Posted March 31st, 2009
by Rahoul Baruah
Viv Anderson reckons Mr Clough is better than Alex Ferguson. But we all knew that anyway.
Dexter Blackstock is surprised that QPR let him leave (in fact he sounds quite annoyed about it).
Brian Laws is now looking at Dele Adebola and Grant Holt is League Two Player of the Year.
Dirty Leeds are looking to us for inspiration, while the Championship relegation battle goes to the wire; with Saints fans, in particular, growing in optimism.
Tags: alex ferguson, brian clough, brian laws, dele adebola, dexter blackstock, grant holt, leeds united, southampton, viv anderson Posted in News
Posted March 27th, 2009
by Rish
While Billy Davies calls for calm heads, much of the attention this week has been focused on Sir Brian, what with the release of “The Damned United” and ITV’s “Clough” documentary.
He may not have chosen to go for a drink with him, but John McGovern unsurprisingly has fond memories of working with the great man at four different clubs. As well as being virtuous, Sir Brian was also more intelligent than his public persona suggested, but still a control freak (all of these rather contradictory articles came from the same newspaper, the Daily Telegraph!).
Elsewhere, Peter Shilton, the man who provided the bedrock of Clough’s European Champions has been forgotten, due to the furore over David Beckham’s outfield caps record.
Back to the here and now, little Robbie Earnshaw contemplated quitting international football after being dropped via television, and Billy Davies says that he is enjoying the battle against relegation. I am glad you are Billy, because it becomes harder every week for me!
Tags: billy davies, brian clough, john mcgovern, peter shilton, Robert Earnshaw, the damned united Posted in General, News
Posted March 26th, 2009
by Rish
Dexter Blackstock has joined us on loan (with no recall) until the end of the season. Well, we have been a striker short all season (no I don’t count Andy Andrew Cole as a striker as he was obviously not interested), so this has to be a good thing. Blackstock’s goals-to-games ration this season is apparently pretty good, although he has fallen out of favour under Paulo Sousa and has apparently lost some confidence as a result.
Let’s hope that having the “different type of striker” that Billy Davies mentioned will help the team, and help the lad get his career back on track as well. If Forest stay up and Blackstock impresses, there may be a chance of a permanent deal.
Tags: dexter blackstock, nottingham forest, qpr Posted in News, Rumours, Transfers
Posted March 25th, 2009
by Rahoul Baruah
With the loan deadline fast approaching, will we be signing Dexter Blackstock? And speaking of strikers, our Marlon claims it was Villa, not him, who said no to coming here.
Hamza Bencherif plays for his contract (with Davies making it through another game unscathed) while Gunter eyes his return to Spuz. And Turner is hoping his loan spell can help him dislodge Tim Howard from the Everton goal.
Meanwhile, back at the foot of the Championship table, Charlton look doomed (with rumours about administration floating around as well), Plymouth are also nervous but Southampton confident.
Lastly, to anyone who sang “you’ve never won fuck all” to the Wolves fans, this all-time English league table shows that they have, in fact, won much more than us. As have the Blunts, the Sheep and even the Pies.
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Tags: arron davies, charlton athletic, chris gunter, derby county, dexter blackstock, hamza bencherif, iain turner, marlon harewood, notts county, plymouth argyle, sheffield united, southampton, wolverhampton wanderers Posted in News
Posted March 23rd, 2009
by Rish
The pain of defeat, the pride of the effort. Most commentators (in the media and the blogosphere) seem universal in praising Forest for their endeavour and Wolves for their ability to get results. I am not sure how much I agree with them.
Let me get this straight – I am very proud that Forest gave Wolves a workout, but I do not think that Wolves were lucky; while Forest largely matched their counterparts, I always had the feeling that Wolves would have the ability to snatch something (and snatch it they did).
Of course Wes was outstanding in terms of effort and he will have been very sore after his altercations with man-mountain Iwelumo, but it wasn’t perfect – Wes could barely manage a simple clearance or pass in the first half, he and CK (Casual Kelv) messed up for the goal, and Wes didn’t win a single thing when moved upfront. This is not to criticise the big guy (I think that he is the most improved player this season), but effort is nothing without that little spark that wins you matches, a spark that has been conspicuously absent for the last three weeks.
If we look at the facts, we may have matched Wolves in terms of possession and endeavour, but we could have played all night and not scored. The manager, coaching staff and many players still don’t seem to have realised that when we stroke the ball about, we are much more likely to score, and that Robbie Earnshaw is a good foot shorter than most of the centre halves that he is duelling with. Playing it in the air does not work!
