game? A solid but never outstanding start to the season, and a performance that laid bare a fundamental weakness that’s no secret to anybody – our defence.

Reading are a tight unit with lofty ambitions. Earning a point in their back yard is a satisfactory opener, but they had the lion’s share of the chances.

Gunter and Morgan were solid, but Lynch and Chambers - grimace-worthy names at the best of times – were responsible for persistent backside-clenching in the away end.

Both held their own in the air, but Reading’s forwards regularly left them sprawling with fairly tame advances.

Elsewhere we were competent, despite an eyebrow-raising team selection that left our bench looking stronger than it has for a decade or more - arguably as strong as the starting eleven.

We were set up to contain and niggle, clearing our throats for impact players to steal points from the bench late on. It nearly worked.

We rode our luck, allowing the home side too close for comfort several times. But Earnshaw was only denied a late winner by a remarkable right-place-right-time save by Federici.

It isn’t champagne stuff, but this is the Davies way. And it’ll do for me.

Camp – 7 – solid, mouthy, and always on hand to gobble up crosses – even if he has to have a bit of a juggle first. Camp is a great all-rounder, and the couple of gaffes he’ll make per season will be more than compensated by his general excellence.

Gunter – 7 – dependable at the back with several excellent last-ditch tackles, eager to get forward, and extremely hard-working for a young player whose ego has been consistently massaged for several years.

Morgan – 7 – usually starts the season with two months of overweight lumbering, but this was a tough performance.

Chambers – 5.5 – not a calamitous display and he was solid in patches. But he was stupidly red-carded and never looked far from an error. He is beaten too easily when the ball is at an opponent’s feet.

Lynch – 5.5 – as ever, he was a lot more dependable in the final third than in his defending.

McKenna – 8 – throws himself into wild challenges without fear or apprehension, breaks up attacks and distributes sensibly. He’s what Sammy Clingan should have been but never was. I hope this is what he’s always like.

Majewski – 7 – I liked him a lot, despite wondering off the radar once or twice. When he is involved he buzzes incessantly between the strikers and the midfield, eager for possession, eager for a sight at goal. He always looked agonisingly close playing a remarkable pass or through ball, only to be a couple of inches out. He’ll be very useful, I’m sure – although he was lucky not to be sent off.

Cohen – 6 – he’s never quite at home on the left, and his usually indefatigable engine seemed rather subdued. Injury interrupted his pre-season, he will be fine.

Garner – 6.5 – a dismal first half in which he looked as confused as the rest of us to be on the right wing. Perked up in the second 45 with a gutsy display, no doubt inspired by Davies was screaming into his ear from a yard away.

McGoldrick – 6.5 – some nice touches and decent movement. He’s a good footballer, but will he and his counterparts be happy about the timeshare agreement awaiting them?

Adebola – 7 – played a vital role in bruising his way to flick-ons and making something from very little when we had to clear our lines quickly. We’d have lost without him.

Subs:
Earnshaw – 7
Tyson – 6
McCleary – 6

Is Doughty Worried about County?

2009-07-22T13:43:00.000+01:00

On a typical Saturday at Meadow Lane less than a quarter of the stadium is in use. Meagre gatherings of 4,000 gawp and grumble as former Forest bit-parts and football league journeymen stage laborious tussles.

With the smattering of stooped elderly men and planes of empty seats it has an unfortunate feel of non-league. And, until the arrival of Munto Finance, that’s where County were heading.

The latest Middle Eastern invasion was cordially dismissed to begin with. Sky Sports News stretched to an afternoon mention and the local press were happy to regurgitate the soundbites.

But a £50,000 bid for Jack Lester wasn’t quite enough to push Manchester City’s £25m surge for Adebayor off the back pages.

Then came Sven.

All of a sudden everybody in the country has a curious eye on Notts County. And Forest fans are raising a cautionary eyebrow too.

After all, the new men at Notts are talking about a club for the community, about foreign links, about a true Nottingham rivalry. And if they’re prepared to open their wallets for Sven, they might just be serious after all.

Let’s face it, Eriksson won’t be spending an awful lot of time inside the solemn red-bricked walls of Meadow Lane. But even for his fleeting assistance he is likely to be taking well over a million a year.

Why else would he bother?

Mexico forked out £2m to get rid of him, Thai maniac Shinawatra paid him £2.5m for a year in charge at Manchester City, his England salary was £4.5m and his compensation for leaving the job cost the FA another £4m lump sum.

Sven doesn’t do projects. He does money.

With Forest again outspending every single club in the Championship, and assembling a City-style arsenal of strikers, I suppose we have to wonder whether or not Nigel Doughty is a little flustered about the notion of a thriving Notts County.

His plans for a flat-packed 50,000 seat commercial bowl do not make room for a big-spending city rival skimming its share of the next generation.

Notts have a long way to go before they repeat the stratospheric rise of similarly-subsidised Hoffenheim in Germany. For starters, cranky old Charlie and co will probably have to be paid off before the ball really starts rolling. But this week’s statement of intent is food for thought, nonetheless.

Whether Doughty’s sudden urge to spend was inspired by Billy’s impassioned demands or indeed the arrival of money to Meadow Lane, we’ll never really know.

Either way, I'm not complaining.

Strange Times at NG2

2009-07-17T17:29:00.002+01:00

Whatever happened to Nottingham Forest?

Don’t worry, read on, it’s not another inquest into the Great Decline of the 90s (or the Greater one of the 2000s, for that matter).

I’m talking about summer 2009 – the preseason that’s rewriting the rulebook, and probably preparing us for eternal disappointment hereafter.

It’s been the summer of action; of rumours with substance, of Evening Post promises that materialise, of deals being completed without the Ebay-style bidding policy of working from ‘derisory’ upwards.

The summer of gratification for the daydreaming legion whose cursors twitch around ‘Refresh’ from the moment a ‘source’ spots Neil Danns in Greggs.

It’s not very Forest, is it? But then neither was the armchair ending to the torturous season before us; months of nail-shearing ending in a dozy evening with Sky Sports.

And neither is the signing of players like Dele Adebola and Paul McKenna who are neither young nor born in Nottingham.

And am I right in recalling that the season ticket prices were published before June 30?

Something isn’t right.

I’m not sure I’m comfortable without being able to indulge in metaphors about doom and the apocalypse, and the forums don’t look right without threads like: “WHERE THE F**K ARE THE SIGNINGS FOREST YOU CUN...”

So what does it all mean? As a supporter group we are manically depressed and those who sobbed a bucket as Rob Jones signed for Scunthorpe are now predicting a Champions League spot.

The sensible conclusion has to be somewhere in the between.

We’ve made a string of solid signings, ranging from satisfactory to sensational, and the squad is taking shape.

Even stripped to its bare bones the squad looked meatier with Davies’ calculated ringing through it. Now it looks strong in its own right, and with another couple of additions it will be the strongest side we’ve had for a very long time.

We’ve added real men to the team. While Calderwood’s fancy was for the scrawny and etiolated, Davies has added meat to the bones with Adebola and McGoldrick – a burly centre-half will surely follow.

And we’ve taken a forward stride in targeting young talents who have already proven themselves at the right level.

But we have to be cautious. None of the players we’ve signed are world-beaters (at least not yet) and few have the Premiership strut that carries sides like Wolves into the big time. Those expecting a siege for the automatic places will probably be disappointed.

For the time being we have to be satisfied that we finally have a manager we can believe in - and a chairman who knows he has a manager to believe in.

This might not be our time, but all the signs are that our time is not too far away...

Final Thought: What on earth will compulsive-attendee Ebby do when Forest kick off two different games at 3pm tomorrow? His head may well explode.

Nearly there...

2009-04-25T19:19:00.000+01:00

Forest never do things the easy way, do they? We should have been raising a glass to safety this evening, but instead we’ll be supping up with one cautious eye on the league table.

It’s been a remarkable turnaround, and for a few weeks almost everything has gone our way. But there remains a chance of a final day disaster, at least until Monday evening.

We played fairly badly this afternoon; trapped somewhere between complacency and incompetence. But we did enough.

Blackpool were determined to throw down the anchor on 2008/09 and they didn’t let us have our own way. Davies set out for a sensible point.

Forest took the lead on the back of a polished move and another excellent Lynch cross. The subsequent 15 minutes saw a run of opportunities to double the lead.
The home side were nothing special, but they were scrappy enough and ugly enough to keep the game on a leash.

They had enough about them to cash in on a leaky back five system which lacked anything of the discipline shown at Sheffield United. The equaliser came after Chambers dived in on the half-way line and his colleagues failed to recover.

Garner’s automated toppling strategy gave us 20 minutes of hope, but Blackpool were in no mood to take their own battle to the final day and they were boisterous in every tackle.

Chris Cohen’s free kick was tipped over (perhaps his first ever passable set piece), Earnshaw came close with a net-whistling strike that had some Forest fans celebrating, and James Perch missed the target with a free header.

In stoppage time McGugan had a customary scolding from Earnshaw after drilling a poor shot into the keeper’s arms instead of passing.

But Forest fans filed out in fairly high spirits, dwelling on the usual doomsday scenarios and mathematical strategies that dominate conversation at this time of year.

A few over-excited simpletons playing up for the ITV cameras were a little more sure of our fortunes than I am, but we’re very nearly there.

As we suspected, a win against relegated Southampton – who will have no incentive beyond pride – will keep us up, and probably reshape the entire future of the football club.

I celebrated the Burnley and Wolves equalisers as though they were our own, and I’ll reserve equal passion for a Reading victory on Monday. I just hope we’re not being buttered up before an almighty fall.

The Blackpool fans were happier this afternoon, but the joke’s on them. Their back garden continues to be a cesspit of vomiting Glaswegians and fat orange slappers in costume.

For the record, if the game had kicked off at 3pm I wouldn’t have made it today. The M6 Northbound was stationary for 15 miles on the way back home. The chaos has swallowed up several thousand Manchester United fans on their way to Old Trafford. And as of 5pm a Villa fan I know was stuck at J16 (Stoke) where he’d been since 1 o’clock. The Villa team coach passed him on its way back to Brum...

Ratings

Smith – 6 – excellent save from a late free-kick, but the same old story.
Gunter – 6 – not as comfortable in the advanced role.
Chambers – 6 – not a horror show by any means, but one or two shaky moments spoiled the performance.
Morgan – 6.5 – not as solid with the weight of the entire team on his shoulders.
Breckin – 6 – not mobile enough, but just about coped.
Lynch – 7 – incisive ball for Blackstock’s goal. A reasonable defensive performance.
Osbourne – 7- another solid performance.
Perch – 7 – good tackling back, but couldn’t bridge the gap between defence and attack.
Cohen – 6 – a poor game by his own high standards, compounded by typically poor set pieces (one free kick aside). He’s overdue that summer holiday.
Garner – 7 – scrappy, and his gumption saw them reduced to ten men. Would he have scored if he’d stayed on his feet? I don’t think so.
Blackstock – 7 – a handful all afternoon, and a vital goal.

Subs

McCleary – 7 – not suited to the ploughed playing surface, but he caused problems.
Earnshaw – 6 – only one real chance.
McGugan – 6 – too late for an impact.

Exhausting

2009-04-13T19:08:00.000+01:00

Easter weekend is supposed to be a holiday, but it has been a lot more exhausting than a couple of days at work.

Over the course of one weekend we have stared down the barrel of a gun, lifted a city to its feet in ecstasy, and stood firm against the odds to keep hopes alive. And we’ve done it all in about the hardest possible way.

Saturday was chaos. With 80 minutes played we were running out ideas, and the clock was speeding by with our Championship status affixed.

On 85 minutes we were convincing ourselves that a point kept the door open just wide enough for us to slip through.

After 95 minutes we were in rapture, and it took another 95 minutes to heave another priceless point away from South Yorkshire this afternoon.

This weekend has restored ailing faith, and it has uncovered crucial evidence that our side has the bottle and the resilience needed to stave off catastrophe.

We were a weaker, meeker, friendlier side earlier in the season. There is no doubt in my mind that a spirited Sheffield United side, ears ringing from the yearning roar of a packed Bramall Lane, would have beaten us before Davies arrived.

-

Today we had to be ugly, cynical and – at times – flagrantly fraudulent.

Every substitute disappeared to the far wing, every throw-in took an age, every loose ball was rolled into no man’s land at the sound of the referee’s whistle. And more importantly than any of that, every single player had to stand tall and do the work of several.

