Bristol Rovers - 2
Nottingham Forest - 2
A strange game for the Reds really, finding themselves rather spectacularly 2-0 down after around half an hour mark. This was somewhat fortuitous, as Forest had started the game brightly with Commons forcing a save after only a matter of minutes into the game, having been fed well by the veteran midfielder Neil Lennon.
Sammy Clingan almost got on the end of a Junior Agogo cross, but some brave defending from Stuart Campbell saw the ball find it’s way back to the goalkeeper. Alas, this was to prove the start of a lull in the game, from which Bristol Rovers would emerge in the ascendency.
Forest had cleared after sustained pressure from the home side, or so we thought, but Carruthers was on hand to get the ball to Byron Anthony, who turned deftly before unleashing an absolute piledriver past Paul Smith. Very incongruous play from a centreback, and representing the first clearcut chance of the game for the home side.
Tails well and truly up, The Pirates swept forward again from the restart - and Lewis Haldane was felled in the area from a fairly tame Chambers challenge, conceding a penalty which would be difficult to argue against. Walker took this, stroking the ball into the bottom right hand corner of the goal to put Rovers 2 up in a matter of 2 minutes.
The drama was still in full flow though, after the restart Commons sent the crowded penalty area - Morgan and Anthony challenged for it, and it looked to have come off the Rovers defender and deflected goalwards, although Wes Morgan was seen vehemently claiming the goal to the referee on the way to the dressing room at half time!
Andy Hall, the referee, was starting to show his utter clown credentials by this stage. He sent off Rovers manager Paul Trollope - who admittedly was rather over-the-top for his response to a perfectly fair looking decision going against him, on the half way line! He also booked Sammy Clingan then had a lengthy check with the fourth official to see if he’d booked him already.
Forest played their best football of the game shortly after this into stoppage time. Chambers and Clingan combined well getting the ball forward, with Chambers eventually feeding the ball down the right to Junior Agogo, who fired over a pinpoint cross which found Grant Holt who headed down at the back stick to equalise for Forest.
The second half was less interesting, although the refereeing circus act was to take centre stage as he man-in-the-middle gave a series of baffling decisions for and against both sides. Rovers almost made us look silly when Williams backheeled the ball in the area, releasing Walker - who couldn’t quite connect with the ball.
A couple of injuries to Rovers players disrupted play somewhat, and it was becoming apparent that Chambers was having difficulties down the right side of defence. Morgan had to bail him out a couple of times, so fortunately Wes didn’t have his ‘headless chicken’ head on today! Lennon picked up a booking for arguing for a penalty claim that only he saw after Commons fell over in the area.
Tyson was introduced for Commons with 15 minutes on the clock, and this should have been the catalyst for Forest to kick on, but Rovers continued to pres - with Disley having a shot from a tight angle blocked by Bennett. Perchy had a shot from range at the other end, which the keeper spilled, but was lucky it fell to a defender to clear.
There was a spell of good end-to-end football as both sides pressed to try to find the winning goal. Sammy and Lennon thought we had it after Tyson had been cynically blocked by Lescott (having just beaten another defender). Sammy struck the freekick almost perfectly, the keeper was floundering, but alas it struck Anthony in the wall.
Shortly after this the finale of clown-refereeing reached a conclusion - Grant Holt, who had been booked for a nothing-decision in the first half (which admittedly was his own doing as it was dissent) was sent off for another nothing-decision. He then compounded this by remonstrating like a 2 year old with the referee - which is a poor show, and fairly typical of Holt.
Forest threw on Breckin for Agogo, and Thornhill for Perch - who it transpires has probably broken a bone in his hand this afternoon - but it was never likely to sway the result and the game finished 2-2. And so we go into a two week break from league football still without a win, but again with some glimmers of a good performance this afternoon.
With Grant now due a suspension we will be rueing the lack of striker-related transfer activity I imagine, I would say perhaps he’ll learn from his needless hotheadedness, but I’ve said that before and I doubt he will. Undoubtedly many will be clamouring for action at a manager or boardroom level, personally I’m prepared to show a bit of patience - I’m pleased we are trying to pass the ball well, and build from the back - I do believe that as our injuries subside this is a squad that can deliver promotion over the course of the season - although I would like to see another striker in.
In brighter news, on the day that Forest fans were allowed to revel in a Liverpool win for a change, they spanked six goals past Derby County today, which reportedly could have been more. I do appreciate that us Reds fans are in no position to be belittling the sheep botherers, but well, it’s still funny! 
Click 
1 September, 2007 at 5:58 pm
All this patience is now getting costly ..another 2 points gone and starting to pay more attention to whose at the bottom …
and i dont mean Leeds ..Holt even though he scored today ..is out of his depth …we will rue the lack of strikers
Calders …sort it out
1 September, 2007 at 6:03 pm
the break could do us good with the injuries, we may just may get our proper team together and win a bloody game! also by then hartson may have got out of his contract with WBA and could come here as a free agent, fingers crossed
1 September, 2007 at 6:07 pm
REPEATED CRYS FOR THE HEADS OD DOUGHTY AND CALDERWOOD OR SHOULD I SAY DEADWOOD
1 September, 2007 at 6:20 pm
Terry, you still seem to be playing the same record. It’s starting to get boring. After listening to the game, in view of our crucial missing players, and the current performances by both sides, a draw seemed to be fair (albeit against some cider drinking country boys). A welcome two weeks off will hopefully bring some fortune our way in Davies and Cohen being fit again. A pretty sh*ty start really but you don’t want us to be top just yet. We have to be crap at least once a season, let’s hope they are getting out of their systems now. Uuuu Reeedddsss!!!!
