Nottingham Forest - Wigan

[Strawberry Avenger]

With regards team selection, you do have to rotate in these games, however this last month or so has exposed how woefully thin our squad is.

Once again today we were crying out for another striker on the pitch and we don't even have one on the bench. Hopefully by the next game after the FA cup this has been corrected.

I agree with the negativity above no denying we were awful today however we got lucky. We just have to use that momentum to hopefully put in a good performance on Wednesday and pray Sow is fit!

And that ties with the 'predictable' tag.

Hard to rotate the team if you don't have options.  And we've gone into a whole Championship season with one quality striker.  By the grace of god, Grabban hasn't got injured or Forest's season would be in deep, deep trouble.

Your last line.  'Pray Sow is fit!'

That sums up Forest's season for me.  Never has so much season rested on 'So(w)' much player.

SA.

[ThePromisedLand]

Stick Sow, Silva & Lolley back in on Wednesday & we are different gravy.
And fingers crossed for Ribeiro ( if not we should surely restore Robbo ).

[Paplane]

Stick Sow, Silva & Lolley back in on Wednesday & we are different gravy.
And fingers crossed for Ribeiro ( if not we should surely restore Robbo ).

Yes, and yes. Today taught us that a poor Robinson  is better than a poor Chema.

[Strawberry Avenger]

We weren’t good but some of the comments tonight well over the top in my opinion.

To give some perspective please read this quote.

"I don't want to accept it but at the end of the day I told the guys to be disappointed but take this as a blessing because we didn't get big-time punished. We didn't match them in the majority of the game”.

Lamouchi?
No that was Slaven Bilic after top of the table West Brom played Wigan a couple of weeks ago. Just maybe in the Championship any opposition can give you a tough game.

Forest fans expect more from their football.  It didn't save MoN (Forest legend) from being pilloried for playing transitional football whilst he undertook his pre-season in 'live time.'

And if 'The Coach' serves up crepe and the (over paid) players serve up crepe then people who pay £30 Plus the Rest will vent their spleen.

That said.

I had an issue with the 'next 5 games' threads.  'Should.'  That word.  Such arrogance.  Such presumption.  Forest aren't Man City.  They aren't in the same universe as the (currently) all conquering L*verp**l who win every week it seems.  Arsenal fans were quick to turn on and get rid of Arsene (your missing him now, eh?)  The days of footballing superiority of Brian Clough are fond memories that cast a long shadow.  

There is no 'should' in the Championship.  You earn the right.  WBA.  Forest.  Leeds vs Birmingham.  There are no easy games.  Top can be beaten by bottom.

Forest without Sow?  A top 9 team as results proved.  His coming back gave Forest a kickstart, a boost.  A jolt.  And they scraped the win to top 5 today with a dose of luck without him.  A great save by Samba.

At the end, Forest won ugly.  Very ugly.  Forest's football hasn't been good for some time.  Many complaints about MoN's transitional football but the solid, pragmatic and occasionally gutless football being currently served up is no better.  And it had a pre-season and 11 more players thrown at it for this season.

Forest 'desperately' need to shake the bag in January.

SA.

[Strawberry Avenger]

Stick Sow, Silva & Lolley back in on Wednesday & we are different gravy.
And fingers crossed for Ribeiro ( if not we should surely restore Robbo ).

Yes, and yes. Today taught us that a poor Robinson  is better than a poor Chema.

Jack Robinson 'may' be better.  However, his recent form was leaving Forest imbalanced due to poor positional play, not tracking back quick enough and it was leading to goals.  Plus his temperament was somewhat cloudy as well.

Ergo, he's been dropped to 'watching duty.'  Maybe it will give him a kick up the backside.

Rib' can't come back soon enough.

Forest kept a clean sheet with 'poor' Chema.

SA.

[the jock]

I feel sorry for chema in a way. He's clearly a centre half playing out of position  . Offers nothing going forward but theres something  about  him I like  . We managed to keep two clean sheets with him at left back .

Our problems  are midfield. We are the home team and from the first minute wigan were passing around .

[Strawberry Avenger]

We won, a game which we woukd have losy last season i think. Winning when you play poorly is a good habit as has been said. Problem is that it is painfully obvious that our squad is not as good as I thought it was. We are desperately short of creativity. We have the defensive minded players to keep us in games but if we go a goal down I just can't we us winning.

Season will be decided on the transfer window I think.

True, under Aitor, it's the kind of game Forest would have capitulated.

The recent position of 9th proves it isn't that good without Sow.  And when he did come back he jolted Forest to life.  But without him vs Wigan?  