Wilson was the only man to let Nottingham Forest down this afternoon, and he owes the club a substantial debt.

Forest had started the game brightly and were covering a lot of ground to keep United quiet; it was an encouraging fifteen minutes.

And then came Wilson’s moment of sheer absurdity. United won a disputable free kick and Greg Halford made off with the ball under his arm. Wilson tried to retrieve it, and after a few words in anger he dropped his forehead on to Halford’s – three yards away from the referee.

It was more of a head-shove than a headbutt, and it didn’t warrant the theatrical collapse. But it was a clear and obvious red card, and I’d expect any footballer in 2009 to do exactly what Halford did.

What followed was virtually an entire game of frayed nerves and heart-stoppers.
If the game was played back now, United would probably look fairly ordinary – a strong side having an off day, and feeling the effects of a long run of success.

But during the game they seemed likely to score from every single attack. They seemed to have a hundred corners and a thousand crosses allowed into the box.

Our defending was desperate, tireless and admirable. From the moment Wilson was sent off they set up like a brick wall and threw themselves in front of every stray ball.

In midfield it was a triumph for substance over style. Cohen and Osbourne covered a lot of ground and tried to plot an escape route into United’s half, Perch was fearless.

Davies ran the show from the touchline. He took every free header and stray ball as a personal insult and made astute changes at crucial times. Very occasionally he would hide at the back of the dugout, waiting to explode if the seemingly inevitable United goal came.

Billy hasn’t given up yet, by any means. His venomous, rumbustious spirit and self belief could be what drags us over the finishing line with our necks spared.

It is going to be incredibly tight. I feel nauseous just browsing the fixture list.

Next weekend sees Barnsley travel to a despondent Reading, while Norwich take on rivals Ipswich, who are wobbling in the face of mid-table obscurity.

Three points against Coventry, who have nothing to play for, is vital. Beyond that we will probably need to take something from Blackpool, and beat Southampton (who might not be down by then, after all).

It is an awful lot to ask, but with the bottle and resilience of this afternoon, it can be done. And what a difference it would make to the future of Nottingham Forest.

Ratings Vs Sheffield United [A]

2009-04-13T19:07:00.000+01:00

Smith – 8 – several excellent saves and a lot more challenging for crosses. His distribution let down his performance, giving United the ball far too easily with meandering balls to nobody. Davies almost choked with fury about it at one stage, even turning to berate the goalkeeping coach.

Gunter – 8 – his quality showed today, in sporadic bursts forward and some tough defending.

Chambers – 8 – a lot tougher, and a lot more composed, than we have come to expect.

Breckin – 8 – we needed his experience and composure.

Morgan – 8 – tough, forceful and bold. Never once buckled under the pressure.

Wilson - / - nonsensical stupidity. Slap him with the maximum fine.

Cohen – 8.5 – spirit wise, he’s probably the best player in the country to have in a battle like this.

Osbourne - 8 – outstanding, again.

Perch – 7.5 – gave a lot to the cause this afternoon, but he gave the ball away a few times – triggering panic.

Blackstock - 7 – not the work rate I’d have liked, but that’s not his style. He was a useful target for a midfield that had no objective beyond finishing the game.

Garner – 7 – did everything he could in difficult circumstances.

McCleary - 7 -
McGugan - 7 -
Anderson - 7 -

Purgatory

2009-04-04T19:14:00.002+01:00

At full time, 3,500 gave a defiant chorus of ‘Forest til I die’. It was a valiant and heartfelt gesture, but it felt almost like a cue for the death knoll.

This could be the point that saves Forest, but it could just as easily be the missing two that cost the club its place in the Championship.

I think Forest deserved a win, and if this game proves pivotal it will be galling for reasons far beyond our misfortune. I have never been so convinced that a referee was making decisions on the basis of a grudge.

Sometimes referees make dubious calls and their competence is questioned, but some of the decisions this afternoon were not incompetent – they were frankly inexplicable.

Any 50-50 decisions that could have gone Barnsley’s way did so without consideration, and the referee turned a blind eye to some outrageous cynicism.

At one stage Osbourne was hauled down with the graceless indecency of a rugby tackle, not more than 5 yards from the referee. He didn’t spot it.

He awarded a corner for a shot that evaded Turner’s sprawling palm by two yards. His eyes glazed over as five or six horribly late challenges left Forest men in an anguished heap. He remarkably ignored the moment when a Barnsley man kicked Cohen in the shins, studs blazing. The assistant, idling less than a metre away, buckled to stage fright too.

It wasn’t our day. Every spare ball, every rebound, and every ricochet seemed to squirm into the path of a Barnsley player. But this was a spirited and workmanlike display from Forest and we were never too far away from the finished product.

The first half was played out in Barnsley’s half. Their breakaways were a problem because our defence, as ever, was frenzied. But until the last 5 minutes it was a comfortable half for us, we were steadily but surely working toward a lead.

When Barnsley imposed themselves at the end of the half our defending was panic-stricken and timorous. There was too much apprehension about the consequences of falling behind, and it’s something that could cost us in the remaining games.

Barnsley’s goal was revolting. My view was poor but it seemed to be a clash of poor defending and questionable goalkeeping. It was characterised by the goading, slurring, snarling Yorkshiremen bursting blood vessels to rub salt into Forest wounds.

It’s always the same in Yorkshire. The natives are more concerned about the visitors’ having a miserable time than they are about their own club's success.
Most of them had only bothered limping down from their back-to-backs because of the discounted ticket prices. Their typically obnoxious celebrations made the subsequent penalty miss and equaliser a lot more satisfying.

The mood lifted tremendously after Turner’s save from an atrocious penalty. After that I was certain of an equaliser, even after Earnshaw thumped the crossbar. The travelling supporters were almost sucking the ball into the net.

Sadly we ran out of breath. Barnsley had a host of opportunities as we surged forward, and for a time it was end-to-end. It was physically exhausting to watch.

The closest we came was a ball from Garath McCleary which rolled across the goal-line with the keeper beaten. Cohen retrieved the ball, lying unattended at the corner flag, and he probably should have done better with the eventual shot.

It’s not a disaster, but we’re facing serious peril now. This is a point that keeps hopes alive, but leaves us in purgatory.

We may well need three wins from five games. I’m not sure where they will come from.

It has been refreshing to watch a Forest side with some genuinely good players in it, but I fear we may well be returning to the abyss. The likes of Earnshaw and Blackstock are unlikely to come along with us.

Ratings Vs Barnsley [A]

2009-04-04T19:13:00.000+01:00

Turner - 7 – a fairly shaky first half. Made some smart saves and excellent decisions in the second.

Gunter – 7 – solid display and some good passes.

Morgan – 7.5 – his mistake nearly cost us late in the second half, but for most of the game he was like a brick wall – throwing himself in the path of everything and everybody. A worthy captain.

Wilson – 6.5 – solid performance, one or two poor passes.

Lynch – 6.5 – solid but unremarkable. Played a great ball for Earnshaw in the second half that almost created a goal.

Cohen – 7.5 – tireless and desperate performance.

Osbourne – 7.5 – excellent display as he roved forwards and back, always found a pass.

McGugan – 7 – a decent performance from a slimmed-down Lewis, until he disappeared in the chaos of the second half.

Blackstock – 7 – the target we’ve been lacking. Not a sensational performance, but he holds the ball up and finds useful flick-ons – we don’t have anybody else capable of that.

Earnshaw – 7.5 – should have bagged a couple more really, but this was a busy and hard-working performance from the best striker we’ve had in a very long time. I think he knows he’ll be leaving if we’re relegated, and I think he’s desperate to help us avoid it.

Tyson – 6 – poor touches throughout the game and not particularly effective from the wing. Had one or two promising moments as he took players on, but it didn’t really work. There is potential in Tyson latching on to Blackstock’s flicks.

Deep Trouble

2009-03-22T14:09:00.001Z

There was something special about today. An old foe, a big crowd, glorious sunshine – and an air of determined spirit bubbling beneath the entire afternoon.

It felt a bit like the good old days. Or at least the average old days that look so appealing when set against our current plight.

The players felt it, the supporters felt, and for long periods the game went as well as we could have hoped. And yet it all came to nothing – again.

It was a scrappy game with very few chances. Wolves played a surprisingly basic long ball game, hoping to cash in on the physical presence of Iwelumo and Ebanks-Blake.

Forest held firm, feeding occasionally on scraps, and Wolves were restricted to no more than two efforts on goal.

But just as Tyson and McCleary gave Forest fans license to dream of a cheeky winner, Wolves mustered a goal from nothing.

Their 5,000-strong support were in party mood for the final minutes as their team marches unhindered to the Premiership. Forest face an uncertain future.

At least half of our remaining games have to be wins, maybe even more. It is a lot to ask of any side.

Like most, I have spent the season waiting patiently for the predestined turnaround and peaceful mid-table run-in. But after several false starts, the run-in has arrived long before we are ready for it. Only now is the reality of our peril starting to become clear.

Star exits at basement prices, shrinking attendances, the return of the tedium, the terraces and the “you’re not famous anymore”. It could be just around the corner.

Turner – 7 – a steady performance from a goalkeeper keen to impress. His distribution was fairly average, but he immediately demonstrated that crosses and communication are no problem. This will appease the Smith critics.

Gunter -7 – a steady performance as part of a back four that looked worlds better than it did at Burnley last weekend.

Morgan – 9 – perhaps guilty of losing his man for the goal, but this was a titanic display from Forest’s outstanding player of the second half of the season.

Wilson – 8 – an efficient and industrious performance to keep a tough Wolves strikeforce quiet.

Lynch – 7 – continues to look a lot more settled in his role under Davies.

McGugan – 6 – not the battling performance that Davies’ rant might have inspired.

Cohen – 7 – played out of his skin and never shirked a challenge. This kind of metal was essential if Forest were to get a result today, and Cohen will be as disappointed as anybody that his efforts were not rewarded.

Perch – 6.5 – stood tall and threw himself into some vital challenges. We missed Osbourne or Moussi’s creative input in this role.

Earnshaw – 7 – worked extremely hard but had very little to work with. Earnshaw is desperate to avoid the drop.

McSheffrey – 6.5 – flashes of excellence, again, but struggled to sustain the quality against a strong Wolves side.

Anderson – 6.5 – looked a little bit lightweight at times, but his poise on the break continues to be a major asset.

Subs:
McCleary -6
Tyson -6
Garner-6

It could have been 10...

2009-03-14T19:37:00.001Z

Another 250 miles, another disgusting performance, and another bold stride in the direction of League One.

I cannot begin to understand how Forest contrived to follow their best week of the season with by far the worst. But that is exactly what has happened, and performances like the last two are not worthy even of the league below.

Burnley is a miserable place for visiting supporters; a sprawl of decaying back-to-backs, crumbling community centres and a stadium screaming for demolition.

The wind and fits of drizzle painted the vulgar scene in a morose grey hue, adding to the despondency. But nothing ruined this afternoon quite like Forest did.

Squad depletion and bad luck are no longer valid excuses. We are being humbled by teams that are not even noteworthy by Championship standards.

One of the most frustrating things about this afternoon is that we allowed a leggy Burnley side to stroll through us as though they are Brazil. The difference between the two sides looked greater than it did last Sunday when Burnley played at the Emirates - the outcome was a deserved embarrassment.

They had total freedom to dismantle and disgrace us on their own terms. Our defending was, yet again, as poor as it ever has been.

Going forward we had nothing short of dead-end runs, and occasional flickers of life from Osbourne were about the only outlet.

A team including McSheffrey, Earnshaw, Tyson and Cohen should never be quite as useless as Forest were this afternoon, but useless is no exaggeration.

If Burnley had delivered the kind of performance that saw Chelsea defeated it would have been double figures this afternoon.

Our supporters, raucous in the early stages, began to show the strains of the peril we are facing. Pockets of supporters audibly booing Paul Smith almost came to blows with those who took offence to the dissent. Some were driven to heckling, others simply buried grey faces into their hands to shield their eyes from the carnage.

It is all seems terrifyingly familiar.

Champions elect Wolves are next in line. It could get worse before it gets better.

