Nottingham Forest 2012/13 Player Season Review Infographics

Nottingham Forest's quest to achieve a top six finish was cruelly ended in the final moments of the last game of the season against Leicester City. This piece closely analyses the season's of 12 of Forest's key squad members. I hope you find reading it as interesting as I did compiling it. Click on any of the review infographics to enlarge them.

Notes: All of the stats refer to league games only.
Data sources found in bottom left corner of each infographic.
Thanks to ForestBoffin for the stats for Majewski's page. Check out the excellent blog here.

Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed these reviews, please share them, they took me a while to compile and would love to be able share them with as many people as possible.

You can find me on Twitter - @Bolton0301 and @NFFC_Stats

The 2012/13 Championship Player Reliance Table

The phrase 'one man team' one man team is thrown around a lot these days. Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Liverpool are probably the most high profile clubs in world football to receive this tag, such is their apparent reliance on Messrs Messi, Ronaldo, van Persie and Suarez. But which club in this season's Championship has been most reliant on a single player?

The methodology behind the experiment is simple. First, I found which player had the most combined goals and assist (his 'Contribution') for each team, and then work out his contribution as a percentage of the total goals his team scored ('Contribution %'). The table below displays the results, with the table sorted according to which team was most reliant on a single player.

Click to enlarge

• The team most reliant on a single player's contribution was Blackburn Rovers, with Jordan Rhodes contributing towards 54.55% of the team's goals.
• Blackburn Rovers are one of three teams (along with Blackpool and Crystal Palace) who relied on one player's contribution for over half of their goals.
• Crystal Palace's Glenn Murray had the highest contribution in the division with 37, including 30 goals, which saw him win this season's Golden Boot.
• Blackpool's Thomas Ince had the most assists in the division with 14, closely followed by Hull's Robbie Brady (13).
• Cardiff City were the team least reliant on a single player. Both Peter Whittingham and Craig Noone each contributed towards 15 of Cardiff's 72 goals this season (20.83%) as they went on to win the title.
• Three team's leading contributors did not finish the season with the club: Ipswich Town (DJ Campbell), Millwall (Chris Wood) and Leeds United (Luciano Becchio) all saw players have their loan spells end or were sold in the January transfer window. The next leading contributor for Ipswich, Millwall and Leeds can be found in the final column of the table.
• In terms of Nottingham Forest, Andy Reid was the club's top contributor, with 5 goals and 11 assists. This meant we were the third least reliant club in the division, with only Brighton and Cardiff below us.

Click to enlarge


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Data compiled from ESPN Soccernet.
Find me on Twitter - @Bolton0301 and @NFFC_Stats

The race for the Play-Offs: What will happen on the final day?

The Championship has lived up to it's reputation of being one of, if not the, most exciting league in Europe yet again this season. With 45 games played and just 1 to go, no fewer than 4 teams are fighting for a place in the Play-Offs. Crystal Palace, Bolton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City head into the final Saturday of the season battling it out for the two remaining spots in the end of season lottery. I spoke to fans of each team, to get their predictions ahead of this season's exciting finale.

Naveed Khan (@tweetingnav), Crystal Palace fan, and Championship correspondent for Footy Matters

1. How do you see things going in the Palace game?
It will be a nervy affair; we need a point and Peterborough probably need a win to stay up. We’ve not won in nine games and failed to score in six of those so I anticipate the fans will also be on edge save for an early goal. I can see Peterborough’s pace causing the Palace backline a problem throughout – Gayle’s direct running against the high line that Palace use could be the vital contest. But if Palace can keep it tight at the back, we do have the attacking players to hurt them. The key will be the likes of Zaha, Bolasie and Murray being on their game. Too often they have not been. I can see the game ending in a score draw: 2-2

2. How do you see things going at Bolton and Forest v Leicester?
Bolton’s form under Freedman since he ditched his favoured 4-2-3-1 and went 4-4-2 has been nothing short of stunning. With the squad of players he has there, it should have been the case all along, but they’ve clicked at the right time and I can see them easily beating Blackpool: 3-0

Forest against Leicester is hard to predict – a draw is useless to both so I expect an end to end derby and a pretty feisty affair. I think Leicester could snatch it at the last.

