eighteensixtyfive

Forest 3-0 Cheltenham

No “official” report this time because I am too busy - but it would be remiss of me not to mention the best Forest performance I have seen in some time (thanks to Baz for lending me his ticket!).

The team was 4-4-2:
Smith

Curtis Chambers Breckin (c) Wright

Perchio McGugan (Dobie) Gary Holt Commons (Henry)

Grant Holt (Tyson) Lester

The new back four look great - Chambers has a vim and vigour about his play that is not dissimilar to the way that Brecks played last year, with an added dose of youthful endeavour and wanting to keep his place in the team. The “old heads” at the back did everything that was asked of them, against an admittedly poor Cheltenham attack (the classic case of “could play all night and still not score”). Wright was apparently quieter than last week, but still looked full of energy, and his passing is very good - you can tell that he has played much of his career in the Premier League. Smudge had very little to do, no real saves to make other than a couple of dribbly efforts from distance, although it cannot be ignored that his kicking was awful, especially in the first half.

In midfield, Holt Sr looked like the three-lunged player we hoped he would be, and barely put a foot wrong - in addition, he scored the first goal, surging forward from midfield, playing a one-two with Jack, and calmly sidefooting home. Perchio was as willing as ever, and brave to head home the second goal when it looked as though he would end up colliding with the far post (credit to Holt Jr, who played a sublime left-footed cross). Young Lewis McGugan was an absolute revelation, he understandably tired in the second half, but deserved the ovation he received when he was subbed. What is amazing is that he looks completely unfazed about being in the heart of the action. Krissy was not at his best, but did OK - unfortunately he looks heavier than last time I saw him.

Upfront, Grant was willing and often able, if not at his best, but Jack was simply sublime. The cynics would say that he is playing for a contract, at the moment I am not bothered because in this form he is irresistable. The defenders simply could not play him, and one of their number (Townsend, I think) was lucky to escape with only a yellow card for hauling him back when I thought he was the last man (although I was sitting at the other end of the pitch, to be fair).

The subs? Well the match was won by the time they came on, but: Dobie came on initially on the right-wing, where he looked much more useful than I have ever seen him upfront; he even took on his full-back and won, before playing a decent cross which eventually came to nought. Unfortunately, when moved upfront to accommodate new-boy James Henry, he looked about as useful as a chocolate teapot (although he did come close with a header from a corner). Nathan Tyson didn’t get much of the ball, but had a strong shot on the turn that was well-saved, and he really wanted to take the penalty. As for Henry, he didn’t have much time, but was OK - he won a corner down by the byline when he was doing the classic “corner flag” routine with a minute or so to go - this actually led to the penalty. Let’s not forget that he is very young though, only 17!

The rest? Well, CC sounded pleased in his post-match interview, the result was as comfortable as the scoreline suggests, and the gaffer was alluding to his almost impossible optimism from last month - certainly, Scunny look within reach now, but next week’s match is very definitely a six-pointer (especially as Donny succumbed to another late goal from Brizzle). The referee was OK, and played a couple of decent advantages, but was badly let down by the lino with the yellow flag; if he wasn’t biased, then it must have been one hell of a coincidence that he constantly gave fouls against the Reds, failed to spot at least two handballs, gave goalkicks in place of at least two corners, and got at least two offside decisions woefully wrong.

It is difficult to choose a man-of-the-match because nobody played that badly. It is a good result because Cheltenham, while relegation fodder, are not the worst team I have seen in this division. I would say that it is no coincidence that we look good when our defence look good, as the midfield seem to feel greater freedom to move forward, which in turn gives better service to the forwards. I would single out the men making up the spine of the team: Chambers at the back, Gary Holt in the middle, and Jack just sneaking the MOTM upfront.

Posted in General

The mind boggles

I really don’t know where to go with this…

Posted in General

Game on …

4 points off automatic promotion. 10 points off the championship. A team of reknowned bottlers heading for the play-offs. And Gillingham; a team that we have grown to hate. At least there was no Andy “rugby tackle” Hessenthaler to worry about this time.

A new look defence lined up in a 4-4-2:

New signing Alan Wright (easily mistaken for a mascot as he ran out) slotted in at left-back as a replacement for the suspended Bennett and Chambers got his first start at centre-half for the injured Wesley - with Curtis in at right-back. The rest of the team lined up unchanged.

My immediate thought was “it’s going to be one of those days” as a lazy kick-off ended up with the ball punted off the pitch. And the game started pretty poorly (despite Colin Fray’s summary on the radio) with the ball staying in the air.

Until about ten minutes in. Alan Wright (”worst … signing … ever” according to some internet “pundits”) started putting in a masterclass of full-back play. The sort of thing I’ve not seen from a red shirt since at least Brennan and Louis-Jean and more likely Pearce and Lyttle. The key to it was the timing of his runs. As we attacked down the right he would hold his run and cross the half way line at just the right time. Available in acres of space he gave us the option of a cross-field ball just as things were getting congested at the far side. A fast developing understanding with Commons and overlaps meant we had players open and could play the ball on the deck (rather than having to resort to our traditional hoof when crowded out by the opposition).