Ratings:

Smith – 4 – seven more games as Forest’s first choice keeper. Poor distribution all afternoon, and a howler that pulled open the floodgates.
Chambers – 4 – allowed almost every attempted cross to reach the box, melted into literal insignificance as they walked their second into the net.
Morgan – 5 – not as many gaffes as Chambers, but a defence conceding 5 goals is capped at a rating of 5. At five o’clock I’d have been inclined to set the glass ceiling at 1.
Perch – 5 – as above.
Gunter – 5 – he’s a good footballer, and potentially twice the quality of every other full-back at the club. A few training sessions with Super Luke and co should hammer him down a notch or two.
McCleary – 4.5 – one or two stepovers that succeeded only in ending our attacks. When he plays like this there is simply no point in him being out there.
Osbourne – 6 – his occasional breakthrough passes were our only hope.
Cohen – 5 – of course he battled and grafted, but he didn’t get anywhere.
McSheffrey – 5 – largely anonymous. I’m starting to think that we will never see his talent flourishing in a Forest shirt. He is a top quality player at this level, but we are very poor.
Earnshaw – 6 – I had a lot of sympathy with him today. Service?
Tyson – 5 – could not get involved.
Subs:
Garner – 6
Thornhill -6
McGugan - /

Buzzards

2009-03-11T01:25:00.000Z

An evening of rampant and unfathomable nonsense from a Forest side lacking any of the qualities showcased over the last week.

Davies dropped Earnshaw for the game, but his biggest mistake was dropping the work rate, movement and common sense.

This kind of performance not only thrusts Forest back into relegation peril, it also alienates supporters.

I travelled a total of 340 miles to see the game. My wallet feels somewhat dainty. Some squandered annual leave on afternoons away from work, while others will be patching together excuses for their day off school.

And for what? From the first minute Forest were second best against a team that boasts no upgrade in ability. I do sometimes wonder if football players have any real grasp of the sacrifices people make to watch them go to work.

The pitch was a squalid mass of ploughed turf and divots. Forest had trouble making 5-yard passes across it, but Watford somehow strolled through the handicap whenever they reached the final third.

It would not be much of an exaggeration to say that Forest’s defending tonight was the poorest in living memory.

Oh how they reeled at predictable through balls and sidewards passes. Smith blushed and shrugged, his vacuous comrades fell weak at the knees and Watford’s forwards skipped and sauntered through meadows of space.

The opening goal was the result of hilariously bad marking, and only minutes later the defence waved in a Don Cowie for Watford’s second. He spurned his shot impossibly wide from 10-yards, and Forest somehow lived on.

A gaffe from Guy Moussi, who played with his head floating in the clouds, should also have made it two. A little while later Smith was forced into a close-range block as Forest’s defenders attempted some kind of panic-stricken offside trap from a corner.

Matt Thornhill finished beautifully on 17 minutes, squaring the scores against the run of play. The 2,000 travelling supporters saw a lifeline, but their men gracelessly refused it.

Watford looked frail defensively, and the opportunity to seize the game was dangling in perfect snatching distance.

But at no stage did Forest look capable of taking advantage. Lynch’s injury landed another blow, and his replacement Ian Breckin was responsible for the second goal.

The veteran was left appealing for offside in piteous desperation as he staggered yards behind Rasiak and watched the goal from afar.

Earnshaw’s introduction at half-time showed spirit and ambition from Davies, but it proved misguided.

I would love to tell the story of a resurgent Forest battling to the death and missing out on a draw by sheer bad luck. It simply isn’t the case.

Had anybody left during the break, they would have missed out on absolutely nothing.

My enduring memory of the second half is Paul Smith kicking the ball as hard as he could towards midget Robert Earnshaw, catching the ball 20 seconds later, and then kicking it as hard as he could ad infinitum.

There are not many games to go now, and despite showing so much promise over the last week it looks as though our season will go the wire.

I have genuine faith in the manager’s shrewdness and ambition, but it will count for nothing if we cannot weather the storm and survive in this division.

One or two more performances of this standard will bring the buzzards to the City Ground. No question.

Ratings Vs Watford [A]

2009-03-11T01:13:00.000Z

Smith – 5 – without mentioning his ‘commanding’ or ‘dealing with crosses’, his distribution tonight was awful. His throwing has improved of late, but tonight we saw an unwelcome return for the Smith that daren’t pass to anybody unless they’re in a different time zone.

Chambers – 5 – struggled, and his passes invariably found yellow shirts.

Morgan – 6 – held together a sinking ship at times, but he can do better.

Wilson – 6 – a couple of important last ditch tackles, but without them his rating would be a lot lower.

Lynch – 5 - lost his man several times before retiring with an unfortunately-timed injury.

Thornhill – 6.5 – plenty of graft and a lovely goal. He wasn’t as involved as we needed him to be, but tonight was not his fault.

Moussi – 4.5 – one of those days where the imperious Moussi is replaced by one that plays like a blind man.
McGugan – 5 – several telling cries of “oh, is Lewis playing” when he occasionally stumbled over the ball. We aren’t in a position to carry this type of player.

McCleary – 6.5 – several pacy runs from deep that caused problems. He was probably the only player likely to create anything all night.

Tyson – 5 – he’ll feel still tomorrow morning. Running into broader shoulders and dead ends all night.

McSheffrey – 6 – there are flashes of real quality, but he fluffed too many important moments.

Subs:

Breckin – 5
Earnshaw - 6
Osbourne - 7

New Stadium...again

2009-03-09T22:32:00.002Z

It's coming. I have little doubt about that.

Forest have been conditioning supporters to embrace the change for some time.

The new stadium was pitched as a dangling carrot during desperate times and a new Main Stand has only ever been spoken of as a severe hindrance.

Calls for the rusting and faded crevices of the City Ground to feel the stroke of a paint brush have been rejected numerous times - fans are less likely to defend the virtue of a sagging rust bucket.

Of course, like most fans, I don't trust the incumbent regime to handle the move in a way that manages the club's dignity.

I expect a name sponsor, I expect a boring design, and I expect an out-of-town lump surrounded by £9 car parks and commercial plazas.

A new stadium that puts excitement and atmosphere before leg room and profits would suit me. But the reality could well be a half-empty box; all concrete and Starbucks, with supporters lounging peaceably in spacious seats. Those of us with years of service at the City Ground will be left rambling about the good old days.

I'm barely getting started and already I'm wisened enough to lament places like the Ricoh Arena in contrast to their predecessors.

The new stadiums are striking off the last remnants of football's golden age and the next generation will know no better. The trouble is, if we don't buy a ticket we will very quickly be left a long way behind.

A Galling Affair

2009-03-07T20:59:00.000Z

Not too many Forest fans would have turned up their noses at the prospect of seven points from our last three games.

It has been a challenging week, crucially coinciding with two overdue arrivals and a return to fitness for the likes of Guy Moussi.

I am satisfied with a point this afternoon. Swansea are a class act; they move the ball expertly and force results by dominating possession. In Jason Scotland they have a ballistic missile leading the front line.

But for the third time we coped, and at times a little better.

We are starting games with vigour and tenacity under Davies and, other than Cohen’s opener against Derby in the cup, I can scarcely remember a brighter start to a game.

Unfortunately it did not last. Swansea took control of the game and asked a lot of questions of a defence that sagged and swayed in Morgan’s absence.

There were problems going forward to. Moussi was a spare part for the opening 20 minutes, touching the ball twice and wandering without purpose.

He and Osbourne tucked in and, eventually, made good in a difficult system. But at points in the first half we were breaking with only Earnshaw and Cohen to aim for.

It is a credit to the seasoning of real quality we now have in the side that we managed to create so many chances.

There were flashes of excellence from McSheffrey, and players like Paul Anderson are never far from action.

But largely this was one of those galling affairs where every second ball squirms to the opposition and every firm shoulder solicits attention from the referee.

When Swansea cashed in on Paul Smith’s daydreaming meander I could not see an escape route. Not at all because Swansea had outclassed us, but because nothing seemed to be dropping in our favour.

However, Davies’ resurgent Forest side is made of metal and not perspex. We kept asking questions, and Joel Lynch’s scything ball proved the perfect compliment to a beautifully-timed McGugan run.

It did not cross Davies’ mind to press for three points. Osbourne was urged to slow down his passage to the bench, and Perch was thrown into the middle at the expense of a baited Joe Garner.

There is no way of knowing if it was the right decision to make, but the spirited reaction to the point indicates that it isn’t too much of a problem.

There are no easy games left now, but the side is bursting with possibilities and the 10-15 points we will need are not beyond our ability.

With a full compliment of players and shrewd management from Davies we are really only two or three faces away from settling into a class above the turgid sides we are competing with.

Tuesday is a big game. Bring it on.

Ratings Vs Swansea [H]

2009-03-07T20:41:00.002Z

Smith – 5 – not a bad performance, but from my end he looked to be at fault for the goal.

Chambers – 5 – struggled defensively this afternoon and allowed too many crosses into the box.

Wilson – 7 – I thought he did a fairly good job of keeping Scotland’s influence to a minimum. A player capable of 20 Championship goals will always slip through the net once or twice.

Breckin – 6 – stretched to breaking point at times, but he just about coped.

Lynch – 7 – another strong performance, following up two steady displays. Frankly he looks a different player to the dithering lump responsible for so many errors before Christmas.

Anderson – 6.5 – his decision-making let him down, as it often does, but he is an incessant threat.

Osbourne – 7 – another fairly droopy opening, followed by another solid performance. He is largely of the bread-and-butter variety, but his occasional forays show that he is closer to Lurpak than he is Soft Spread.

Moussi – 7 – he looked rather like a surplus volunteer in the opening 20 minutes, but his range, ambition and accuracy proved useful. He can do better.

Cohen – 6.5 – three games in seven days took some of the zest out of his display. His box-to-box approach could prove vital if Moussi and Osbourne are to be combined again in future.

McSheffrey – 7 – strokes of excellence, marred by one or two patches of rust. With five games under his belt he will bury chances like those he squandered today.

Earnshaw – 7 – always a threat. He continues to cover twice as much ground as he did under Calderwood. Keep it up Rob, or Billy will return you to the lonely corners of the bench.

Subs

McCleary – 6.5 – did a little bit too much backing out of challenges for my liking, but his pace and strength are excellent qualities.

McGugan – 7 – did what he was asked to do.

Perch – 7 – one thumping tackle of note.

A win that's bigger than Parkin (almost...)

2009-03-04T01:17:00.002Z

Just about the only thing capable of cheering up a dark, moody and sodden evening at the City Ground was three points. And Forest probably deserved them.

Swirling winds and torrents of rain are usually a nod to misery and silence at Forest, and as Preston passed rings around us in the opening minutes it was looking uncomfortably familiar.

But the visitors rarely followed up on their bright start, and our pace on the break offered an olive branch.

It was a turgid affair complete with scrappy tackles, balls disappearing into churning clouds of rain and ‘Pieman’ Parkin thrusting his bulging midriff into every challenge.

Forest did well to stay composed, even at the back, and the likes of Joel Lynch – a worthy scapegoat so many times previously – performed when it mattered most.

Preston are a strong side. They move the ball well, they are physical, and in their bloated centre forward they have a player surprisingly adept in his control – and lethal in his finishing.

I felt the first goal would prove crucial. A Preston opener would invite the usual collage of confusion and unrest, but on the night they were below par and a Forest opener held promise.

Chambers, Earnshaw and Cohen all came fairly close.

The raging winds and soaking rain subsided over half-time, excusing the Preston the task of battling against it the way Forest had. In the end it didn’t matter.

Earnshaw’s goal was an excellent team move, demonstrating perfectly the functional and satisfying football we have shown since the moment Tyson’s injury took long balls largely out of the occasion.
Cohen rescued something from nothing, Lynch’s dipping ball was exceptional, and Earnshaw’s header – while asking questions of the Preston defence – was buried with conviction.

The equaliser had to come from a corner. How the ball was allowed to bounce across the six-yard box I am not entirely sure, but bulbous Parkin’s zealous celebrations made the eventual winner especially satisfying.

It was purely the result of defensive calamity, but Earnshaw took it beautifully. And isn’t it about time we had a bit of good fortune?

The equaliser had rapped our knuckles, and the second goal thumped Preston squarely in the gut. The game was Forest’s thereafter.

We are made of slightly sterner stuff than we were before Christmas and we bossed possession admirably. Shrewd Davies and his delightfully obnoxious mind reeled down the clock.

Left-back Lynch dumped himself far over on the right hand side before the substitution, allowing for a long and pondering walk to the bench. Billy’s bouncing and shrieking made sure that McGugan and Earnshaw repeated the trick.

The fact that teams around us took points again leaves a sour aftertaste, but their wins only make it more important for us to be looking after ourselves.