3. Will you make the Play-offs?
Depends – it is in our own hands and we need a point without either Forest or Leicester thrashing the other. I think we can sneak home and will finish 6^th.

4. Why the reversal in your form in the final quarter of the season?
You will see a load of fans pinning it straight on the door of the manager. I think that’s simplistic. When we were riding high, we had a group of players all clicking and all at the top of their game. It was always going to be that once one of those got injured, we would suffer. Then we lost Joel Ward, Owen Garvan and Andre Moritz to injury. We stuttered but kept getting points. However, the quality of the defence was always an issue – the likes of Ramage and Delaney just aren’t up to it and after losing 3-0 to Brighton we have totally lost confidence. Some of the individual errors have been inexplicable.

5. What are possible repercussions for if you fail to make the Play-offs?
The main fall out will be the fans. Having been top six all season they expect the play-offs and to fall now will be disappointing. In terms of the players, we already know Zaha is going and there will be no financial repercussions for not going up. I’d expect Holloway to spend the summer bringing in his own men and going again. Equally, being the character he is, I could see him resigning should we not make the play-offs.

Naveed's score predictions:
Palace 2-2 Peterborough
Bolton 3-0 Blackpool
Forest 2-3 Leicester

Mark Yesilevskiy (@LionOfViennaSte), Bolton Wanderers fan and Co-Founder of Lion Of Vienna Suite

Bolton fans are particularly grateful to be in the position that the club is in now when compared to the rest of the season. For much of the last nine months, Wanderers languished near the drop zone due to an inability to string wins together. In February, it all turned around with the wins and points finally starting to flow in. So on the final day, facing Blackpool and fighting for a play-off spot, Bolton fans are going in confidently.

The club's home form of late speaks for itself. Fans will hope that the club build on the eight wins in a row at the Reebok and clean sheets in five of the last six home matches. I believe that Bolton Wanderers will win. However, with Craig Dawson, who really became a defensive anchor for the Trotters, now back at his current club, the defense, and the margin of victory, could be shaky.

As for the other matches, I believe that Nottingham Forest will beat Leicester City while Crystal Palace won't have too difficult a time with Peterborough. That said, I don't think Forest's win will be by a huge margin and thus will see Bolton into the play-offs.

Mark's score predictions:

Palace 2-0 Peterborough

Bolton 3-1 Blackpool

Forest 2-1 Leicester

Pat Riddell (@SeatPitch), Nottingham Forest fan and owner of Seat Pitch

I hate making predictions. They’re usually wildly off the mark or I’m stupidly superstitious and think that revealing my thoughts will curse any hope of them being correct.

I’d pretty much written off our play-off hopes months ago. Then Billy Davies arrived and we couldn’t stop winning. And then we couldn’t buy a win.

And yet… results around us seem to have gone our way most of the season. Win, lose or draw we’ve kept pace with the top six because, as usual in the Championship, nobody (apart from Cardiff) wants to be promoted.

So with that in mind — and the fact that we have to win — I’ll take a punt on Forest winning; that much is in our own hands. Leicester have been in freefall and, you never know, our strikers might finally find the back of the net.

The other games are harder to call. A draw will see Palace into the play-offs but I should think they’ll finally get a win after going nine games without one.

And on that basis — because I’m ever hopeful — I’ll take a punt on Paul Ince’s Blackpool holding local rivals Bolton to a draw (the reverse fixture was 2-2 in November).

If I’m going to make predictions they might as well be positive… just don’t blame me if they’re wrong.

Pat's score predictions: 

Palace 2-1 Peterborough
Bolton 1-1 Blackpool
Forest  2-0 Leicester

Mike McCarthy (@mikemccarthy and @foxblogger), Leicester City fan and writer of Foxblogger

I'm expecting a tight match at the City Ground. Both teams need to go for it, but given the poor form we've seen from the sides over the last few weeks caution might be the watchword. If it's level at the break I wouldn't be surprised to see the leashes come off.

Leicester haven't won a league match at the City Ground in 41 years, unfortunately I can't see them making a start now and that would almost certainly be curtains on the Nigel Pearson era. Their collapse has been incredibly frustrating. No-one has made a truly convincing case as to why it's happened, but given City's reliance on young players this season (the squad's average age is just 23) burnout might well be it.

