Your Thoughts On The Current Nottingham Forest Manager

[optimistic_red]

I'm a big fan of SL, but he clearly got the team wrong against Arsenal. Although the last couple of goals don't really count as he'd given up and put the kids on for experience.
Ameobi was better up front than Adomah, the midfielders were not tough enough...... the list does go on.

No manager is perfect and some things they try just don't work, as long as they learn then all is good. I think he'll admit himself that in hindsight he'd do things differently.

I went to Arsenal, and didn't expect the 1st team to play, or for us to win. It was a free pass really, losing to Arsenal we all expected it. There are many other teams/managers who had bigger problems.

On the subject of Sabri and his picking of the team I think we can conclude that Yacob and Pantilimon will never play for us again otherwise both would have surely been involved in the 18. I would go as far as to say that Sabri has probably excluded them both from training with the rest of the players although I don't have any hard evidence to back that up, just my opinion.

I'd forgotten about Yacob. I agree, surely if he was ever to get a game then Arsenal as holding mid was the game.

[Sniffer Dog (Admin)]

Definitely.

[Sabricadabra]

Sabri said that he has a squad of 23. We can conclude from this that the rest are bomb squad and will play no part.

[Duncan Mckenzie]

Sabri Lamouchi ''We do not accept losing.”

Love it!

[Paplane]

Sabri Lamouchi ''We do not accept losing.”

Love it!

Be interesting to see him losing his shit when we do lose a game. We've not seen Angry Sabri yet.

[ThePromisedLand]

We’ve had the ‘rub of the green’ recently - but as Napoleon famously said ‘Give me lucky generals’.

Long may it continue...

[Alf]

Lamouchi is brilliant. What he is doing is working - look at the league table and fact that we're smashing top sides away from home.

What he is doing, is building a core of together players who are ready-now for this league. Dawson, Worrall, Cash, Watson, Sow, Lolley, Grabban. The likes of Yacob & Milo, two players who were nowhere to be seen under MON (a man who values attitude) have no place in a team which is designed to be just that - a team.

What Mouch does lack though is genuine 2nd choice options. Our recruitment this year has, IMO, been largely "make-do". Again. For me Sow & Adomah are the only real genuine quality outfield additions (Samba's been a great buy, but GK-ing is a different kettle of fish, plus the timing of his arrival & origin make me wonder if Mouch recomended him anyway. Speculatory or course). Ribero's been a good buy too, nowt spectacular but a good player in that position.

However, that leaves us with........

Muric - Crap. Sorry, but an awful aquisition. A kid nowhere near ready for the task in hand, in an area which we have a ton of depth, and better, already here. Not ready for Champ promotion.
Ameobi - 3rd choice wildcard. Yeah a decent free, but you're not gonna get promoted playing him every week. He's a bit like Tyson under Billy. The fact that it was a choice between him & Lolley to cover the ACM position last night shows how thin our attacking options are. Wouldn't get into any other top 6 side.
Jenks - Might be great, but has a history or injuries & has so far carried that trend on here.
Chema - Unknown as of yet.
Bostock - Unfit. Not sure that time invested in developing him wouldn't be time better invested in someone like Yates instead. Not yet ready for Champ promotion.
Semedo - Inconsistant. Still clearly needs lots of work, and not a player I'd like to have playing every week. We really look vulnerable when he plays. Again, not a Champ promotion ready player, and again a loan, so why invest time in him?
Silva - Another inconsistant player not ready to play week-in, week-out at this level. Definitely has quality, but is often as bad in equal measure. For me he's a bench option when we need to rely on set peices more. But again, he's not someone who I think would feature much in any other top 6 side.
Mir - Another loan, another player in need of development, and again another one for the "Not ready for Champ promotion" label.

Despite a handful of really good signings, the squad is still severely lacking in quality in depth. We've simply signed too many players who require significant development before being fully up to speed. The fact that Mouch had to start Adomah up top against Arsenal & play both Ameobi & Lolley in ACM last night to me shows how short Mouch is of genuine options.

There were a lot of fans picking holes in our recruitment policy per-season, and that to me has been proven right. We've chanced our arm on gambles, instead of going for proven quality. It's no coincidence that our best attacking option was a player who finished in the top 6 last year in Adomah.

TLDR: I don't think Mouch did much wrong last night. I think his options are very limited, and that any failings this season so far fall at the feet of those recruiting players at the club, not the manager.

I think we can wing it until Jan, and that Lamouchi will keep developing these players, but if fingers for points dropped are getting pointed they should largely be pointed at Modesto & the board, not Lamouchi.

[ThePromisedLand]

Good post Alf which - in the main - I have to agree with.

[Paplane]

Bit harsh in a few areas I feel Alf.

If Semedo had been available as a sub to come on last night he would have done much better than Silva did. His ability to get around the pitch and to hold and carry the ball was what was lacking in the last 10 minutes last night. Hes not the finished article but he's going to be playing at a much higher level than we will be in 5 years time. The thing is, we've not built the team around him so Sabri can take him out as and when reqd.

Silva loses the ball in possession which is frustrating but has quality. His delivery in set plays is absolutely excellent which is important when you have big lads in the team who are a goal threat. OK signing.