1 September, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Tis a fair point you make AJ.
Last season we flew out the blocks, whilst Scunny and Brizzle City struggled early doors - look what happened respectively.
I think it’s too early for panic stations just yet.
1 September, 2007 at 8:41 pm
By all accounts we played some good stuff today, and we are still in the middle of an injury crisis. By that I mean at the moment we are still picking most of last years inadequate players, who didn’t gel at all. So have a little patience, and reserve judgement until Cohen and Davies are fit, with Tyson in the starting 11.
And please please please can we stop the call for Hartson. He is no better than Holt. Maybe 5 or 6 years ago, but certainly not now. Instead Mr Bevchenko and others, please shout for a quick, young, keen-to-impress reserve.
If he does sign, and I doubt he will anyway, ND is unlikely to want to pay him the 12,000 a week he wants, 2 goals in 20 games is all he’ll get. The first will come in the 2nd or 3rd game and you’ll all post that I’m wrong and he’s our saviour, then you’ll spend 18 games slagging him and CC and ND off while you wait for goal number 2.
Mind you, by then that goal may either earn us promotion or save us from relegation!!
1 September, 2007 at 9:30 pm
It is Calderwood who is playing the same record.
He says this after EVERY game:
http://www.nottinghamforest.premiumtv.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10308~1104168,00.html
So does Radio Nottm commentary team… “how Forest didnlt win this we’ll never know”, start all their after-match reports.
Beginning to tell us something maybe??
2 September, 2007 at 12:58 am
i’d rather read that we shoulda won than we deserved to get beat, as we did that first time we visted Huish Park. 3-0 was it? I was so depressed. Like AJ has mentioned, should we be top of the league right now, we’ll all be wondering when we’re gonna mess it up!
If things dont change when Cohen and Davies return THEN we should be asking questions.
On another note, if there is any incentive to get out of this league then it must be the shambolic refereeing. They moan in the Premiership about penalties given when they shouldnt be, but give all 20 prem managers a game with league one refs Keith Hacketts phone will be off the hook! They’re awful. It really does ruin the game.
2 September, 2007 at 11:19 am
re ref
I’ve just seen Holt’s second yellow card on the haunted fish tank.
Not even a foul, never mind a card. His arm just seemed to swing in the general direction of the Bristol bloke and barely brushed against him. Wasn’t at the game but I would bet he was on the receiving end of a damn site worse than that both on and off the ball throughout the game that all went un-punished by the ref.
2 September, 2007 at 1:40 pm
OK - fair point about the ref - but his influence on the play should be enough to see Rovers lost 4-2 at home instead of 4-0. We should have the players capable of beating the newly-promoted side, even with the sending off. Yes, we played OK, but I didn’t see much of a stamp of authority - more a stamp of petulance from the big girl up front. Will he never learn? Our promotion-chasing team are doing themselves no favours - we have the quality in the side to put this sort of game to bed in the first half and cruise the second half, instead of busting a gut for 90 minutes for no reward. The good news is that it’s a long season, so we have time, including a 2 week rest, to get more of the squad fit to play. From then on in we have to put in a decent run, and prove why we were pre-season favourites.
3 September, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Did anybody pick up on Colin Fray’s comment on Saturday about the second half against Leeds and the first half against Leicester being ’some of the best football seen here in the last few years’
Whilst not seeing the Leicester game the second half against Leeds was at best an improvement but certainly not ‘ the best football seen in years.
Come on Radio Nottingham lets get back to reality not rose tinted glasses.
Saturday… We were playing a team that scrapped through promotion from div 4 via the playoffs - and were 2-0 down after 30 minutes - we then pull it back to 2-2 to get a draw !!
Allowing for rank bad refereeing our injuries we should still be winning these games. I would like to feel optomistic but can’t. I like many others will only do so when there is a change of manager.
3 September, 2007 at 2:02 pm
Whilst I’m certainly not a fan of Calderwood, I wonder if getting rid now is wise? You’re right to say that we shouldn’t be glad to scrape a draw against the likes of Rovers ( +swansea and bournemouth, no disrespect) but at least the ‘long ball for 90 mins’ style of football seems to have gone. And a new manager would insist that the current players are the problem and that he needs new blood. (I disagree).
No, I reckon we will have to get promoted despite CC, but with the vocal backing of a more understanding crowd.
This club has been mis-managed from the very top for many years now (go back as far as the last 2 years of BCs reign). Only Hart offered any sort of resistance, and even he was shat upon.
Ideal scenario : We get promoted and CC sticks 2 fingers up and leaves.