This is a poor division, composed of at least 14 sides who have very little to choose between them. With a bit of fortune in terms of injuries, which we’re certainly due, we have a side more than capable of the 10-15 points that will secure safety.

Two more additions on the back of two mammoth wins would be a timely and crucial boost. Here’s to hoping.

Ratings Vs PNE [H]

2009-03-04T01:17:00.001Z

Smith – 7 – one or two heart attack moments, but he played as though responding to criticism. Quicker to leave his line and quicker to bowl the ball out. A more animated Smith is no more confident, but it’s an improvement.

Chambers – 6 – fairly solid defensively, but it went no further. Some of his distribution, which consisted of absurdly optimistic balls towards Earnshaw, let his display down.

Morgan – 8 – another brute-like show of resilience from Big Wes who shaded the intriguing battle with the Pieman.

Wilson – 7 – one of his stronger performances, crowned by a vital late challenge in the first half.

Lynch – 7.5 – his best display for Forest without reasonable question. Had their winger under wraps all game and played some good balls into the box. Just one or two clumsy moments.

Anderson – 7 – his final decision-making continues to let him down, but his pace and industry on the break are an incredible outlet.

McGugan – 6 – drifted in and out of the game. If Davies can whip McGugan into shape and channel his moments of brilliance into real consistency then we will have a player of remarkable quality.

Osbourne – 7 – a couple of mistakes in the first half, but otherwise I thought he was impressive. Calm and collected in possession, he wriggles his way out of danger and plays sensible balls with impressive accuracy. He doesn’t have the livewire quality of Moussi, but he seems to be a very good signing.

Cohen – 7 – he gave possession away a couple of times but his legwork and relentless spirit are vital in close games like this one.

McCleary – 7 – caused a lot of headaches with his jinking runs and pace. I was concerned that his, ahem, gamesmanship late on was going to be a semi-serious injury.

Earnshaw – 8 – you cannot ask anymore from a 5ft centre forward on a night like this. Two very well taken goals, and his record at Forest continues to be as brilliant as it has been everywhere else.

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

2009-02-28T20:42:00.001Z

...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?

2009-02-21T19:05:00.002Z

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]

2009-02-21T18:43:00.000Z

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]

2009-02-14T20:21:00.000Z

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]

2009-02-14T20:18:00.000Z

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...

2009-02-14T20:13:00.001Z

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]

2009-02-12T15:54:00.000Z

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

2009-02-05T00:22:00.001Z

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]

2009-02-05T00:05:00.000Z

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

Ratings Vs Birmingham [A]

2009-01-31T22:03:00.002Z

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 -

Soviet Russia?

2009-01-31T22:03:00.001Z

From the moment I tumbled out of bed and ploughed my toe into the door frame this morning I was quite sure that this wasn’t going to be our day.

This early trauma was followed by a nightmare day of irksome traffic jams, a panicking sat nav and, ultimately, a disappointing Reds defeat.

At half past five this evening I was parked outside an Asda, literally gluing bits of the car back together as goading Welshmen lumbered by. There can be no better allegory for Forest’s own fortunes.

Davies was left with no choice but to field a patchwork Forest side for this afternoon. The return of Cohen and Morgan gave a timely boost, but the team was tearing at the seams before the game had started.

For 18 minutes we staged an admirable impression of a team with no blemishes to mention, but their opening goal was a hammer blow.

The visiting supporters, in the strongest possible voice for the opening 18 minutes, were left brooding over the reality of defeat.

Forest’s performance degenerated in tandem. Gaps at the back became chasms, and individual errors became fairly regular. Long balls for Tyson were the spirited but futile response.

And through all of this, the Cardiff side we have spent the entire week quaking about were fairly dull.

The famous Cardiff supporters remained fairly unmoved too; their cauldron of horror and intimidation struck me as more like a drop-in centre for the mentally disabled.

Despite our own faults and frailties I did not once give up the hope of a useful point this afternoon.

We scrapped, hassled, battled and harried, all despite the shackles of a referee determined to blow up for every 50-50 and shoulder barge.

The problem was the lack of chances. Tyson was starved all afternoon, latching on to scraps and wayward headers with little effect.

Many thought his determination had brought us an equaliser. I noticed the referee’s gesticulations early on and didn’t bother to celebrate. Whether the goal was ruled out for the challenge on the defender or the goalkeeper I’m not entirely sure.

Cardiff’s second was an almost inevitable response to Forest’s subsequent sulking.

All things considered we probably deserved to lose, but only just.

The home side were organised and confident, but something tells me they were not at the races today and a below par Forest side was never more than a stride behind.

We did very little more than roll up our sleeves and ride our luck on through balls this afternoon, yet we still came desperately close to snatching something against one of the division’s stronger teams.

It makes it even more frustrating that Arthur is baulking over transfer fees – under sensible management we are clearly only two or three players away from being extremely comfortable in mid-table.

Stretched as we are, I am concerned about how many more times we will be man-handled out of the way through a simple lack of numbers. Building for the future is sensible, but why do players signed for a relegation battle necessarily have no use during better times? Baffling.

If next season does bring better times, I have almost no doubt that Cardiff will still be around to share them. They’re punching above their weight at the moment, and without their creaking hovel of an abode next season they may find themselves struggling for points.

The new stadium, for the record, is built in the car park of a supermarket and looks unashamedly as though it is made of Lego.

Residential Cardiff itself remains a colder and less welcoming version of Soviet Russia.

Ratings Vs Cardiff [A]

2009-01-31T22:01:00.000Z

Smith – 6 – a quiet afternoon. No particularly difficult saves to make. His kicking and ‘commanding’ were below par, but you knew that already didn’t you?

Chambers – 6 – another extremely hard-working display, undermined by familiarly poor positioning. He had the measure of their wingers in the most part, but he is quick to run out of ideas when things get complicated. Seemed to lose his man for the goal.

Morgan – 7 – a welcome return.

Breckin – 7 – solid enough overall.

Wilson – 6.5 – a reasonable game despite being marooned on the left. I’d sooner start Wilson at left back than the much-maligned Lynch.

McCleary – 4.5 – we know all about his potential, and he was fairly useful on Tuesday night, but this was a horror show. Balls were bouncing off him as if he hadn’t played the sport before.

McGugan – 6.5 – dire set pieces and wasted one or two opportunities with scuffs, other than that he was useful in putting his foot on the ball and buying time.

Perch – 7 – vanished a few times but returned to make some important tackles. His sideward passing can be frustrating and unnecessary, but recently it has played into Davies’ hands perfectly.

Thornhill – 7.5 – one of his best performances for the club. Came into his own with plenty of graft and some decent movement.

Cohen – 7 – plenty of work but not as much craft. Allowed his frustration to get the better of him in the end.

Tyson – 7 – did ok on his own, but the partnership he has been working on with Earnshaw wasn’t particularly evident with Garner.

Subs:

Garner – 6.5
Moloney – 6.5

A vital win

2009-01-28T00:26:00.000Z

A very big win tonight. The kind of win we may look to at the end of the season and feel particularly grateful for, and the kind of win that we most certainly would not have registered two months ago.

The change in manager and the enormous reality check that followed it have, so far, turned the club on its head.

Gone are the promising performances dogged by exasperating decisions and eventual defeats. Welcome to the era of common sense and the delightful knack for, well, winning.

Let’s hope it continues.

Lining up without Bennett, Morgan, Cohen and Anderson is somewhat daunting. The team looked desperately weak and, musing over our prospects in the pre-game traffic jam, I might have taken a draw.

At 0-1 and looking fairly dour, I had no doubt in my mind that a point would suffice.

And then came the magic. Tyson effortlessly despatches a one-on-one, with his right foot, and Jeffers is sent off. All of a sudden it looked almost certain to be Forest’s day.

Most of the second half was abominable. There was very little effort to grasp possession and Wednesday’s height and graft kept pulses racing all evening.

The entire stadium was shrouded by a brooding mood swing over the visitors’ resilience. And who would have thought that Luke Chambers would be the one to emerge from the gloom?

After the second goal, which I hadn’t seen coming, we always looked comfortable.

Tonight was not about a performance, it would about grinding out three points and beginning the laborious process of cementing distance between ourselves and the bottom three. It was about back-to-back home wins, shrugging off a monkey that has weighed us down for months,

Derby tumbling into the relegation zone is a delightful bonus,

The only concern is our mounting injury list. A team without Bennett, Breckin, Morgan, Moussi, Cohen, Anderson, Earnshaw and Garner (suspended) would be hard pushed to thrive even in the league below.

I hope to see one or two new faces before the Cardiff game.

A word on the opposition. Wednesday are a fine old club, and their numbers tonight deserve credit at the very least. We have a common anguish in our burning desire to avoid a return to League One.

Like Forest, Wednesday is a club that has missed the boat in recent years. Both clubs are badly in need of a lick of paint, in a literal sense if you care to look at either stadium.

With bolshie Bill at the helm, I’m more confident than I have been for a long time that our return to splendour might not be so far away.

Ratings: Vs Wednesday [H]

2009-01-28T00:12:00.002Z

Smith – 6.5 – not the busiest of games but he was generally solid and his distribution (at least when rolling or throwing) was satisfactory. Nearly cost us early in the second half by disappearing into a cloud of bodies and not emerging until a goal kick was given.

Chambers – 6 – beaten rather easily a few times and played some very poor balls, but a vital goal.

Breckin – 7 – a simple and solid display.

Wilson – 7 – as above. Davies’ straightforward approach to defending is doing the job, for now.

Heath – 7 – already better than Lynch. Industrious if imperfect as a defender, and as comfortable in possession as anybody at the club.

Davies – 6 – a bright start, but ultimately something of a disappointment. Disappears all too easily.

McGugan – 6 – perhaps I expect too much from him, but I think he has the ability to take control of games like today’s. Unfortunately he went missing quite often. His set-pieces are useful compared with the alternatives.

Perch – 7.5 – another solid display hoovering up behind the midfield. I’m not a big Perch fan, but he’s been solid.

McCleary – 7 – excellent through ball for Tyson’s goal. He has the credentials, but not always the application.

Earnshaw – 7 – working harder than he ever has before and it’s getting results. He and Tyson have evidently been spending a lot of time together in training – is this the closest thing we’ve had to a partnership since Johnson and Harewood?

Tyson – 8 – looks twice the player of a few months ago. He’s even controlling the ball. It’s funny what confidence can do.

Subs:

Garner – 6 – no change from a pretentious referee.

Thornhill – 6

Moloney – 6

Hysteria Part Two

2009-01-24T01:18:00.001Z

It’s half time. It has been a disaster.

Weeks of expectancy have passed, building to a crescendo of absent daydreams and nauseating anticipation. At the moment it all seems to have been a waste of time.

I comment that a replay seems as appealing as a final itself. The 45 minutes looming before us has an empty quality and the mood is one of thorough despondency.

As a football fan this is very nearly the lowest point imaginable.

But the best is yet to come. Once again, in a style that has barely seemed possible at points over the last ten years, Forest emerged to salvage pride and send spirits through the stratosphere.

The madness of the 64^th minute is something I would not swap for worlds.

Expansive and vivid though it is, the English language has no words to adequately describe the celebration of goals as meaningful as Earnshaw’s tonight.

It is nothing less than hysteria - a terrifying mass of lunacy and derangement. The noise levels are tempestuous; it is as if the crowd has been set ablaze and is roaring for life itself.

It is almost literally priceless.

On reflection it is a touch disturbing that this sport of ours can pull grown men to the uppermost extremities of human emotion. But it does, and attempting to rationalise it is a job beyond my means.

Two clashes with Derby this season have knocked years off my life, and it is a daunting but impelling thought that we are only half way there.

For long periods tonight the fact that this was an FA Cup tie was unreservedly forgotten and irrelevant. But what it does mean is that somebody must come out on top next time.

Frankly the consequences of defeat seem insufferable.

Defeats to Derby in the past have left me sulking for weeks to follow, but that is what makes these fixtures so enticing.

That is why every single one of us will spend the next ten days or so doing exactly what we did this week – staring into space and relishing the glorious possibilities.

One thing is for sure, we will have to raise our game. Not only for the Derby fixtures, but for the very purpose of survival. Maintaining our exceptional form whilst teams below us tackle disarray could prove crucial.

For half of tonight’s match we were diabolical. Defensively we afforded them time and space beyond explanation, the midfield melted into obscurity, and the forwards chased shadows.

Every cross and every corner threatened to induce heart attacks and Smith, regaled by full time, gave a masterclass in how not to command an area.

