Through the seasons before us..

Well, what a week that was!  Just as I’d become accustomed to infrequent updates on here, no sooner had I popped down to the City Ground to pick up my season ticket, there was a flurry of activity that has been rumoured all over the place for some time.  I thought I’d wait to see if there were to be any last minute treats before commenting further on our recent acquistions beyond just confirming they’d signed.

David McGoldrick was up first on Monday – someone we’ve been linked to before, upon researching a bit (what did we ever do without YouTube?) as well as having a scan around the internet it seems he very much fits in the bracket of ‘with potential’ at just 21 – a good finisher who has been played as an out-and-out striker as well as on the right or as an attacking midfielder in ‘the Jack Lester role’ as we’d know it.  My first reaction to this one was that the fee was high – I still think this, but the cheapness of subsequent signings has lightened my mind regarding this!

Tuesday came and Forest fans were still excitedly anticipating the next move, which wasn’t long to materialise – a double treat in store with the Reds first choosing to confirm what we all already knew – Dele Adebola had signed a two year deal with us after his contract expired at Bristol City.  I seem to be in a minority who thinks this is a great move – anyone who watched Bristol City against us will have seen what great shape he’s in, and is the kind of striker we lack, a bustling physical presence who will provide opportunities for our selection of smaller faster players.

Although news of Paul Anderson making a permanent move for a mere £250k absolutely thrilled me on the very same day.  Paul had an injury-blighted season with us last year, but still made a great impact and showed a great work-ethic and courageous nature.  Given his tender years, I’m really excited to see how he develops as even though he impressed me last year, I don’t think we saw anything near what this lad is capable of.

Wednesday came and went, but Thursday saw the increasingly loud whispers of Lee Camp signing confirmed unusually by Forest before the deal was done.  The deal was finally sealed today.  I defy anyone to not have been enamoured by his penalty heroics at Derby, although many fans do seem to have a rather more elevated opinion about his abilities than I do, I’m chuffed to bits we have two excellent goalkeepers for this level – who will hopefully keep one another on their toes and both improve the weaker aspects of their game.

All in all, excellent news – hat’s off to Billy Davies, Nigel Doughty, Mark Arthur and the rest of the transfer committee – this is some good business.  Although we do need you to keep up the good work, of course, because right now we still require a fair bit of strengthening, but it’s one hell of a start you’ve made!

Paul McKenna from Preston remains subject of strong rumours of signing, I think he would be another excellent acquisition.  Chris Gunter is also frequently speculated to be again up for joining us on loan – I really hope so (or better, sign permanently!).  I’ve not heard anything about Joel Lynch signing, and then there’s the ongoing saga of Jones, Mills or Barker.  Address those signings and I’ll be incredibly happy, we do need to shore up our defence.

The other thing that has appeared on the Forest website is an appeal for fans to support the 2018 World Cup bid.  Since that could involve us either moving to an as-yet undesigned stadium in an unknown location, I’m not about to fill anything in at all – if the club could be a little more forthcoming with some concrete plans should the bid get the go-ahead, then I would consider backing it with some actual facts.  It’s nice to hear them contemplating the possibility of developing the City Ground though, because frankly, I don’t want to leave there for some hideous new-build monstrosity.

It’s great to have such positive things to write about – long may it continue! You Reds!

The future's bright, the future's Billy...

I started writing this site back in August 2006, in some ways it seems an age ago, in others just a mere blip in time.  Rather deliriously I had hoped to chronicle our return to prominence, well, it took a while longer than I’d hoped but last season we finally hauled ourselves free of League One, and of course, this season successfully retained our status in the Championship.  At the time of setting up I wrote:

“This time is a turbulent one in Forest’s history – we find ourselves at the lowest ebb in living memory of the club – it will hopefully be interesting to look back upon what will hopefully be a record of how these fortunes might change, or might not.”

After Yeovil Town made a monkey out of us in the second leg of the playoff semi-final at the City Ground it felt like perhaps we would remain in the obscurity of the lower leagues.  Even the following season where Smoulderwood did plot a haphazard course to automatic promotion it didn’t feel like any kind of return to glory, although that final day of action will live long in our collective memories I’m sure.

As my third season of writing about Forest draws to a close I find my optimism reignited slightly.  Of course, there will always be a big underpinning of caution prompted by years of bitter experience – but despite all this, I have a good feeling about our immediate future.  Despite my initially strong misgivings, I’m just about ready to admit I was wrong about Billy Davies, and I’m excited by the future with him at the helm.

