Jermaine Jenas - To Sign or Not to Sign

So as January starts looming into view on the horizon I think it’s time to start looking at what business we may or may not be doing. I shall be concentrating on the loan signings we currently have and whether we could look at longer deals, or permanent deals.

Jenas back at Forest

Starting with Jermaine Jenas is as good a place as any seeing as he is fairly high profile in terms of our signings.

Initially on a month and then extended his return to the Reds has been blighted by injuries. Or “injuries” if some are to be believed with their conspiracy theories.

The main problem with Jenas and questioning a permanent deal is the very fact we were amazed to get him. He is a Premiership player, and whether he would take a big step in making his stay at this level a permanent one instead of a brief fitness & form seeking trip.

Another huge stumbling block would be the wage issue. Believed to be on £45k a week at Spurs, of which we are (again rumoured) paying £15k a week, this would be too much for a club on a Championship budget. Ok, we still aren’t sure how deep the al-Hasawi pockets go, but it would be as big a statement of intent if we did make it a new signing. However, imagine the dismay in the dressing room this would cause whereby we’d have a player, who’s prone to be injured and potentially not playing on a great deal more than those playing week in week out.

But personally I feel it was a nice little piece of nostalgia. But we need to look forward to long term fixes. Jenas although a good player will no doubt have an eye on trying to keep his Premier Career going maybe at least another 2-3 years. To look at a long term deal might not be best. With the potential signing of these Irish wingers from Derry City, it would mean less scope for strength in depth in the middle of midfield. Therefore less chances.

Also does Jenas want to come back permanently? I mean he’s said he’s happy to be back and enjoying his time, BUT, he is saying that knowing its short term. His mindset might be entirely different in a long term deal. He might begrudge having to drop down a division.

All in all, i wouldn’t rule it our nor would I say no, but neither would I want the club to particularly chase this signing.

What Would Be Our Best Midfield?

I’ve talked at length about the various options in midfield without ever really analysing what might be the best options, discussing other peoples various roles and how this set up works. However the win and performance at Wolves has raised some question marks in my mind about which personnel is best.


Quietly I had wondered whether the midfield attacking three we had been using were the best options. I for one have been chomping at the bit to see what Lansbury can offer from the start. I think Cohen is making himself undroppable, and we all know what Guedioura is capable of, despite not hitting those heights this season yet.

I appreciate the role Reid can play, and his guile and technique with the ball cannot be questioned, but I always wonder about his mobility, and how a more mobile midfield three might be better. The lack of pace and drive has sometimes been a real issue in the midfield. With Jenas and Reid out, Guedioura and Lansbury stepped up and completely seized their chance this week.

I would like if possible to see this midfield set up given a couple of games to see how they run. All the requirements are there, set piece delivery, creativity, drive, finesse. Reid offers an ability with set pieces that a wonderful crossing ability, but I would argue so too does Lansbury.

Looks at the ball Lansbury played on Saturday, 40-50 yards over the top ball perfectly to Sharps path and feet to take on and score. Considering he was schooled by Arsenal it was a very un-Arsenal like ball, essentially being long ball, but it was so much more than just a punt up field than long ball and direct implies. It was crafted, judged and dropped into place for the striker to latch on to. Creative but direct. Very Reid like, but with mobility.

If Guedioura is starting to hit last season’s form and I know one swallow doesn’t make a summer but he was looking far better, and maybe the catalyst for this improvement was playing his old team, and as often happens he played out of his skin. If his form is now getting back to last season it makes him undroppable. He just needs to stop getting sent off. I had a feeling as he approached towards their goal on Saturday and let rip that he’d hit something dangerous, and lo and behold it was unsavable down in the corner. We’ve got our Guedi back.

Cohen I have been impressed with this season. I thought his form may suffer with the long layoff but he seems to have come back determined to make up for the year or so out of the game. There are those who are suggest he isn’t he player many others say he is, that’s its all effort and no class but I completely disagree. We are a better team with Cohen it.

We are yet to see anything of Coppinger, and with Majewski injured the other option would be to see McGugan in, but I think we all know that although he has obvious ability his temperament is questionable and this means with the new better options he is essentially unpickable.

Jenas and Reid will have their roles to play, the problem with Jenas is that yes he is quality, but will he be here after January? Is it worth trying to play someone else into form instead? Reid isn’t going to be able to keep playing all season and will need rests. Weeks like this where we have 3 games in 7 days will be too much for his fitness level. The options of rotation should keep players fresh, but you also want the consistency that playing regularly brings. This is what has hampered Guedioura as he has been in and out the team.

It all bodes well though. If an army marches on its stomach, a team’s promotion bid will rely on its midfield. Yes you need the strong defence, and the goal scorers, but the way we play, needs a strong midfield, and thats what we have.

Jenas Loan Not Sean's Choice.

The gossip this week and news that many were discussing over pints before and after the game this Saturday as well as the game was what exactly is happening with Jermaine Jenas.


