Posted May 30th, 2006
by Rahoul Baruah
So what does CC need to do?
Straight away, we need a new keeper. Rune is OK for the bench and did well at the end of the season but Gerrard commanded his area in a way that Pedersen does not.
Full backs: Bennett and Curtis are good but if they are out I have little confidence in the replacements (Thommo and Pie-Baby Cry-Baby Podgers). Backup needed.
Centre halves: Breckin, Morgan, Cullip - no problems. Maybe another as backup (Thommo) but no urgency.
Centre mid: Holt showed his at least part of his third lung towards the end of the season, with Perch as worthy backup. I’ve not seen enough of Clingan to say anything definitive but he certainly looks like he could spray the passes around in the centre. But he’s not exactly the goal-scoring box-to-box type. Maybe Friio will get a second chance to show why the Plymouth fans regard him as a legend. So four candidates for the two most important places in the team, with nothing decided.
Wingers: Southall - no complaints at all. Tireless and a fantastic number of assists. Cover is the problem - I wouldn’t mind Lester being pushed out there - at least if he’s not in the centre he’s less likely to rake people with his studs. This season has to be make or break for Fatty Commons (if he’s not off to Preston as rumoured). Some defend him by saying this league’s too physical for him. Well tough. League One’s where we’re at. Deal with it. As for cover, Bastians is an able replacement, although not ready to start week in week out.
Forwards: In Tyson and Holt we have two strikers that complement each other, are hard working and ought to have goals in abundance. Lester did not inspire when partnered with Tyson (when Grant was out at the end of the season) - he would probably do better if Tyson was out, although Dobie could be a good deputy at this level. I’ve not seen Weir-Daley or Pittman enough to comment, Harris looks past it and I’m sorry to say I don’t want to see Johnno pull on the Garibaldi again.
So, the priority is a keeper. The rest of the team, if they perform as we know they should, picks itself and is good enough, but as Meggo found to his cost, some of these players are not reknowned for their hard work and team spirit. I’m still not convinced enough of the clear-out was completed, but in theory, we should just be looking for cover, not first teamers.
Good luck Colin. I think you’re going to need it.
Posted in General
Posted May 30th, 2006
by Rahoul Baruah
Link to my blog, which links to BBC article about the appointment of CC as manager.
Posted in General
Posted May 30th, 2006
by Rahoul Baruah
He’s got some success under his belt. He knows the lower leagues. He, apparently, likes to play it on the deck. He is “up-and-coming”. He has had to deal with pressure (Northampton fans regarding promotion as the bare minimum for the season just gone).
He is inexperienced (although he has more than Platt or Keane). He is an unknown quantity. He will want to rebuild the squad from scratch. His surname is not Clough or O’Neill.
Posted in General
Posted May 30th, 2006
by Rahoul Baruah
I am loathe to criticise the running of the club too often - I wouldn’t expect Nigel Doughty to come into my office and tell me how to run a Higher Education survey and what I should be spending my annual budget on.
But the PR of the club is an absolute disaster. I cannot believe that they have made this mistake again. And at the same time, they have priced me out of a season ticket again…
On top of that, I commend the board for trying to keep speculation of the managerial appointment to a minimum (basically by keeping their gobs shut - I suspect they only mentioned Calderwood because the Northampton chairman wanted to be honest with his fans). But by taking so long, they are creating problems for themselves - if they weren’t going to have appointed by now, why wait so long to announce new ticket prices? I also strongly suspect that Calderwood is being lined up as plan B, if the speculation about O’Neill is true. I personally think we could do a lot worse than Calderwood, although I have to say it is not an appointment that gets me jumping out of my seat with excitement (I think Martin or Nigel would be the only ones who could achieve that).
Posted in General
Posted May 29th, 2006
by Rahoul Baruah
I’m normally a live and let live kind of guy.
But I’m staggered at this. And this.
Look at the names linked to the job. None of the big names are in contention. Mick fucking McCarthy turned us down. O’Neill, who has more reason than most to come to Forest, hasn’t turned us down yet but isn’t that bothered. Why the fuck would Curbishley or Keegan want it? The likes of Penney, Tilson and Parkinson aren’t interested. Who the fuck else are we going to get? Roy Keane has fuck all managerial experience and knows sod all about the lower leagues. Calderwood doesn’t excite me in the slightest but I can see that he is the best of whatever is available to us.