The chances? Well, that bit is easy: the only shot on target in the first half came when Sylvan Ebanks-Blake was not closed down and his skimming twenty-five yarder was saved at the second attempt by debutant Turner; the second clear chance saw Kightly score after Wes lost Ebanks-Blake and Vokes laid it back to the winger; finally, Ebanks-Blakes’ effort was cleared off the line by what looked to be a combination of CK and Lynch (but I was sat at the other end so I could be wrong). In the second half Wolves were perhaps a tad fortunate that the referee only booked Berra for bringing down Cohen on the edge of the area – you could argue that the midfielder was clean through on goal, but the linesman maintained the assistant officials’ policy of being about as useful as a chocolate teapot. However, I am not convinced it would have made the much difference, as even with a defender down, I doubt Earnie would have got much change with balls being played up to him in the air.
Credit to Wolves, after a superb footballing display swept us aside in September, they won it ugly – usually the signs of a good team, and one that (with the right additions) will probably have as good a chance of any of staying up next season. As for Forest, well the players applauded us and we applauded them, but you could see the heads dropped and to me there was a tangible sense that things were now very difficult indeed. Billy Davies continued his usual policy of contradicting himself by saying that he doesn’t want to concentrate on individuals pre-match, and then going on about them post-match; luckily, this time it was to heap praise on the big man at the back, rather than his usual policy of slagging them off.
The new boys? Well, McSheffery laboured but barely created anything, and the adrenaline that got his through his debut against Swansea will not get him through 90 minutes now (when he and Ando were subbed, both looked unfit and knackered); Gunter looked reasonable, if not spectacular, but it was nice to not have to worry about the lack of positional sense from the rightback (at least until right-footed Andy Keogh came on the left-wing for Wolves and gave the Welshman a run for his money); Turner had very little to do, and there was nothing to say that he was better or worse than Smith – one decent catch, one bad kick – maybe the only difference is that he wasn’t being called by half of the Trent End all match.
The tactics weren’t right today – despite having Tyson and Garner on the bench, Davies refused to go 4-4-2 after introducing his first round of subs, and then, when it was too late, chose to go for an old-fashioned 3-2-5 with balls being wellied up to Wes, who was too knackered to jump that high.
I am not yet sure what positives Billy Davies has brought to the table, but I do think that we will see more of what the waspish Glaswegian has to offer in the summer – I just hope that it will still be in the Championship, and while I remain cautiously optimistic, it is now becoming rather more about hope, than expectation…
Tags: chris iwelumo, kelvin wilson, michael kightly, nottingham forest, wes morgan, wolverhampton wanderers Posted in Match Reports
Posted March 22nd, 2009
by Rahoul Baruah
We played with a lot of endeavour but not much in the way of cutting edge against a high-flying and physical Wolves team. The team was Turner in goal, Lynch and Gunter at full-back with Wilson and Morgan in the middle. Perchio played the holding role with McGugan and Cohen in midfield, Anderson and McSheffrey on the wings and Robbie Earnshaw (is a red) as the lone striker.
Apologies for the poor audio quality – we were using someone else’s computer and it seems to have added a weird hiss and echo that I can’t get rid of, so sorry about that.
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Tags: billy davies, joel lynch, match report, nottingham forest, podcast, wes morgan, wolverhampton wanderers Posted in Match Reports, Podcasts
Posted March 20th, 2009
by Rish
It seems as though a lot has happened since Forest had a good week with victories against Reading and Preston and a creditable draw against diving Swansea. Needless to say, we need as many points as we can get, but with the back line and keeper looking more and more jittery every week, and the fatboy drunkards (allegedly) still populating our team, confidence is pretty low.
Assuming that we still have a dearth of fit centre-backs, I don’t see why Perchio or Moloney cannot play right-back and Chambers at centre-half. Lewis may be a tubby p*sshead (again, allegedly), but he is our most creative player and, like it or loathe it, we could do with his spark in the middle of the park.
I spoke to Wolves fan Matt Langham about this weekend’s match:
1865: So, how’s your season going?
M: It goes without saying that anyone would want to be in our position but, remarkably, there’s still an element of disaffection among the Wolves fans, with some feeling that Mick is intransigent in terms of team selection and only picks his “favourites”, and others that we should have the title sewn up by now. Most fans are level headed though; they realise that the run-in is going to be a nervous affair and are increasingly showing signs of unconditional support for the team.