According to this website nffcblog is worth $1277.5, which is well, not a lot really!  I’ve often questioned whether or not my ramblings are really justification for the time I spend on here – but it’s cathartic, and it clearly is for the regulars who leave insightful and amusing comments with great regularity.  As we are on what could be the dawning of a return to some kind of goodness, it would seem folly to stop!

So yes, I feel good about the future – I’m impressed with the kind of vision Billy Davies speaks about, of course, to achieve his vision we will need to have an impressive time of it in the transfer window.  That definitely sets alarm bells ringing, I’ve lost count of the transfer windows where I’ve been excited by prospects only to have them dashed, but if the kinds of noises Davies is making come to fruition then we have just cause to be excited!

With more transfer rumours than I know what to do with, it could be a blog-tastic summer – although compared to earlier in the life of the site I don’t tend to hoover up rumours and regurgitate them quite as much as I used to (just have a scan down the ‘posts per month’ section on the right for evidence!).  Utilising my Twitter account for shorter snippets seems to make more sense – so get following, or keep an eye on the Twitter box on the right hand side.

Onwards and hopefully upwards!  Thank you all for your virtual company over the season, your feedback has been invaluable and appreciated – so keep putting forward your views (and any ideas you have for the site ongoing).  I’ll be keeping tabs of goings on at Forest but frequency of posting is inevitably going to slow as we enter the close season.  I know I spend most of the football season moaning, but I’m missing it already!

Billy Davies says "Billy Davies wants to speak, so stay off the pitch!"

I was quite surprised to see Forest had made a point of asking fans to keep off the pitch after the game on Sunday.  Were people seriously thinking about pitch invading at full time?

Pitch invasions are quite a good thing, at the right time – certainly I was on the pitch after we won promotion on the last day of the season this time last year, but that was in no small way linked to the events of the day – both at the City Ground and elsewhere.

This year we know we can’t get relegated, there is certainly no outside chance of promotion, there’s no real need, is there?

Billy Davies wants to address the crowd after, and the players want to show their gratitude but it’s not a lap of honour in a presumably lap of gratitude scenario?  I’m not sure – but either way, I would rather share in this kind of end to the season rather than watching a load of ne’erdowells running on the pitch for no good reason come full time.

So I would echo the Forest website, unusually, and suggest that people resist the urge to go haring onto the playing surface.  Save that urge for a time when it is actually appropriate – it will be all the sweeter, let me promise you that!

Sammy: "I'm so glad to be playing for a big club.."

I was going to go for my usual policy of deliberately ignoring the match this evening.  At Carrow Road this evening Reading visited Norwich City, Reading with a chance of snagging an automatic promotion spot, the Canaries desperately seeking to avoid relegation into League One.  A defeat for them would see Forest safe, and leaving only Barnsley and Norwich as teams able to fill the last place in the bottom three.

Barnsley face Plymouth at the weekend, whilst Norwich have a trip to Charlton.  If Plymouth can win (also made safe this evening) then a win for Norwich will send Barnsley down.  Anything but a win for the Canaries isn’t enough for survival – a draw for the Tykes is enough to ensure their survival, so the odds have to be firmly stacked against the men from Norfolk.

Having flirted with relegation for most of the season, it’s simply a massive sense of relief I post these words in – although it’s hard not to have a wry smile at the prospect of Sammy ‘I want to play for a big club’ Clingan facing relegation in exchange for his bigger pay packet.  By all accounts he’s had a decent season with Norwich so maybe he’ll get a move – or maybe he’ll stick with them for another season in League One.

So a huge thank you to Reading FC, but of course also a huge well done to Billy and the boys – and the fans – who’ve all played their part in making sure we picked up the results we have needed to keep our end of the bargain.  It’s been, frankly, a stressful and uninspiring season – here’s to a full summer of preparation for Billy and then onwards and upwards!

Commiserations to Norwich, too.  I always enjoy trips to Carrow Road – so perhaps Plymouth can return the favour you paid to them (and us) this evening and get a win against Barnsley for you.  Certainly despite the longer drive, a trip to Norwich is more palatable than a trip to Oakwell for a rousing rendition of the Hovis music and chants of ‘Scabs!’.

