End of Transfer Window Summary

So the window has finally slammed shut on a day that has seen some clubs pay absolutely ridiculous money for certain players - we all know which one in particular I mean.

From a Forest perspective, none of the rumours for players like Martyn Woolford and Gabriel Obertan came to fruition and we end the window with three fantastic signings in Paul Konchesky, Marcus Tudgay and Robbie Findley.

Outgoings have seen Matt Thornhill join Hibernian on a free and Joe Garner sign for Scunthorpe on a loan deal until the end of the season.

To conclude, I'm absolutely delighted with the business we've done in this transfer window. With promotion rivals like QPR and Cardiff all strengthening, it's refreshing to see we're following suit and are definitely prepared to go for one big final push between now and May - which could be argued was our downfall last season.

The likes of Konchesky and Tudgay will offer a wealth of Premiership and Championship experience, respectively, to our relatively young team. In Tudgay's case, he's already showing the impact he can bring to our team with his incredible contribution to games so far. Konchesky on the other hand, can be considered the final piece of our left hand side problems. His excellent attacking and strength attributes will hopefully make him the best left back in the league - and make our defence completely watertight.

As for Findley, he has it all to do but with the guidance of Davies - there is no reason why he won't succeed. The pacey striker and winger needs to adapt to the more competitive and fast nature of the Championship inside his first few months, as well as settle down to life in Nottingham. He could be a slow burner like Stern John originally was or make an immediate impact like Ben Olson did. Either way, I'm sure he is in for a successful time at Forest and we all wish him and every other newcomer a warm City Ground welcome.

As for Thornhill and Garner, their moves are definitely best for both parties.

Thornhill had always had that bit of promise about him but with Raddy, McGugan, Cohen, Moussi and McKenna all in front of him, a serious injury crisis would have been needed for him to make his big breakthrough. He now get's the chance to link up again with Colin Calderwood, who thought very highly of him at the City Ground.

Garner's short term departure to Scunny presents Joe with the chance to prove Forest and any potential suitors that is good enough for this league - especially after his disappointing loan spell at Huddersfield.

We both Joe and Matt all the best.

Some breaking news from an Obertan perspective. Reports are suggesting he has handed in a transfer request at Old Trafford - which has unsurprisingly stunned the club. It is rumoured he is looking for a move back home to France in the Summer - could a loan move to Forest be a short term fix?

But all in all, a highly successful transfer window and excellent work from both Billy and the transfer panel. Dare I say we have a squad that could maybe get us over the finishing line in May.

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International Update: Earnshaw and Gunter called up to Wales Squad

Robbie Earnshaw and Chris Gunter were today called up into Gary Speed's first Wales squad.

Both are scheduled to play some part in Wales' Carling Nations Cup game against the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday 8th February.

Speed has also gave a recall to ex-Forest loanee Aaron Ramsey, who is in line to make his first Wales appearance since breaking his leg last February.

Obinha Hattrick puts Forest to the…Iron – West Ham United 3-2 Forest (FA Cup Fourth Round)

What with all the transfer window madness today, our report on yesterday's Forest-West Ham game has been delayed - so here it is.

A 5000 strong Forest away following made the trip to East London yesterday, in what can be considered one of the best FA Cup ties of the fourth round.

Pre-game, many West Ham fan didn’t seem to be too bothered by the tie, in fact most were hoping they’d lose so Grant would hopefully be pushed further to the exit – at least he hasn’t lost the board again eh?

Both sides made changes to their teams, resting key players and giving some of the reserve players a run out.

Forest’s changes included McGoldrick and Adebola linking up in place of Earnie and Tudgay, while Raddy and McKenna started in midfield in place of Tyson and Moussi.

The game itself couldn't have got off to a worse start. Freddie Sears came close early on with a shot that Morgan blocked, putting the ball out for a corner.

The resulting corner saw Forest bizarrely only mark opposition players inside their own box. The marking allowed West Ham to play the ball short to Noble, who hit an out-swinging, wayward shot at our goal – largly greeted with sarcastic cheers by Forest fans. Unbelievably this shot ended up providing an inch perfect ball into the path of Victor Obinha, who from 6 yards, volleyed the ball into the goal.

Cries of offside were heard in the away end but the first half highlights West Ham put on the big screen at half time, showed Gunter was Obinha well onside - a case of right place, right time.

When things like that happen early on, most can be forgiven for thinking;‘It’s gonna be one of them afternoons’.

Oddly, the early goal saw Forest jump into life. McGugan had three attempts at goal – all going wide and high - but the pressure was clearly getting to West Ham, at which point a Forest goal looked inevitable.

