Through the seasons before us..

Port Vale - 0
Nottingham Forest - 2

We’ve finally gotten that win we’ve craved, in a scrappy and awkward game against Port Vale this afternoon.  The first goal came within the first three minutes, a Cohen corner flicked by Grant, and put into his own net by Edwards under pressure from Chambers.  The final goal came with only a couple of minutes of normal time remaining, Luke Chambers on hand to bury a header from a Commons cross.

And boy did we need it - the fact that the game was a scrappy and unentertaining affair doesn’t really matter at all, the result was all that counted - we have had games where we’ve performed well and not gotten the results, so perhaps a reverse of that scenario today is some kind of ironic karmic response from fate - who knows?  But after dipping briefly below the relegation cut-off point, we’re up to mid table!

Smoulders made a couple of changes, and positive ones at that (on paper, at least), dropping Commons for Tyson, and dropping Clingan for the newly-fit Cohen.  In this I felt sorry for Sammy, who has done well for us this season - I was surprised he didn’t push him to the right, dropping Perch to the bench for Cohen.  I can’t say I have much objection to providing Commons with a reminder that he can’t coast to a place in the side automatically.

Despite the comfortable looking scoreline, we should remember that Paul Smith made three good saves - one in the first half, two in the second - all of which prevented equalisers.  Not to mention a strange lapse from the ‘keeper who claimed the ball before bowling it into the back of the referee, from which Whittaker was only able to chip the ball wide of the goal with Smith well out of position.

Commons was introduced for Tyson in the second half, Nathan had a quiet game largely because the ball never came to him - but upon taking the field Commons did start to make a difference, so perhaps the ignomity of being dropped to the bench will stir him into the kind of performances we know he’s capable of.  Sammy and Dobie were introduced later for Agogo and Perch, and this is perhaps the period that heralded the best spell of the game for Forest.

A win, though, is a win - and boy did we need one today, without a Derby match in the Premiership to laugh at this weekend we needed some good cheer, and some points on the board more importantly! We’re now up to the dizzy heights of 14th in the league table, with a game in hand on many teams that may be sufficient to put us into the playoff zone - given that game in hand is against bottom-placed Oldham, things could be looking up!

And so it came to pass, a 3-0 win for Leeds United over Bristol Rovers, two more goals for Jermaine Beckford, and Forest find themselves looking up at Leeds from the last of the relegation places.  Now of course, everybody below Leeds has a game in hand, ourselves and Oldham have two, coupled with the earliness of the season, it’s not remotely time for panic stations.

However, psychologically it’s not a particularly good place to be - and if ever we needed a win both to ease those psychological concerns, but also to ease the pressure that is not insignficant on both players and certainly the manager at this time.  Historically Port Vale has been reasonably happy hunting ground for us, and it’s high time that elusive win came to kickstart the season for us.

Rumours of Smoulderwood being under job pressure perhaps don’t seem beyond belief right now, if - for example - Rotherham had stormed past us in terms of points with fairly minimum effort after their 10 point deduction, then you can imagine that questions would be asked - so the fact that Leeds have done just that (admittedly, Leeds are a more challenging prospect than Rotherham!) perhaps raises eyebrows more than normal given the very unnatural barrier of somebody starting with negative points.

It’s been quite interesting perusing the debate on message boards from both Forest and Leicester fans following the confirmation that Gary Megson is indeed now the manager of the Foxes.  I’ve had numerous conversations over the course of the day, and I can’t quite make my mind about the wisdom - or lackthereof - of the appointment.

I suppose my general lack of knowledge of the situation at Leicester either in terms of their squad or board rather clouds the issue, as of course does the rather looming cloud of Megson’s rather shambolic time in charge at Forest - and of course, football is anything but predictable even when you are in possession of all the facts.

The appointment surprised me greatly, as did the supposed other frontrunner - Neil Warnock - who it has been claimed was offered a role and turned it down, subsequently denied by the Leicester chairman.  You see, my understanding of Mandaric was he is a chairman who likes to be ‘involved’ - you can almost read that as tinkering. 

Allen reportedly didn’t choose the majority of his summer signings, and had a spat with the owner about the latter’s desire to sign Jimmy Floyd Haisselbank.  Now, of course stuff you read from fans has to be taken with a truckload of salt, but I can’t imagine if there’s any truth in this type of story that quite dictatorial managers like Warnock or Megson would be high on Milan’s list of targets - and vice versa.

Megson, of course, has been out of work since he lost his job with us, and he’s even intimated to the press that there are people out to sabotage his chances of employment elsewhere in football.  He was reported to be ‘helping out’ at Stoke on a voluntary basis to keep his hand in with the game, perhaps you could see the appointment as desperation from both camps?

One thing it’s fair to say is if you take away the Forest job from his CV, he has credentials - he took Stockport to 8th in the Championship, he got West Brom promoted twice to the top flight, and whilst we certainly saw little positive during his tenure - he must have some ability that for whatever reason was never meant to flourish here - and that bears some thinking about too.