If Leicester fail to make it then Bolton's inability to beat Blackpool will be all the harder to take if it happens. Too many have written Paul Ince's men off, but this is a local derby and there are plenty of players playing for contracts. Stranger things have happened in the
Championship than a draw in a Lancashire derby.

Mike's score predictions:

Palace 1-0 Peterborough
Bolton 3-1 Blackpool
Forest 2-1 Leicester

How they see the table finishing:

I'd like to thank Naveed, Mark, Pat and Mike for contributing to this piece.
As always you can find me on Twitter - @Bolton0301 and @NFFC_Stats

The biggest game of our season so far? Brighton & Hove Albion Preview

After a two week break, Nottingham Forest return to action on Saturday afternoon in what arguably is the biggest game of the season so far. Fellow promotion chasers Brighton & Hove Albion travel to The City Ground, with the Seagulls just one point and two places behind the Reds.

A victory would see Forest secure 7 straight league wins in the same season for the first time since  October 1921. 

I spoke to Brighton fan Leigh Carter ahead of Saturday's game.

1. You're currently outside the play-offs on goal difference, how do you rate your chances of finishing in the top 6?

I'm still 50/50 with regards our chances of Top 6 this season. Might have a better idea come 5pm Saturday! We still have Leicester to play at the Amex, so that will also have a big impact on the fight for 5th and 6th places. Realistically we need to avoid defeat to Forest this weekend and then beat Leicester to stand a chance of making it in. I'm happy our home form is good enough to keep us up there, just need to pick up some wins away from home again after the 3 previous poor results on the road in the space of 7 days (Draw at Bristol City followed by defeat at Bolton and Barnsley).

2. You're going through a bit of striker crisis at the moment, how big a blow is that going into the run in?

Losing the 3 strikers in Craig Mackail-Smith, Ashley Barnes and also Will Hoskins, to injury/suspension over the last month hasn't been ideal but hasn't actually caused us too many problems yet, mainly due to Ulloa's form. It's obviously risky having just one recognised striker going into the key final stages of the season so that's why Poyet has been working tirelessly to get another striker in on loan. 

3. How Leonardo Ulloa has settled in brilliantly to life in England, just how good is he?

Poyet had been tracking Ulloa for quite some time before finally getting him in January, so that suggested he was going to play a big part in our side once he did arrive. Top goalscorer in the Spanish Second Division last season showed he had some pedigree too. His debut was against Arsenal in the FA Cup and he looked the part from the word go, scoring from a header to make it 2-2 at the time. Was concerned about him taking time to settle into the English game but he has adapted very quickly and his natural game is quite well suited too. Big and strong in the air, holds the ball up really well and has skill on the ball to go round people and also get involved in the build up play. Positional sense in the box is fantastic and with the quality balls in players like Andrea Orlandi and David Lopez are producing he should get plenty of opportunities to keep scoring. Only a missed penalty at Barnsley has blotted his performances so far.

4. What can Forest expect from a Brighton side playing away from home?

We play the same style home and away, and no matter who the opposition is really. Emphasis on keeping possession and building from the back by short passing and moving the ball around waiting for spaces to open up or for one of the wingers like Will Buckley or Kazenga Lua Lua to beat a defender and get in behind the back line. We'd rather pass the ball from midfield back to the goalkeeper than resort to an aimless long ball. So we'll start the game as normal, trying to dominate possession and get Forest running round chasing us. Confidence should by sky high after the 3-0 win against Palace last week, but there's no tougher place to go than Forest at the moment so we know we're going to do well to get a point.

5. What have you made of Forest's form since the arrival of Billy Davies?

Was surprised and disappointed by the change in stance of the Forest owners since the change of Chairman, from a seemingly steady ship up till Xmas, to creating chaos for a few months. Things seem to have worked brilliantly since Billy Davies took charge though and Forest have flown up the table with a very impressive run of consecutive wins making them the division's form team. Am hoping we are the ones to end the Davies Honeymoon on Saturday!

6. What are your predictions for Saturday's game, including the score?

It has all the makings for a cracking game. Forest obviously won't fear us and will want to attack from the off, we haven't won a game from a losing position since the opening day of last season (have come very close on a couple of occasions but ended up condeding last minute equalisers to blow it), so the first goal is crucial. Poyetfinally took the shackles off the team for the game against Palace by starting with 5 attacking players, instead of the normal 3 or 4. The 3-0 win that followed will have given him food for thought as to whether to try that again this weekend, but I expect to see Dean Hammond or Andrew Crofts back in to try and tighten central midfield with Liam Bridcutt. Am optimistically going to go for 2-2 draw. Brighton to take the lead (Ulloa), Forest to go 2-1 up and a late equaliser to take a hard earned point back to Sussex!

The Circus Continues

Just when you thought Forest couldn’t be more of a laughing stock after the embarrassment of transfer deadline day, the club has outdone itself and plunged further into the depths of disarray, mockery and chaos.

41 days into his time at Forest, Alex McLeish has left the club by mutual consent, apparently “very saddened” things didn’t work out but no doubt very relieved he didn’t stick around long enough for the recent entries on his CV to become even more shambolic.

It was just 5 days ago that Fawaz said he and McLeish had a “good working relationship”. Just another clear lie to paper over some increasingly irreparable cracks. 

The attention quickly turned to asking a question we’ve heard all too often over the last couple of years: “who do we want to replace [insert manager’s name]?” We’re now searching for our 6^th permanent manager in just over 19 months. That will be the 4^th manager to sit in the hot seat in the Al-Hasawi family’s 7 month reign, if you include the inherited Steve Cotterill.

I find it hard to believe anyone who isn’t incredibly desperate would go near Forest at the moment after a month of almost constant condemnation and unwanted publicity. Nigel Adkins is the only stand out manager who has been linked with the job, but after what he experienced at Southampton, he’d probably be wise to steer clear, particularly given the fact his stock is fairly high at the moment.

A lot of fans seems to just be in a state of apathy. A poll on Seat Pitch found the third most popular choice to replace McLeish was “I don’t even care anymore”. Number one on that poll was Billy Davies, but I’m not even going to go there. It just isn’t worth it.

We seen two very different managers appointed by the Al-Hasawi’s. One had worked his way through the lower leagues, achieved relative success with some of the Football League’s smaller clubs and was happy to build for the future. The other had done the rounds in his native Scotland and spent time in the Premier League, with limited success and fairly catastrophic failure.

In the owner’s eyes at least, the appointment of Sean O’Driscoll wasn’t working out, despite a lot of fans, including myself, being big supports of him as a manager and his philosophy.

It begs the question, “can anyone actually succeed at Forest with Fawaz in charge?” If he is indeed interfering with team affairs as much as being reported, then it’s hard to put forward any answer other than ‘no’.

Over the last few years, as a club, we’ve spoke of and adopted different strategies when considering our new boss, with various names fitting into various categories. Obviously not all of them went on to become manager, but they were very much linked:

• He should be young, hungry and bring fresh ideas to the club, maybe they could be  our very own Brendan Rodgers? – Karl Robinson and Darren Ferguson.
• He should have experience of winning promotion from the Championship that’s what we’re trying to achieve after all – Alex McLeish and Mick McCarthy.
• He should have experience of the Premier League, that’s where this club should be – Steve McClaren.
• He should have a connection with Forest. We need people who know the club to be involved – Roy Keane, Martin O’Neill and Stuart Pearce.

I’d suggest none of those strategies are relevant or useful anymore, because it doesn’t really matter who is in charge if the owners don’t allow him to do his job and that's the bottom line. 

I’d be confident in saying a manager of Adkins’ calibre could guide Forest to promotion, not this season, but certainly over the next two, given the time and resources. Unfortunately the levels of patience just aren’t there and with recent goings on, our reputation has been tarnished. Who wants to work under trigger-happy owners whose plans have reeked of rash short-termism?

They need to let him to give him some pick the team. They need to be honest with him about strategy and transfer funds. They need to give him some support, whether it is a CEO of Director of Football. Most of all, they need to give him time.

Only if all these conditions are met can we even begin to think about progressing as a football club and achieving promotion in my opinion. But with the some of the reckless, disrespectful, and embarrassing behaviour exhibited over the last month or so, I think that might be a lot to ask.

Tonight Fawaz insisted in another generic and uninspiring statement that he remains "as committed as ever" and his "willingness to succeed remains undimmed by the disappointments of the last six months." 

It would be nice to think that Fawaz realises that a lot of the "disappointments" have largely been down to his poor decision making and naivety about the English game. He even says himself: "the challenge is bigger than I envisages when we purchased the club." Well, he hasn't exactly made things easy for himself. He has got 3 or 4 major decisions wrong, and I really don't think he can afford another.

Nottingham Forest Review of 2012

Do you think we'll ever have a quiet year at Nottingham Forest? Probably not. 2012 has seen 3 managers, 3 chairmen, a huge squad overhaul and a club takeover. I take a look back over another crazy 12 months at The City Ground.

Goal of the year:

Simon Cox vs Birmingham City - 15th September 2012

For me, this is the only possible winner for goal of the year. The tracking back from McGugan is what starts the move off and the technique Cox shows to pluck the ball from over his head, then have the nous to lift the ball over the on rushing Jack Butland is sensational. This finish could grace any pitch anywhere in the world.

If I was to chose a goal to finish in second place, it would be Adlene Guedioura's rocket against Leeds. John McGovern's laugh as it hits the net is also brilliant. I'd also recommend this post on Seat Pitch which provides the top 10 goals of 2012.

Game of the year:

Leeds United 3-7 Nottingham Forest - 20th March 2012
Once again, I think this is a pretty simple choice. Game of the year was undoubtedly Forest's demolition of Leeds United at Elland Road. It was the first time since Forest had scored 7 goals on the road since the 1-7 victory over Sheffield Wednesday in April 1995, and the first time Leeds had conceded 7 goals at home in their 93 year history.

The game will be remembered for an extraordinary spell of play where 5 goals were scored in just 8 minutes. On the night, Garath McCleary was in unstoppable form, bagging 4 goals. Dexter Blackstock grabbed a brace and of course, Guedioura scored that screamer. Relive the action on the video below.

Individual display of the year:

Radoslaw Majewski vs Crystal Palace - 31st March 2012

As much fun as it is remember that glorious night in Yorkshire, rather than picking McCleary's rampant performance against Leeds for individual display of the year, I've gone for Radi Majewski's second half hat-trick against Crystal Palace. 

The little Pole found the net with three terrific finishes that helped Forest move six points clear of the dreaded dotted line. Majewski had struggled for game time under the management of Steve Cotterill and went three months without making a single appearance, but made a huge impact on his return to the side, playing just behind Dexter Blackstock.

 

Player(s) of the year:
Yearly reviews obviously mean you have to mention the back end of one season and the start of another, and with Forest undergoing such a massive squad reshuffle over the summer, I've decided to chose two players of the year.

Garath McCleary
The pacey winger was instrumental in our fight against relegation last season and picked up the official Player of the Year award for the 2011/12 season. His 8 goals in 2012 and numerous inspiring performances was one of the catalysts to us avoiding the drop. Unfortunately, this rise in prominence coincided with his contract expiring. He eventually moved to newly promoted Reading along with Chris Gunter. We never really replaced him in the summer and I think we're suffering for that this season. A pacey right winger should be on the January shopping list.

Billy Sharp
The best finisher we've had since David Johnson? Some are even saying he's the best we've had since Collymore. Rarely does a signing cause so much excitement at our club. I've lost count of the number of times we've said "we need striker like Billy Sharp" when the transfer window rolls around twice a year. Now, we've actually got him, and he hasn't disappointed. Rarely do you see a player more composed in front of goal. He never looks like missing. After a slow start to his Forest career he's coming into his own and with 9 goals to his name, I wouldn't bet against him hitting 20 or even beyond. The sacking of Sean O'Driscoll has created doubts about whether he will stay at The City Ground permanently, but it's something every Forest fan wants to see.