On 18 minutes, Raddy played a delicate through ball through for McGoldrick, who picked the ball up on the flank and cut it across for Dele Adebola. Adebola then poked it home right into Rob Green’s bottom right hand corner, presenting Dele with his first goal of the season.

The Forest dominance continued right through the half, and while Piquionne looked a bit nifty on the break, Forest continued to create glorious chances. Fortunately it all paid off in the end, when an Ilunga foul on Gunter, gave Forest the free kick that lead to the second goal.

An inswinging ball from Cohen was headed by Kovac at Green, who desperately palmed it up in the air to stop an own goal going in. The ball flew into the air and landed right onto David McGoldrick’s head who nodded the ball over the line from just over a yard out. It was one of them goals where you wonder is it in or not when sat in the opposite stands.

The goal got Forest fans into full song with ‘Que sera, sera, we’re going to Wembley’ ringing around the away end.

Sadly Victor Obinha cut our song short, when he sprinted into the space left by Lynch and lined up to put in a cross for Sears in the middle. Incredibly the ball ended up flying right over Lee Camp from 25 yards. There were questions of did he or didn’t he mean it? If you ask me it looked like a total fluke but, hey, good players always have that bit of luck on their side.

When the ref blew for half time, most reds fans were saying to each other what a cracking half of football that was. With news filtering through that Notts and Man City were drawing 0-0 in a ‘poor game’, most agreed ITV had put the wrong game on TV again – One day they’ll learn.

Second half, and Forest came out like a totally different team – they were almost playing like the team that lost to Leicester in November.

The momentum had tipped into West Ham's favour and their pressure rewarded them with a penalty after Lynch pushed over Reid. At the time, I didn’t think it looked a penalty until I saw the highlights later on that day, which saw Lynch basically hanging onto him.

Obinha stepped up to claim his hattrick with a cool penalty that sent Camp the wrong way and a celebration that would have put Earnshaw to shame.

Forest were beginning to get sloppy. McKenna was miss placing passes, Lynch was starting to drift into his favoured centre of defence instead of staying in the left back position and we were constantly passing the ball back to the goalkeeper.

West Ham was also being presented with some glorious chances forcing Camp into excellent saves that were sure to impress Fabio Capello sat in the crowd - it’s not too late to change your mind on giving the boy a call up!

Earnshaw, Tyson and McCleary were brought on to create something but to no avail and wild shots from the players towards the end, meant we weren’t going to grab a late equaliser to put ourselves in the hat for the fourth round draw.

In all honesty, I wasn’t too disappointed with the defeat. It was a great day out to a premiership team, we put up a good fight even without some of our best players and we can now focus on the league - don't you just love that cliché.

After all with the fixture pile up February is bringing, an FA Cup replay would have been the last thing we'd have wanted.

I also like these games as it gives us a chance to assess how we compare to Premiership teams at this moment in time - even if the circumstances and squad selection would be different.

Maybe in August, this match will be an all Premiership affair.

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Transfer Rumours Update - Woolford and Obertan

Quick update on the latest whispers and confirmed deals.

Martyn Woolford


Earlier we spoke of Garner's loan move to Scunny potentially opening the door for Martyn Woolford to seal a City Ground move. Turn's out he's going to Bristol City instead.

All the best to Martyn and his future.

Gabriel Obertan


Another rumour is linking us with Man United winger Gabriel Obertan.

Obertan is the pacey French winger, who was partnered alongside Hernandez on Saturday in Man United's trip to Southampton.

Some are saying a 3 month loan deal is definitely on, while others are saying it's utter rhubarb.

With Robin Chipperfield saying any more transfers at Forest are unlikely on twitter earlier, we'll give you more on this one as we get it.

Garner signs for Scunthorpe on loan - Woolford to Forest?

Breaking news out of the City ground is Joe Garner has signed for Scunthorpe on loan until the end of the season - I guess it explains why he hasn't been on our bench since his return from Huddersfield.

Garner's chances at Forest have been few and far between since Davies has been in control of the club. A move away to another Championship team is best for both parties - maybe it'll increase Joe's value in time for summer should he be a success.

Further rumours are suggesting Joe Garner's move to Scunthorpe will see left winger Martyn Woolford come to Forest - we'll have to be quick as Bristol City are showing an interest.

Lot's going off at the City Ground today.

As ever, we will keep you posted.

Paul Konchesky is a Red

Having reported the breaking news that Paul Konchesky was close to signing for Forest last night, I am delighted to confirm that a 3 month loan deal has been agreed between both clubs.

