The Perils of Potential New Investors

Forest are rumoured to be talking to three interested parties right now, and in advanced talks, and this is where I begin to worry now. I worry because you don't know what exactly is going to happen in the next weeks and months as the long term future begins to unravel. Don’t make any mistake that any interested parties will want to see where future lies are before making their final show of hands and wanting to know just where their investment will be next season as this would affect any potential prices paid.

I worry because any new chairman is a step into the unknown. You could end up with a wonderful chairman willing to invest away and get us back up. More likely this won’t happen. To be honest who exactly would want to invest now? My immediate question about anyone coming in is would they have the best interest of the club, or merely see us an investment opportunity, meant to maximise profit and not look after the best interest of the club long term,

There are all too many examples of new chairman at other clubs coming in heralding a new dawn, and delivering, well frankly nothing. Portsmouth as good example as any. Three to four chairmen after another have come in and essentially asset stripped or mis-managed the club to the brink of very extinction. Look over the river, Notts County on our doorstep had this great amazing investment, that proved to be completely groundless and merely an attempt to be an acceptable face of a shady investment organisation.

Look all around the football league and there are worrying clues that people investing here might not be for the best hopes. Cardiff and Leicester have Asian investors who have spent large sums of cash. And for what? Remember the Channel 4 Dispatches programme that showed South East Asian investors looking for clubs to buy cheap and then seek to sell on. Well Leicester and Cardiff are prime examples. Sizeable clubs with brand new stadia on the brink of h Premiership. Buy them now whilst in turmoil and sell them on in 2 or 3 years a Premier Club for a profit. Wonderful, these people take you back up!!! If it succeeds that is, and the finances are built on very shaky grounds. Wages are a large part of turnover which will soon be outlawed. Vast sums neither spent on players nor performing. If they don’t go up, how sustainable are these?

Because how much does a short term investor care about investing in the grass roots of the club. The youth teams, the community aspect to bring a new generation of fans, and all that goes with it. These were things that Doughty identified as needed, as this is why, despite what the morons over at Vital say, are vital for any club. You need that constant supply of home grown talent, connections with the City. Doughty for example identified that many local business rely on the club so avoided administration so they didn’t suffer too. Portsmouth and Leicester in their spells before have avoided spending thousands owed to St John’s Ambulance or the local Scouts. That’s ridiculous and screws over the wider community. Football clubs sit at that core.

Any anyone who argues is simply being short sighted. If a new owner had bought Forest and tried moving them to another city, as happens in the USA and happened of course will MK Dons thy would be the first to decry how the club should remain in the city, or the ones who don’t want to leave the City Grounds. They go hand in hand.

Lets not forget the previous time we were sold to new investors. Scholar and Wray and all that.that went well didn't it? Can lightning strike twice? Pompey know it can.



So yeah, a new owner scares me. People have seen the fact that 2 of the top 5clubs in this country rely on millions from rich owners and think we need the same. Indeed many of the Premiership clubs have seen their moves up the table from being owned by rich groups. But then look at Liverpool under Hicks and Gillette, they went backwards. Villa made immediate strides under Lerner but now seem to be stuck in reverse. Then there is Mike Ashley, proved to be in the right long term, but he got such stick it was ridiculous. Or do we want to be owned by Indian Chicken Farmers?

Either way there is going to be a new dawn at the club. I’m not trying to cast a bad light on all investors, but trying to bring back to earth that new people involved may not be a knight in shining armour, but may be indeed a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I do contend they may just be a sound businessman, who does well, and I may have mentioned County before, but Ray Trew there now seems to be running County very well, so it is possible to get good investors. As long like at Bournemouth we don’t get Russian Oligarchs wives walking in the dressing room lecturing the players. This is why I fear foreign investors, why do they want us? It cannot be for anything other than profiteering.

I hate the wonderful old adage mentioned again this week about people demanding that Forest be more transparent about where the future of the club is going and that the club “owe them”. Demanding to know who the interested parties are and what their plans are for the club. It shows a ridiculous demand and a ridiculous level of knowing what happens in business.

No interested party are going to publically put their cards on the table for fears of how this will influence other decisions about who best to sell to. Just because some fans want to know some information doesn’t necessarily mean that normal processes be ignored.