You cant blame Ameobi for not looking comfortable playing in-field last night. His best performances have been out wide and he's contributed significantly in games. That's his position. He looks an excellent singing to me and without him, I doubt we would've had the start to the season we have had.

I suspect Mir was signed as a low cost third choice striker and the club failed to land their choice of a 2nd choice player. I think Walker would've contributed more so cant understnd why Mir's here on loan and Tyler's not.

But look at our recent injury list - Darickwa, Jenko, Dawson, Beno, Hef, Semedo, Bostock, Yates, Mir and Carvalho at the start of the season. That would cripple any other club, but look at the start we've made. It cant be all bad.

[Sniffer Dog (Admin)]

Lamouchi is brilliant. What he is doing is working - look at the league table and fact that we're smashing top sides away from home.

What he is doing, is building a core of together players who are ready-now for this league. Dawson, Worrall, Cash, Watson, Sow, Lolley, Grabban. The likes of Yacob & Milo, two players who were nowhere to be seen under MON (a man who values attitude) have no place in a team which is designed to be just that - a team.

What Mouch does lack though is genuine 2nd choice options. Our recruitment this year has, IMO, been largely "make-do". Again. For me Sow & Adomah are the only real genuine quality outfield additions (Samba's been a great buy, but GK-ing is a different kettle of fish, plus the timing of his arrival & origin make me wonder if Mouch recomended him anyway. Speculatory or course). Ribero's been a good buy too, nowt spectacular but a good player in that position.

However, that leaves us with........

Muric - Crap. Sorry, but an awful aquisition. A kid nowhere near ready for the task in hand, in an area which we have a ton of depth, and better, already here. Not ready for Champ promotion.
Ameobi - 3rd choice wildcard. Yeah a decent free, but you're not gonna get promoted playing him every week. He's a bit like Tyson under Billy. The fact that it was a choice between him & Lolley to cover the ACM position last night shows how thin our attacking options are. Wouldn't get into any other top 6 side.
Jenks - Might be great, but has a history or injuries & has so far carried that trend on here.
Chema - Unknown as of yet.
Bostock - Unfit. Not sure that time invested in developing him wouldn't be time better invested in someone like Yates instead. Not yet ready for Champ promotion.
Semedo - Inconsistant. Still clearly needs lots of work, and not a player I'd like to have playing every week. We really look vulnerable when he plays. Again, not a Champ promotion ready player, and again a loan, so why invest time in him?
Silva - Another inconsistant player not ready to play week-in, week-out at this level. Definitely has quality, but is often as bad in equal measure. For me he's a bench option when we need to rely on set peices more. But again, he's not someone who I think would feature much in any other top 6 side.
Mir - Another loan, another player in need of development, and again another one for the "Not ready for Champ promotion" label.

Despite a handful of really good signings, the squad is still severely lacking in quality in depth. We've simply signed too many players who require significant development before being fully up to speed. The fact that Mouch had to start Adomah up top against Arsenal & play both Ameobi & Lolley in ACM last night to me shows how short Mouch is of genuine options.

There were a lot of fans picking holes in our recruitment policy per-season, and that to me has been proven right. We've chanced our arm on gambles, instead of going for proven quality. It's no coincidence that our best attacking option was a player who finished in the top 6 last year in Adomah.

TLDR: I don't think Mouch did much wrong last night. I think his options are very limited, and that any failings this season so far fall at the feet of those recruiting players at the club, not the manager.

I think we can wing it until Jan, and that Lamouchi will keep developing these players, but if fingers for points dropped are getting pointed they should largely be pointed at Modesto & the board, not Lamouchi.

I am a bit shocked by this post to be honest. Signing and losing players is an ongoing thing at all football clubs, we are and always will be a work in progress.

What have Jenkinson, Bostock, Chema, Ameobi, Silva and Semedo done wrong? They are all part of our first team squad and they have all contributed well and will continue to contribute well throughout the season.

I am sorry but I don't understand.

[Alf]

Semedo's a 3rd choice player IMO. His positional sense is poor, and we lose solidity with him on the pitch. He's still a lot to learn to be a genuine alternative to Sow or Watson. Handy option to create goals from deep, not a player who'd I like to rely on as a week-in, week-out alternative.

As you say Paplane, Silva is an OK signing. Does an OK signing get you promoted, and should we have better? One who's more suited to playing 90min in the champ? He'll continue to improve, but Lamouchi has a balancing act to deal with in the meantime.

I cover the rest in the post above.

It's not that they've done loads wrong per say, it's that I don't think they're of the quality required for promotion if they are called on to play week in, week out. You don't go up by not doing things wrong, you go up by doing things right.

We're doing great, and I think we've enough to get by until Jan. But when Jan comes we need to be signing ready-now players who don't need developing, and last night showed a Blackburn side clearly for the taking, but Mouch having to use players not up to said task.

[optimistic_red]

We as fans are so used to being disappointed that we now don't believe we can have more than 1 or 2 good players?

I think this is the best squad we have had for years. Of course it could be better, but everyone thinks that. I bet Norwich and Shef Utd thought their squads were not good enough last season (and this season too probably).