In News We Already Knew... G-Mac Joins Reading

I think we all knew this was happening last week, so this is barely a shock, but hey its official now.

Good luck to you G-Mac. You perhaps didn't always get the chance here before this year, and you got a contract with a big club on the strength of half a season.

McCleary is a Thames Valley lad so he's returning to his neck of the woods he's from.

It Seems G-Mac is Off

Well it's hardly a surprise being bang in form and out of contract that he attracted attention. He is also relatively cheap for some clubs I would assume as he is young and untried at higher levels. It also appears to be Reading leading this chase.

I have always been a fan, and yeah it'll be a loss, but remember he didn’t cost us much and as recently as November he was regarded as a squad player with little or no future. So in that regard the loss is somewhat lessened.

That said he was a top player last season and losing any top players is bad news. Especially as he will be hard to replace.

If he does go I wish the lad well. Some have accused him of greed on Twitter and I always laugh at this, as if someone offered you the same job closer to where your home was for more money every one of us would jump at that chance. To call them greedy is ridiculous, it’s short career to maximise earnings. So I hope it's not true, but I think it will be. Reading would be a good move too.

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.

Follow me on twitter @benando_torres

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.

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.

Follow me on twitter @benando_torres
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Dexter at the Double

I am not sure there are many of us Forest fans who expected to get anything out of the game versus Birmingham on Saturday, but lo and behold if Dexter Blackstock, scorer of that vital survival goal 3 years against Bristol City weighed in with goals again that could help play a vital part of us staying in this division.

Blackstock's brace were his first goals upon his return from his long term injury lay off, since that day at Cardiff that was a wonderful victory that came with huge costs. Blackstocks strikes also illustrate that the big man might now be back to himself, rather than the few first few weeks of him getting himself back up to speed.

It wasn't even a if this was a smash and grab away win like so many before it, but deserved win, on the back of a strong performance. From everybody. All the more with Higginbotham going off injured and Lynch having to once again come in and fill the void.

Both goals additionally came from renaissance man Garath McCleary, whose form has been instrumental in our improved performances and results. His crosses from the right resulted in both goals for the Reds. G-Mac as I said has been instrumental in recent weeks, and again showed it here.

The first for Blackstock was close range finish after a low cross at the near post. The second was a wonderful piece of control from G-Macs cross, where he killed it mid air and finished well. Not a goal of the season, but nonetheless great technical ability and high standard control. In between Chris Burke scored a good left footed shot for the Blues, which when they scored I will admit I thought the worst and that they would go on and finish us off.

The fact that I thought this, and no doubt many others did speaks volumes about how far we have come in the last few weeks. We had character and determination, and that new drive saw us get the win. The new loanees have given us not only new quality but new belief and confidence. Guedioura has been immense.

Luck was even on our side too; with Faheys drive hitting the bar. This might have gone in a few weeks ago, but like how Guedioura hit the bar against Middlesbrough late on and we lost out this time it was our luck that held.

Make no mistake this is a giant win. More so because of results elsewhere not being ideal, but without us winning it would have been disastrous. Instead it also brings other clubs into the relegation mix. Instead of a couple of weeks ago it looking like it was 3 from 4, now Bristol City and Millwall are not safe yet either.

Huge win Forest. Huge.

The Guedioura Show

Well first of all I will surmise the game on Saturday as saying that we saw what Adlene Guedioura is all about. What a monumental performance he put in for Forest on Saturday. At the centre of most things it was the player we have been screaming out for.

And additionally a goal!! A sweet merciful goal at home. I almost forgot what the Fratelli's sounded like. Poor bloke who has to press that button to play the song has been largely redundant for the past few months.

Garath McCleary did what he is starting to do more, score a long range quality goal. And he did it again this with a low drive into the corner from around 25 yards. And the team celebrated by pointing to the sky and dedicating the goal to Nigel Doughty.


And this had at the start given the game an odd feel. Starting with the minute’s applause for Nigel Doughty. It was strange seeing people cheering for the man that I remember some people denouncing and vilifying a few weeks ago. But that is football.

The minute’s applause was pretty largely respected. And I think largely genuine. The Watford fans also joined in, which was good to see. And it was obvious that it had also enthused the players to put in a performance. Guy Moussi coming to the Trent End before the game pointing at his black arm band and clapping showed what it meant to the players.

We looked bright throughout, and as I say Guedioura was majestic in the middle. McCleary also put in a top showing, and the new defenders all looked the part. Wooton playing at right back was a surprise, but he played well there. It was also interesting to see Elokobi to be unleashed on long throws for a new tactic. Interestingly though mainly in the first half where there was less run up space than if he was on the Main Stand side.

However, when Watford scored it was the air of resignation amongst fans. No-one was hugely shocked, no gasping intake of breath, no anger. Mere acceptance that we conceded.

The second half could have gone both ways, we did play well, and had the better chances, mostly falling to Gunter ghosting in at the back post. He hit the bar, skied a great effort and headed over the bar. This was also after a first half effort, where he looked like he scored lobbing the keeper that shifted wide before being cleared.

Findley also messed up a great chance when a perfect through ball was played by Reid, a truly wonderful pass designed for a pacey striker to latch on to. Findleys first touch though was horrendous and it ran through to the keeper to let the chance go begging.

Frustrating that we failed to win a game there for the taking, but there were a lot of positives to take. The new signings bedded in quickly. We scored. We created chances. We just need to get the extra bite in front of goal.