1865: Who is the Wolves danger man?
M: Some of our most effective players have lost form since Christmas – before Saturday Chris Iwelumo hadn’t found the net in 17 games, Michael Kightly has been underperforming by his high standards of late, Matt Jarvis has struggled due to a niggling injury. One player who has been consistently excellent is Sylvan Ebanks-Blake – he’s quick, strong, good under pressure, committed and scores different types of goals.
1865: Who would win in a fight: Mick McCarthy or Billy Davies?
M: Mick every time! I think both would and have struggled with the exacting demands of the Premiership though.
1865: Will Wolves go up? As champions?
M: Well we finally capitalised on Reading dropping points last weekend which will give our players a morale boost and now you’d have to think that the 10 point gap is too much for them to make up. I’m honestly not bothered about winning the League as long as we make it, though having topped the table for so long it would be nice!
1865: Do you think that Forest will get relegated?
M: I really hope not, but think it’s going to be tight. Charlton are gone, but everyone up to Doncaster in 14th have cause to be looking over their shoulders. Another good run should see you safe and hopefully we’ll do our bit by beating Barnsley and Southampton for you!
1865: Finally, what’s your score prediction for Saturday?
M: I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion by any means. Forest will be smarting after their thumping at Burnley and many of their players will also have a point to prove following the outcome of the reverse fixture in August. Still, I think a scrappy 1-0 win to Wolves with Ebanks-Blake on the scoresheet.
I personally find it hard to see anything other than a comfortable win for the men in Gold and Black, so let’s hope that Billy and the boys can surprise everyone (a la Reading) this weekend. Thanks to Matt for taking the time to speak to us and good luck to Wolves after Saturday!
Tags: james perch, lewis mcgugan, luke chambers, michael kightly, nottingham forest, sylvan ebanks-blake, wolverhampton wanderers Posted in General
Posted March 19th, 2009
by Rish
A brief news roundup, as a lot of the other occurences are getting plenty of airtime elsewhere…
Iain Turner has signed on loan for Forest until the end of the season, apparently to provide competition for places. A noble sentiment, but given Smudge’s unpopularity with a section of the Reds’ support, maybe he has seen his last action for Forest?
According to the Daily Mail’s “Midlander” column, Forest are constantly “fighting against unseen forces that drag [the club] down“. An interesting notion that has been suggested by some supporters for years. This is a recommended read, as even if you don’t agree with it, you will certainly recognise the themes.
Tags: daily mail, iain turner, nottingham forest, paul smith Posted in News
Posted March 18th, 2009
by Rish
It looks as though Through the Seasons Before Us has got something of an exclusive, as a reader reports that several Forest players were out on the lash in a less than subtle way:
Adam Says:
You guys are p*ssed off?? Imagine being out in Nottingham last night at BZR, seeing half the forest squad P*s*ed out their tree being arogant and ignorant despite 5 – 0 at Burnly only days before. To be told in their by players that they don’t give a sh*t about the club or BD. They were an embarasment and should all be sacked!
In a later comment, Adam says that the players involved were Ian Breckin, Wes Morgan, James Perch, Robbie Earnshaw, Lewis McGugan, Luke Chambers (couldn’t have guessed that), Julian Bennett and possibly Guy Moussi, joined by a sober Leon Best who was discouraging the players from misbehaving.
Now obviously, we only have one side of the story so far, but Adam’s suggestion that the players said that they don’t care would be hard to refute. I wonder if Perchio was one of them, after his interview at the weekend?
If you look at it from a different perspective, a bunch of friends who are in their 20s and 30s who don’t have to work very much and go out to get drunk together is not that surprising. However, even as someone who tries to find balance in every story, I do think that they are foolish to go out on the town and be seen “enjoying” themselves in the wake of a disastrous week and a half (funny how these stories always emerge after a heavy defeat – I seem to remember the same happening after the 5-0 at Oldham). Sometimes, you would be better off keeping a low profile (especially in light of the manager’s “lifestyle” comments)…
Tags: Guy Moussi, ian breckin, james perch, julian bennett, leon best, lewis mcgugan, luke chambers, Robert Earnshaw, wes morgan Posted in General
Posted March 18th, 2009
by Rish
NFFCBlog has, in his usual eloquent way, spoken of the malaise and negativity that goes with being a Forest supporter; just after things started looking up, they are now looking right back down, through the trapdoor into League One. Although we have now dropped back into the relegation zone, I remain confident that we are not one of the worst three teams in the division, and that this will be proven come the end of the season. I will confess, however, that I am erring more towards hope than expectation these days.