29 year old, Konchesky will bring a wealth of Premier League experience to the club as well as our fledging left hand side. He likes to make advanced runs down the wings, with great shooting and crossing ability – just like the left backs we’ve had in on loan previously.

The capture of Paul Konchesky also means that Joel Lynch can now fight for a place in his favoured central defence role.

It’s a great signing for the club and one that shows we’re pushing in the right direction. The final piece of our promotion jigsaw maybe?

Keep checking back today for all the latest transfer news that we here coming out of the City Ground plus a full match report on yesterdays FA Cup tie at West Ham.

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Konchesky Rumour Gathering Pace

Within the last hour it has been tweeted by a Times journalist that Paul Konchesky is a loan target for Nottingham Forest.
This of course would be a perfect person to fill in the left back slot.
This deal however would only be able to be on an emergency loan basis, if it is true (and I stress IF,as this does seem sudden and far fetched)
Konchesky has largely been a flop after following the now departed Roy Hodgson to Liverpool from Fulham.Indeed Fulham were until today in for the one time England international. However they have now backed out of a deal until at least the summer.
Konchesky is also unhappy in Liverpool, especially after the outburst from Konchesky's mum calling Liverpool fans 'scum' on Facebook.
Therefore it might be that Konchesky, whose left back berth in the team is being filled by Glen Johnson, wants out as soon as he can, and although would prefer a Premiership team to be his port of call, Forest may seem a viable option.
All this being said would fly in the face of many of the other left back rumours (as featured today on our very blog)and would illustrate these players have turned us downor that there was simply no truth in the first place.
No doubt if we do get Konchesky thenit would be a wonderful signing.

UPDATE: Now hearing that a medical is set up for 10am tomorrow.

Forest Out of the Cup

Nottingham Forest have today been eliminated from the FA Cup in a high scoring affair at Upton Park by West Ham United.
West Ham took an early lead through Obinna, who would go on to score a hat trick. Adebola equalised with a low shot from 12 yards. And then Forest took the lead when David McGoldrick scored with a header underneath the bar.
West Ham hit back quickly though Obinna, before an early penalty in the second half after a foul by Lynch.
West Ham succeeded in holding on to their 3-2 scoreline

The full match report will follow...

Transfer Rumours Update – 1 Day to Go

With just over a day to go in the January transfer window, Billy Davies has said that there may now be new faces coming in before the window slams shut - so much for everything he said at the start of last week. Here’s the latest in a left back special:

Matthew Briggs


A few people on our very own forum were reporting this one – although any move seems to hinge on Konchesky going back to Fulham.

Briggs is unsurprisingly a left back although he can play in the centre of defence. He is held in very high regard with Fulham fans even though he is just 19 years old and is touted as a hot prospect – he’s attracted interest from Man United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs during his development.

He sounds like the standard left back we need, one who can defend well and make the advanced runs forward – although he does seem to have a tendency to give the ball away but that can be worked on.

The move will more than likely be a loan deal until the end of the season.

It sounds very promising, provided something comes off, but why do we keep babysitting left backs from the Premier League for a few months instead of just going out and buying a left back once and for all?

Nicky Shorey


Most media sources last Thursday were reporting that West Brom had rejected an approach from us for Nicky Shorey.

Roberto Di Matteo was quick to come out and quash all rumours linking Shorey with us, saying:

"Nothing is going on with Nicky. There's no truth in it. Nicky is not going anywhere. He is part of this squad. I can't see anyone leaving at the moment. Maybe towards the end of the window it might change if something else happens."

I think I speak on behalf of all Forest fans when I say, Roberto, make something else happen.

The effect Shorey had on our team last season was incredible. If we get Shorey now, I honestly believe we’ll push QPR for the title.

We’ll see what happens inside the next day and a bit.

Ryan Bertrand


No point going into whopping detail on this one – we tend to report this transfer enough. We understand that this the deal is now not going to happen. This move is becoming like a light switch transfer with the amount of times it’s on then off.

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West Ham Ripe for the Picking

