(30-11-2019, 06:59 PM)Strawberry Avenger Wrote: Game spoiling teams that would 'old man' a naive Forest under Warburton or show their pedigree class vs Forest's hobbits are consigned largely to history. But that 'muck and nettles' nemesis that still gift wraps teams like Cardiff (who haven't won away all season?) their 'duck.'
I'd sulk. But we've been here so many times before. Against those 'physical', time wasting, park the bus sides.
Wigan, Hull and now Cardiff. These are those 'one of those days' sides. It's cost 9 points.
Summer showed a change of tack in understanding the kind of players 'we' (Forest) need to recruit to get out of 'this' league. And Wigan, Hull, Cardiff all showed where Forest's squad a short. It's cost 9 points. All three teams were 'beatable' but not by Forest's squad toolset available to them. All teams will have an off day in the championship. Forest have had 3 that really come to mind including todays. It's one goal. But that lapse cost Forest a draw. (I won't say a win.)
And it will only be addressed by work in the transfer window. 2-3 players. Robust, 'play the game' and can 'play a bit' style players. Match winners.
This was the kind of game that Forest prob' missed Dawson's leadership at the back and definitely Sow in the middle.
A Collymore style striker. An Ollie Watkins. A physical player who can just run at a defence and make something instead of waiting for it to fall on their lap.
Ironic that Tomlin was on their side. I noticed with a wry smile he'd tumbled into Watson and 'gamed' a free kick and it was around this time of conceding cheap possession in 'our' half that the goal came. You 'knew' it was coming.
And it shook Forest. That's a sign of a team still in progress. No shame in that. Forest were a top 12-ish side last season. They are currently a top 6 (4!) side.
Restoring Dawson and Sow to the side will help. But they need 2-3 players with power, guile, match winning will and goal scoring capability.
Leeds and WBA are find that 'inevitable' win each week and the die seems cast? Having played both of them we seemed short of their quality. They're further down the line. They've stuck with it longer. We're still chasing their cycle of development. i.e. we're playing catch up.
More to come. But that will mean another transfer window if any remote possibility of a top 2 aspiration is be anything more than mere words.
SA.
I think we needed a Darryl Murphy or Dele Adebola more than an Colymore or Watkins. We needed some big muscle in the box with the number of crosses that were coming in. When there are 10 defenders in and around the box no amount of guile will get you in, just a mistake. What you need is a target man to meet the ball in the air then the wingers can focus on getting the ball to him.