Thoughts On The Next Nottingham Forest Manager

[GaribaldiRED]

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.

Spot on SA  :cool: