Your Thoughts On The Current Nottingham Forest Manager

[PsychoStanleyStone]

When I started supporting Forest they had some principles, on how to play and how to behave. I liked both of them. Neutrals liked us. I was proud to support us.

Watching us now is embarrassing, and it saddens me that the club is gaining a reputation for being dour and negative. For me it is far worse to watch us play like we do now than to approach matches trying to win but (also) with limited success.

I feel ya bruvver

I got concerns about the game and our team profile and also the huge global reach and revenue potential and like you I wish we adopted the ultimate utopian sporting philosophy with integrity that really makes you want to wear the shirt and follow the team home and away through the wind and the rain

But unfortunately today isn't the day as it turned out being a very valuable point, probably our highest league position of the year and a 5 point and 5 team cushion above the bottom 3

Also there is still clear and present danger and still feel the focus for now has to be survival, teams near the bottom rarely seem to entertain

Also i didn't get to see the game, paid £2.50 for commentary!  

I can't understand why Chris Hughton didn't bring on some fresh legs, we always seem reactionary as opposed to proactive and i think the squad as much as possible needs to be involved and developed and ideally share in monumental last gasp winners, but the negative stuff does p1ss me off a bit, particularly against Barnsley where he made an 87th minute sub just to run down the clock and hold on for the draw

We can't argue with the challenge Chris Hughton has faced, the circumstances, 5 previous managers players and he has achieved a distinct upturn in form, so I give him full credit, he certainly isn't a tinkerman or experimental and I have to respect him for 'sticking to his guns'.

But we need some vision for the future, playing ourselves into form for next season, bringing players on, creating optimism and excitement.

Ultimately, i think football should be 4 points for the win, 2 points for score draw, 1 point for goalless draw, replace gd with goals scored or maybe even disciplinary, alot of football is tedious and too much cheating and also need to make negative cheating football obsolete

[stirred]

When I started supporting Forest they had some principles, on how to play and how to behave. I liked both of them. Neutrals liked us. I was proud to support us.

Watching us now is embarrassing, and it saddens me that the club is gaining a reputation for being dour and negative. For me it is far worse to watch us play like we do now than to approach matches trying to win but (also) with limited success.

I haven’t posted for a while because I don’t want to be accused of being negative. I understand the arguments people make, saying we were in free-fall and of building a foundation, but I don’t buy it and for me there is simply no excuse for playing the way we are playing.

Our squad is comfortably better than the clubs around us, the likes of Derby, Rotherham, Coventry, Wycombe, Wednesday, QPR, Birmingham. They would love to swap their squads for ours.

Yet there is a narrative that we need to play this way to avoid relegation. I do not believe it. We were never going down.

To compound the playing style, in a season where we are neither going up nor down, it should be about building for next season. Yet our two teenage prospects watch from the bench while a 37 year-old loanee now leads our attack. It’s a good job there are no crowds allowed.

It makes me sad and it makes me angry to see us approach the game like we do, to the point where I feel the need to take a break from watching them too. I can only hope that the club employs a manager who understands the modern game and can have us showing ambition and playing entertaining football sooner rather than later.

Sorry what are you basing it on that one squad is way better than the sides around us? 

All that evidence they've given so far this season. This is the attitude I just don't get. Why is the first reaction to assume the team is underachieving when not doing very well. I've seen no evidence that we are better than any of those sides apart from the last few games, since we improved the team.

We overachieved last year and now we're maybe slightly below where we should be on paper. We've got no divine right to challenge higher up the league. I can understand not likely the negative style of football, sure.

Given after 8 points from 12 we're only 5 above drop zone and with games in hand still to say we were never going down is ridiculous. We are still well in the hunt for relegation.

I think your problem is you need to massively redefine your expectations for the team and squad, just because we were big 40 years ago, means nothing now. To be honest, maybe you should stop watching if it's upsetting you so much.

Sorry what are you basing it on that one squad is way better than the sides around us? 
Years of watching football. It's just my judgement, we disagree, it's fine.

I think your problem is you need to massively redefine your expectations for the team and squad, just because we were big 40 years ago, means nothing now.
I don't think that's relevant to me, I wasn't around 40 years ago. The latter part of the Clough reign was my beginning in football. I was spoilt even then in the late 80's, but 20 years out of the top division and I still bought my season ticket. I have some hope each year, but I've learnt better than to expect!

Results wise my expectation on an ongoing basis is that Hughton won't get the best out of his squads because he is too conservative and inflexible. But it goes beyond just a difference in tactics to something more fundamental, and that is how to approach the game. We are now so negative it crosses the line for me. Does / should the club not have a philosophy or identity? This can't be it.

I can assure you I'm no fickle fan - if I'm taking a break, thousands of others will be doing the same.

[stirred]

When I started supporting Forest they had some principles, on how to play and how to behave. I liked both of them. Neutrals liked us. I was proud to support us.

Watching us now is embarrassing, and it saddens me that the club is gaining a reputation for being dour and negative. For me it is far worse to watch us play like we do now than to approach matches trying to win but (also) with limited success.

I haven’t posted for a while because I don’t want to be accused of being negative. I understand the arguments people make, saying we were in free-fall and of building a foundation, but I don’t buy it and for me there is simply no excuse for playing the way we are playing.

Our squad is comfortably better than the clubs around us, the likes of Derby, Rotherham, Coventry, Wycombe, Wednesday, QPR, Birmingham. They would love to swap their squads for ours.

Yet there is a narrative that we need to play this way to avoid relegation. I do not believe it. We were never going down.

To compound the playing style, in a season where we are neither going up nor down, it should be about building for next season. Yet our two teenage prospects watch from the bench while a 37 year-old loanee now leads our attack. It’s a good job there are no crowds allowed.

It makes me sad and it makes me angry to see us approach the game like we do, to the point where I feel the need to take a break from watching them too. I can only hope that the club employs a manager who understands the modern game and can have us showing ambition and playing entertaining football sooner rather than later.

Completely understand where you’re coming from.

Cheers

[stirred]

When I started supporting Forest they had some principles, on how to play and how to behave. I liked both of them. Neutrals liked us. I was proud to support us.

Watching us now is embarrassing, and it saddens me that the club is gaining a reputation for being dour and negative. For me it is far worse to watch us play like we do now than to approach matches trying to win but (also) with limited success.

I feel ya bruvver

I got concerns about the game and our team profile and also the huge global reach and revenue potential and like you I wish we adopted the ultimate utopian sporting philosophy with integrity that really makes you want to wear the shirt and follow the team home and away through the wind and the rain

But unfortunately today isn't the day as it turned out being a very valuable point, probably our highest league position of the year and a 5 point and 5 team cushion above the bottom 3

Also there is still clear and present danger and still feel the focus for now has to be survival, teams near the bottom rarely seem to entertain

Also i didn't get to see the game, paid £2.50 for commentary!  

I can't understand why Chris Hughton didn't bring on some fresh legs, we always seem reactionary as opposed to proactive and i think the squad as much as possible needs to be involved and developed and ideally share in monumental last gasp winners, but the negative stuff does p1ss me off a bit, particularly against Barnsley where he made an 87th minute sub just to run down the clock and hold on for the draw

We can't argue with the challenge Chris Hughton has faced, the circumstances, 5 previous managers players and he has achieved a distinct upturn in form, so I give him full credit, he certainly isn't a tinkerman or experimental and I have to respect him for 'sticking to his guns'.

But we need some vision for the future, playing ourselves into form for next season, bringing players on, creating optimism and excitement.

Ultimately, i think football should be 4 points for the win, 2 points for score draw, 1 point for goalless draw, replace gd with goals scored or maybe even disciplinary, alot of football is tedious and too much cheating and also need to make negative cheating football obsolete

Yes! I'd like to see some innovation in the game. There's so much analysis now that the rules are being exploited. Cynical free-kicks, rotating the foulers to make the most of your yellow cards, touch-and-fall tactics with play too often broken up by free-kicks etc.

I'd be open to changing the rules to encourage good play and discourage the dark arts. More points for wins compared to draws? I'm open to that.

Sin bins is one I'd be interested to see. The cynical fouls that stop a counter attack - give them an orange card. Between a yellow and red. Like a yellow but you have to sit out 10 minutes as well. I bet the cynical fouls would soon reduce.

If the rules and points system encourages 'good' football, we'll see more of it and I won't have to moan about the manager :)

[Username]

I am pleased we didn’t bring Johnson back in the window, I don’t think he would get a look in under Hughton at present.

Got to wonder how much the lack of game time will adversely effect young Alex too.

[Sniffer Dog (Admin)]

Unfortunately CH can only choose 11 players. Results and points gained since the start of the year surely points to CH knowing what he is doing. We still need about 20 more points to guarantee our safety. Giving game time to certain players or trying to entertain the crowds on Ifollow with a better brand of Football can wait a bit longer. I am sure it will happen when the time is right.

[Username]

I was thinking more along the lines of player development and the long term impact on the club, not just the player.

[Dog and Bear]

Everyone appears masters of hindsight, had we lost after making a couple of subs, it'd have been Hughton's clueless, we're rubbish etc etc.

[Reds73]

We are in extremely safe hands with CH.

We won’t ever get a manager who will give us a better chance of putting the foundations in place to give us a chance of promotion.

Nothing is guaranteed, but I’m pretty confident come next season we will have a team who is operating in the top half of the table and in contention.

[Sniffer Dog (Admin)]

My thoughts exactly Reds73.

[ThePromisedLand]

We are in extremely safe hands with CH.

We won’t ever get a manager who will give us a better chance of putting the foundations in place to give us a chance of promotion.

Nothing is guaranteed, but I’m pretty confident come next season we will have a team who is operating in the top half of the table and in contention.

Agreed.

Another window in the Summer of the type that we’ve just completed in January will see us competing in the upper echelons...

[Marinakis Red]

We are in extremely safe hands with CH.

We won’t ever get a manager who will give us a better chance of putting the foundations in place to give us a chance of promotion.

Nothing is guaranteed, but I’m pretty confident come next season we will have a team who is operating in the top half of the table and in contention.

Agree it will not be pretty or exciting, will not be edge of the seat football but he will get us challenging.