Too light weight in attack.  No conviction.  No guile.  Not street wise enough.  No pace.  No power.  No precision.  Don't impose our attack on their team.

And your last point? 

Agreed.

SA.

[Strawberry Avenger]

I feel sorry for chema in a way. He's clearly a centre half playing out of position  . Offers nothing going forward but theres something  about  him I like  . We managed to keep two clean sheets with him at left back .

Our problems  are midfield. We are the home team and from the first minute wigan were passing around .

Chema has that little bit of class.  And that's what Forest's attack is missing.  Grabban must feel starved of service.  The Coach clearly favours this 'unusual' move of playing a CH out of position vs Robinson (who seems to have lost the plot.)

It's midfield, Jock.  (I can hear MaltaRed's words perched on my shoulder, 'Midfield...etc.')

Let's take the two games.  Hull.  With Sow.

Wigan.  Without Sow.

It's night and day and clearly red flags problems IF he doesn't play and that we don't have the depth to replace him.

A pivotal player.

It can't be right that Wigan are passing around our midfield at home.  That's a disgrace on our hallowed pitch.

SA.

[Strawberry Avenger]

As for Ryan Yates, he just is not good enough.

Hey, if Yates has had a crepe day then he's had a crepe day. Singling out a DCM/CM from our Academy over the abundance of blame in our front line is harsh. From the comments Samba and Grabban got mentioned along with Fig', the goal scorer. That's 3 players out of 11. If Yates 'isn't' good enough, he had a lot of company today. (I, personally, think in a year's time, Yates will be as good as Worrall or Cash if not better. They're been in the squad under several managers over several seasons.)

But let's look at all the players in attack (who aren't graduates of our excellent Academy system...who have cost real money.)

So, let's say Yates was the 'headless chicken' today that has been muted...what were our wingers doing?  eg. Ameobi. Or Car (our 'star players?')  Or Lolley?  Or any of the forward players to impose themselves on the game?

Worrall, Cash have had it in the neck when they were introduced to the side.  Worrall had to do Rangers and got a lot of it in the neck up there. 

Yates is probably a year or so behind them.  So, to be in the midfield at his age is impressive.

He's recently scored a goal i.e. doing the forward's job for them.

I'd say it's like this with youth.  You introduce them amongst a team of battle ready players.  And when their form dips, you drop them to the bench.  And go again finding the time to introduce them.  But if Sow gets injured (again) who do we play their instead?  We haven't really got one who is better than Yates as back up.  So Yates continues his apprenticeship alongside the ageing legs of Watson.

Jan'.  Jack Colback.  We can only hope.  It shouldn't be on Yates to carry Forest's promotion hopes.

That's recruitment's job.  And they didn't do it 'that well' in Summer.  But they did it well enough to secure Sow.  Without him, Forest would be mid-table this season.  And he's been missing for the other half of the 1st half of this season.

SA.

[the jock]

The manager has to take portion of the  blame too. Teams like Barnsley and wigan have dominated us.  Sheff wed destroyed us. We just have no support whatsoever for grabban . I find it hard to watch to be honest. Their keeper only had 1 save.

We beat derby via a poor mistake. Our home form vastly needs Improving.

[Strawberry Avenger]

I thought Grabban was brilliant today. Ran his socks off for the team at one point he spent 5 minutes at left back covering for Carvalho (who was abysmal). Pity about the header, would of topped off a great performance.

Agreed.

Fair play to Grabban.  I wouldn't have him down as a natural fighter.  But it's not the 1st time this season he's played like?  'The Boss.'

Shame he didn't get the goal his performance deserved.  He needs help.

SA.

[Strawberry Avenger]

We dont actually have to change formation to fit him in, were playing with 3 none creative centre midfielders and wonder why were struggling at home. Play your most creative player in his correct position that he enjoys and give him the freedom to do his stuff, we may not be having the debate. You look at our creative stats per game for the season and we currently lie 20th. We will not keep getting away with it in my opinion.

The excuses for him are beginning to run dry.  If you've got class you should be able to do it on a dark, winter evening.  Even played slightly out of position.

He gives the ball away.  He's lightweight.  Where are the assists?  The goals?

The fans called for him to play under MoN.  He got benched for giving the ball away.  No one can say under 'The Coach' that Car' isn't getting games.  So where is 'it?'

It's heading for nearly two seasons now.  Where is it?  There always seems to be some excuse for him.

Forest won't keep getting away with it without Sow.  Getting him fit and in the side is pivotal.  More so than putting Car' in the no.10 role.

"As for Car, he just is not good enough."

SA.