Thoughts On The Next Nottingham Forest Manager

[Alf]

I think AK's only real outstanding quality so far is that he can charm an owner into spending much more thoney than they usually would. I've not seen anything from him tactically to suggest he's anything better than what we've had previous (I'd say SOD & Davies could out-think him in a heartbeat, and would thrash his teams if all sets of managers had the same squads), and his "motivational" method seems to be far inferior too, relying again on money - simply "play well or be replaced".

With all that said, I think we have to stick with him, and it would be far more harmful to u-turn AGAIN. His approach is gonna be the most expensive & is probably one of the biggest gambles we've taken, but backing out & starting again could be disasterous.

For those who play Poker I feel like we've chosen to go "All In" with a pair of 10's & before seeing the flop. Not the best scenario at all, would much sooner the owners had the sense to back Kings with that money, but here we are and backing out could hurt us big time.

[Paplane]

When the fun stops, stop.

[PsychoStanleyStone]

I think AK's willingness to hire and fire en masse without sentimentality is what Marinakis felt was needed in this interim.
In the long term I think Marinakis's vision for Forest is absolutely stratospheric and he will embrace everything about our heritage ... delivering entertainment, celebrating our tradition and the academy will all become of paramount importance.

[PsychoStanleyStone]

sorry, big fan of Paul Hart, love his footballing philosophy, promoted with Luton last season, they scored loads of goals,

Since Paul Hart joined Notts they have 8 points from 12 and unbeaten

Paul Hart would get some awesome performances out of the players at our disposal now ... imo

Sorry but this setting up negatively when your squad is 100x more expensive than the opposition isn't going to work out

Having said that I thought AK had proved me wrong and the performances and momentum building, the next set of fixtures look tough to me

Stuart Pearce and Paul Hart for me, Harty looks after all the home games and sets up offensively, Pearce good for higher level transfer dealings and good with media, Harty happy to sit in the background and knows the gems lurking around in the lower leagues

I don't know what it is (besides the dour personality, negative tactics, revolving door, cheque book dependency, shit on the academy, draw merchant) but there is something about AK I just don't like but can't quite put my finger on it

[PsychoStanleyStone]

Slavisa Jokanovic could be available soon

[Duncan Mckenzie]

Slavisa Jokanovic could be available soon

We already have a decent manager mate...

[Maltared]

Slavisa Jokanovic could be available soon

We already have a decent manager mate...

Duncan...decent ?... maybe...but not the type of football i want to see from my Forest...we used to say 'dirty Leeds' bla bla...but game after game we r the team that is coming out as the most dirty from the two playing...time wasting at every opportunity...if we r playing in the cup against premiership opposition i understand it..but we r doing almost every game now...some results r masking reality...same as happened in the early days of Pearce....but eventually teams will suss us out ...

[ThePromisedLand]

Methinks you’re watching a different game to me Malta Red!
And to compare AK with Pearce is just plain ridiculous.

[PsychoStanleyStone]

Methinks you’re watching a different game to me Malta Red!
And to compare AK with Pearce is just plain ridiculous.

to compare AK with Pearce is just plain ridiculous

maybe this should have its own thread

for me no comparison

Stuart Pearce is in a nutshell the reason I enjoyed being identified as a Forest supporter, he is everything I loved about following Forest, win lose or draw, I would follow this guy to hell and back, his transfers probably saved the club, he played the kids, gave Benny O and Ollie Burke their debuts as well as others, fearless, speaks English, sense of humour, humble.

Karankerism is everything I hate about the game, extreme negativity and cheating and cowardice, loads and loads of money and players but virtually nil entertainment last night, again, he must of woken up last night thinking we were Fleetwood town and we were going to the San Siro.  

30 plus players, £30 million plus, 1 corner, 1 chance, 1 goal, less than 30% possession, yet AK is head and shoulders above all the predessors?  I don't think so.  

So many signings, loans, players signed who will never get a game, I'm confused and rather depressed and I have a cold.

It will need another £30m and another 10 signings in January to show any genuine progress imo, even then will we see a Forest team set up to out play an opponent, create loads of chances, excitement and fun?  I don't think so.  Cheat yes, cowardice yes, misery in abundance.

Ridiculous comparison ... Agreed.

[ThePromisedLand]

As a player - absolute legend! No argument.
As a coach/manager - an unmitigated disaster.

[PsychoStanleyStone]

As a player - absolute legend! No argument.
As a coach/manager - an unmitigated disaster.

30 players, £30 million spent and can't string 3 passes together more fits 'unmitigated disaster', make that unmitigated cowardly cheating disaster

game for game, point for point AK does not beat SP, factor in spending and number of players, I see an unmitigated disaster looming, ie piles of devalued bodies no one wants

performance in the transfer market?  no comparision

total unprecedented success v ... potentially unmitigated disaster, Britt, Antonio and Burke all go back to Pearce and huge positive transfer dealing.

has AK ever actually sold a player for a profit or introduced an academy player?

Stuart Pearce was carrying the whole club on his shoulders, he needed a decent support network around him instead of Judas's

[Strawberry Avenger]

Pearce was a great player but a mediocre manager. People weren't happy with him when the initial results dried up and Forest dropped 'like a stone.'

Maybe Pearce would have done better under our current owners? Maybe Davies would?

Karanka is the first manager who has been backed to completely tear up the old squad and 'shake the bag' and churn nearly a whole squad.

The trend under Pearce was a downward trend. The trend under Warburton was a downward trend. The trend for the last several years before Aitor was relegation threatened finishing lower and lower.

The trend under Aitor is, on balance, upward. They've placed 5th (highest so far...) and currently (7th) - given where Forest have come from, that significant progress against teams that are at least a year a head of them, in general. Forest are building their momentum. I think this team would be great guns with a 2nd season behind them. And that's, generally, the pattern...that it takes a couple of seasons to start to really turn things around.

Aitor is shrewd. Following a gutless display vs Preston, has had the mandate to throw out the mercenaries...the sulkers the mediocre.

Forest have recruited well. January was an 'emergency' window when the momentum was downwards...and potentially relegation. That transfer window put the emergency breaks on that.

This Summer transfer window was an unprecedented success. 16 players. All of a good overall standard that has lifted the squad from a Bottom 8 club, by-passed the middle 8 and gone straight into the 'Top 8.'

Actor's Forest (he deserves the credit as well as any criticism) neutralised Leeds but for the hand of cheat. Forest would have been 4 points off top. But are a 'disastrous' 6 points off top. Beat Sheff UTD next week and they are 3 points off the top? 2 points off the play offs.

Consider. Of the three teams that have occupied the no.1 spot so far. Forest have beaten Boro' on their home patch, clean sheet. Should have beaten Leeds 1:0 on their patch...and played WBA off the park and should have won 1:0.

(and against the sucker punch teams like Rotherham or Bolton (who we lost to last season) we have found resolve to win or stuffed them 3:0). That's progress. Beating the top and bottom teams for the perennial gifters like Forest.

Frustrations abound when a 'developing' team lose the momentum against Norwich, concede two late goals vs Millwall or concede a late goal vs Leeds. Add those points up and Forest go 2nd, 1 point off top.

The Forest project is on schedule...or ahead of it.

Aitor is ruthless and without mercy. He's slowly turning his Forest side into a reflection of him. He took two seasons to do it at Boro'. He deserves at least two here. There's every chance Forest can make the play offs this season.

Of the top teams Forest have played, none of them have blown Forest away. The only team that was agile and good on the ball, Leeds, were neutralised. That, my san, is a good manager. As good as we can expect to have at this level.

SA.