I haven’t posted in a while. I just watched the ensuing madness. The paper thin leadership of Doughty. And the posturing by Mark Arthur. And the inevitable failure of the AP to actually do its job.
I’m amazed that so many Forest fans are so quick to wish Davies to go…or have a ‘go’ at him in light of his achievements since he got here.
For the record: Relegation and Oblivion saving. He saved the club money there. Re: gates and T.V revenue.
and…
3rd. The team over achieved. But when seasoned posters said our 2nd string wasn’t good enough…they got their head bitten off. But it has proven that we lack quality in depth. The players from last season have peaked or reached their best. With, it has to be said, a quality and composed Left Back in Shorey at a key moment to truly lift the season off.
A fantastic home record.
A good away record (that came crashing, inevitably, to a grinding halt due to a small, over worked, over tired, over jaded squad. Where? Form and injuries took their toll. Davies Prophetic November rant came to pass and embarrassed the ‘know it alls’ behind the seasons who think that left backs ‘are not essential.’)
14 months since Forest’s last permanent signings.
Billy says he’s recommended 60 players. That’ more than the 2 muted in the press.
Somebody is telling lies.
What we DO know:
Paul Hart was not backed following that play off season.
His best players were sold.
Kinnear wasn’t backed either (despite saving Forest from relegation which he deserves credit for…)
Megson couldn’t save Forest from the drop. 6 points at the end below clear of safety saw Forest condemned…
…and the players brought in? Megon’s fault? Or the AP?) What of these ‘dark forces’ behind the scenes at Forest did he speak of? He, honourably, fell in his sword despite a good home record, telling some big time Charlies what he thought of them…but, yes. Dour football. And the away record wasn’t good.
Calderwood. Another manager playing with threadbare resources. Suspiciously, he went without a right back for the entire of tenure…hmm. How strange? Sounds like the Left back problem of recent times. He was lucky though. He came close once and eventually got Forest promoted but his? Or the APs ‘small Division 1’ squad in the Championship? Came home to roost.
Enter. Billy the Kid. 6 shooters on each side. Nigel Doughty wanted him. Got his man. But his track record says: Ambitious. But nobody’s fool and not a ‘yes’ man. That’s what the Forest ‘hierarchy’ or ‘amateur club’ signed up for. Billy quickly exposed the arduous, lumbering nature of the the AP and possibly the limitation of the system? Or it’s employees? Or the politics or ‘dark forces’ previously referenced. Not only that. I get the impression of someone, who tried to do things behind closed doors…but when that failed…hot his retaliation in first. And will continue to be vociferous at each impasse with the club’s penny pinching owner who appears to want promotion on the cheap.
Well. The last two shots from Davies sum it all up for me.
Quality. Depth. Progression.
And he’s right. Do Forest want it? Enough?
After the endless platitudes of failure and soft soaping that have seen Forest endure the worst run in it’s recent history, we finally get a manager who, in the Spirit of Clough (if not in achievement…so far…) has been vocal, honest and straight.
It’s kind of ironic that the same committee culture that almost saw Forest to an early grave before Clough arrived…is the same culture now strangling Forest’s ‘New Dawn’.
It’s a shame. The fans get hurt. Doughty hangs onto his investment. The culture of failure and mediocrity at Forest will continue.
You can’t have Pleat over ruling Davies’ buys. If Davies recommended 60 players and the AP is recommending players the other way…it’s clear Doughty isn’t backing the man whose judgement he supposedly bought into.
How ironic that so many fans idolise Clough while apologise for a committee culture that doesn’t have the balls to step up. Billy has been stiffed in 3 transfer windows in a row. If that doesn’t send a clear message as to who is to blame, I don’t know what is.
What’s kind of ironic…is that we got a fortune for Perch. Who, politely put, underachieved at Forest. Especially in the horror show play-off. Do we add that ‘windfall’ (and it was!) to the Pratley/Whittingham boats? No. We penny pinch. We’re trying to do it on the cheap. We’ve dug in. So have Swansea and Cardiff.
Meanwhile, rightly or wrongly Cardiff (who owe debt to the tax man, Motherwell etc…) are flying high and Swansea aren’t doing too bad either.
Forest will hit mid-table if they’re doing well. It was obvious the squad needed new blood.
As for Nigel. Talk is cheap from the ‘Forest fan’. He of the personal fortune. Sure, it’s easy to spend his money for him. But if I was the club owner I’d have put the Perch money and a couple of million of my own money. Why?
Because it was a good gamble. A good bet. ie to get my 50-60 million back (which I haven’t given the club…but loaned it…like a ‘friendlier’ bank…) when we hit the Premiership.
But no. Shorey, Pratley and Whittingham all sailed away from us…over money. And it’s pretty clear to me…if not anybody else that they did. And we need a bloody striker. And a meathead centre half. Five players. And that’s not enough.
Meanwhile. Instead of backing Davies…we push him to the point were he’s going to get sacked or throw the towel in (which he won’t nor should he.) Which would cost more than it would have taken to finalise the summer deals on said players.
It is summative of the ‘small mindedness’ of Doughty’s tenure that we get a thinly veiled threat from a PR croney.
Ok. Doughty. Pull the plug. Ask for your money back. We go into administration. Keep Davies. But we rid ourselves of your millstone. Clearly, getting promoted on the cheap hasn’t worked out. And premiership…isn’t easy to get into with a skinflint policy on players. I’d be happier in Division 1 playing Davies brand of football then someone patronising because he’s lent (not given) the club some money. And earns interest off the club he ‘loves.’ Er. Ok.
The Squad needs more ‘Earnshaws’ but they cost 2-3 million a pop.
Nuff said. There was a gulf in expenditure between WBA/Newcastle and Forest’s squads.
*Shrugs. Play with the big boys or get out. Put up or shut up.
Forest are a good brand. But how Forest are losing 8-13 million a season I don’t know. Incompetence?
I don’t want to see a return to the Pl**t days.
But Davies isn’t Pl**t. He maybe bought a couple of turkey’s at Derby?
But didn’t Derby get promoted?
He maybe ‘bought’ a couple of turkey’s at Forest. But didn’t they nearly get promoted?
Are Pratts and Whitts the kind of players you wouldn’t spend a couple of million on each?
No. I guess not, then. Cheap ass bids in installments. If I was Swansea and Cardiff…I’d do exactly what we did with Celtic and Wilson and tell Forest to **** off.
Davies has my sympathy. The latest in a long line of Forest managers who have been stabbed in the back.
Thanks to Strawbery Avenger for his views on the current situation at Forest. If you would like to contribute to the site and get things off your chest, then email your comments to forest@vitalfootball.co.uk. If you believe the club are being criticised unfairly, then let us know. This is your site, so have your say.
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