So for that reason, and because it will be difficult to muster too much of a worry on Sunday from our own point of view, I’ll be rooting for Plymouth and Norwich to get wins.  Come on you Pilgrims and Canaries!

I’m going to start this piece deeply inappropriately.  I, like many Forest fans, bloody hate Liverpool.  If I am honest, the annual discussions that crop up about the Hillsborough disaster each anniversary on Forest forums leave me somewhat cold and uncomfortable, partly due to my own ignorance, and because of the over-eagerness to apportion blame rather than just reflect on what a bloody tragedy it was.

As a mere young ‘un I wasn’t present at the semi-final in 1989, and frankly I am rather thankful for that – I know more than one fellow Forest fan who was there and still feels unable to talk about that fateful day.  I also don’t profess to have any real knowledge – nor real opinion – as to the validity of the findings of the Taylor Report.  Whilst I’m no fan of all-seater stadia, his recommendations ensured such an incident shouldn’t occur in this country again.

So whilst ‘the blame game’ leaves me unmoved, I do – however – find it incredibly upsetting to think of the fate of those ninety six people who should never have departed this world on that day, and of their families whose must still mourn that awful loss.  So irrespective of my ‘day job’ dislike of Liverpool, I’ll be taking a few moments over the course of today to think about those that were lost.

Liverpool legend Bill Shankly once said in a rather tongue-in-cheek fashion that football was much more important than life and death, of course he didn’t really mean it despite the plentiful re-quoting of the saying.  Along with other tragic events – such as recent events in Ivory Coast, or contemporary ones like the fire at Bradford, they should transcend our parochial rivalries or hatred, and we should all pause for a moment to pay our respects.

Rest in peace.

I don’t seem to be feeling particularly motivated to write on here as much as I once did, it does seem like absolutely ages since there’s been a game to report on, aside from anything else!  Of course, we’re mere hours from welcoming Bristol City to the City Ground, a game which will probably see us underdogs – and one where we could really use – well – three points ideally.

Recent results have been kind to us elsewhere, relegation rivals haven’t picked up much by way of points – which doesn’t exactly change our predicament, as we are in a position where we do need to pick up points regardless – but it does prevent as large a gap opening above us, and gives some insulation beneath as Southampton lost against Wolves earlier today – giving us a game in hand against them and still a  point ahead (assuming the Football League don’t take more points from them).

Some of our loanees have been in the headlines too, Sousa has been sacked by QPR after announcing he knew nothing of Dexter Blackstock’s loan move to us, and Gary McSheffrey was sent back to Birmingham after picking up an injury – only to be sent back to us to honour his loan agreement.  That’s a pretty clear indication of how much the West Midlanders want to make the lad feel welcome, isn’t it?

I do have a bit of excitement at a visit to the City Ground after what seems like absolutely ages – local media reports suggest our injury woes are starting to subside – and with a bit of time out for preparations hopefully Billy has had a chance to embed a winning mentality and some winning tactics with the lads – because really, regardless of our opponents, we need to pick up three points out of the next two games to have a credible chance of survival.

The other exciting thing is that I’ve finally been published, albeit perhaps not in the way you might be thinking – here is the book, and should you have it and flick to page 98 you’d find an excerpt from this very site from back in May 2008.  I’d never thought I’d be cited as an example of Internet Marketing – so with that in mind, if people want to give me money, then get in touch – I can’t help but think I’m missing an opportunity here!

It’s nice to think one’s personality can attract repeat visitors, though!  Perhaps I need to get my arse into gear and write a little more frequently should I want this phenomena to continue!

Last, but definitely not least, I was shocked to hear news that Reds former-player and current coach Eoin Jess suffered a stroke recently – naturally my very best wishes are extended to him and his family and friends, I have my fingers crossed for a speedy recovery.  Early indications are good on the ’severity scale’ – which is good news.

What to do of a Saturday when there’s no Forest match, well, this weekend at least a trip to the cinema to see The Damned United.  Longer term readers will know that I had severe reservations about the book, and some of you coerced me into reading it – which I did.  I did review my initial stance – it’s a good book, and in David Peace’s own words, it’s designed as a portrait rather than a photograph – well, as a portrait artist Peace is rather one-dimensional.  The book painted  a bleak and embittered character who upset the Clough family (and even his former enemies like Johnny Giles).  Here is what I made of the book.