Jenas is well known for his problems with fitness these days so seeing him out the match day squad wasn’t exactly a surprise, but you’d think that a player of his ilk would surely walk into the squad.

Perhaps not. We all know the intricate game of politics that is often played at football clubs all too well, after all Billy Davies was our manager and everything was about politics with him.

It turns out that Jenas wasn’t signed by SoD, and that the al-Hasawi’s decided go out and get a big marquee signing to signify our intent. This is hardly a shock, nor does it overly worry me when you consider that they had a stated intent to bring in Kuwaiti players, we all know that this means they do have intentions to go out and get players that might not be in the managers mind. And as I say, when it’s a Premier League quality player who has played a number of times for England even better.

But, and there is always a but, they did say that ultimately the manager would have final say over any signings. This clearly hasn’t been the case here. Now it doesn’t look like they are going to interfere in team selection issues, and thus far I can have absolutely no complaints about the reign of the al-Hasawi family.

But it does sit there as a nagging doubt when you hear about something like this. It’ can’t make for great morale, when you have someone going out and signing a player above your head. I have no doubts that SoD knew that these types of occurrences could happen, and therefore won’t be a huge shock.

And these things happen all the time in football. Managers have players signed for them, but who didn’t want that player. . Look at the likes of Chelsea who have had success. Those players though that are seen by new regimes as huge new marquee signings often don’t work out. Look at Leicester’s policy last year, and the signing of Shevchenko at Chelsea is perhaps the most famous example. Trophy signings. Not that I am saying Jenas is a trophy signing alone, no doubt it was as I said before a signal of intent, telling everyone we have arrived. In a way that Bellamy at Cardiff was used, it might just put a few extra bums on seats and bring in that bit extra cash.

The fact that we were willing to apparently spend £15k a week to fund a portion of his wages also begins to illustrate the intent of the club. Some have accused us of trying to buy the title, but we have only spent as much as £4mill, and although signing fees and wages aren’t factored in, it’s still going to be less than Blackburn spent on Rhodes.

So I don’t worry too much that this regime is cherry picking in a couple of players ahead of the manager’s choice. It isn’t ideal but it is increasingly common. There is no sign of the Hasawi’s trying to influence selection, which was one worry before they came in, because there was a vague legacy of this with the team they owned in Kuwait. It does show maybe a little more hands on approach that what we thought had been happening. And does show why Jenas has only slowly been introduced to the team because he is not directly in the manager’s plans.

We haven’t had a full on Billy Davies tantrum that he had about players being bought in that weren’t his, that occurred with George Boyd, who Billy had never wanted, and so left him partly out the team. And it would illustrate the odd choice of another midfielder in already midfielder heavy squad. How long JJ stays around for is also completely unclear. But as long as we can afford him, and there isn’t too much dressing room upheaval, then it’s all fine in my book.

Welcome Home JJ

I will start this on a sour note and build up to the crux of this article. The last midfielder and player from that golden generation to return was Prutton, remember how that ended up eh?

Ok, let’s get past that, as Prutton although quality wasn’t the same class or type of player as Jenas, who looks extremely likely to be returning. I have blinked before in one these and gone with an article before official, and was wrong with Al-Mutawa’s work permit, but hey ho.

So now we have simply the greatest midfield assembled in the last ooooh, 15 years at this club? Yeah since 1999 at very least. So 4 or 5 from the following, Gillette, Jenas, Lansbury, McGugan, Coppinger, Guedioura, Reid, Majewski, Moussi, Cohen and errr Greening. Ok 3 can be discounted. Greening’s Forest career is now all but officially over. I expect to see him shipped out somewhere, just to get him away. Cohen is still going to be away from full fitness. Moussi, well Moussi has always split fans, but SoD doesn’t seem to fancy him very much.

It’s still a wealth of options in the middle, and a welcome boost ahead of the Derby game. People have attempted to discredit Jenas but the fact remains he has international experience, and has played at the top flight for a long while. You don’t do that without having ability. And without any first team chances he will be hungry to prove he still has it and secure a January move to another Premier club probably. If we can help him, and therefore he helps us in that time, perfect.

I never really saw Jenas in his first spell, I was away at University and only got glimpses on the TV, or on odd occasions I was home for a game. So this should be a learning curve for me too.

But where does this leave us? We already had a crowded midfield, with options galore. Lansbury and Cohen coming back into the fold looked like we were already top heavy, but now we have added this heavyweight name.

Whether this means a return to 4-2-3-1 in some games is unsure, I expect to see Lansbury move to the right wing to take a slot in the team there, with Coppinger seemingly there as back up and experience.

So welcome home JJ, just the kind of figure head signing we need.

Oh can I just say I called it first months ago. When the al-Hasawi family took over, one of the things I said they should and could do was sign a strong ex NFFC player, and recommended Jenas. Just saying folks.