Posted June 17th, 2009
by Rahoul Baruah
It’s been a while … how you doing? Not much going on over here I’m afraid.
John Pemberton leaves the club as Sport Billy restructures his back-room staff. We’ve also got Bradford City in the first round of the Carling Cup.
Craig Armstrong (remember him?) joins Mansfield. And Ian Breckin has not been short of offers.
It looks like Dexter Blackstock may not be coming – as he looks forward to playing his former club in QPR’s pre-season.
However, we are after Donny’s Brian Stock and some say we are after style-over-substance winger Lee Martin – but I don’t believe that for a second.
Lastly, the excellent LTLF has an interview with James Perchio.
Tags: bradford city, brian stock, carling cup, craig armstrong, dexter blackstock, ian breckin, james perchio, john pemberton, lee martin Posted in News
Posted May 13th, 2009
by Rahoul Baruah
The big news of the day – while Sport Billy is still in for Dele Adebola on a free, “our” Nigel is after Nathan Tyson, for a paltry £400000.
Ian Breckin thinks that we are a club on the up.
Nigel Doughty is putting his hands in his pockets to support Billy.
And we play Rotherham on the 22nd July.
Finally, meet “better than Paul Smith but not as good as Lee Campo” keeper, Peter Shilton – if you are at the Warndon Villages FC Fun Day.
Tags: billy davies, dele adebola, ian breckin, nathan tyson, nigel clough, nigel doughty, peter shilton, rotherham united 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 11th, 2009
by Rahoul Baruah
We didn’t make it to the Watford game but Kevin Sinclair has kindly provided us with a summary of the evening’s events.
It wasn’t good: Moussi looked so slow and ponderous, like a grandfather with arthiritis, and with Lewis disappearing again we had no central midfield. Hence the heart of the defence was continually caught out by their midfielders bursting forwards, and we couldn’t get any passes going. Moussi was replaced by Osborne, but he didn’t really do much. Mcsheffery was awful; no touch.
They played two big strong proper strikers up front in an old-fashioned partnership, and they gave our defence the run-around all night.
Bright spots: great goal by Thornhill. I like him, actually; his quick feet and intelligence remind me of previous Forest teams of the late 90s. Wilson did well once he was moved out to full-back (we ended up with Mclearly at right-back after both Lynch and his replacement Breckin went off).
Also it clearly wasn’t working at half-time, and Billy made an aggressive attacking substitution by bringing on Earnie. This didn’t work either, obviously, since with no midfield we had no choice but to lump the ball up to him, and he didn’t get a touch all night. But at least Billy saw the problem and tried something.
I’m glad we’re at home on the last day.
So there you have it. Billy’s already said it wasn’t good enough – but the most worrying thing are the injuries; especially as Joel Lynch has started playing football.
Hold tight kids, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Tags: billy davies, gary mcsheffrey, Guy Moussi, ian breckin, isiah osbourne, joel lynch, kelvin wilson garath mcleary, kevin sinclair, matt thornhill, nottingham forest, rob earnshaw, watford Posted in Match Reports, Opinion
Posted February 19th, 2009
by Rahoul Baruah
UPDATE: I think I’m over this now – still not sure what that interview was supposed to achieve but I’m sure Billy has a masterplan in mind. Bring on the Sheep!
The knives are out. Billy Davies, Mark Arthur, Nigel Doughty; no-one escapes the wrath of the Forest fan in the run up to yet another game against the Sheep.
And the source of this malaise?
The fact that our small, injury-ravaged League One squad is still struggling in the Championship, was not strengthened during the transfer window and the fabled new-manager effect simply has not happened (or at least was very short-lived).
Before Calderwood went I said a change (of some kind, not necessarily of manager) was needed; at the very least a big centre-half, a big centre-forward and someone to offer some leadership. Now, in February, we have a new manager but no new players. Fair play to Billy – watch him from the touchlines and he is offering the leadership. He went for Rob Jones to play at the back and Dele Adebola up-front. So it looks, on paper, like he had identified the same weaknesses as me.
But we didn’t get either and the consensus is that this is the board’s fault. Could be, I don’t know enough about what went on. Is Jones worth more than £600000 or is he another Lynch? Should anyone ever pay any money for Adebola? Were the board just tight or did they just not want to pay over the odds for players who may not be good enough to keep us up (can you tell which one of those two I feel falls into that category?) If they were tight then it’s definitely a false economy – League One will cost far more than the extra £400000 that was reportedly the difference between our valuation of Jones and Hibs’ (although I’ve also seen it written that we offered £1m for him).
However, for whatever reason, we didn’t bring anyone in during the window. So we have to make do with what we’ve got (and what we can loan in).
And this is where my problems begin. We know that they are young and inexperienced. We know that the Championship is a big step up from League One. We know that we have an injury crisis on, forcing us to play players who aren’t first choices. But that is the hand we have – unless we loan four or five players in tomorrow, then that is the hand we will have when playing Derby. We are where we are.
