Emergence of Darlow Softens Camp’s Legacy

It occurred to me that over the last decade or so we seem to have a set shelf life for goalkeepers before we move them on, or they become untenable in the team. It’s around 2 and a half to 3 years before a new cross over period develops.

Ever since Crossley was number 1 for near enough a decade, we seemed to have had a roll call of keepers who do well but ultimately move on at the end of a contract because of either their age or because they want more money or simply put, just aren’t doing it anymore.

Beasant was being shipped on because Platt wanted a younger man, he was succeeded by Darren Ward, who ultimately lost form and was shipped off to be Norwich sub keeper when they got promoted (which sounds awfully familiar) Gerrard had a decent longish stint of around 2 years before being temporarily replaced by Russell Hoult, he then left as he had high wages, before his eventual successor became Paul Smith. Smithy of course was main keeper for around 2, or so years before Camp came in, and the rest we know.

The challenge is now for Darlow to first become part of this pattern, and become part of the team permanently, that so far he seems capable of, and then creating a lasting legacy in the team. What would be nice is to break the cycle of being in the team for 2 or so years before needing to be replaced for whatever reason (usually lack of form)

Darlow hasn’t really been challenged yet in terms of having a torrid time in a game. His emergence is along the same period as the defence finding its feet again. That said, there were games under McLeish he was thrown in the deep end at, and yes we lost, but he never ashamed himself.

The first big challenge for him will be when he has a drop in form. The role of a goalkeeper is so founded on confidence that it will be interesting to see how he fairs. He seems confident, but then Smith did when he first arrived.

I heard it said by a pundit or ex player once a few years (so long ago I have no recollection who it was) that the best thing for any team was to know what that keeper was likely to do. If he stayed for crosses, then fine, as long as you knew he was going to stay you could clear up. If he came for the cross, then fine you knew he’d be there, the worst scenario was when you had an “eccentric” keeper, A Huelho Gomes or Manuel Almunia. A keeper you had no idea of they’d be coming, going, or whatever, and for a defender, then that creates the uncertainty. So to have a new keeper trying to forge his role, it must have been a tricky time for the defence.

But now Darlow is cemented in that role. I think many thought, myself included that there may have been pressure to put al-Rashidi in goal, and that Darlow was merely a stop gap whilst he acclimatised. That’s proven to be entirely incorrect. Darlow I would argue is almost undroppable at the moment. Ok he may have done better with the Wolves goal, but there has been no uncertainty in the crowd, and indeed he has made a couple of great stops that you’d argue Camp may not have.

The end of Camps period was a shame. His legacy of being a good Forest keeper for many years has been upset by his own ego, and therefore the fans perception. Make no mistake he wasn’t a bad keeper, but it would have been more glaring had Darlow, like Forests own form, not been a shining light during February. Because Darlow took the ground running, Camp has barely been missed. It had the potential to be so different. Just think of Barry Roche.

And it is a shame, Camp had the talent and potential to be our keeper for a long time and keep Darlow out the side. Camp however has his own demons, his ambition is what he cites, but at the end of the day it’s no-ones ambition to be Third Choice keeper at a mid rate Premier League Club. It comes down to money. And because of that Camp’s legacy is that he won’t be remembered for his keeping or his performances, but more his petulance at not being allowed to go to Swansea, and ultimately for leaving when he should have been first choice.

We have had a number of decent keepers at Forest, each with their own foibles and characteristics. Now we have the chance for a new keeper to forge a new legacy in goal. Darlow has the potential to hold on to this position for a few years. In fact the one obstacle to this I can see is Promotion to the Premier League, which even if he helps us achieve it would likely see Darlow replaced by another man. Like it or lump it, that would probably occur as we’d need an experienced head in there. That is a debate for another day, for the time being let’s just enjoy Darlow making the transition from budding youngster to First Team regular.

Lee Camp's Future and the Question of Who Comes Next?

So what does the future hold for Lee Camp? He has been told he can leave the club for free this January. His contract is up in June and clearly the club have decided to let him go now. Now whether this is because he has flat refused to discuss a new deal, or simply McLeish wants his own man is unclear. Maybe it’s a combination.


Camp has a strange relation with fans at the moment, and the reaction on Twitter was extremely mixed. There was a distinct camp (no pun intended) who wanted him out, and have now become vocal in their dislike of him. The reasons cited are how he sulked when turned down for his move to Swansea under McClaren, and his form has suffered since becoming an International. Almost as if some of the drive in his career had gone and he has plateaue'd. Rather than pushing on and the try and make it at the top, he has realised he is at his level, playing for a nation that have little or no hope of qualifying for a major competition. Basically his drive to prove has gone. And now he is a shell. At this stage in careers usually the big pay day to sit on a bench comes along. It seems that is right on time.

Because essentially that is what he would become. Reading are the main club being linked, and what you could see Camp doing is being one of these capable Championship keepers who keep a Premiership bench warm for a nice cushy pay day. It’s happened before, and it will always happen again.

There are those who would like to see Camp stay, but the problem for this side of the argument is that it’s pointless. He is clearly off so to try and argue the merits of keeping him serves no purpose. However I will say that for me he is a capable keeper. Good at commanding his area and good at shot stopping. Not the biggest keeper in the world, he has more merits than not. But it seems his relations with the club have collapsed to an untenable point.