The first half was fantastic. At least four clear-cut chances; the best falling to Commons after Agogo ran most of the length of the pitch. The ball rebounded (I think off the keeper’s legs) to Commons who put it wide. Their keeper worked overtime to keep the ball out, including a couple of saves that looked pretty spectacular from the far side of the pitch. Plus Gary Holt was pushed over in the penalty area, the generally useless referee waved play on and then booked Perchio for an innocuous trip.

Half-time and I was happy. The City Ground was happy. Decent, attacking, passing football. A non-existent Gillingham attack. Holt Snr was playing well, breaking up their attacks and pushing forwards. McGugan was everywhere, as was Perchio. Commons was a threat. Agogo and Lester were linking up well. Chambers particularly impressed me - pacey and vocal (captain material if you ask me). And, as I say, Alan Wright made all the difference. It wasn’t all good though - the referee and his assistants were awful, Curtis had a tendency to play the high ball to nobody “in the channels” and there was just the nagging doubt that we would be made to pay for not putting the ball in the back of the net. And, of course, we are Nottingham Forest; notorious bottlers, unable to play for 90 minutes, always snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

So the second half started and we had no fluency, no passing and Gillingham came right at us. Frustration started building. Holt Snr stopped crossing the half way line. Wright was no longer in the game. But (and this is a big but) Smith was busy catching crosses and corners - quite an improvement. The downside being that we were giving away corners and letting them cross.

Twenty minutes into the second half and no fluency. Twenty-five minutes and the Trent End were screaming at the players, at Calderwood. Holt Snr became the devil once more. And Curtis. Agogo could not stay onside. Lester was marked out of the game. And as for Commons. He is the new scapegoat … I’m not quite sure what mercurial means but I’m sure it applies to him. Thirty minutes in and I’m shouting “make a change“. Finally Colin hears me and we see Tyson warming up. “Take off Commons, he’s useless” says the bloke next to me. I’m thinking “Holt and Tyson for Agogo and Lester - they’ve done their best but we need to shake things up“. The board goes up - Tyson on, Jack off. Boos ring around the ground as Nathan takes the field. “He’s taken off someone who knows how to score. Calderwood’s useless. Get rid of him” says a voice behind me. “One decent Lester” is the chant. Not helped by Tyson obviously being either low on form or confidence. Soon after, Agogo is replaced by Grant, also to boos.

But, eighty-five minutes in and Tyson wins a free kick. Commons stands by the ball. The referee tells the players to move back ten yards and then counts it out in fairy-steps. McGugan talks to Commons. We scream at the referee - “ten yards!” “It’s time to earn your wages Krissy” I yell. And McGugan plays the ball around the wall and into the top corner, runs to the Trent End and goes absolutely mental. As do we.

However, we are Nottingham Forest. This is Colin Calderwood. Time to replace a midfielder with a defender, defend on the eighteen yard line and hold tight? No, Maloney replaces Commons and Calderwood is screaming at the players to push forwards. Grant, doing his “how dare you leave me on the bench” act, causes real problems for Gillingham and Tyson starts gaining sharpness. We could have had two. And it would have been deserved. We play out the four minutes of added time - not holding on but taking the game to them. The whistle blows. Chambers “does a Prutton” and is the first over to applaud the Trent End (closely followed by McGugan).

Minuses:
The referee and his assistants: clueless
We still cannot play for ninety minutes
Brizzle won

Pluses:
McGugan
Wright
Scunny drew

Eight games to go. Four points between us and Brizzle. Eight points between us and Scunny. We have apparently got the easiest run in. We ought to have the best players. There are twenty four points to play for. Nottingham Forest: prize-bottlers or juggernaut? We’ll find out soon enough.

Posted in General

The Big Red Train

Long but worth it

Posted in General

I am fed up of all the moaning

I have already written about how off-putting I find the moaning (see previous article on the BBC site), but to the “CC out” brigade - do you not remember what it was like under Megson, or Hart, with their dour post-match grumblings?

I personally am glad that we have a manager who exudes optimism, as long as he doesn’t go overboard, Kinnear-stylee.

Posted in General

The Blame Game

The excellent “Through the Seasons before us” has an article on “The Blame Game” - who is at fault when looking at our current predicament. I’m pleased to see that most of the blame is laid at Mark Arthur’s door.

It’s a strange thing, is corporate culture. Most organisations that are small enough (so that the workers recognise the board when they walk in the office) take on the character of the people in charge. The rest of the staff either go with the flow or are replaced by people who are on the same wavelength.

I’ve recently had experience of this myself - my boss (laid back, friendly, can talk his way out of anything) has been moved “sideways” and replaced by the previous head of HR (in your face, gets things done, takes no shit). And the shockwaves are being felt. The affable, “it will get done tomorrow” people are handing in their resignations. Our customers are thinking twice before trying to blag free stuff off us. Profits are up. Fun at work is down. As a “get things done” person I’m liking it, but many are not.