Draws Show New Resilient Edge

The back to back draws that Forest had just achieved in the past week show a new edge to the team, games we may have lost some weeks ago, but now with a new edge we have suddenly started performing. This is an illustration of how we are slowly improving.

However I accept I have written similar things before only for us to slump back to bad form, or follow it up with a poor result. Let’s hope I have no not just cursed the Palace game.

A couple of months ago we would never have kept going and got the point we did against Brighton, that said it was deserved. We hit the woodwork 3 times which just goes to show how well did, but each time we hit it looked like it would be our day, till Lynch popped up to score against his former employers.

What was frustrating was the goal we conceded was classic Forest. Free header for an unmarked player in the area from a set piece. Happens all too often.

The Leicester game may have been dull for periods, notably the second half, but Dexter clipping the top of the bar we went closer. Since we lost 4-0 last time we played there that shows we have made strides toward improvement.
It was frustrating that twice we were breaking away on the counter and the ball got to Reidy, had it got to McCleary or anyone with a modicum of pace we may well have been in a chance to get clear and set up a great chance. However Reid has no pace and so was caught extremely quickly. That was one certain dampener for me, for all his creative qualities, sometimes those physical constraints still can hamper us.
The defence is stronger, and more rigid, however that was only our first clean sheet since the Coventry win, which hasn’t been good enough. Hopefully it is a step in the right direction.


We still sit there slightly away points wise from relegation but it’s one bad week away from being on the edge of crisis again. But we are showing enough to keep ourselves further up.

What is alarming though was how much we missed G Mac as a creative outlay. We needed him; also let’s hope his injury isn’t long term.
Games we would have lost now though are now being drawn. And those draws will be now wins hopefully. Confidence must be higher and I hark back to the Leeds win and the boost that would haven. 5 points from the past 3 games is a wonderful success we would all have taken. However there is an element of thinking could we have got more?

Renewing Player Contracts

So like every year at Forest, player contracts have been left untouched with an exodous of key players potentially leaving this summer.

Captain Luke Chambers, Garath McCleary, Paul Anderson and Joel Lynch are among those who could go and, like many Reds fans over the years, Cotterill has lambasted it as ludicrous to be in this position.

Cotterill said: "Desirable players going out of contract is ludicrous. I don't understand what has happened. If I could have, I would have done before Christmas. 

One of the first things I said when I came in was that players needed to be tied down on contracts now and we haven't been able to do that for one reason or another."

I think we all pretty much agree with Cotterill.

The likes of Kris Commons, Kelvin Wilson, Robbie Earnshaw, Nathan Tyson and Sammy Clingan were players we commanded great fees for, yet we chose to let their deals run out before showing our desire to keep them. In the end, they all went for nothing.

As Earnshaw said last year, Forest left it too late - sarcastic 'again' would fit that comment beautifully.

The planning in the club has been baffling.  How does it make any sense to let players walk out for nothing, if it will cost £2m to replace them? 

Look what has happened in replacing Earnshaw.

We spent big in getting both Miller and Derbyshire in, smashing the wage structure in the process. The return has been 6 goals between them - just over half of the 11 Earnie bagged last season. 

Cotterill is spot on in what he says, what club in their right mind would let a player like McCleary go for nothing?

Maybe if we still had Doughty backing us, he would have been signed up a while back - although we can not forget his form has only kicked in from February.

Now there are two factors which have contributed to these players not being signed up. The financial woes and the uncertainty over which division we will be in next season.

Financially, even if contracts were offered, I do not believe any agent in their right mind would be advising their player to sign for a club who does not know who the owner will be next season. They of course want the best for the player, and themselves, the uncertainty at present promises nothing.

I suppose in terms of what division we will be in next year, that has been a problem dating back way over 10 years. When was the last time we had a season were we were not fighting relegation or promotion? 2001-02 season?

It could explain why historically good players have gone for nothing; although Commons, Earnshaw and Wilson for example, would have been great for the squad no matter what league we were in. 

It is the same now. 

Lynch and McCleary should have been tied up in January as they would have signed no matter what league we were in.  Now McCleary is a little bit uncertain due to Premiership interest, despite saying he wants to stay. 