I was lucky enough to not be at Turf Moor (not that I would ever go back there having visited a few years ago, watched an unjust defeat and got bullied by both aggressive Burnley fans and the Lancashire Constabulary), nor was I within radio range. Every time I checked the score, I got more and more annoyed. Not just because we were getting thumped, not just because the post-match reports said that the performance was thoroughly inept, and not just because of Billy Davies’ decision to have a highly inappropriate (in my humble opinion) public rant pointing the finger at individuals. It is because, as Rahoul as commented a number of times, because we seem to have gone backwards; at least under Calderwood you could see the effort and the style of football was pleasing (if largely ineffective). Now the players have the fear and Davies doesn’t seem to recognise that Forest only score when they stroke it about a bit (you know, the way that a certain dearly departed ex-manager used to say that football should be played).
In my job, I work with a number of staff who are about the same age as many of the Forest players (19-23ish). If you use a stick to beat them with, they lose interest and become stubborn, because it is human nature at that age. If I were to publicly criticise them, then some of them would walk away and not come back. I would speculate that if you take that kind of attitude with a well-paid and apparently big-headed young footballer, the response would be to sulk, rather than knuckle down in training (and it also knocks a zero off from Lewis’ transfer value). Although Paul Smith is a “grown-up”, he is clearly lacking in confidence, partly in my opinion due to the City Ground crowd knocking his every mistake but not giving him credit for the parts of his game that have improved – ironic cheers every time he catches a cross won’t help; yet Billy bawling him out in public won’t do anything to improve his confidence. We saw Smudge look big and strong and yelling at his defence when he came back in following some healthy competition from Campo, and he is a shadow of that man at the moment…
I don’t think Billy Davies likes working with young players; in his time here, it seems as though he has only played the likes of Moloney, Heath, McCleary and Garner if it is the only option left to him, and while one could argue that none of them are ready for regular first team action, the two young full-backs have proven to be largely capable and frequently better than their senior counterparts. To be fair, Chris Cohen, Paul Anderson and Lewis have all enjoyed spells in the team (although if Billy’s rant is to be believed, he doesn’t actually want to play Lewis at all).
Referring back to Rahoul’s point about Andy Reid and Keith Foy, I am going to repeat a comment that I made – as I understood it at the time, Paul Hart sacked Foy in order to protect the career of his drinking buddy. If you read the messageboards (and indeed interviews with the players), it seems apparent that Lewis and Luke Chambers are partners in crime and drinking buddies; yet Luke Chambers continues to play, out of position and out of his depth at right-back, while Perchio plays anywhere but right-back and young Brendan kicks his heels in the reserves. Until Lynch is fit again, I imagine that young Chris Gunter will continue on the left, and yet it has been obvious all season that Chambers cannot play at right-back!!! Could Billy will think laterally and drop Chambers for Lewis’ benefit?
Just as many questioned Colin Calderwood’s tactical nous, so I question Davies’; Colin had finally unlocked the secret of pretty football that created lots of chances (although the vast majority were spannered off target and we have been leaky at the back). Under Davies, the good football has largely disappeared, as has the team spirit that was evident early on, but crucially, the results are not improving, and our league position now is worse than when Davies took over as boss.
This is not a defence of Calderwood (although heaven knows I played Devil’s Advocate to defend him at the time), but merely a statement of my concerns that Forest have not progressed under Billy Davies. Of course some of this is clearly down to the perennial lack of activity in the January transfer window, and some of it is down to inheriting a thin squad; but both Derby and Preston fans warned us that when things go well, it is down to Billy Davies, but when things go wrong, it is everyone else’s fault.
Oh, and by the way, to everyone ringing up the idiotic Radio Nottingham matchline, we cannot sign Lee Camp on loan anymore – he has done his 93 days for this season – the only way we would have got him was on a permanent deal in the transfer window, and QPR were clearly not keen to release their only fit keeper (at the time) from a long contract. Slightly tangential, but a point that I wanted to make – if we want another keeper we will have to look elsewhere…
Tags: billy davies, brendan moloney, chris gunter, colin calderwood, Lee Camp, lewis mcugan, luke chambers, nottingham forest, radio nottingham Posted in Opinion