So why slag them off Billy? We all know that confidence is a vital component of success in football. Do you honestly believe that telling the only players you have available that they will never make it at this level is going to make them perform better this weekend?
In goal we’ve got Smith. The best thing that Calderwood did this season (apart from getting us to play some pretty football that had been sorely lacking for quite a few years) was bring in Lee Camp. Whilst some people think Campo is the second coming of Peter Shilton, I’m not so convinced. The defence needed a kick up the arse and Campo gave it to them. But in terms of actual keeping ability there’s not so much in it (Smith’s terrible kicking aside) – witness Campo’s flapping at a cross when we played against QPR.
At centre-half we’re looking OK. Breckin and Wesley are the first choice pairing; having Breckin back in the fold is a definite bonus, but Calderwood wasn’t lying when he said the old man isn’t fit enough to play every week. Wes has been immense after a dodgy start to the season. Chambers is an able deputy (note, this is centre-half) but Wilson appears to be getting worse under Davies, and he wasn’t playing great to start with.
At full-back is where the real trouble now lies. Moloney has been a breath of fresh air this season, but Davies does not appear to trust the youngster to do the job. Leaving Chambers to play at right-back and we all know it’s just not his position. Things are worse on the left with Bennett out injured – leaving Heath who tries hard but isn’t ready, Wilson, who looks like someone playing out of position (funny that) or Lynch. Nuff said.
In midfield, it’s no secret that I am a great fan of Perchio – he’s not the best defensive midfielder in the world but it’s a vital (unsung) role and he does it well. The Moose should be back soon and he had a great start to the season, but seemed to go missing for a few games before his injury. Cohen is many people’s favourite for player of the season – certainly his work-rate is incredible. Thornhill is probably my favourite of the youngsters – intelligent, beautifully timed runs with excellent passing. And then there’s Lewis McGugan. Probably our most talented player, certainly the one we could sell for the most money. But he seems to have gone backwards recently. Billy plays him a bit deeper than Colin did and he looks like he’s struggling with it – and when Lewis plays badly, Forest plays badly.
And then, up-front. Earnie’s out injured and this is a big loss, as our only Championship-quality player. Tyson works his socks off but isn’t an out-and-out goal-scorer. And he can’t do it all by himself. Leaving Garner. The target for Davies’ post-match interview and another youngster with obvious talent but not necessarily the work-rate or application Billy wants. From the little we’ve seen of him so far, he appears to be one of those who does nothing for 89 minutes then produces a piece of magic that turns the game. However, I can’t see much more magic coming from him under this manager.
We’re in the shit. We know that. The players know that. The manager knows that. The board (probably) know that. And when you’re up against it you need to be pulling together. Unity can make up for a number of deficiencies. Unfortunately, I don’t see much of that around the City Ground at the moment. Sorry to be so gloomy, but things aren’t looking good.
Tags: billy davies, brendan moloney, doom and gloom, Guy Moussi, ian breckin, james perchio, joe garner, joe heath, joel lynch, kelvin wilson, Lee Camp, lewis mcgugan, luke chambers, mark arthur, matt thornhill, nathan tyson, nigel doughty, paul smith, rob earnshaw, wes morgan Posted in Opinion
Posted December 19th, 2008
by Rahoul Baruah
Thanks Yiannaki for pointing out that Breckin (and Bencherif) have been transfer-listed.
This either denotes that we have a big, ugly, loud (and expensive) central defender lined up in January.
Or the club has truly taken leave of its senses and wants to kick us in the teeth for Christmas.
Tags: hamza bencherif, ian breckin Posted in News
Posted November 28th, 2008
by Rish
No manager will come out and say that he expects to be sacked, so (as with Casual Kelv) Colin Calderwood’s comments are no surprise.
To me, the main thing that has been proven this week is that people are quick to resort to hyperbole. The reaction from professional journos is entirely predictable, and can be justified by their need to sell papers (or get hits on their website or whatever). Some of the Forest blogging community are similarly provocative in their headlines, presumably in an attempt to increase their hit rate, either for personal pride or to try and get people to click on their ads (and I will admit to choosing my headlines carefully, if not “provocatively”). But look at the forums (fora?) and messageboards, and you will see people who have no such interests using very strong words, and (unforgivably in my view) often presenting opinion as fact.
Many blogs and messageboards have been outspoken, and people have a right to their opinion. However, whether you think he should stay or go, the club are in a much stronger position now than they were two and a half years ago, and Calderwood appears to have the confidence of both the dressing room and the boardroom. My opinion is that these are good enough reasons for the manager to retain his job, at least until the end of the season – if we go down, then I would expect the situation to be reviewed (as relegation would be a disaster not just on, but probably off the pitch as well).
Naturally, the chairman and hapless CEO are both under-fire as well. “Back him or sack him!” people cry. I think this illustrates the fact that, sometimes you just cannot win. If the chairman came out in support of his manager, people would only harp on about the “dreaded vote of confidence” and use that as a stick with which to beat manager, chairman and CEO.