To be honest though, Cotterill knew the financial restraints when he joined and I am sure we could have signed them up in January had he not opted for an influx of loanees.

It was not possible to get in Premiership loanees and sign everyone up to a new deal - at best we could have tied up Lynch or McCleary but not got Guedioura in on loan with the Wes and Bamford money.

The route Steve chose to take was the best one in loanees. We all would have done the same as we were badly missing players and since they joined, our results have shown the benefits they have brought. 

Maybe with a prospective new owner and Cotterill, a manager who wants his players tied up to longer deals, will next season finally be the year this become a thing of the past.

For now, expect mad dashes from Cotterill begging people to stay in the Summer sun.

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Leeds Celebratory Wallpaper

Designed by our own Nagash off the Forum

Seventh Heaven

Ok, so we all know the result from last night. We all know we trounced Leeds, that Garath McCleary turned in yet another head turning performance, that Neil Warnock has accepted his team were second best, and that Steve Cotterill does have a sense of humour.

All in all a wonderful night.

But I think what is more necessary to look at is how far this goes towards our survival bid. Not just the points, and the goal difference, but the huge confidence boost this will give, and the message that we are not to be messed with.

After tonight’s results the gap to the drop zone is 6 points. Coventry have taken a hard earned point v Cardiff but remain having to win 2 more games than us. Never mind there is Bristol City is also in between.

But let’s get back to the match. 7 goals. The first time this has ever been done by an away team at Elland Road, the first time we have scored 7 away goals since a game at Hillsborough that I chose to go to Field Mill to watch instead. A long time.

This night will be long remembered. Whatever we touched turned to gold or goals rather. But we did go behind remember, to a penalty given away by Guedioura. Snodgrass netted. Guedioura though more than made up for this with what was a simply incredible strike. Guedioura shot from 35 yards into the top corner. It was like an exocet. Image McGugan's goal versus Cardiff last year, cross it with the range of his free kick against Ipswich, and you’re still not quite getting a goal as good this.



McCleary then started his one man show. His goal was a finish from the corner of the area that looped over Lonergan and put the Reds in front. Considering the general consensus on the forum was that we’d snap anyone’s hands off for a point, this was amazing.

Now I admit I wasn't at the game, I’ve had a poor season getting to away games. I went downstairs to make a cup of tea at this stage. I came back upstairs and the score was 3-3.Thjis was as simply bobbins as this game was. 3-4 minutes out of the picture and you missed a whole host of things.

Firstly Blackstock had put us further ahead, and then Leeds hit straight back through Becchio. And then again with Michael Brown. My heart sank. I felt the worst. We'd bottled this opportunity and no doubt we’d lose. That’s how much of a pessimist this season has made me.

No matter, just moments later McCleary had put us back in front. Reid got in behind them crossed well, as he can do so well, and McCleary was there again to net and put the reds ahead with his second.



McCleary's next goal had a touch of the van Bastens about it, a wonderful volleyed finish. The beauty of this game was that you never had to wait a long time for something to happen for the period of time 52mins to 60mins. 5 goals. Within that a quick fire, that’s good value in anyone’s book.

It all calmed down a little from now on. 5-3 up, which was a beautiful score line as it was, which got better and better. McCleary scoring his fourth goal in time-honoured fashion for him at Elland Road. He was o right wing, cut inside his defender and shot left corner into the goal not quite as good as last seasons, but a wonderful finish nonetheless.

Dexter rounded off the most perfect of days with a good finish low down that squeezed its way in. And great rewards for the newly Antiguan striker to get a hard earned brace. And I am so pleased for him.

There is not much else we can say that can’t be said. Twitter and Facebook were alive with Forest fans in a state of disbelief. We were simply just laughing at the fact that was just so unexpected and wonderful.

Let’s just revel in it.

100,000 Page Views

Thankyou one and all for making this happen and bringing us to this momentous achievement. Every visit and page viewing is a blessing.

Although not a vintage Forest season, we have now on this site achieved success, so at least there is something to be taken from this.

Here is to the next 100,000 hits.

Luke Varney to sign?

Reports suggest Luke Varney is on course to sign for Forest on loan until the end of the season from fellow strugglers Portsmouth.

Varney is a 29 year old, experienced Championship striker, who most of us remember for his brilliance at Blackpool in the early part of last season.