Megson inherited Joe Kinnear’s Forest.  Joe Kinnear’s reign provided unscaled lacks of professionalism in training, responsiblity and all manner of other things - the players were unfit, uncaring, overpaid and generally a bunch of workshy backstabbers (perhaps not all, but enough of them).  Megson’s appointment was never welcomed by big chunks of the fans, and in losing the dressing room so quickly he was never going to win the fans around.

Now, Leicester’s supporters seem generally unhappy with the appointment, which is always a bad start to get off to.  Of course, if he delivers that elusive win at the City Ground in his second game - I think that he will quickly overcome some of the supporter-backing hurdles that I think were never to be overcome at Forest - indeed, Smoulds is finding the same problem now.

Forest fans are notoriously fussy about style of football - and I’m one of ‘em.  I would rather us play a passing and moving game, the ‘beautiful’ game - I don’t mind direct in the form of counter-attacking, but I cannot stand hoof-ball, even if it grinds out results.  And I think other fans are perhaps more tolerant of it than we are.  Martin O’Neill, revered amongst the Leicester fans, largely employed rather direct football - but it worked for him.

I reckon if Megson gets results for Leicester he’ll certainly stay in the chairman’s good books, but he’ll also quite quickly win around the fans too.  Assuming he doesn’t face an all-but-open-rebellion that he did in the Forest dressing room there, I can see him motivating the side, and I fear he will actually prove to be a much more competent manager than he ever managed to be for us.

Of course, for all this slight gloom-mongering from our perspective (because despite acknowledging some of the difficulties he had, I still hold him in very low regard), there is the potential silver-lining that now Gary is back in football, there may finally be a manager prepared to take Scott Dobie off our hands!

… because the BBC are reporting that a certain Gary Megson is poised to take over the managerial vacancy that has existed at the Foxes since the day after our first attempt at a cup game.  The much-maligned former-Forest manager has been out of work since he was ousted as Forest manager back in February 2006.

Despite our unpleasant memories of him, he does have a track record of success at Championship level prior to taking the poisoned-chalice at the City Ground - twice dragging West Brom into the Premiership, and perhaps his uncompromising ideas of how the game should be played might not sit so uncomfortably at the Walkers Stadium as they did at the City Ground.

I must admit I’m a little surprised if this does indeed prove to be what is going to happen.  Mandaric is well-known for being very hands on indeed, which was reportedly part of the problem Martin Allen had with him, and it will be interesting to see how Megson deals with a chairman who will be breathing down his neck to ensure his goals are within reach.

But certainly it will add some much-needed spice to our forthcoming cup replay against Leicester, as there is obviously still a lot of ill-feeling amongst the Forest support for our former manager, so I’m sure if he is indeed unveiled as Leicester manager it might just help sell a few extra tickets for the replay on tuesday 18th September.

After getting through 90 minutes in the reserves this week, Chris Cohen is set to be included in the squad to face Port Vale at the weekend.  He played pretty much on the left of midfield (so watch out, Mr Commons!), and apparently still felt he was going strong after the game had finished - so fitness seems to be all it should be!

This is good news, undoubtedly - and, depending on whether he starts on the bench or on the pitch, could open up a few options for us in midfield.  If he started then he could play on the left, or in the middle - which gives us a whole raft of opportunities to adjust the line up.  Personally I would be tempted to play him centrally, dropping Perch to right back with Chambers moving central, and Wes onto the bench - or just Perch straight to the bench.

Despite my random speculation, I think it more likely that we’ll see a relatively familiar line up at Vale Park, with Cohen featuring amongst the substitutes.  It’s a welcome development that Smoulds is getting closer to having a full squad to select from, which will hopefully pay dividends in terms of performance and results, because there are significant signs of unrest amongst the fanbase.

Forest have announced frankly odd plans to ‘take the Club into China’ this morning.  This is the second bolt-from-the-blue type announcement they’ve come out with since the continually vague assertion that they have viable plans to construct a new ’super’ stadium out near Gotham over the next few years.

This latest scheme, however, appears to be in partnership with both the City Council and local businesses, Forest will be using the trip to China as part of their preseason preparations in 2008 - with a three match tour including Nottingham’s sister city in China, Ningbo. (I never knew we had a sister city in China!).

Local businesses are thought to also be involved in the trip, which is designed to bring investment into Nottingham’s business sector, although the Forest website does make specific mention of “significantly enhancing its international supporter base and its brand profile in the Far East“.

Oh dear, it really does read like a fluffy marketing press release for a fashion label or something, doesn’t it?  I suppose that underlines the fact that Nottingham Forest is not a football club to those in control, it’s a marketable ‘brand’.  I thought the ‘let’s get supporters in China’ boat had sailed personally, but I welcome any opportunity to get funds in.

It was a bit alarming the other day to take a look at the league table, and the fixture list, and then realise that on friday, should Leeds United beat Bristol Rovers (comprising their sixth league win on the bounce), they will move above us in the league table.  To make matters worse, we’ll descent into the murky depths of the relegation zone!