In the second half it was a different story entirely. Having the confidence to attack a game can do wonderful things and Derby were left reeling by Tyson, McCleary and Anderson. Their combined pace, with Earnshaw fizzing between them, was simply too much.

For 15 minutes in the second half we dominated but the storm seemed to have past when Earnshaw netted. I shall be forever grateful that it hadn’t.

Overcoming the hammer blow of a manager gone astray is huge. Wes Morgan’s absence for similarly troubling reasons was another major handicap prior to kick off. But we have survived, and now the path to glory has surely been set?

Only time will tell, of course. I’m rather hoping for a repeat of 2003’s City Ground romp – I’m simply not sure that my heart can stand another game like this.

The best of wishes to Billy Davies, who is tackling one of the few circumstances in life that render all of the above completely meaningless.

Ratings Vs Sheep [A]

2009-01-24T00:34:00.000Z

Smith – 8.5 – a 10 for his second half heroics, but he struggled in the first half. At one stage his front post was exposed for a corner, his response was to shrug and point at it like a scared child. If Smith is to be our number one goalkeeper he really must work on this part of his game.

Chambers – 6 – struggled at times, especially in failing to cut out crosses, but this was a tremendously hard-working display. Chambers adores the adulation of the supporters and is relishing life as a Championship player, I just don’t think he is quite good enough.

Breckin – 7 – a solid performance overall, despite several moments of indecision – particularly later on when legs were dragging. His negative approach to defending can be frustrating, but it suits a team that is under the cosh and I was grateful to have him there tonight.

Wilson – 7 – one of his better performances this season. One or two mistakes, which he atoned for, and a concrete performance.

Lynch – 4 – Kelly says he was injured at half-time, which means Lynch either bottled it or Kelly is protecting him. A woeful display.

Anderson – 7.5 – his pace on the break was fundamental to our recovery. He will be missed. He and Cohen were superb on the break.

Perch – 8 – I’m not Perch’s biggest fan but I thought he matured remarkably for the occasion. His midfield input consisted of little more than scrapping, but some of his last ditch tackles were exceptional.

McGugan – 6.5 – a tale of two halves, as with everybody else. Missed the opportunity to boss the game in the second half; he could have owned the midfield tonight and an on-song Lewis might have won it.

Cohen – 7.5 – somewhat lost in a midfield that was being bypassed completely, but his application made him extremely useful in the second half. I can remember two or three cross-field balls that were remarkable.

Earnshaw – 8 – what a moment, and what an excellent striker’s goal.

Tyson – 8 – looks three or four times the player that he did a few months ago. I now get excited when the ball leaves his boot. Keep it up, please.

McCleary – 7 – a bit of a ‘one trick pony’, but the trick seemed to work tonight. A bit too laid back for my liking, but he got the job done.

A bit of common sense + Ratings Vs Plymouth [H]

2009-01-17T20:30:00.001Z

Life after Calderwood continues to be beautifully simple. As the axed manager gave a dreary commentary on Preston’s clash with Burnley, the side he left behind were preparing for a fourth consecutive win.

This isn’t simply an improvement, it’s a wholesale revolution.

Of course it isn’t all because Calderwood has left, and it isn’t all because Davies has arrived. But whatever the reasons, it is extremely important.

On Boxing Day, smarting from a rout by the division’s bottom club, who could have predicted that by mid-January we would be three points clear of relegation – above Derby?

Today’s performance was nothing to get especially excited about. The key difference between this display and the Calderwood equivalent is the outcome of three points.

Davies has done little more than bring common sense to the banks of the Trent.

We are no longer marking empty spaces or stumbling forward into dead ends. The squabbles over responsibility aren’t happening, and the culture of tolerating failure has been replaced by a sober realisation of the consequences.

A lot of this is, of course, is the result of players doing their utmost to satisfy a new mentor. But I would like to believe that Davies’ approach to graft and discipline is worthy of some credit.

The pre-game reception for the new manager was exceptional. And there is no doubting that the crowd responded to his calls for vocal support, albeit in patches.

Capital One Corner was particularly buoyant, blemished perhaps by a bizarre chorus of ‘you’ll never work again’ in the dying moments. I have never seen as many baffled faces in the lower Bridgford.

In terms of the football, it was a simple game – stunted slightly by a finicky referee with a fondness for his own whistle. Forest were deep, but crucially Tyson and Earnshaw were not. Instead of roving without direction, we returned to the tried and tested ‘two lines of four’.

It is astonishing how many incoming managers profit from addressing these basic points. I think this is the first time we have played 4-4-2 properly for several years.

Plymouth are not a bad side, but they found themselves rattled by a show of genuine grit.

Without doubt the most important moment in the game was Anderson’s wildly deflected strike. Striking so soon after half-time left Plymouth winded and out of ideas.

They played some reasonably effective football, but at 2-0 we never once looked flimsy enough to throw the game entirely.

Plymouth’s flustered attempts to find a way back into the game opened the door to a series of Forest chances – there is a case for saying it should have been even more convincing. But who’s complaining?

The squad certainly needs new blood, but our current form shows that a bit of common sense is almost equally important.

Ratings:

Smith – 6 – taken out of the firing line but, as ever, struggled when not under any real pressure. On more than one occasion he moved to claim balls and then simply melted. Too hesitant.

Chambers – 5.5 – a solid enough first half, but a fairly poor second. Despite obvious work rate, he struggled to stop players passing him fairly regularly.

Morgan – 8 – solid as a buffalo throughout.

Breckin – 7 – didn’t appear to have too many problems this afternoon; his lack of pace is a problem, but he looks more settled this season than he did in the division below.

Wilson – 6.5 – fairly solid, I barely remember his contribution – which I see as a very good thing.

Anderson – 7 – his pace was vital on the break in the second half, but again his ‘end product’ let him down.

McGugan – 7 – a reasonably quiet game until the final 15 minutes when he set about savaging our visitors for the space they were leaving in the middle.

Perch – 7 – had a reasonable game; breaking up play and covering ground ahead of the defence. Having heard his pre-match interview I’m keen to see the armband given to somebody else, particularly as I don’t think he should be starting anyway.

Cohen – 7 – the usual Cohen characteristics of endless hard work and consistency.

Tyson – 7.5 – caused a lot of trouble, probably should have finished the game with a goal.

Earnshaw – 7.5 – work rate has doubled since ‘nemesis’ Davies arrived, and it is paying off. Our form and his goals are no coincidence.

Refreshingly Unpleasant

2009-01-10T22:37:00.004Z

If Billy Davies found his brow furrowed at Forest’s league position after the City triumph, he probably had the mystery solved by the end of this afternoon.

Charlton were mugged. For much of the first half Forest created as close to possible as nothing, while the hosts were afforded time and space to plot endless routes in behind an industrious but flappable defence.

Tyson’s goal arrived without warning. Seemingly seconds later Earnshaw’s cool lob essentially sealed the points.

The away supporters, a mass of severe glares and wrinkled foreheads, celebrated in disbelief.

Usually exuberant almost to the point of violence, I could celebrate the second goal with nothing more expressive than a gaping jaw.

We have been tipped that Davies is fond of smash and grabs, but for the first 30 minutes it hadn’t seemed possible.

Forest supporters are well-trained in expecting the worst, and despite the cushion I spent the second half gnashing furiously at my fingernails.

A 2-0 advantage at half-time is, frankly, as good as it gets. But the doomsayer does not see three points within grasp when he ponders any such half. He sees gruesome images of an early goal, a rallying home crowd and a dejected drive home.

Charlton capped an intriguingly camp half-time warm up with 15 minutes of solid pressure. Breckin’s automated clearance mechanism laid on a banquet of corners, but a combination of Paul Smith’s gloves and a series of reckless, sprawling blocks kept the score in Forest’s favour.

As the home side ventured optimistically forward, there was a mischievous yearning for Paul Anderson’s pace or Robert Earnshaw’s guile to settle matters with a third.

Anderson struck the corner flag for the second time with our only real chance of the half. But the job was already done.

With a reluctant sense of inevitability, Charlton heads dropped. Their supporters – probably planning next season’s trips to Stockport et al – flocked to the exits.

Not even the incentive of a bizarre five minutes of stoppage time could raise spirits in what simply wasn’t their day.

Of course, it is with complete dyspathy that I view their anguish. We have walked away dejected from unjust outcomes more than once this season.

However, like most Championship supporters I am astonished that Phil Parkinson, possibly one of the least successful caretakers on record, has landed the job.

His appointment seems an acceptance of fate on behalf of the club – perhaps an eye-opener for those who object to the arrival of Billy and his vast battalion at Forest.

And what of Billy Davies? His approach remains something of an enigma. It was a direct, dogged, generally quite unpleasant display.

But as players through themselves into challenges and broke with confidence on the wings there was a reassuring quality of workmanlike competence.

Certainly under Calderwood I would have backed us to ship two goals and walk away with a purgatorial sense of injustice.

Davies spent most of the time watching the game from the shadows.

His goons did much of the barking, the man himself scurried to the forefront to deliver one-to-one instructions during breaks in play.

At the end of the game he acknowledged the travelling support, which was gratefully received.

Walking toward the tunnel with fans chanting his name, I can almost hear him saying: “I knew they’d love me, but popularity doesn’t matter to Billy Davies…”

At the moment it’s only a hunch, but I think his attitude and his confidence might be exactly what we need.

Ratings: Vs Charlton [A]

2009-01-10T21:37:00.000Z

Smith – 8 – the defence doesn’t look anywhere near as confident with Smith in goal and his kicking was fairly poor. But he deserves credit for another series of exceptional saves.

Chambers – 6 – recovered after an ailing start to give a determined performance.

Morgan – 8.5 – a titanic display from big Wes. He was announced (wrongly) as captain before the game, but on present form he probably deserves the armband.

Breckin – 6 – at times his clearances, homing unstoppably for the higher tiers, can be a hindrance. He was also notably outpaced on at least two occasions. That said, he gave a solid performance overall.

Cohen – 6 – struggled with the basics, including standing people up and not allowing the man to pass. He is wasted here, but his work rate and his determination on the break were enough to redeem his display.

Anderson – 7 – his pace on the break and his dribbling ability are particularly useful, but he is lacking physically and often melts in the final third.

McGugan – 6 – a congested game that did not suit him, despite one or two attempts to weave his way into space.

Perch – 6.5 – did an important job of breaking up play in front of the defence, but I would like Davies to target this role in his January recruitments.

Thornhill – 6 – not bad at all when he had possession, but he tends to disappear for fairly long periods.

Tyson – 7 – he has grown in confidence over the last few weeks and it shows in his performances. Not the time for an injury.

Earnshaw – 7 – excellent finish and plenty of hard work. Hopefully Davies’ presence will continue to draw the level of work rate we have seen from Earnshaw in the last two games.

Subs:

Davies – 5.5 – one flash of what might well have been ability as he delivered a darting ball into the box. Other than that he continued to remind me of somebody who has never played football before.

Garner – 6.5 – immediately won a free kick and kept the ball out of harm’s way with some sensible movement.

An earth-shattering draw

2009-01-04T16:24:00.001Z

A truly gruesome draw - and another shattering twist in a season of unbridled theatre.

It is not so much a fear of defeat that leads me to dread these games, but a knowledge of the grave consequences.

These clashes are beyond football; they are tribal battles, shrouded in a hatred so irrationally vulgar that for some it is quite insufferable.

Derby ended the last fracas blinded by the rage of injustice. Since then they have suffered a sobering decline, Forest a steady revival.

With Billy Davies presiding and 5,000 venomous supporters in transit, this could be an afternoon that – one way or another – will leave scars to last a lifetime.

The bullishly confident will be celebrating; the indecisive will be rethinking their desperation to avoid that boring home draw against Leyton Orient…

Same time next week?

2009-01-03T21:22:00.004Z

For Forest fans, games like today’s truly rewrite the rulebook – that is, the post-Millennium edition.

Triumphing as an underdog, and indeed performing well with a lot at stake, has not been part of the job description at the City Ground for some time.

Fearing a debasing rout, and with it the end of our away run, I would probably have settled for a narrow defeat before kick off. Certainly I would have snatched at a draw.

Fans have been steadily coached into believing that mediocre is the target, and the first 20 minutes did little to quell fears of a bruising.

Regardless of their erratic form, City have players of genuine quality – and for a short time it very nearly showed.

Hauling our defenders from their stations with simple, ruthless balls into the channels it was only woeful indecision at vital moments that kept the scores level.