Anyway, onto the match. Barnsley will still be missing Iain Hume who had a scare this week in his recovery from a fractured skull – I wish him all the best for a full recovery. For Forest, I am glad to see that Brendan Moloney (recalled early from his spell with Rushden & Diamonds), Matt Thornhill, Ian Breckin and Rob Earnshaw are in the squad. I can sense changes to the starting line-up, with these lads having a good chance of getting in the team.
We will be back with a podcast tomorrow – it feels like a lot has happened since the Birmingham match…
Tags: brendan moloney, colin calderwood, iain hume, ian breckin, mark arthur, nigel doughty, nottingham forest, rob earnshaw Posted in General, Opinion
Posted August 24th, 2008
by Rish
Forest:
P Smith
Chambers Morgan Breckin (c) Bennett
Moussi Perch
Cohen
McCleary Earnshaw Martin
Subs: Tyson (McCleary 66), Sinclair (Earnshaw 82), Cole (Martin 86). Not used: Roberts, Thornhill.
Watford (4-3-2-1): Poom; Doyley, Bromby, DeMerit (c), Sadler; Williamson (Francis 59), Eustace, Harley (Priskin 59); McAnuff (Hoskins 26), T Smith; Rasiak. Not used: Loach, Mariappa.
Goals: Martin (10), 1-0; T Smith (22), 1-1; Earnshaw (35), 2-1; T Smith (61), 2-2; Tyson (68), 3-2.
In the podcast we talked a lot about some of the players who did and didn’t do so well, and having seen the highlights on “The Championship”, I want to start by admitting that I may have been a bit harsh on the Moose – he wasn’t as good as he was against Reading, but he had a hand in all three goals, so that counts for a lot! His physical presence in midfield will certainly scare opponents, as will the pace and skill of our three scorers today
The good: Forest were going for it; CC’s tactics have been criticised by many Reds, but he has signed lots of attacking players and seems to want to implement a “pass and move” style of play that just wasn’t possible in League One. On today’s evidence, it might work, because defenders will struggle to cope with the trickery and sheer pace of our forwards.
The not-so-good: The concession of soft goals – both times, Tommy Smith had time and space to score, and having watched the highlights I am afraid that I have to point a finger at Luke Chambers, who was often out of position and seemed a little out of his depth today. Garath McCleary on the right wing also seemed a bit ponderous, as if he wasn’t sure what to do with it – he created a chance for Earnshaw, but apart from that seemed to run into defenders as a result of a heavy first touch.
The ref and his team were poor. They started well, but the award of a corner for Watford’s first goal was ridiculous (linesman in front of Sir Brian’s stand), trumped only by the award of a free-kick to Watford when Hoskins appeared to get brought down by one of his team-mates (referee, standing about ten yards away)! I am not suggesting that the officials were biased though, as Forest got the rub of the green in later decisions, but many fans of both clubs were baffled. I also don’t know where three minutes of first-half injury time came from, nor four minutes in the second…
As we mentioned in the podcast, McAnuff’s aforementioned injury played into Forest’s hands, as Watford brought on Hoskins and went 4-4-2, with Tommy Smith moving wide. This freed up Perchio from his apparent duties shadowing Smith, plugging the great big gap that seemed to exist between defence and midfield. However, Aidy Boothroyd’s subs had a more positive impact for the Hornets in the second half, when the introduction of Priskin and Francis seemed to bamboozle the Forest players, allowing Tommy Smith (who had switched from right-wing to left as part of the reshuffle) the space to slot home again.
Just an honourable mention to a couple of players: Ian Breckin has had his detractors, but he was magnificent today and marshalled the troops well. Paul Smith also had a good game, was not at fault for either goal, and was desperately unfortunate that no Forest player chose to track Tommy Smith after he made a magnificent save from Bromby’s flick for the first Watford goal.
However, for me, the pick of the defensive players was Perchio – after being freed from man-marking Smith, he screened the backline in an almost Scimeca-esque fashion, and we all remember how important Riccy was to the (almost) success of that team. He also played a fantastic through-ball to Tys late on, who will feel that he should have made it 4-2. On any other day, he would have been the eighteensixtyfive Man of the Match, but on this occasion, it has gone to Lee Martin for a fine display of skill, pace and hard work, topped off with a fine goal.
Finally, a mention of two things – despite a disappointing attendance (20,500), there was a decent atmosphere, especially in the second half; on the pitch, we should also take heart that, despite being pegged back on two occasions, the Reds didn’t let their heads drop, and seemed determined to win the match.
Remember that you can listen to our views on the match in the eighteensixtyfive podcast
Tags: ian breckin, james perch, jobi mcanuff, lee martin, nathan tyson, nottingham forest, Robert Earnshaw, tommy smith, watford Posted in General, Match Reports