Throughout his career, Varney has primarily been a hardworking striker with a touch of pace and an ability to pull something out of the bag. His downfall is his general lack of confidence, which saw him fail at both Derby and Charlton in particular.

Varney does however tend to make immediate impacts at new clubs and hopefully the confidence issue will not be a problem with Cotterill - someone who has admired Varney from afar and actually signed for Pompey.

Maybe he could have a McCleary style impact on Varney?

Now I know what you are all thinking, what do we need another striker for?

I suppose the answer is simple. We need goals and more options other than Tudgay and Blackstock.

Tudgay and Blackstock can not be solely relied upon to produce week in, week out at the moment due to the fixture pile up we have between now and Easter.

While we have Findley, McGoldrick, Miller, Harewood and Derbyshire as reserves, it is safe to assume 3 of them will never play for us again, one is too injury prone to pin hopes on and the other does not have goals in his locker and should be used as a winger.

In all honesty, if we need to sign 23 strikers to scores goals to keep us up this season, so be it.

Hopefully Varney's historic track record of making immediate impacts will get us 3 or 4 more crucial points on the board.

Where the money for this deal is coming from though is another question entirely.

We will see what the next day or so brings.

Follow us on twitter for the latest transfer news: @benando_torres or @forest247blog

Doughty Chants Take Attention Off Derby's Win

A lot has been spoken in other blogs about the nature and the reaction to the Doughty chants from the Derby fans. They weren't funny or clever but perhaps they were predictable.

Far more taboo subjects have been used for chants fodder by other teams. All you have to do is look at how Hillsborough or Munich gets used by Liverpool and Man Utd to know in comparison it is fairly small fry.

It is however raw and recent. Which makes it taboo.

To sing and mock the death of something’s whose family will possibly be attending the game if not listening to it, is somewhat childish, foolish and downright disrespectful.

I have seen a number of fans of Derby attempt to justify their actions by saying well Forest would have done the same. I have no doubt a minority would have, but that doesn’t mean you get to use that as a justification. For one you’re saying you admit your chanting is wrong. Secondly you’re saying you have no element of individual thinking and have to follow the herds. You'd have done it so we have to!! Well now you don't HAVE to. You could take the moral high ground.

It's a very childish argument to have that we did it because you would have. It feels like they realised after this is wrong and now feel they need to justify it in their heads by explaining to Forest fans that it's because of us.

Hang on though, blaming something on the possibility and chance of something happening, that isn’t right. And to be fair who does mock something like that. You have to be a shallow person in life to mock the afflicted or dead in that way.

I for one would no way have ever done the same had the tables turned. People who sit near me would have possibly, as Is it near some utter retards, who are the same type who are reacting with righteous indignation.

It is has tainted a win for Derby. So much so than even their patron saint Robbie Savage has felt the need o speak out. Dexter Blackstock has tweeted to tell the world how he feels, this speaks volumes.

Also in a highly charged atmosphere using material like this is ridiculous. It sums them up really. These are the same fans who thought flying a pathetic plane over our ground to celebrate a win is the height of hilarity.

I appreciate the majority of Derby fans probably have a similar mindset. That the chanting is wrong. But the sad minority are always the loudest and most moronic.

Dressing Room Dust Up

Apparently all was not as it seemed Tuesday when they report there was a double injury in the warm-up. A somewhat of a mild cover up has tried to disguise that there was a fight pre match which saw Anderson and Tudgay ruled out, not strains picked up.

The full detail are unclear, and some of this is based on information gleamed from non official sources, but I have seen this from unrelated sources with offers a level of credence to this.

Tudgay and Anderson had a dust up, for reasons unclear at this moment, and meant that both had to be pulled from the line up, which saw Findley introduced.

Now it might be a bit clearer why Cotterill was talking in riddles after the match when asked about the dressing room and Findleys introduction. At first it seemed like Findleys inclusion is what had cause Cotterills "I know what I know comment" about dressing room harmony, but now it is more the disarray causing Findleys introduction rather than because of as first thought.

Anderson was still missing Saturday and Tudgay was back in the team, which may well speak volumes.

It also reveals an alarming fracture in dressing room spirit previously unknown. And not with any of the new players earning more money. No it's players here before hand having fisticuffs.

