Your Thoughts On The Current Nottingham Forest Manager

[ThePromisedLand]

we cant keep sacking. its just putting us further back every single time.  martin o'neill would be a big backwards step his football for ireland was atrocious.

I’m not advocating that we go for MON - but his ability to play anything like expansive football with Ireland was strictly restricted by the ( lack of ) player ability at his disposal.

[the jock]

we cant keep sacking. its just putting us further back every single time.  martin o'neill would be a big backwards step his football for ireland was atrocious.

I’m not advocating that we go for MON - but his ability to play anything like expansive football with Ireland was strictly restricted by the ( lack of ) player ability at his disposal.

thats true too. very poor team. bringing keane as a number 2 certainly wouldn't promote harmony.

[Username]

Not saying we shouldn't. Just making the point that the 'What does manager x know about the Championship' argument doesn't always stand up.

It’s an irrelevant point either way, Steve Bruce knew the Championship, didn’t do Villa any favours.

[Strawberry Avenger]

Not saying we shouldn't. Just making the point that the 'What does manager x know about the Championship' argument doesn't always stand up.

But it does for Forest, though. 

See McClaren or Mountaineer (it auto-corrected to that...so I left it as is.)

...and Forest appointed Karanka on the basis that he 'does' know what the Championship is about and got promoted from it.  (He's doing fine in the context of the last three seasons.)

SA.

[Strawberry Avenger]

Not saying we shouldn't. Just making the point that the 'What does manager x know about the Championship' argument doesn't always stand up.

It’s an irrelevant point either way, Steve Bruce knew the Championship, didn’t do Villa any favours.

That's the hangover of coming so close.  That can happen to teams.  He was having to dismantle for a financial crisis...then Villa get real lucky and get another owner to pump in millions.  What are the odds?

I think Bruce got caught in the cross fire of that.  That said, I'm not a Bruce fan at all.  But he does 'nose' the Championship, though.

SA.

[Strawberry Avenger]

Forest boffin posted somewhere the stats on promotion and time in the job. Made for very interesting reading...

Here you go, copied from Forest Boffin.

1. The average time for a manager to gain promotion from The Championship is 686.5 days.

Karanka is not even half way into this. It takes time to build for promotion. Changing the manager restarts this clock.

2. 42 managers have won promotion from The Championship (modern); 37/42 have had at least 1 full campaign (88.1%).

Changing manager in The Championship mid-season damages the chance of promotion in that campaign.

3. The last 9 full time managers at Forest (not including Karanka) have not been given a full campaign.

This instability coincides with our poorest spell of results.

Regularly changing manager has not improved results.

4. The last time a Forest manager was allowed either a full campaign, or the average time needed for promotion (686. 5 days), Forest finished in the play-offs.

We have not done so since.

Amen.   :angel:

SA.

I like this post by Boffin so much, I'd like to post it again.  Just to remind me, how GOOD it actually was.

Most of the teams I remember getting promoted (Boro' included with Aitor, funnily enough...) stuck with it.

Forest have 'nothing' to build on.  That's why they're up and down.  Give it another year and they'll be more stable than they are now.

Which is miles better than they were last season or the seasons before.

This 'I want it now' culture.  You may as well roll a dice every six months and see if you score a six.  Sure, you might storm the top 6 and get promoted by the skin of your teeth.

Forest are 3 points off.  I'd have take that at the beginning of the season.

The bits that are systematic weaknesses in the side are there for all to see.  LB cover to push Jack.  A prime commanding CH.  A winger who can hold up play and go at teams and score match winners (that isn't Dias, it seems...) and 'two' of the Portuguese 'lightweights' haven't made it.  And a keeper that doesn't instill his backline with any confidence.

Add that up?  You have a side that can't quite put teams to the sword even when 3-0 up.  It's a side that's in transition and that's what Forest are.  Not bad for his first proper 5 months in charge of competitive Championship football.

It's the first time Forest have properly built and had a pre-season in years.  Or this level of investment.  (But the latter doesn't guarantee promotion...as it didn't Leicester first time around under Sven...)  I'd argue Forest are ahead of schedule in contrast with Norwich last season.  They kept their nerve and are reaping the rewards.

Forest have proven their point against all teams in the top 6 now.  I'd like to see us build from a position from relative strength.

SA.

[Strawberry Avenger]

A hastily thrown together 'relegation' save January window or last season, after a little bit of thought, I've discounted that as part of Aitor's time here. Not because I have collective amnesia...

...but I tend to think a pre-season and a Summer transfer window are a fair benchmark from which to give any manager a fair shake.

Aitor dealt with the crisis of last season (and it was turning into one...) and righted the ship.

With a bit of luck, i.e. a ref' not adding 8 minutes on instead of the 7 (where did he get that from?) or turn just a couple of 'hand balls' or 'almost' results into victories and Forest would be top 6, easily.

SA.

[Strawberry Avenger]

I think...

Forest are the best team in the top 6...NOT in the top 6.

;)

SA.

[Sniffer Dog (Admin)]

Hopefully now all the speculation will stop and Aitor can get on with his job and we can add 3 or 4 quality players during this window.

Have the owners listened to the fans? I certainly hope so...

[Joe Baker Legend]

Hopefully now all the speculation will stop and Aitor can get on with his job and we can add 3 or 4 quality players during this window.

Have the owners listened to the fans? I certainly hope so...

Could it be a Key Moment in Forest History, a similar instance to when Man UTD were going to sack Alex Ferguson unless they won a game v The Reds.

[Paplane]

Hopefully now all the speculation will stop and Aitor can get on with his job and we can add 3 or 4 quality players during this window.

Have the owners listened to the fans? I certainly hope so...

Could it be a Key Moment in Forest History, a similar instance to when Man UTD were going to sack Alex Ferguson unless they won a game v The Reds.

Was thinking the very same thing yesterday.

A show of intent now on the club's part, maybe a decent signing or a even just vote of confidence from the chairman, might just galvanise the club and the players and give us a bit of a push to go on a run and get us back in contention.

AK's preferred back 4 will be back for Reading. A win there and the season's back on.

[PsychoStanleyStone]

What a wicked game you played to make me feel this way
What a wicked thing to do to let me dream of you
What a wicked thing to say you never felt this way
What a wicked thing to do to make me dream of you
And I don't want to fall in love (this manager is only gonna break your heart)
No I don't want to fall in love (this manager is only gonna break your heart)
With you