But City’s frustration festered and multiplied as Forest consistently stubbed out their fizz. By the time Shaun Wright-Phillips was subbed passes were going wildly astray and gloved fingers were wagging across the pitch.

A Forest side as industrious as any I have ever seen flung themselves at the mercy of every shot, wrestled for every second ball and played with a vibrant pluck worthy of victory in any game.

Three wayward headers were the sum of Forest’s excitement on the break, but the signs were encouraging.

The travelling supporters, meanwhile, were in exceptional form. Three years in the third tier left many fans brain dead and – somewhat inevitably – there were plenty of people posing for Kodak Moments outside the stadium.

Inside though, they were on their best behaviour. Two hours of gleeful, caustic and fairly incessant singing can only have smeared salt into City’s wounds.

Tyson’s strike was greeted with special occasion celebrations. The kind where one is inclined to jump into the arms of bearded men that others usually cross streets to avoid.

The noise levels explode, fans scream until their lungs deflate and their heads pound, and the mass of bodies writhes and squirms from left to right.

For a precious second or two everything outside of the stadium becomes not only irrelevant but completely forgotten.

And why not? Nathan Tyson has his merits, but he doesn’t do that. Not ever.

By the time the celebrations finished it was goal number two. Chris Cohen lunged for possession as though his career depended on it and emerged victorious; his ball teed up Matt Thornhill’s strike which hammered kindly off Earnshaw into the net.

At this point a cunning suspicion that the game might be interesting after all became a hysterical recognition of the fact that we were probably going to win it.

The travelling fans sung throughout half time. The City crowd, previously awash with scornful faces and vulgar gestures, looked lustfully on.

With Stephen Ireland injured and Robinho seemingly excused by parental note it was only ever going to be Forest’s game.

The home side huffed and puffed, but Paul Smith – brushing aside fears about his confidence – was equal to everything.

He certainly wasn’t alone; Ian Breckin and Wes Morgan homed on attacks with magnetic precision, Wilson and Chambers stayed solid.

After 15 minutes of futile pressure the native’s grumblings began and blue shoulders slumped. The death knoll sounded when no City player volunteered to take a corner, cue further bickering.

Anderson and Tyson kept City pulses racing at the back, while McGugan and Cohen delivered performances of Premiership quality.

Dietmar Haman’s bizarre throw in teed up substitute Joe Garner to seal the victory in style.

The post game celebrations will not be forgotten in a hurry, and regardless of the unimportance of the FA Cup compared with survival there is no doubting the importance of the result for morale.

We have successfully dispatched one of the competition favourites with a performance hinged on nothing more than common sense and sheer graft.

Reproduced weekly, this level of effort would land us a play-off place.

I only hope Billy Davies has a working DVD player because he could do with knowing that isn’t always quite like that.

Ratings: Vs Man City [A]

2009-01-03T20:15:00.000Z

Smith – 9 – several excellent saves and steady throughout.

Chambers – 7.5 – undoubtedly his best display of the season; sensible, careful and solid.

Breckin – 7.5 – a fine game; never before have I been so accepting of his desire to head or hoof even the tamest of through balls.

Morgan – 8 – assured, confident and as solid as a mountain.

Cohen – 10 – our best attacker, our best defender, our past passer and our best tackler. On the strength of this display, the Sheikh will be opening his cheque book for Chris Cohen and not Kaka.

Anderson – 7.5 – looked something of a little boy lost in the first half, a fact underpinned by his willingness to avoid physical challenges. In the second half he recovered to cause endless mischief on the break.

Perch – 7 – subbed early on through injury

McGugan – 9.5 – showed remarkable confidence and composure to weave his way out of trouble and play numerous Premiership-standard through balls. This is what he is all about.

Thornhill – 8 – after spending the early stages of the game in the wilderness he recovered to deliver the simple, composed passing that would seal victory.

Tyson – 8.5 – a screamer of a goal, and he had the legs to keep City defenders on their toes throughout.

Earnshaw – 8.5 – one of his best displays in a red shirt. Somehow the futile balls into the channel and looping balls over the top were not out of his comfort zones. Though shepherded by Micah Richards for long periods, he caused plenty of trouble.

Subs:

Wilson – 7.5

Davies – 7.5

Garner – 9

The Next Nottingham Forest Manager

2008-12-29T01:44:00.001Z

It has been a frustrating and laborious wait for those supporters who saw a managerial switch as the only viable escape route this season.

In many respects it is almost as if the season began in August and finished abruptly in early October. Only now the inevitable has caught up can the challenge recommence.

The industrious opening and the scattering of improved players proved to be something of a red herring.

Early season naivety made way for ‘judge us after ten games’, and ten games became the waking nightmare of arriving every Saturday without enthusiasm or expectation.

By the middle of October I was fairly certain that Calderwood could be no more than a game or two from the axe. But it was this misguided certainty that spoiled any chances of enjoying the subsequent months.

As many football fans will admit, once you are entirely sure of your belief that a manager must be sacrificed it is almost impossible to enjoy football.

The excuses grow wearisome and the tactics unbearable; every defeat is consoled by fantasies of a morning announcement. Every victory is soured by the knowledge that your foe has secured his territory for another week.

People on both sides of the fence have the club’s interests at heart, but by this point the fence is something more like the Berlin Wall.

I vividly remember reading scattered remarks that Calderwood would one day be a top Premiership manager and must be retained. On each occasion I almost ate my fist to prevent it from going through the monitor.

Who knows, one day I may eat my words too. For now I am simply relieved that an era of mediocrity and frustration has come to an end.

Calderwood pandered to the airs and graces of the club’s supporters, and he spoke well of long term ambitions. As many of his militant supporters argued, he may well have been a nice man too.

Sadly nobody is nice enough to be worth a return to the dismal nether regions of the football league.

The case of who should replace him is tough. It is at these times that statistics become freely malleable and wild assumptions of character are made.

Modest figures who have barely made conversation in the past are sworn in as ‘disciplinarians’, and everybody other than Sam Allardyce ‘likes to have football played the right way’.

Today’s pulse-raising triumph at Carrow Road brought three vital points and evidence of a team’s bonding to cross choppy waters. John Pemberton, however, will not have chance to enter the public’s imagination as a new appointment is expected within days.

Ex-Derby boss Billy Davies remains the bookmakers’ beau. Stalwart Curbishley and battleaxe Dowie have been mentioned in passing, while fans have openly lusted over Martinez at Swansea and Johnson at Bristol.

And of course, like a puppy with a slipper Forest fans will never let go of Stuart Pearce or Nigel Clough. Fiery Roy Keane, ‘OBE’ with the rage but not the charisma, clings loosely to the same club.

One man who perhaps satisfies the lesser extremities of both the ‘legend’ and the ‘success story’ arguments is Brian Laws. Not too many would grumble at his appointment at the City Ground.

Whoever it is, they will have to be rather good.

The candidate will need thick skin, charm, ambition and a lot of common sense. He will be experienced, have signings in mind before his arrival and be prepared to accept a competitive but frugal salary.

Brian Clough circa 1975 would do nicely.

Christmas Comes Late - Calderwood's Eulogy

2008-12-26T20:00:00.001Z

For several thousand people the sacking of a man at Christmas will be one of the best-received festive treats.

It is a touch macabre. But it might just save Forest’s season.

Like a lot of people I was very much looking forward to the Boxing Day football. A crisp, dry afternoon, a packed stadium and hopefully three very important points to compound the festive cheer.

What actually happened this afternoon will probably have shocked even the most ardent doomsayers.

A Forest side devoid of any shape or direction delivered one of the worst performances in living memory.

Today’s debacle will take a merited position on the dusty top shelf, alongside seedy packages like Coventry in 2005, Plymouth a week later, and Woking under Megson.

It is simply impossible to overstate how appalling it was. There was a quality of confusion and lethargy so overbearing that it turned people against their own team.

Forest were roundly booed off the pitch, and then venomously booed back on to it.

Literally hundreds left at half time, thousands more followed after goal number four.

I had a genuine feeling that a lot of the people remaining, certain in their desire to see Calderwood axed, were willing Doncaster to score more and make sure of his exit.

These are people that slap down hundreds of pounds a season and, in some cases, travel across the country to see Forest play. To conjure these sentiments in people so fanatical is a fitting example of how severe this afternoon was.

Robert Earnshaw diplomatically rescued his admission that the players didn’t know what they were doing today, but there was evidence enough in the performance.

The first half was played out with a petulance and a laziness that is almost beyond description.

Doncaster waltzed into a substantial lead and Forest served up nothing more than childish frustration; the sulky air of ill-fated complacency.

Calderwood’s head must have exploded at half-time because what happened next was frankly bizarre, even by his standards.

I have never been so convinced that the team had no formation whatsoever. Literally no instructions.

It was a mess – players running in packs like boys around a schoolyard; little Arron Davies hiding behind the dinner lady.

That we scored two goals is testament to Doncaster’s incredible relaxation. No doubt their training sessions are harder.

For Calderwood to speak of the ‘comeback’ as encouraging and to play the ten man card at the top of his interview is a fitting example of his desperation.

I am not sorry to see him go, in fact I am enthused almost to the point of forgetting the preceding horror show.

This is a triumphant goodbye to right wingers on the left and left wingers on the right, to imaginary formations, to lumbering centre forwards in impossible roles on the wing, to the irksome post-match soundbites in which words are drawled but literally no information is imparted…

This is a day I would have welcomed at any point over the last two and a half years.

An inoffensive character who did his best to pander to our airs and graces, but he was always a few steps behind what we were looking for.

Needless to say the next appointment is crucial – in no small way it will shape the entire future of the club.

When Hart was chopped the club was reportedly besieged with applications from across the globe.

Let us hope this will be the case once more, because it might just be the last chance for those replica European Cups to have any pulling power at all.

Ratings: Vs Doncaster [H]

2008-12-26T19:56:00.000Z

Camp – 7 – I’m no body language expert, but I have a hunch that we won’t pay the million they want for him. And that he doesn’t really want us to.

Moloney – 7 – the man of the match; a plucky display in spite of the circumstances.

Wilson – 5 – a shaky start, and an injury.

Morgan – 7 – a one man band at times; he triggered thoughts of a captain plugging holes in a sinking ship at times.

Lynch – 3 – very poor, and not for the first time. I don’t see anything encouraging about him.

Cohen – 5 – the effort was there, but he was never likely to stop the rot. Distribution was poor.

Perch – 5 – sprawled somewhat at centre half after starting poorly in midfield.

McGugan – 5 – the biggest victim of the ever-changing system, which at one point appeared to include no midfield whatsoever. In the second half he might as well have sat and watched, in the first he had played some good balls.

Anderson – 3 – not interested at all. He’ll be an excellent player if and when our form picks up.

Garner – 6 – a frustrating performance to watch, plays too far apart with Earnshaw.

Earnshaw – 5 – needs goals, and so do we.

Substitutes:

Bennett – / - he was bound to be sent off or injured, we could lose him for five months now.

Davies – 3 – a graduate of the Gregor Robertson School of Uselessness.

Tyson – 6 – pace a threat as always.

The only way is down...

2008-12-14T20:53:00.001Z

Five hundred words of fist-clenching fury hardly seem necessary in the wake of a performance so convincing. But oddly enough, a double dosage of doom is more appropriate now than ever.

For 90 minutes we puffed and panted and, in the most part, dominated against a very poor Blackpool side. And yet we still could not win.

Calderwood’s clarion cry for seven points from nine has ended with a familiar whimper.

We strained ourselves to overlook ‘not being promoted is failure’, we saw beyond ‘we’ll gun for the play-offs, and we craned our necks to see beyond ‘judge me after ten games’.

Now the man has embarrassed himself again with another crowd-pleasing soundbite that has proved to be entirely without substance.

Fortunately, the City Ground audience were so woefully poor in both their support and their numbers that we have avoided a weekly lavishing from football’s most spineless sycophant.

We came desperately close to victory at Coventry and deserved beyond all doubt to beat Blackpool. We were nearly good enough to register six from Colin’s nine, and that would have been nearly good enough to satisfy his demand for seven.

Nearly is a word that suits Calderwood well. Since day one he has nearly done his job, but never has his performance has never been quite satisfactory. This season we are not even worthy of ‘nearly good enough’.

Though peppered with passable Championship players, we are struggling to support the weight of the deadwood we are carrying. Calderwood has neither the sense nor the ruthlessness to reverse our fortunes.