The film is better.  Like any film based on a novel, much of the depth is lost for the screen adaptation – the ‘depth’ of Peace’s novel was basically darkness, despair, drinking, bad language and chain smoking.  So with less emphasis on negativity the movie gives us a much more tolerable portrait of Brian Clough.  It’s still a portrait, and I personally have no way of validating how lifelike it is, because I’m too young to have witnessed the events it covers – but in this film you find yourself liking Clough, indeed, whereas the book felt like it was casting him as the villain and Revie and Leeds as the heroes, the film turns that on its head.

So that naturally makes it rather more appetising for an unflinching Clough sympathiser such as myself.  I would be interested to read any input from Leeds fans lured into watching the film though.  For those of you who want no spoilers at all, don’t read beyond this paragraph.  I would recommend seeing this film, I enjoyed it – I think the principle trinity of actors, Michael Sheen as Clough, Timothy Spall as Taylor and Colm Meaney as Revie are all excellent in their portrayals of the football legends.  More detailed observations with some potential spoilage is below (although you all know ‘the story’ anyway!).

The first sight we get of Clough in the film is on a rain-lashed drive to Leeds, with sons Simon and Nigel in the back of his car, inconceivable singing “What’s new pussycat?” – I find that hard to imagine being anything approaching reality!  In another scene, after the fateful cup draw pitting Clough (then Derby manager) against Revie for the first time, chairman Sam Longston calls Clough to tell him to treat his family to a meal in a restaurant (rather than the fish and chips just brought back by Peter Taylor!).  “Chicken bhuna!” exclaimed Clough excitedly.  I never had Cloughie down as a curry man!

One distracting factor was that the actress playing Barbara Clough used to be in that godawful sitcom ‘Goodnight Sweetheart’ with Nicholas Lyndhurst as a time travelling shop proprietor.  So it was a bit disconcerting when John O’Hare and John McGovern arrived at Derby in the film – because the latter had a distinct whiff of Lyndhurst about him (facially).  Aside from a touch of the ‘Rodneys’ the pair of them looked more like a couple of Hobbits from Lord of the Rings than a pair of footballers!

In another unexpected food-related outburst, when speaking of chairman Longston’s preference of refurbishing the decrepid Baseball Ground over providing him with a squad capable of contesting European games (particularly after an encounter with Revie’s Leeds left Clough and Taylor with an injury nightmare for their European Cup tie with Juventus), Clough utters the phrase ‘prawn sandwiches’ – I’m sure you’d have to roll forward a few years to have one of Clough’s signings to make that statement.  I could be wrong, though!

The only other quibble (and it is a quibble) that occurred to me was during a scene where Clough is arguing with Giles following him signing McGovern, O’Hare and McKenzie for Leeds and you catch a tantalising glimpse of Elland Road in the background – which looked far too developed for the 1974 timeframe it purported to be!  That really didn’t detract from the film or the scene, but just distracted me as a very picky person!  The only final thing that occurred to me was one of the rare things where I do have a basis for comparison in reality.

Annoyingly I can’t find a clip of the real interview featuring Clough and Revie after Clough’s sacking from Leeds.  But it was a scene in the film I was looking forward to – because it’s something I’ve seen, numerous times.  My recollection was a pair of men with body language and confidence at odds with their respective recent histories.  Clough was resplendant in typically pithy style, whereas Revie was awkward and straightlaced.  My favourite bit was where Clough admitted he wanted to win the league better than Revie, Revie was incredulous “You can’t win it better, we only lost four games!”, “Well I could only lose three!” replied Clough, in a heartbeat.  It was ace.

In the film this is turned on its head – Clough is as ever accessible to the media, who spring the surprise of Revie on him, I’m not sure if that’s what really happened or not.  Here though we have an under-par Clough who is bettered by his less media-savvy nemesis which is either demonstrably inaccurate or I’m seriously misremembering the interview (which I doubt, as it was on telly in the week during the Clough documentary on ITV).  However, given that compared to the novel Revie and Leeds suffer a bit more of a panning, perhaps this was a director’s concession to give them a bit of a saving grace.  I’m not sure.

The best thing about this film was the focus on Clough’s relationship with Taylor, it’s one of my favourite soapbox topics that Peter Taylor’s contribution is not valued highly enough in general – in the film it is made dizzyingly clear, numerous characters reference Clough’s effectiveness without his right-hand man was compromised – and the fall out/making up scenes are probably the only parts of the film that prompted any genuine emotion from me – and the fact that they fall out, then make up at the end of the film gives us a nice end.