Of course, we could correct all that on saturday with our trip to Port Vale, and we would still have an additional game in hand after the weekend too - but it does rather bring home the differing fortunes of the Reds and the Whites as the season has kicked off.  Of course, there’s a long way to go, and I also remember how we had a string of decent-results-yet-strangely-unconvincing-performances at the start of last season.

The big fat reality check is that a league campaign is a proverbial marathon rather than a sprint, but when you consider the upheaval they’ve undergone, and the speed with which their squad was thrown together, it does make me cast envious glances up the M1 (I have very good eyesight, you see) at how positive the start to Leeds’s season has been compared to our own.

If we fall beneath them so early after a fifteen point headstart, it really brings it home!

This song will either have you misty-eyed with nostalgia, or trembling with embarrassment at the memories of it being piped out of the PA system at the City Ground as the team took to the field.  Given the ‘retirement’ of Sherwood the Bear, and the introduction of the new Robin Hood based mascot, it becomes all the more topical I suppose!

It called Robin Hood, and it’s by Hector Cortez and his Formation (his formation?!) - and I really really hate it.  I was relieved that the introduction of a Robin Hood themed mascot has not ushered in a reintroduction of this dreadful musical travesty - yet.  We do get the ‘horn’ noise mixed in with our prematch music, which seems to be instead based on the recent BBC Robin Hood series theme tune instead.

I shudder to think of a time when this song may be reintroduced, but I do know a fair few fans would welcome such a development!

The Mirror, always an organ of few words, have published a tantalising - and presumably entirely unsubstantiated - paragraph suggest that we’re after Matty Fryatt on loan from Leicester City to improve our ailing fortunes this season.  It seems an unlikely scenario to me, but I suppose stranger things have happened.  This is the entire section that appeared on the Mirror’s website:

NOTTINGHAM FOREST boss Colin Calderwood is lining up a loan swoop for Leicester striker Matty Fryatt to rescue his side’s horror start to the season.

Of course, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Smoulders would like to move for him - we were linked with him before he signed for the Foxes in the January 2006 transfer window - albeit when Megson was still in charge.  The fact that he presumably has previously turned us down doesn’t necessarily bode well though, given our repeated attempts to tempt Neil Danns to join us from Birmingham - sometimes you have to take a hint!

The other news of note is that Chris Cohen, having bizarrely snapped something in his leg, is now expected to recover much more quickly - and will be featuring in the reserves soon.  I guess that opens an opportunity to reshuffle the deck a bit, with Perch moving to the rightback berth it was suggested he’d occupy before the season began, and Chambers to move into central defence potentially.

Nottingham Forest - 2
Peterborough United - 3

Whilst I don’t purport to feel as lowly as those fans who actually went to the match tonight, I do feel a bit down as tonight - before Stan came on at the Approach - they were showing videos of his time with us back in the days when we weren’t shit.  It was a real reality check as to just how far we’ve fallen in terms of not just the outrageous goodness of the subject of the evening, but also the team around him, the passing, the moving, the ability to score goals.  I fear we’ll never see those times again now.

Smoulds described the defeat as “a resounding punch in the nose”, and from what I hear, there were plenty of despondant and angry fans willing to dispense just that to him after what is reported as a dreadfully inept performance.  I fear that, in order to even vaguely keep the remaining fans who haven’t lost faith in the manager onside, Smoulders is very much occupying a barstool in the fabled saloon called ‘Last Chance.’

Chambers scored twice either side of half time, with a Peterborough equaliser inbetween, he then decided - having restored Forest’s lead - to put the ball in his own net in order to store parity.  A 72nd minute goal from Boyd being sufficient to be a reverse of both the scoreline and the opponents we were reminscing with Stan Collymore about from the 93/94 season.

That said, those of you who can think back to that season will remember we started that one spectacularly badly as well - I’m well aware that was a new manager, and team etc, and am certainly not making excuses as I’m as frustrated as the next man, but it is very early to be writing off a season based on a hapless few first games (where, in fairness, we have shown flashes of very good positive football - albeit short ones!). 

Undoubtedly pressure will be high on Smoulderwood if he continues to fail to deliver - tonight was a very real opportunity to chalk up our first win of the season (in open play), and had we taken it we’d have gone into the break with a positive mindset.  As it is, we’ve gone into it losing to a side from the division below, and the resounding boos and vitriol pouring from the Main Stand lingering in players memories as they next take the field.

Not good, is it?  I’m not quite ready to turn on the manager just yet, but taking a straw poll around the forums after getting in, it would appear that there are plenty that have already given up on him.  Recent past suggests that without a turnaround on the pitch it won’t be all that long before the balance of pressure from disheartened supporters will bring about yet another managerial change.

Whether that’s the right thing or the wrong thing is something only history will be able to tell us in years to come.  As ever it falls on the players, and indeed us supporters, to pull out the stops to turn this dreadful start around.  And no matter how bad the result was, remember it’s only the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy afterall.  Congratulations to Peterborough, of course - who have been reported to me as worthy winners from friends who attended, but I’ve always considered this competition as a distraction too far.