But he (or whoever takes the job) doesn’t stand a chance. Six months and they will resign. There won’t even be time for a sacking cos they’ll walk. Again.
Posted in General
Posted May 24th, 2006
by Rahoul Baruah
We all know Forest are bad at PR.
But why would you preannounce the announcement date for season tickets?
The only reasons I can think of are:
- It is bad news (price hike)
- It is a hint about the date of the manager’s appointment in the face of relentless Martin O’Neill speculation
- It is both
And yes, I’m still hoping …
PS: Derby announce their manager “before the end of the week”. Lots of their fans reckon it’s Martin as well.
Posted in General
Posted May 23rd, 2006
by Rahoul Baruah
Are they better than us? Yes!
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Posted May 19th, 2006
by Rahoul Baruah
Martin’s wife wants to move back to Nottingham and Martin’s been interviewed today.
Doughty is preparing his last push with a big wad of cash for the next manager.
Colin Calderwood’s been given permission by Northampton to talk to us and is due for an interview.
Roy Keane’s turned us down after being interviewed twice.
Mick McCarthy’s turned us down as he wants a Championship club.
Unlike many, I’ll be a bit disappointed if the last one turns out to be true. I don’t think what happened at Sunderland can really be held at his door, I don’t know enough about what happened with Ireland. But I do remember being very impressed by his Millwall side (and I think that is where we signed Sheringham and Coops from so he knew how to pick his players).
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Posted May 18th, 2006
by Rahoul Baruah
This may be an inconceived post. It’s a bit of a gut reaction and I’ve not thought it through. But what the hell …
I was reading this comment: http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=12478668&postID=114709600056300218 on the Never Trust a Hippy site. And it got me thinking about Forest in the Premiership.
You see, people despise Chelsea because of some Russian’s millions (I don’t - I think Mourinho’s the key behind their success, although the money obviously helps). There was a point during the Arsenal game, when Clive “the ball’s as slippery as a wet baby” Tydelsley made some fatuous comment about English teams having to go behind in a Champions League final, when I found myself thinking that “Arsenal aren’t an English team“. Even Bolton, under Sam “get stuck in” Allerdyce are full of aliens (remember when Bolton scored 100 goals getting promotion from the first division? They are a long way from that side, which is probably a mixed blessing for Trotters fans).
I love the fact that Forest currently have a number of local lads in the side (despite my reservations about how much work they do for their fat pay packets). Even the likes of Daws, Prutts, Marlon and Bopp, obviously not Nottingham boys, feel to me like they belong to us, as they grew up here (disclaimer: I moved to Nottingham when I was seven).
So when our Martin … OK, our Nigel … OK, Big Phil … OK, David “the sight is in end” Pleat takes us back up, how many of those local, or psuedo-local, lads will still be in the team? Will we have to buy in a load of cut-price mercenaries or Italian has-beens (not again please) in order to stay up?
Watch Gerrard during the FA Cup Final (or last year’s Champions League). And then watch Gilberto in this year’s Champions League. Listen to Jose Mourinho talking about the “English Attitude” (something that he obviously loves and hates at the same time).
Of course, it’s all moot. When Forest finish third in the Premiership (again) it will be with a team of five Nottingham lads, two other Englishmen, a Scot, an Irishman, a Yank and a Ghanian. And at least three of them will be a bit too partial to the old Kate and Sidney.
Posted in General
Posted May 17th, 2006
by Rahoul Baruah
Hard luck to the Bengali Boys at the weekend. Especially Marlon “for England” Harewood with that shot at the end.
And hard luck to the Arse tonight. Especially as Wenger has finally realised after eight years in England that Arsenal are, and have always been, all about defending.
But it was good to see Mr Tweedy and Sol Campbell putting in decent performances (even if Cole still goes down too easily). And as for Gerrard … Wayne who? Play him behind a striker and stick a defensive midfielder behind him and we could be in with a chance again.
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