We are then treated to a montage of what they go on to achieve together – making a certain team called Nottingham Forest, hitherto unmentioned, the ultimate happy ending for this football tale, replete with clips of celebrating Nottinghamians from real footage of Clough and Taylor’s glory years.  Oh yes, certainly it offers a tantalising opportunity for a sequel – and certainly over a longer time period Clough’s tenure of Nottingham Forest does offer up the potential for a great story – although one that would end sadly.  I doubt we’ll ever see it, though!

I did enjoy the film, I was almost pleased when Derby were doing well – almost.  As I said, Sheen is excellent as Clough, and I did find myself genuinely liking him, he also looked surprisingly like Clough for a man who patently doesn’t – he must’ve practiced the mannerisms a lot! However, whilst this was an enjoyable and more sympathetic yarn about somebody I idolise, the ITV documentary had skin prickling and tears pricking, which this film was never in any way close to achieving.  Much like the book, it shouldn’t really have outstanding status – but it is certainly not without merit either.

I’m not sure if the Clough family will relent and watch the picture or not – I can’t imagine how odd it must be to see what you feel is an inaccurate portrayal of a loved family member on screen, but I imagine they will take to the film more readily than the family of Billy Bremner, who along with Revie do really come across as the villains of the piece, certainly much more so than the novel casts them.  I would recommend seeing it, because football based films are generally absolute horseshit, and this one isn’t!

Many thanks to Nick who sent these through to me, I hadn’t seen these adverts for betting website Paddypower before (this isn’t a plug for them, just amusing adverts – so bet with them if you want to, but don’t feel compelled!).  The reason we’ve dredged these out is because they feature Forest-related people in them to demonstrate certain subtleties with the advertisers cashback systems!  Whilst he sent them on Thursday, they fit in neatly with my complete lack of desire to contemplate too much to do with the current Forest team at the moment!

(to see the alternative ending, then click here)

Okay, so now you will in future be slightly terrified every time you open your wardrobe in the morning, contemplate the downright sinister prospect of this next time you take a bath!

(to see the alternative ending, then click here)

Okay, you should surely have had a smile?  Perhaps some nightmares as well, but I can’t be held responsible for that!

As well as taking on Forest’s ineffective transfer committee, it seems that Billy is set to battle on another front too – the music charts!  A new single – the proceeds of which will go to the ‘Billy Davies Second to None Foundation‘ – is available from all good record stores and iTunes.  It is a cover of a song by Shaggy, and is sure to help clarify matters on exactly where things are going wrong at the City Ground these days, and whose fault it is (or rather, whose fault it isn’t!).   Look out for it from Monday 23rd February 2009.

Come on you Reds, shove those cutting words down Billy Davies’ throat and prove him wrong tomorrow.

Please.

I can’t say I’m particularly looking forward to the match, which does kind of underline the fickle nature of being a football fan – but well, seeing them for the umpteenth time in a few weeks after such a long break is somewhat overkill.  Also seeing their first win at the City Ground in decades was rather irksome.  Coupled with our diverging recent runs of results and well, I imagine one end of Brian Clough Way is feeling distinctly more confident than the other.

Whilst it was quite shocking to hear Davies laying into the squad, having pondered it on and off for a day or so it’s hard to argue too much with him – and let’s face it, it’s no worse (indeed, a lot more complimentary!) than what many fans come out with either in the stands or on the message boards.  Perhaps it will prove to be a motivating message that spurs them on.  We’re still in makeshift mode, Garner joins Earnshaw on the treatment table leaving Tys as our only fit striker of any vague degree of first team calibre, Moussi and Anderson – whilst back, aren’t fit to start I wouldn’t have thought.

On the oppoent front, I’m sure we’ve all noted who has been on form for them.  Slightly more positive news is that Teale is out, who was complicit in two of their goals in our most recent encounter, as is Addison who we’d probably like less if it weren’t for the sterling work of Stuart Attwell in our earlier league encounter at the Sheep Bowl.

I suppose at least the early kick off gives plenty of time for sorrow drowning, no, sorry, must be more positive – celebrating? Perhaps.  I’m definitely not looking forward to it.