Signing of the year:

Adlene Guedioura
We've actually signed the Algerian from Wolves twice this year. Initially, he joined on loan in January before making his transfer permanent as the first purchase for the Al-Hasawi's. Its impossible to say whether we would have gone down last season were it not for Guedioura. We certainly would have been a lot closer to the bottom three. His power, industry and skill in the centre of midfield rejuvenated our bleak performances last season, and during December, he's returned to that sort of form that has turned him into a fan favourite. He bagged the only goal on opening day as we beat Bristol City, rounded off a terrific move to net against Leicester and delivered another missile against former club Wolves to seal all three points at Molineux.

Tweet of the year:

Fawaz Al-Hasawi announces the takeover
After months of speculation, on 10th July 2012, Kuwaiti businessman Fawaz Al-Hasawi finally announces his acquisition of the club from the Doughty estate. They celebrate with some cake. Over the next few months, Fawaz frequently announces new signings, news and words of motivation. 2012 was the year of the #FawazTweet.

The Michael Brown dirtiest tackle of the year award:

Jamie McGuire (Fleetwood Town) on Andy Reid
This award is brought to you by the division's dirtiest player, Michael Brown and I'm sure he would be extremely proud of this tackle from Fleetwood's Jamie McGuire. The tackle is complete and utter filth and didn't even earn the midfielder a booking, let alone a sending off. It bears more resemblance to the scene in Casino Royale when James Bond strangles the Nigerian businessman to death than something from a game of football.

Biggest on field moments:

Garath McCleary's goal vs Coventry City
After an abysmal run of just 5 points from a possible 39 (including a run of over 11 hours without a goal), Forest were in serious trouble. But it was McCleary's 70 yard mazy run, step-over and cool finish against relegation rivals Coventry City that sparked Forest into life. From the next 39 available points, Forest took 24, guiding them to safety. It was a fine goal, and felt like something of a turning point.

Dexter Blackstock's sending off vs Derby County
While it may not have been a huge incident on the context of a year or season, it was certainly a huge moment in a fiercely contested clash between Forest and Derby at The City Ground in September. The Forest forward was judged to have elbowed Richard Keogh just after half time. The Reds had been dominating proceedings, causing Derby numerous problems in the first period, but referee Robert Madley's decision turned the game completely on it's head. Derby went on to win the game 0-1 through a Craig Bryson goal, meaning Derby won both encounters with Forest in 2012.

Biggest off field moments:

Steve Cotterill's January dealings
His time at Forest wasn't great, and a lot of fans didn't like Cotterill or his style of football, but you have to admit, his dealings in the January transfer window saved Forest from relegation. He sold Wes Morgan and Patrick Bamford to Leicester and Chelsea respectively for a combined fee of £2.5 million, allowing him to bring in Adlene Guedioura, Danny Higginbotham, George Elokobi and Scott Wootton in on loan for the remainder of the season. Arguably his best acquisition was bringing in Sean O'Driscoll as first team coach. He introduced the 4-4-1-1 formation that saw us become a more attacking threat, and stopped us conceding so many goals (Forest had the 10th best defence in the Championship from 31st Jan). This transfer activity was arguably Cotterill's greatest achievement at Forest.

Untimely passing of Nigel Doughty
In February, English football was rocked and saddened by the sudden death of Forest owner Nigel Doughty, aged just 54. He stood down as Chairman in October 2011 following the unsuccessful decision to appoint Steve McClaren and had put the club up for sale. He spent almost 13 years in charge of the club and pumped in almost £100 million of his personal fortune into the club. While some of his decisions were unpopular, all fans appreciated the work he did for Forest. At the end of the day, he was a devoted supporter, just like the rest of us.

Al-Hasawi family complete takeover of the club
In July, after a significant period of uncertainty surrounding the ownership of the club, the Kuwaiti Al-Hasawi family complete the acquisition of Nottingham Forest. Fawaz, Abdulaziz and Omar met fans at The City Ground before their first press conference. As you would expect, they spoke of the history of the club and their ambition to lead it back to the Premier League. The Al-Hasawi's didn't mess about in the transfer market, adding 14 new players to our depleted squad and appointed Sean O'Driscoll as manager.

