26-08-2018, 12:08 PM
(26-08-2018, 09:58 AM)Duncan Mckenzie Wrote: I haven't checked but I believe that Karankas record at Forest now is:
Played 27, won 6.
Please correct me if I am wrong. I heard it somewhere yesterday.
Not great is it?
It's not. True enough.
However, Forest hastily assembled ten players in January to scramble enough points to avoid relegation. Which they did. Without that, they'd be down. Buy in haste, repent at leisure. Some may feel that way about eg. Watson. But he served his purpose last season. He didn't have a great game yesterday. Most of the games 'not won' have to be viewed through the lens of a very poor Forest squad that was assembled by at least 6 managers and a defensive line that had been here since Dougie? Forest were on a 3rd successive season with a bomb squad relegation team...made up of a party Susan patchwork of journeymen.
I think reading the the comments on the NEP from a Hull fan re: Dawson. He said he was great two seasons ago but last season, that was it. His legs had gone and had become mere shadow. Perhaps you just reach that point at 34 ish and you're body says, that's enough. See: Murphy, Dawson, Watson. Are they anywhere near their prime? I know I can't run like a 21 one year old anymore! :P
Following a good clear out then and over this Summer (with more to go...) It shows just how dysfunctional Forest were last 3 seasons and the results under Aitor show a manager gradually getting his own men in and trying to turn a relegation team around. Because that's what Forest were last time around.
The 'actual' transfer window this Summer is more reflective of Karanka. A pre-season. Genuine quality added. But that's going to take time to bed in. High risk signings like the Portuguese were and are a gamble. Quality Premier plays who are not fit because they weren't playing in the Premier eg. Hoff and Byram. We're barely a month into the Championship. This is Aitor's first true season in charge and building a team with that 'holy grail' of 'click' and chemistry is something Wigan, Boro', Leeds and others are further ahead in.
£25 million. Could it have been spent better? If it was that easy any manager could get promoted. Do you go for five quality £5 million class players? Or over haul the entire 24 man squad? That's what's been attempted over the last two windows.
In the culture of now, it's hard to assess Aitor so far. He came into a relegation team in freefall...a spiralling circle of doom. He kept Forest up. The results from that need to be disregarded. This is his first pre-season, transfer window proper and it's a new team. Some players will come off. Some legs will have 'gone' (three 34 year olds. Make shifts until Forest can afford to buy eg. a Flint for £7 million. Boro' are in that position. Forest are not building on a good squad depth. They didn't have the higher vantage point of Boro' or Leeds.)
In short, I'd argue he's had less than a month. Frustrating as hell with yesterday? I am. And the ones that preceded it. But it took Brian Clough 2 and half seasons to get Forest promoted from this league?
But when you're building something, anything, of course it's frustrating. It's not linear. Forest don't buy a new team/squad and romp the league. What if a handful of the 13 players don't work out? What if Watson is 'done'? What if the Portuguese don't adapt to English football? (Two of the subs were part of last season's team and got Forest the result yesterday along with Murphy for the goal.) It didn't quite work out that way for Wolves, Cardiff or Fulham. They all had periods of frustration. Warnock had to stabilise Cardiff to beat the drop and then build momentum the following season.
Forest, despite three successive shocking 1st halves, are unbeaten. They play to the end. Byram and Robinson have started. Car', Lolley and Os' came on and super subbed. Murphy got a goal. Grabban is injured.
That's football. Slowly, slowly catch a monkey.
Through the lens of this season, Forest are 13th. Lost 0. Won 1. Drawn quite a few and come back to make sure they did. If they win their next game they may go top 8.
SA.