I can't think of a time I have looked at us playing opposition from the division above, least of all the Premier League and felt so confident we can get a result, if not bring them back to our place.
West Ham have just been dumped out in the League Cup Semi-Final,after leading the tie on aggregate, then capitulated and allowed Birmingham to come back and eliminate them. Hopefully destroying confidence at the same time. I do concede it maybe a rallying call for them to perform in what is the only thing that could save their season, an FA Cup run.They did go to extra time mid week, which will have further tired players.
West Ham also of course look doomed, the team is not playing well, struggling against relegation with constant rumours of Avram Grant being sacked imminently.
Forest as we all know are flying, beating anyone we play at the moment, 5 wins on the bounce, with 3 clean sheets. Impressive stuff. Even more impressive is the turn around in away fortunes. 3 away wins on the bounce, 4 out of the last 5 more so, including that very impressive win at Cardiff. So therefore we shouldn't fear going to another teams manor any more, as we did for virtually all of 2010.
West Ham will be welcoming new striker Ba to the fold, after signing on loan from Hoffenheim in Germany, it remains to be seen if he will be involved.
It has to be said, Rob Green and Matthew Upson apart, their back line particularly shaky. Whether Billy will implement the speed strategy of Tyson, or go with Earnshaw as varying options. As is the fact we have a another game on Tuesday and the Cup is a mere distraction. Davies may decide to rotate to keep people fresh for the Coventry game, this might see the likes of Bennett come in for Lynch, McGoldrick might get a start up front also.
Whatever line up we do choose though, this game has been mentioned by many as a potential upset, more than most of the games TV has chosen to show, which shows the way West Ham have fallen out of favour, TV only wants to show the big boys fail, not relegation candidates. I am sure there will be streams online for this game, so I hope to be watching from my sofa.

Come On You Forest Men

Forest Look-a-likes 2

Owing to the popularity of the last lookalikes article we did, and anew flurry of them, we have the following new ones.
If you want to tell us about some lookalikes we haven't had yet, you can do so on the forum, the facebook page or via twitter, or even in the comments underneath.There is really no reason why you shouldn't as we have so many ways!!
The links are all on the right.

The Lookalikes

Luke Moore and Lewis McGugan



Bruno Mars and Robert Earnshaw



Yakubu and Wes Morgan




John Terry and a Transvestite

Forest 24-7 is Now Even Easier to Access

We are very pleased to announce we have now bought the Forest24-7.com URL for the site, making it a lot easier to find and navigate to. This URL is easier and snappier to remember. So tell all your friends now we have an address that's straight forward.
All the old addresses and links will still work if you have us bookmarked.

www.Forest24-7.com

It's Podcast Time Again

We missed a couple of podcast slots because of holidays and whatnot, but we are back with a bang on this one

download from here as an audio file
http://www.sendspace.com/file/x2vfxs

or from youtube here

Reds Grind Out Another Win

It is often said the measure of a good team is that one that doesn't play well yet still wins. Well that was Forest today.

Ok, perhaps saying we didn't play well is unfair, it is hard to do so against a team that instantly put 8 men back behind the ball when not in possession as Bristol City did today, and they looked fairly well organised in doing so. Make no mistake, City were here to try and frustrate and strangle Forests creative play.

Chances in this game were few and far between.Early on, Earnshaw bought a save out of James with a well taken free kick, which maybe should have come to more from the rebound. Cohen certainly should have done better when left with a free header just 6 yards from goal that he connected ever so slightly with. A great chance begging, after the cross in by McGugan.

City had very little to show from their first half toiling. This illustrates their game plan perfectly, frustrate Forest as much as you can and see if a chance can be made. And with Jamal Campbell-Ryce in their team that ability is there. He is a player that has always impressed me with whatever side he is visiting with. Tricky on the ball and with good delivery, he was a danger today.

At times Forest seemed to not know what to do. Movement and delivery of throw-ins was ponderous at best. A mixture of Lynch indecision and a lack of want from other players around him.

The second half and an early goal for the Reds, McGugan was fouled and the delivery from Cohen was met by Chambers head to put the Reds one up. The header seems almost to gone in slow motion past David James in the City goal.As the delivery came in, I had thought it would be better if Cohen aimed back post and see if it sneaks in like a couple have in the past, but what do I know, Forest went in front, which was better for the game as it would force Bristol City to become more adventurous in looking for a goal.

And City certainly did look more lively in the second half, putting more men forward when on the attack. Adomah had chances, forcing Camp into a rare save, and then later firing high and wide when he ha more time at the back post, although Lynch was in close proximity challenging.

But Forest had chances too, none as clear cut as before, mainly people getting in the channels and failing to get a cross onto a Forest player and it being cleared. The one real time it fell to a Forest player in the box, McGugan shot was abysmal. Way over the bar from such a proximity to goal.

The game drifted to it's inevitable conclusion with Forest taking a good win. Moussi was once again the star of the show, Camp was left with little to do, Lynch at times looked a little scared about what to do, but then many of the team didn't seem great. Tudgay had a quiet match, Tyson was active again, but only in spurts, and McGugan save for a clever flick to the offside Tudgay was largely forgettable.

All in all job done, no complaint's here. And Forest are now breathing down the necks of the automatic promotion places.