Which leads us back all the way to Mark Arthur and Nigel Doughty. Forest’s problems go back a long way. Some would say it was down to Scholar, Wray and Markham. Others blame Fred Reacher and the “gentleman’s club” board - if only they had sold to Sandy Anderson instead of taking the cursed coin of Irving Scholar (forgetting that the “Anderson” bid was actually financed by one Nigel Doughty). Personally, I blame Paul Gascoigne. If he hadn’t done that tackle in the Cup Final then we would have won, Brian Clough would have resigned on a high and our Martin would be leading us to our fifth or sixth European Cup triumph (ha, take that Scousers!).

But there are two patterns I see over these many years of decline. One is players who don’t care. The second is dour managers.

The first is easy. There is only one reason to join a club on the way down and that is the bulge in your wallet. Our wages are four times higher than the average in our league (I read that somewhere but I can’t remember where, so it may be false) - yet I can barely remember any games where we have looked like our players are worth that extra cash.

The second is also easy. The board wants someone cautious. Someone dour. Who won’t go overboard with excitement. The lessons of Joe Kinnear run very deep. Who won’t go overboard with cash. The lessons of David Platt run very very deep.

So don’t blame Calderwood. The problems run deeper than he probably realised and even Sgt Major Megson couldn’t get close to sorting them out (because they start at the top, not at the bottom).

Don’t even blame the players. If someone offered you bags of cash, bottles of Courvoisier and the board let you get away with murder what would you do? Professional pride? The wrath of 20000 angry East Midlanders? Who cares?

Unfortunately, that leaves only one area left to change. And seeing as we are unlikely to find a replacement for ND (Vladimir Romanov anyone?) …

Posted in General

Jackson is sacked

The Kashmir Times has its say.

Posted in General

5-1 to the Famous Team

Nottingham Forest 5 - 1 Huddersfield Town

Football, in many ways, is like going out. Or being in your twenties. The better the time, the less you can remember.

Here’s what I remember.

4-4-2:

Huddersfield started the brighter but Perchio sprung the offside trap to release Agogo, who calmly slotted past the hesitating keeper.
Peter Jackson was going absolutely mental at Clingan as he lay prone on the touchline after a seemingly innocuous challenge. My first thought was “he’s not moving at all” and fair enough, the stretcher came out and McGugan replaced him.
McGugan had a great game, not only providing energy and no little trickery to our often mis-firing midfield, but also a good goal, picking up the knock-down from a corner and hammering it in.
Perchio did a fine job on the right, with (I think) a decent cross for Holt (G) to tap in.
Smith’s kicking was atrocious.
Grant Holt had a great game - playing with someone like Junior (or Jack) who runs from deep suits him as he can hold it up and bring them into the game. I’m less sure how he fits with Tyson who tends to play in front of him.
I can’t really remember much about Perchio’s goal.
Agogo’s second goal was class. A break from deep, run at the defenders, a fantastic pass to land the ball on Grant’s head. Grant’s cushioned header plays the ball perfectly into Junior’s path. One on one with the keeper again, rounds him and scores.
Gary Holt, despite being booed at the kick-off had a great game. A couple of people even started an (ironic) chant of his name as he covered thirty yards to break up a move deep in Town’s half.
Grant was being pushed and pulled all over the shop. The final straw was when there was a two-handed shove on him, just in front of the linesman, who gave nothing. Grant proceeded to complain vigorously and then went off in a mard. This cost him a second goal as he was still busy stropping instead of concentrating on placing the ball in an empty net.
Wes was magnificent, especially in the second half.
After Town got their consolation they started chanting “Easy, Easy“. There was also a chant of “we want Jackson out“.
Nathan Tyson was in the car park after the game, having his photo taken and signing autographs.
Overall, this was probably the first game I have seen this season where it looked like our wage bill is four times higher than everyone elses. Everyone earnt their money this week.

Low points:
Clingan - looks like his season is over and I was thinking before the game that he could well be our most influential player, given a decent run in the side.
Smith - his kicking was awful.
Calderwood - he praised the entire team, apart from Grant (”Junior {gush}, Perchio {gush}, McGugan {gush}, Chambers {gush}… and Grant got a goal too“). Whatever is going on between them is still very much affecting both manager and player.
Grant - a fabulous performance blown by his (partly justified) petulance in the last fifteen minutes.

High Points:
McGugan - the first time I have seen him play and he brought energy, drive, passing and trickery to our midfield. He faded in the second half and it’s a lot to ask of him to replace Clingan for the rest of the season but he certainly made an impression.
Perchio - pace, crossing, skill, passing all out on the right. He just gets better and better.
Commons - the bloke behind me yelled “fat twat” at him as he was taking one of his many corners, but this was one of his better games and he deserved a goal (hitting the post and creating loads today).
Agogo - fantastic finishing, lots of running and hard work and great composure.
Grant - a fabulous performance blown by his (partly justified) petulance in the last fifteen minutes.
Gary - what a performance. What defensive midfield is all about. The other three could swap and interchange positions freely, knowing that Gary would mop up all that happened behind them.
Wes - totally dominated the back line and didn’t really give Town much of a sniff. Man of the Match.

Posted in General