I’ve never heard of it happening before, but Forest have been asked to change their squad numbers by the Football League. Obviously this is the foremost matter on the football agenda at the moment!
The oddest thing about the new squad numbers was Robbie Findley taking the number 9 shirt – even the most optimistic supporter would concede that he is not a target man. However, the shirt was free due to Ishmael Miller’s decision to take the number 43 shirt that he wore when he broke through at Manchester City. Similarly, Matt Derbyshire has taken the 27 that he wore at Blackburn.
My first instinct (and that of some others) was that the two strikers’ relegation from the 1-11 indicated that their time at The City Ground could be numbered. Then Ishmael Miller tweeted that he had chosen the number and most of us could see some logic in that; sportsmen are a superstitious bunch after all, and after a difficult season it makes sense that the two players chose to revert to numbers with which they had enjoyed their peak years.
However, I am wondering if he regrets giving up the number 9 shirt, as now Miller has the number 25 shirt. I don’t quite understand why youngsters Freeman and Lascelles retained quite such stratospheric numbers, nor do I know if any of them are bothered at having to change, but bearing in mind their Premier League counterparts Mario Balotelli and Nicklas Bendtner wear 45 and 52 respectively, I wonder if the Football League are simply trying to inject some tradition and sense into the whole squad number farce.
————————————-
In “real” news, I have been meaning to write a news roundup all week, but it seems as though the ever excellent LTLF have beaten us to it. They refer to View from the Main Stand‘s piece on the new boys, as told by their former fans, but I would contend that Greg Halford is not quite so popular with fans of all his former clubs, as one of my Wolves-supporting mates tweeted me with his considered opinion: “Greg Halford is an absolute d*ck” (sorry Dad).
As for transfer rumours, well Forest are having a look at ex-Donny men Frank Moussa and Simon Gillett, and news broke today that they are in talks with Norwich over a potential season-long loan for Daniel Ayala.