Calderwood’s parade of soundbites and consistent patience for patience’s sake are dragging us into an irreversible crisis. The reaction of the crowd at the end of Saturday’s game is evidence enough that his number has been called – if he goes on much longer he will leave a laughing a stock; calamitous promotion long forgotten.

His quip on Southampton being a ‘must win game…for them’ is almost a hammer blow to free speech.

I would rather he didn’t speak to the press at all than revive his ill-fated mind games that have triggered nothing but resentment and self-detriment in the past.

I refuse to squander another day waiting foolishly for news, but if Calderwood isn’t chopped on Monday I will be thinking twice before travelling to any further away games under his tenure.

My belief in the necessity of his dismissal has reached a stage that even a win is sullied by the knowledge that it will prolong the agony.

Ratings: Vs Blackpool [H]

2008-12-14T20:46:00.001Z

Camp – 7 – a solid enough performance, quick off his line and always alert to back-passes. His mobility around the box is a breath of fresh air and, with January coming, he must surely be signed.

Moloney – 7 – a number of good blocks and a crucial sliding challenge in the first half. Also worked hard to support the midfield in his strongest senior performance so far.

Wilson – 6.5 – a vast improvement on his recent haphazard displays, but the defence were rarely challenged.

Morgan – 7 – strong and confident; continues to be an unlikely source of composure on the ball and a trusted servant in defence.

Lynch – 6 – a slow start, but he was clearly injured.

Cohen – 7 – played several good through balls and provided the usual excellent work rate, despite being dumped confusingly on the right wing – again.

Perch – 6 – should have scored in the first half, otherwise a familiarly steady but largely pointless contribution.

Thornhill – 6.5 – likes to have the ball at his feet and works hard, but he lacks pace, strength and a genuine role in the team.

Anderson – 6.5 – a hot and cold performance; dangerous when running forwards in possession but sometimes went missing.

Garner – 7.5 – won the usual bucketload of cheap free kicks and caused a consistent headache for the Blackpool defence.

Tyson – 6.5 – his pace was as devastating as ever, but without the end product Tyson is increasingly looking out of his depth. Needs goals.

Subs

Bennett – 7 – good to have him back
Earnshaw – 6 – no real impact
Davies – 5 – the moment he lined up a shot and fell flat on his face having taken swing is fairly definitive. His continued use as a substitute is a sad indictment for our state of affairs, and his involvement as an international is a cataclysmic epitome of Welsh football.

I wonder why people stay to watch the Champions League in front of their fires...

2008-12-10T00:05:00.002Z

This evening’s game was one of the most unpleasant and pointless affairs any of us are likely to witness.

Our visitors were not involved in a contest of any description. They were genially handed three points by a side devoid of any obvious qualities. It was a sham.

The crowd were subdued, it was bitingly cold, the football was literally not worth watching and we have whimpered away another home game.

Our system of performing reasonably for two games and then slumping into a familiar despondency has progressed beyond tedium – we are in grave danger.

As things stand we are within spitting distance of a safe position, but this is precisely why we now is the time for change.

When we perform well we look like a reasonable Championship side struggling to hold our heads above water. When we play badly we are hysterically useless.

Our ineptness is evident in every throw-in to static recipients, every corner that rebounds against the first defender, every squandered free kick, and every swirling high ball to our 5 foot centre forward.

These are the bread-and-butter essentials that one would rightly expect a new manager to address.

We line up as a side geared to play on the break and yet we bypass the midfield and leave our wingers into dead ends.

Teams can thwart and nullify everything we have to offer simply by sitting deep or closing down our defenders.

Balls go looping into the night sky and return as pressure, the defence reels at every cross, and – above all else – we just keep on losing games.

Most of us perceive Doncaster to be dead and buried, yet their supporters speak with confidence and enthusiasm eerily similar to that of the dying breed of optimists amongst us.

There is also a lot to be taken from the perception of other team’s supporters. Coventry fans left the Ricoh annoyed that they hadn’t defeated a very poor side,

Sheffield United supporters chatting on Radcliffe Road were falling over themselves to remark on how bad we are. It is getting embarrassing.

I simply cannot understand how eleven professional footballers can be as thoroughly hopeless as we were this evening.

Had the fourth official signalled for twenty minutes of stoppage time the premature exodus would have been equally as rampant – we would have played for a month and not equalised.

Lee Camp had more possession than anybody else as clueless defenders tapped clueless back-passes in his direction.

I spent most of the game watching draconian police and stewards scratching their heads for excuses to eject people. We’ll be down to 15,000 even if we survive at the rate they’re pinching season tickets.

It is demoralising, and nothing is happening to suggest that Calderwood et al have any plan other than to wait for our luck to turn.

We have already been waiting for far too long.

Ratings: Vs Sheffield Utd [H]

2008-12-09T23:40:00.001Z

Camp – 7.5 – could have perhaps done better with the goal but his early save was exceptional. His mobility coming off the line is a major asset with such a poor defence. Does it bear thinking about where we’d be if he wasn’t in the side?

Moloney – 6 – I won’t criticise too harshly a young man who is very new to senior football, but besides one or two flashes I don’t think he has got what it takes.

Wilson – 6.5 – an improvement on his recent performances.

Morgan – 8 – the only player comfortable in bringing the ball out of defence, or in handling possession at all. A big concern in itself.

Lynch – 5.5 – mostly solid but far from watertight. I don’t think he’s worth keeping.

Anderson – 6.5 – a frustrating evening, fraught with the chasing of lost causes and dead ends.

Perch – 5 – one good through ball but generally he played the pointless role to perfection, as he often does. I would be interested in learning specifically how many of his passes go astray per game – too many, that’s for certain.

Cohen – 6 – a fairly poor day at the office in my opinion, despite teeing up Earnshaw’s miss beautifully.

Tyson – 5 – the Tyson midfield experiment falls flat on its face whenever we take on a deep defence or a solid right back.

Garner – 7 – plenty of graft, won plenty of free kicks and made a nuisance of himself. Much better than on Saturday.

Earnshaw – 6 – should have scored.

Subs:

Thornhill – 6.5 – wanted possession, at least.

Davies – 5 – we are getting desperate.

Coventry in Brief

2008-12-07T13:27:00.001Z

The salient points from the afternoon were as follows:

- The atmosphere and attendance from the Coventry fans was nothing short of embarrassing. The stadium itself is impressive in relative terms; facilities are up to scratch and common sense construction gives excellent views to the majority. But it is completely soulless.

Fans are dispersed across the bowl, leaving vacant sky blue seats to fill one's view. The abundance of bare plastic in such a modern stadium is reminiscent of the many European clubs who, on the back of an international tournament, have moved into impressive stadiums they have no needs for.

Of course the main consequence is that it feels very much like a reserve game, a problem not aided by the hollow, impersonal nature of most stadiums in the 'flat pack' era.

- Forest's defence looks, at times, among the worst in the entire country. I have seen enough to be satisfied that - on present form - the same back four would flounder in League One.

Moloney is talented, and a real worker, but he was left sprawling on more than one occasion yesterday afternoon. Kelvin Wilson, on the other hand, has taken to stepping up his on-field nonchalance in the face of pressure - and it isn't working.

We were behind after what seemed like 30 seconds, and virtually every time they headed down either flank thereafter they looked fairly likely to set our defence reeling. I should emphasise that this was a consequence of our inadequacy and not a credit to their flair.

- The defence something that concerns me hugely. In total honesty we need four new defenders, but we're as likely to sign Ronaldo. In games like yesterday's an unstable defence upsets the entire balance of the team. Players like McGugan, Anderson and Earnshaw were causing notable damage without even playing particularly well.

But just as it always seemed likely that we'd force our noses in front, it seemed frankly certain that we'd be hit again on the break.

- On the strength of our chances we deserved all three points. Coventry are a weak outfit, lightly seasoned with a smattering of half-decent players.

They are reasonably well drilled, but I would expect any decent side to beat them with some ease. The same can be said about a lot of sides in the division - which only makes it more of a concern that we're rock bottom of the division.

The Championship is a poor league. It is entertaining because of its unpredictability, but in itself this derives from the fact that there are a lot of poor sides. If we don't start treating teams with the disrespect they are entitled to we will find ourselves relegated with weeks to spare.

We have been diabolical for most of the season, but with a little bit more ruthlessness and a decent defence we would be 15 points better off already.

- Cautious Colin had me baffled once or twice, not for the first time. Playing Anderson on the left and Cohen on the right is an act of defiance that sums up his entire tenure. Subbing Earnshaw and trading Moloney for Chambers did nothing bar upset the momentum. His lavish praise for the visiting supporters is justified, but his weekly grovelling is starting to make him look rather cap in hand.

Ratings:

Camp - 7.5 - quick off his line and on hand to make a series of important saves.

Moloney - 5 - in no man's land for the first goal and was caught out more than once. A shame, because going forward and in possession he looks genuinely talented.

Wilson - 5 - recovered well from a lot of his mistakes, but another error never seemed far away.

Morgan - 7 - largely untested. Dominant in the air when called upon, strong throughout, and he bizarrely remains the only central defender at the club willing to carry the ball out of defence.

Lynch - 5.5 - he was much improved against Barnsley, but the doubts crept back in this afternoon. Solid in patches, but prone to being turned and left for dead. Am I right in thinking that he, alike Chambers, is comfortable chiefly at centre half? That might explain his reputation in contrast to his performances.

Cohen - 6.5 - great effort and some fantastic cross-field through balls...with his left foot, Colin.

Perch - 6 - really doesn't do a great deal wrong, but then again, he really doesn't do a great deal of anything.

McGugan - 8 - showcased his true ability, but only in patches. At times he weaved his way through crowds of Blue shirts, shrugging as men almost literally bounced off him. On other occasions he is exasperating because he has no understanding of when a simple pass will do.

Anderson - 7 - his pace and hunger for action cause big problems, but his end product is nearly always lacking.

Earnshaw - 7.5 - great movement all game and well worth his goal, although he probably should have buried one of the earlier chances. His record speaks for itself, even at Forest. Why sub him when you're desperate for a goal?

Garner - 5.5 - notched again, but apart from that he had something of a nightmare. Every pass went astray and every effort sailed yards off target - should have won it at the end too. I really like the look of Garner, but this was a poor performance.

The subs were all below par, particularly McClearly who bottled a one-on-one.

Christmas Eve?

2008-11-25T23:16:00.001Z

Last time Forest arrived at the Keepmoat I was almost certain that it would be win or bust for the maligned manager.

This evening I pulled up in exactly the same parking space and, musing over the evening to come, I found myself drawing exactly the same conclusion about the game ahead.

Going into the game against Norwich I had seemingly unfounded expectations of seven points. Following Saturday’s turgid serving I shared a common view that consecutive wins would be the only acceptable attainment for the week.

But here we are again, grumbling about another poor result and staring up at mid-table as if it is the summit of an indomitable mountain.

Frankly I have had more than enough.

This evening’s game proved to be a sorry affair; a docile audience, a stammering tempo, and neither side truly worthy of three points.

As it happens, the linesman’s haphazard ruling that Lee Camp’s fumble did not cross the line is the only reason we didn’t lose.

Early in the game Doncaster struck the crossbar with Camp stranded, and an ominously bouncing lob evaded the net by mere inches late on.

It just isn’t good enough. Doncaster are a side lacking in confidence, arguably they are lacking in Championship quality too, and yet they bossed possession almost without interruption for the entire game.

Forest sat back and tried in vain to break down the channels. Doncaster snapped at every second ball, and their forwards harried our defence as we mechanically sent sidewards passes into oblivion.

Our set-plays were terrible too. Even our throw-ins look amateurish as nobody moves and recipients are out-battled.

Everything indicated that we were reasonably content to take a point from South Yorkshire tonight. And again, that just isn’t good enough.

The Forest crowd were dour for most of the game, with scant cajoling from the happy-clapping home fans. For a period in the second half we rallied behind the side but the reaction was as anti-climatic as the game in its entirety.

Towards the end of the second half the Reds nearest the technical area struck up a quite spontaneous chorus of “Calderwood Out”. The man targeted turned his head sharply, as if startled.

At the end of the game he slumped into the demeanour of a man fighting to keep his chin skyward in spite of an imminent blow.

He briefly acknowledged the visiting fans, which he rarely does in person, and he took time out to shake hands with each of the Doncaster players.

To my mind, it was the conduct of a beaten man. And as macabre as it is, the thought of that man spending Christmas out of a job is the only thing keeping me positive tonight.

