Nottingham Forest - Millwall

[Strawberry Avenger]

Semedo is awful I've seen enough of him now...The game passes him by, his positional sense is woeful. We can never ever deal with a big centre forward, that Smiths won everything. Never mind the 2nd half cant be as bad.

Forest brought on tonight 'what they had' to replace Silva and Yates.  The result was?  'Ball given' away...and 'Pocket picked.' .

There were two positions 'all' season that demonstrated where Forest was weakest.  DCM without Sow.  And ACM has been lacklustre all season with Silva's recent form helping alleviate that to some degree.

So that's two positions along the spine of the side.  Forest tried to cover the CM with Bostock and Semedo.  Neither have worked out or had any impact on this season.  And the ACM position has been somewhat rudderless all season.

But we didn't deal with those two positions in January.  I'm not saying it was easy or at all possible to deal with those in January.  Maybe they tried.

Regardless.  The result is the same.  Forest's best player is out injured.  And Forest appear mere shadow without him.

It's the second game in a row that Forest's back line haven't draped themselves in glory but in truth, it started further up the pitch for both goals.

SA.

[Plymouth red]

Disappointing as it would be to miss out on the play offs I do get a feeling that we are over achieving on our current position.

Let's face it, we don't create that many chances and outside our fully fit first 11 we have almost no effective squad depth.

We could do with an awkward target man if only to help our own defenders practice defending against one.

[Strawberry Avenger]

Personally I'm far less concerned by this loss than the games against Cardiff and boro. Sometimes you actually have to give credit to the opposition rather than slate your team. If millwall play like this every game until the end of the season I think they'll win the playoffs.

I do think we've been found out a bit though. We are allowed to get a lot of crosses in every game but can't make the most. Massive fan of what grabs brings but think we'd benefit from a big ugly forward who wins headers and scores ugly goals. Similarly, Watson has been great but it really isn't his game when we're not sitting back and hitting on the counter.

Yes.  Forest have been 'found out' without Sow.

SA.

[Strawberry Avenger]

Disappointing as it would be to miss out on the play offs I do get a feeling that we are over achieving on our current position.

Let's face it, we don't create that many chances and outside our fully fit first 11 we have almost no effective squad depth.

We could do with an awkward target man if only to help our own defenders practice defending against one.

Without Sow?  Yes.  It's so dependent on one player.

We don't create that many chances and we didn't take our chances when we'd closed the gap with the top two with Sow in the side.  Just 2 or 3 quality players short of where we need to be.  To make the difference.  We've run dry when it counted.  Each time against 'so-so' opposition.

We've gifted too many points against sides like Birmingham, Charlton, Readings, Boro' and yes, Millwall. Usually teams on 'bad run haven't won in ages...etc.'

Had Big Ben and Milano for that.  A couple of CHs who really could handle the opposition.

SA.

[RedStu]

I reckon we could play until next weekend and still not look like scoring.

Poor performance. Home form really has been distinctly average.

Feel that Charlton defeat at home really took wind out of our sails. Been very ordinary since.

Will be lucky to make play offs at this rate and that will be hugely disappointing

It would be disappointing given what we have achieved, although tbh we have done better so far than expected at the start of the season. Trouble is 'success breeds success' and raises expectations. At the outset I'd have been well impressed to be near play-offs, now disappointed that we might only be in play-offs (or just missed) rather than better does suggest we have over-achieved. We need another season to consolidate and get a deeper quality squad, but stay near the top ready for next time.

[Shawoddyred]

Personally I'm far less concerned by this loss than the games against Cardiff and boro. Sometimes you actually have to give credit to the opposition rather than slate your team. If millwall play like this every game until the end of the season I think they'll win the playoffs.

I do think we've been found out a bit though. We are allowed to get a lot of crosses in every game but can't make the most. Massive fan of what grabs brings but think we'd benefit from a big ugly forward who wins headers and scores ugly goals. Similarly, Watson has been great but it really isn't his game when we're not sitting back and hitting on the counter.

Yes.  Forest have been 'found out' without Sow.

SA.

I don't think we lost because Sow was out it's just a convenient correlation. I think we lost because we need someone to get on the end of crosses in the box to mix up our style of play and because we got pressured at the back more than we anticipated

[Username]

Absolute shambles.

[ozzyten10]

That was worse than sheff Wednesday. Shocking. Figgs and Worrall were took to the cleaners by a limited forward. Mason Bennett the criminal was a thorn in our side all night. Strong physical playing second striker with licence to go and hurt us. He did. Samedo was really poor - don’t want to see him again.
What makes me very angry though is bostock. We’ve cried out for a deep lying playmaker at times this year and we’ve had one under our noses. His long range shooting too - he would have been worth a few goals had he played more. Sabri dropped a bollock tonight. I said on Monday I’d fear if he’d played carvalho v Millwall and really felt for him to a certain extent. First goal he contributed to with a poor pass when we had lolley, cash and samedo all committed on the right flank but then get flunked out to the left.
I can see why Yates didn’t play but o can’t see us conceding the 3 we did with him playing.

[stirred]

That was worse than sheff Wednesday. Shocking. Figgs and Worrall were took to the cleaners by a limited forward. Mason Bennett the criminal was a thorn in our side all night. Strong physical playing second striker with licence to go and hurt us. He did. Samedo was really poor - don’t want to see him again.
What makes me very angry though is bostock. We’ve cried out for a deep lying playmaker at times this year and we’ve had one under our noses. His long range shooting too - he would have been worth a few goals had he played more. Sabri dropped a bollock tonight. I said on Monday I’d fear if he’d played carvalho v Millwall and really felt for him to a certain extent. First goal he contributed to with a poor pass when we had lolley, cash and samedo all committed on the right flank but then get flunked out to the left.
I can see why Yates didn’t play but o can’t see us conceding the 3 we did with him playing.

Yes, the more natural choice seemed to be to play Carvalho against Boro and Yates against Millwall given the styles, if you’re going to alternate, but we did the opposite.

And Semedo against no-one. But he started both matches! I’d start Bostock purely because he isn’t Semedo. Sorry if that sounds harsh, he might develop into a player, but this season he just isn’t at the level required.

[Floridared]

At least he can go back at the end of the season!

[Salvatore Matrecano]

Yet Semedo looked very good when he cameon in the win against Cardiff. That first half from him last night was truly awful though. We cant afford players who are that inconsistent.
Bostock did indeed look a much better bet but second half he was playing against a team content to sit back on their lead and give him time on the ball. Not convinced he is the answer either.

[Username]

Mentioned his name plenty of times before and at least twice in January but what a cracking signing Ryan Woods was.