It would go a little to explain the lacklustre display, well perhaps a little as the effect on morale was palpable.

The Forest Fan Blame Game

In recent weeks, I am sure we are all aware of the growing mob of Forest staff, players, media and other sources starting to slate the fans who criticise at home games.

Pre-game yesterday ended up tipping me over the edge and has incensed me to write with the utter rubbish being spoken.

I can honestly say I never get on the players backs, only ever a muttering to my mate about x player not performing (usually Chambers). 

What fan in any ground in the country doesn't? 

I suppose having a season ticket in the ever excitable Victor Chandler corner, I never have to as the over reactive teens trying to start 5 different chants at the same time, do it for me.

The talk pre-game was of the horrible atmosphere on Tuesday night when we lost to Doncaster and how the fans affected the team by jeering, booing and whatever.

This was a home game against bottom of the league, where the side had an opportunity to create further light between our visitors, Coventry and Pompey. The team then go out and display one of the most pathetic displays of the season. We lose the game and fall right back into the relegation mix.

Now...are they for real when they don't expect the fans to say anything or be unhappy? Are the actually being serious?

Maybe if they hadn't gone out with a swagger similar to 'we only have to turn up tonight', we may have got something. 

Anyways, yesterday came and we gained a superb 3-1 victory against a side just a few places above us. Everyone's happy and rightly so. 

After the match came the tweets, Radio Nottingham and player talk of 'look what happens when the fans get behind you' was out. 

It is laughable, especially as the flip from me is look what happens when you actually play as well as every fan knows you can.

Now I do believe the fans play a significant part in player performance - after all you try doing your day job with 20,000 people knit-picking at everything you do badly. 

But with our plight this season, how can they expect fans to sit and take things like 7 games without scoring or a run of 5 points out of a possible 39. 

They can't and in less than a year, this club has gone from one extreme to another.

If players and members of Nottingham Forest want to criticse the fans, that's fine. 

I divert you to two things.

1. Now more than ever the fans are paying your wages and have a right to say what they want.

2. I'd advise when you brainstorm your marketing campaign for next season, don't put 'Take your seat & make your voice heard' on every single season ticket. It's obvious the club doesn't mean that.

The bottom line is if you play with passion, pride and care, no one will hear a boo whether we win, lose or draw. Who are we to argue when we know you have tried your best?

And that isn't a Forest thing either, that goes for every single fan across the world. 

It's time to stop playing the victim and using us fans as an excuse players and staff of Nottingham Forest.

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A Weeks a Long Time in Football

Just a week ago we were on the crest of a magnificent Garibaldi coloured wave. A wave that had washed over Birmingham and Coventry. A wave that has now needed. Even on Saturday things seemed somewhat rosier.

Then came Tuesday.

After a somewhat fortunate at times draw v Barnsley, as they did lay siege to our goal in the second half which lead a charmed life for so long, we felt confident. That was a game we would have capitulated in 1-2monhts ago.

And then for such a miserable timid performance like what we played for Doncaster is not just frustrating but damned criminal. One wonders if we went out there with our minds made up we would win. Or whether the tinkering of Cotterill affected us.

Some tinkering was enforced. How two injuries come about in a warm up somewhat worries and shocks me. Tudgay pulling up pre match brought in Findley, and we will return in detail later about Findley and the post match comments from Cotterill, but Findley was not Tudgays equal in quality.

Reid had been surprisingly "rested" which saw Gunter move to right wing and Wooton to centre half to allow for Chambers return. Again players in positions that aren't natural when there is natural alternative. It frustrates me no end. Gunter is a marauding full back true, but he is that, a full back. Spurs may have had success with Bale moving up the flank, but Gunter is not Bale.

Donny may be struggling but they had dangerous players, Diouf well know, and Piquionne has topflight experience, as does Chimbonda, and Giles Barnes was very highly rated as a youngster, so they aren’t push over’s. They also are players who when the goings bad you don't want on your team, problem is the going was good for Donny. And Diouf is not a man to give time and space.