Sean O'Driscoll sacked and replaced by Alex McLeish
After just 160 days and 26 games in charge, following a 4-2 win over Leeds United on Boxing Day, Sean O'Driscoll was surprisingly sacked as Forest boss, and Alex McLeish was brought in as his replacement. I've already aired my views on the decision on this blog, but not many Forest fans thought we'd be a seeing a third manager take the hot seat in 2012. Despite being one point outside the play-offs, inconsistencies of form, controversial team selections and accusations of tailoring tactics to combat the opposition were ultimately the contributing factors behind O'Driscoll's departure. It seems to have prompted a shift if policy from the Al-Hasawi family who, seemingly no longer content with a season of consolidation and building, are looking to get back into the top flight as soon as possible.

Photos of the year:

11th February 2012

Forest host Watford at The City Ground, the first game since Nigel Doughty's passing. Both sets of fans and players partake in an emotional minutes applause for the former Chairman. Dozens of shirts, scarves and other tributes are laid outside the Main Stand.

20th March 2012

This picture doesn't really need an explanation does it? What a night.

27th October 2012

Jermaine Jenas returned to Forest on loan in September and rounded off a great team performance by netting the final goal in a 4-1 win away at Barnsley. It was 11 years after Jenas scored his first Forest goal against... Barnsley at Oakwell. Who says football isn't romantic anymore?



Thanks for reading. Feel free to comment below if you have any other stand out moments from this year, be it goals, games, incidents or whatever. Also, don't be shy and hit 'share', always greatly appreciated.
Lets hope for a successful 2013!

Sean O'Driscoll's Sacking - My Initial Thoughts

To say I’m shocked and disappointed tonight would be a massive understatement. I left the City Ground this afternoon following a 4-2 win against Leeds celebrating what was my favourite match of the season so far. But it’s all turned dramatically sour.

I’m going to try and avoid being melodramatic. The news is still fresh and obviously we will have to wait a few days for more developments and a few more months to see if the decision actually pays off. For now at least, it feels like a huge mistake.

First and foremost, I was and will remain a huge fan of Sean O’Driscoll; his ethos, his manner and his footballing philosophy. I felt the same about the Al-Hasawi family when they took over. For once, it looked as though we were doing it right.

While we fans may debate tactics, transfers and squad selection, one thing we should always agree on and want for our club is integrity. We want a club to be proud of. Sean O’Driscoll was a man who seemed to have that in abundance. The Al-Hasawi’s seemed to have it too. Long term plans and patience was the theme of their press conference. With one swing of the proverbial axe, the feeling around the club and the policy by which it is being run has changed enormously.

Now, football is staring at us, wondering what on Earth we’re playing at. Fans, journalists and even players are publicly questioning the decision. The big picture is, we are sat in 8^th place, one point off the play-off places after assembling a squad in a matter of weeks. Today’s win against Leeds is irrelevant. Win, lose or draw, O’Driscoll was probably getting the boot this evening.

160 days and 26 games is no time at all. It’s madness when you really think about it. It means Nottingham Forest will have had 4 permanent managers in 18 months. The merry-go-round not providing much Christmas cheer.

I can seriously see why people are becoming disillusioned with the modern game. It’s cruel. The names being mentioned (that admittedly must be taken with a pinch of salt) do very little to inspire. The rumours and speculation will be exciting for some, incredibly tiresome for others, with the bitter taste of O’Driscoll’s sacking lingering.

I’m going to end this piece by posting some quotes from the first Al-Hasawi press conference back in July, courtesy of Seat Pitch. Whether you agree or disagree with what happened today is up to you and maybe it's unfair to be calling some of these quotes into question when they're not directly related to O'Driscoll's departure. I just wanted to express my thanks to Sean O'Driscoll and my disappointment that he has gone. 

"It is important to remember that running a football club is a marathon, not a sprint."

"We know that for most football clubs, success does not happen overnight. That’s why we are here for the long haul."

"We’ve come to the club, putting down a three to five-year business plan to develop the club and bring it back where it should be."

"It's not all about money, it's more about passion isn't it?"

"This is a long-term business plan which we are working on and obviously when the new manager comes in we are going to be sitting with him and discussing this whole plan. Within maybe a few years from now we should have something positive."

"In order for you to have a successful team you have to allow the manager full authority to do his job."