It could be argued that waiting for Forest to turn the corner this season has been like waiting for Christmas, but Christmas is nearly here now and there are no discernable signs that Calderwood’s plans extend beyond waiting for our luck to change.

He is not a bad man. He has never doused himself in deprecating infamy like Kinnear, and he hasn’t sold our soul like Megson. But he has consistently performed below expectations; instilling an ethos of monotony.

This season he has failed even to do that.

I no longer sympathise with any view that Calderwood must stay; I simply do not see what we are waiting for.

Tomorrow morning Doughty must bring Christmas a little closer.

Ratings: Vs Doncaster Rovers [A]

2008-11-25T23:09:00.001Z

Camp – 5 – two gaffs could have cost us the tie.

Chambers – 6 – a reasonable display.

Wilson – 5 – the skipper just doesn’t look himself; several mishaps nearly rolled out the red carpet for the home side.

Morgan – 6.5 – generally solid and won almost all of the aerial battles with Gareth Taylor.

Lynch – 5 – clumsy and behind the pace; barring two solid blocks in the second half he had a very poor game.

Anderson – 6 – often excellent when in possession, but drifted out of the game too frequently.

Perch – 6 – steady enough, but far too bog standard to have any answers in our current plight.

McGugan – 6.5 – arguably the only player likely to play the killer balls we were desperately missing, but too often he played himself into cul-de-sacs.

Martin – 5 – huffed and puffed, but was ineffective and out-muscled. Threw a minor strop when substituted.

Garner – 6 – real honest graft, but little end product and he should have netted in the first half.

Tyson – 6.5 – his pace was really our only outlet all evening, but if we’re depending on Tyson alone it’s no wonder we’re in a mess.

The Inevitable

2008-11-22T21:49:00.001Z

The season is fast becoming a disaster.

We are hurtling toward League One and showing few signs that we have anything like the ability or the resolve to survive.

There has been eighteen games already, and for the last 16 I have drifted in and out of a cloud of ignorance.

On numerous occasions I have assured enquirers that survival will ultimately unravel itself before us, and in doing so I have reassured myself.

Even now I find it difficult to envisage relegation; the despondent, shell-shocked murmur of anguished supporters, the return of tears and terraces and “You’re not Famous Anymore”...

Even now I am contenting myself in some ludicrous assumption that everything will fall into place.

But it won’t.

A series of brave performances have fuelled the fires of tolerance recently. But this evening’s televised humiliation brings with it the foreboding clarity of pessimism.

All of a sudden, the draws against D*rby, Birmingham and Bristol City are no longer indicative of a revival. Instead they have been exposed as the plucky but ultimately fruitless product of a side that is working hard, but simply isn’t good enough.

Today we were out-worked, out-passed and, frankly, out-played by an average side with fewer players.

It was a mess.

We didn’t control the ball at any point in the game; our midfield was a vacuum of dead space as our wingers pushed on aimlessly and our defence gave them impossible balls to follow.

In attack we were reduced to chasing lost causes and pointing the finger of blame.

The one player likely to bridge the chasm between our attack and the rest of the side was Chris Cohen, who was eventually dumped at left back to clear a path for show pony Lee Martin.

And it is on this point that I bring to the table the most compelling evidence to date that Calderwood is not only incapable of fulfilling his duties, but also undeserving of any further backing:

[Reporter]: A lot of people are wondering why Chris Cohen, one of the more creative members of the midfield, was moved to left-back there?

[Calderwood]: The decision was made to bring a bit more pace to the attack.

And with all due respect, it was the right decision.

Can somebody explain that to me? Because from my vantage point I saw Lee Martin have three touches, and I saw Nottingham Forest lose.

The manager went on to dismiss talk of his sacking with a quip about the BBC Radio Nottingham reporter sitting closer to the stands than he does.

It’s just not good enough.

I’m not entirely sure what basis there is for allowing another false dawn.

We might beat Doncaster, we might even beat Barnsley too, but Calderwood has proven beyond reasonable doubt that he just doesn’t have enough in his locker.

For some people it will be a major relief, for others a shame that things couldn’t work out.

But at the moment Doughty is only delaying the inevitable.

Slobbering Baseball Caps

2008-11-15T21:12:00.002Z

A dark, damp, miserably grey afternoon in Bristol bearing all the hallmarks of a festive fixture – and almost complete with the customary winter disappointment too.

It was a hectic game, dominated by half-chances and counter-attacks.

In different circumstances we could probably have landed all three points today, but Bristol City’s fans will be saying much the same thing.

The prevailing positives are that we have survived another game without defeat.

We are growing in resilience, we no longer look worlds away from taking the lead, and the side is peppered with players whose confidence levels are rising notably with each game.

The negatives include the fact that we again did our utmost to throw the fixture entirely.

Lee Camp’s heroics have kept the club from the foot of the table - just.

Despite a bold contribution from nearly all concerned, we never looked entirely stable and City’s swift, decisive movement of the ball always threatened to undo us.

For all of our huffing and puffing, neither equaliser can have been considered a surprise.

But that is not to say that we didn’t cause problems of our own. At 1-0, 2-1 and even 2-2 we spurned opportunities to seal the points.

It was another vast improvement, all things considered. Ignoring one or two fleeting shirks in the midfield it was a full-blooded affair, and we clearly gave our hosts more of a game than they had been anticipating.

One thing that nobody failed to pick up on was the work rate of the players, and the award of another last gasp penalty had heads in hands.

Like most people, I feared the potential damage presented by a defeat in spite of such a committed performance.

I also feared the rage that would inevitably result from having to take in the celebrations of the slobbering Bristol folk in their baseball caps.

And so, just like I did at Pride Park, I turned my back on the action.

I only rejoined it when I saw the loafers behind me leave the concrete in celebration. Lee Camp, the loathsome, egotistical genius, had spared us again.

The view from the away end at Ashton Gate is irksomely inadequate; seats sinking into themselves and pillars galore are a relentless obstruction.

But I witnessed clearly enough Camp raising two arms smugly above his head in triumph.

I left the ground with a grin.

Whether or not today’s result goes down as a success will depend on our ability to capitalise on back-to-back Saturdays at the City Ground and a crucial Tuesday evening in South Yorkshire.

In any case, it could have been a lot worse.

Match Ratings: Vs Bristol City [A]

2008-11-15T20:49:00.000Z

Camp – 8 – not at fault for either goal, solid throughout, and again responsible for sparing us a point with a terrific penalty save. His all-round proficiency is gradually demonstrating to the Smith fan club what the rest of us have been whining about for some time.

Chambers – 6.5 – he snatched and he panicked at times, but I thought Chambers played reasonably well this afternoon. He didn’t go hiding, he didn’t get lost, and he even tested the keeper with an effort that could have won it.

Wilson – 6 – a fairly poor game from the skipper, without any particular calamity.

Morgan – 8 – for a long period he was a genuine reason to believe that we would hang on for the win. Nothing spectacular, but he cut up possession and flung himself in the way of absolutely everything.

Heath – 6 – not as composed as he was in the second half against Birmingham, but a reasonable contribution nonetheless. In the first half he found himself on the wrong side of a couple of ensuing City counter-attacks but he appeared to settle.

Anderson – 6 – his pace and vision were, yet again, an excellent outlet. But where on earth was the final product? If he had kept his composure in the final third this afternoon we would have won this and had more to spare. He also pulled out of two 50-50s which, whilst commonplace, is something I detest.

Perch – 6 – not exactly an all-action performance but one or two important interceptions.

Thornhill – 5.5 – not the game for him at all. With Thornhill sitting alongside Perch we lacked both substance and presence in the middle, and we were desperate for something more when he was substituted. There is some irony in the fact that we conceded anyway.

Cohen – 6 – another plucky display, characterised by his work rate but undermined by his wasteful set-pieces. I’m not entirely sure why we are treated to the Calderwood Special (i.e. swapping two players around, for the craic) when Cohen is on the left. He isn’t really a winger, let alone a right-sided one.

Garner – 7.5 – busy, eager, hard-working and well worth his goal. I hope he can sustain this form and support it with goals because – at the moment – he looks a real talent.

Tyson – 8 – a goal that he desperately needed and genuinely deserved. His pace is simply exceptional and when it presents itself as a real asset, as it did today, it’s easy to forget how he can sometimes look so dire.

Brian Clough's Red and White Army

2008-11-02T20:06:00.003Z

It is with some difficulty that I attempt to bring to life my thoughts about this afternoon’s game.

Words alone are regrettably inadequate. So much of the experience is dominated by raw emotions; fear, elation, fury, ecstasy, and – at some points this afternoon – simple bewilderment.

Tottenham and Arsenal have their bouts, Manchester United and Liverpool operate a ferocious hatred, indeed most teams up and down the country have somebody to return their revulsion and loathing.

But Forest-Derby, in spite of its lower profile, has to be one of the most meaningful clashes of them all.

It is based not only on proximity and decades of tussling, but also the tangible bitterness that derives from overlapping histories.

Clough left Derby behind and achieved his greatest successes in Nottingham, before of course returning to live in Derby. Both sets of supporters claim him to be their own. Both sets of supporters rage at any suggestion his allegiance lay elsewhere.

The result is that every second of these days is of vital importance.

Everything from the walk to the stadium to the pre-match singing in the concourse is electrified by a sense of anticipation - it builds days before the game and lasts throughout, adding a surreal mist to the entire experience.

Pride Park itself never fails to fill me with an irrational anger. The black and white cladding, the oversized ram outlines stencilled on to every surface, the army of yokels swathing the nearby wastelands...

I hate every brick in the building and every one of the people inside it.

There’s no logic behind these feelings; on the whole they’re just like us. But that’s the beauty of it – there doesn’t need to be any explanation other than the clarity of passion.

I despise them, and they despise me.

It is, thus, with enormous satisfaction that I claim November 2^nd, 2008, to be Nottingham Forest’s day on a number of points.

Firstly, the ‘Super Ram Masks’. Do I really have to say more?

Secondly, our support. Whilst 30,000 Derby fans stewed over the scrappiness of the game, the visiting Forest supporters frequently sang in unison; drowning out any fragmented cries from the home crowd.

“Brian Clough’s Red and White Army” had everybody, young and old, singing from the pit of their lungs. It always does at Pride Park, and it always leaves the natives begrudgingly speechless.

Thirdly, the outcome. Forest fans partied their way out of the ground whilst Derby’s faithful skulked; others remaining shellshocked in their seats.

Derby will remember this day with anguish; they feel robbed, cheated, violated and overwhelmingly disappointed.

On no less than three occasions they experienced the soul-destroying collapse in spirit that follows a disallowed goal, or of course a missed penalty.

We Forest fans, on the other hand, are still pinching ourselves about escaping with a point.

Context is all. Certainly for those who attended the game today, the outcome was as sweet as any victory.

In any case, the full-throttle celebrations of the opening goal made the entire afternoon worthwhile. For two or three minutes time stopped and everybody screamed themselves hoarse; for two or three minutes very little else seemed to matter.

This was my fourth visit to Pride Park and it is the first time we have taken the lead. It was worth the wait.

I didn’t see Lee Camp’s penalty save; too disgusted by the notion of 30,000 bouncing Derby fans I turned to face the people behind me.

What I did see was Paul Jewell, the dribbling, sneering scouse predator, plodding on to the playing surface to celebrate Derby’s second ‘winner’ in full view of his adoring public.

Seconds later he was hopping about like a startled penguin; heads in hands all around him.

And that was beautiful.

Tonight is not about Calderwood, or league tables, or even about disallowed goals.

It’s about the magic of Derby fans being wrenched from the brink of sleep by a deep-seated sense of injustice.

Thanks to Derby for the point, and for making us feel like we’ve taken all three.

Ratings in brief:

Camp – 9

Perch – 7

Morgan – 8

Breckin – 7

Lynch – 5

Anderson – 7

McGugan – 7 –

Fletcher – 7

McCleary – 7

Earnshaw – 7

Garner – 8

Subs:

Chambers – 6

Tyson – 6

Thornhill – 6

That's Why we're Going Down

2008-10-25T19:21:00.002+01:00

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

2008-10-22T09:49:00.000+01:00

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]

2008-10-22T09:48:00.000+01:00

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

2008-10-18T22:11:00.001+01:00

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]

2008-10-18T21:33:00.000+01:00

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

2008-10-04T19:50:00.001+01:00

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]

2008-10-04T19:29:00.000+01:00

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

Thinking the Unthinkable

2008-09-30T22:42:00.000+01:00

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.