And that something our defence and midfield seem to enjoy giving the opposition. Space and time. Space and time for Piquionne to get into, pick a spot, shoot, and the ball move about a bit away from that spot and bamboozle Camp, who seemed to pull some 1950s dance move with hands waving about as he flapped at a ball that had moved course from where he was. It can hardly be a surprise, the modern ball does this, and Camp should have done better, but additionally, the space and time should not have been afforded for this chance to even have existed.

And that was right on halftime. Was the team already on half time mode, seeing out time for the end of the half? Who knows? One thing for certain their heads must have still been in the dressing room as we started the second half as Doncaster then scored a second. Diouf allowed turning and crossing and the ball allowed to bounce twice without a defender dealing with it before being put away. Absolutely criminal defending. And Luke Chambers wondered why we booed before? Well Luke if you decide to put in half hearted pathetic attempts to clear balls and don’t do your job, people will get upset.

We pulled one back but it was more than we deserved. We barely ever looked like causing danger. Robbie Findley with an immensely frustrating night of miss control and poor passing. Moussi had one of his schizophrenic performances where he does something good followed by something so abject that even school children would be embarrassed.

Donny of course could have more. Should have had more. The long range effort that was tipped on to the post. Scary that we were so bad.

Dexter’s goal, well it was scrappy. It was a false dawn too. It gave us that hope, but even the changes failed to improve us. McGugan came on and did nothing. As usual. The lack of attacking options on the bench restricted us massively and it showed having to leave an ineffectual striker in Findley on.

And back to Findley, Cotterill's strange almost Megsonesque comments at the end about alluding to dressing room issues but not mentioning specifically what, was odd. If you’re going to say there were dressing room issues mention them or don; mention them at all. Don't allude to it to have fans gossiping, and then just try and cover it up and leave it. If you’re going to mention it, then don't leave it hanging in the air Steve, that’s what creates issues and disarray.

All in all very very frustrating. The tactics were wrong; we just tried humping it up, which limited us. Findley can’t control them. We should have started with Reid. It doesn't help to see McGugan sulking that he didn’t get to take a free kick. There are team orders Lewis, obey. Although not back in the relegation zone, it brings those doubts back, whereas we should be putting daylight between us and the drop zone.

McCleary: I want a new deal

Garath McCleary has today pledged his future to Forest by stating his desire to sign a new contract.

The 24 year old has been in scintillating form of late, scoring 3 goals in 5 games, and would love the opportunity to continue to work with Steve Cotterill, who he believes is the catalyst as to why the he is playing so well.

But Garath is prepared to be patient for a new deal with our uncertain future in mind.

McCleary said:

"I am hopeful of getting my future secured. I have not heard anything at the moment, but that is understandable given the (financial) position the club is in.

I am happy to sit and wait and hopefully something can be sorted out. I am certainly hoping I will be here next season.

It is a massive club and to have a gaffer that is giving me so much confidence all the time is brilliant...every player needs a manager who has faith in them.

"Things have not always gone my way here in the past. I am not saying they were bad managers in the past, because they were not. I have nothing bad to say about the previous managers because I enjoyed working with them all.

"But it is brilliant to have a manager who has real confidence in you."

I said a few weeks back I would offer him and Lynch new deals now as they are likely to stay whatever division we are in next season.

While McCleary is now attracting the attention of West Brom, I think it is a testament to Cotterill for keeping one of our key men so happy they wish to stay and work with him.

I just hope that despite his pledges, he ends up being another Commons, Clingan, Sciemica or Earnshaw due to us being too slow to make a move.

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George Boateng to Walsall - off!

Forest 24-7 can confirm George Boateng will not be signing for Walsall.

News breaking in the past 30 minutes suggest the move has been discussed but will not be pursued any further.

Despite being a popular figure around the club, Boateng has made just 7 appearances for Forest this season, with only 2 of them being under Cotterill.

I would have liked this move to go through in all honesty.

While he is not a high earner, we are hardly in a position to be wasting money. Even if Walsall were to part fund his wages it would be a saving - same for any potential suitors for McGoldrick, Derbyshire and Majewski.

I guess we are stuck with him until the Summer.

It is worth just adding another potential League 1 loan as a footnote to this article. Reports are suggesting Robert Earnshaw could be about to go on loan to Sheffield Wednesday for the rest of the season.

I think we can all agree what a fantastic signing that is for them, particularly as I think he could come back here and do a job for us.

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