As well his good performances in the Billy Davies years, it has also been pointed out he was helped a lot by an extremely capable defensive line up, that since the departures of Wilson and latterly Morgan, he has been left looking, depending on whose arguing this point A) looks like he’s worse because he has a worse defence in front so more clear cut and unsavable chances are made. Or b) that the quality defence made his record of clean sheets and reliability look better than it actually ever was. A lot of people really got on Camps back last year for his failure to give quick delivery. This completely overlooks and negates team orders. It was clearly an order to get the ball sent long to the strikers and get forward quickly. But everyone decided this was Camp who was to blame, which I found extremely frustrating.

There have been a number of names suggested as his replacement, and seeing as we have told Camp he can go, we need to move quickly. Can you really imagine having a keeper in net that has care of what happens as he’s off? It’s not worth thinking about (however he does now have something to prove to potential suitors so may “up” his game.) Rob Green, Craig Gordon and Lukasz Fabianski have all been linked. All have Premiership experience. Green everyone knows was England’s first choice at the start of the previous World Cup. Because of a high profile error he is now tagged as being not good enough, which is hilariously misguided. People who aren’t thinking for themselves and have a typical knee jerk reaction are the ones who claim he’s not good enough. He’d be more than good enough. Fabianksi has made errors, but that’s in a top level Premiership team. Craig Gordon was a £9million keeper a few years ago, he’d now be free, but he has been out the game for a while. But all three would be quality additions. You don’t get where they are without quality and ability. Camp has never been a first choice Premiership keeper. That needs to be remembered in this.

But overall it will be a shame to see Campy leave, but then players often out stay welcomes or only last at a place so long. I think Camp needs a new challenge and new surroundings. His has stagnated somewhat. For him his next move is either a huge pay day move for 2-3 years on a Prem bench tripling his wages. Or it’s a fresh new challenge with another Championship club. Either way it’s definitely not here, not now anyway.

Latest Transfer Rumours

Ok so as we near the reopening of the January transfer window, and as Cotterill has had an excellent opportunity to survey his squad, the transfer rumours are starting to creep out the wood work again.


And unsurprisingly, those start at the club Cotterill recently departed. And even more unsurprisingly they start with Liam Lawrence. Lawrence is of course a local; he was born in Retford, and as a youngster was on the Forest books. I have heard in the past, though I have nothing to corroborate this, is that he was always resentful to Forest for this, and as a consequence doesn't like the club. As I Say, I do not know if this is true. He however would not be cheap, and for that I raise severe question marks over this potential deal. It just feels like lazy journalism

Equally is the vague rumour connecting Erik Huseklepp, a Cotterill signing for Portsmouth in the summer. That alone suggests to me it is unlikely, as does the fact Pompey paid a princely £1.5mill for him, and Forest recently announced we do not have much cash.


Chris Martin, not the one in Coldplay, but the Norwich striker has also been linked, and with a host of other Championship clubs too. Maybe more likely, but we don’t exactly have a dearth of strikers at the club (what with Blackstock impending return) Palace look to be the front runners to sign him on loan. Martin has a checkered past, being barred from many bars in Suffolk after a fight in a pub in Beccles.

There are strong rumours suggesting that George Boateng will be let go in January. These have appeared on numerous sites, and may have credence with that Boateng really was a McClaren man in the Forest camp.

Finally, there are very non-committal rumours about there having to be departures in January to fund any arrivals. The names mentioned are unsurprisingly Lewis McGugan and Lee Camp. It remains to be seen how much truth there is in this.

The Curious Case of Lee Camp

I think it's fairly apparent at the moment that all is not quite right in the world of Lee Camp. The formally reliable keeper has become somewhat less reliable,and following an abject performance for Northern Ireland versus Estonia there are numbers of people starting to question someone once touted as a potential England keeper.

My cards are on the table here, I never touted him for England,even when in his very best form, I never actually thought that a player with his experience could play at that level. You need a Premiership keeper,or at least one who has experience that cauldron of pressure to be at that level. Camp hasn't.

But now there are many people noting that his form has really dipped (in fact since about March to be honest) Why is this? The most common conclusion is that his head has been turned,and that he is at least unhappy, or his morale has dropped since not being allowed to speak to Swansea in the summer.

No-one knows if this is for certain, we know there were offers, but there is nothing I have seen suggests that Camp had any intention of leaving. No doubt he would like to play at Premiership level, and show his talent on the biggest stage. Who wouldn't. All footballers have that ambition (maybe save for Wesley Verhoek)

If this is the case and his mind isn't right, or with the club Which are both footballing term cliches I despise, but guess there's an element of truth in then maybe Smith might see a recall. However, if we're talking about keepers needing confidence then this guy was one of the ultimate cases. Plus the abhorrent way he was treated by a number of fans.

I know someone who was a former Pro keeper, he has repeatedly told me he never rated Camp, and I have always laughed it off,but it now has me questioning whether he was right all along. For one he says he doesn't rate small keepers. At 6'1 he is no midget, but with most top keepers coming in at 6'3 to 6'5 it does make you wonder.

Whatever is the cause for Camps dip in form it needs to be remedied fast. I had hoped that time away from the club might help. I suspect it might have now worsened with his performance in Tallinn. But lets hope not. We know the quality he can show, and quality is permanent. Form, as they say, is temporary, and there I go again with cliches today.

Forest Player Exit Rumours

Usually we always deal with a vast number of incoming player rumours. Well this time due to a stuttering promotion bid it's our own players being linked with other clubs, and quite a number of them this week to round up and evaluate how likely many of these seem.


Chris Gunter
The Welsh right back is being linked with soon to be promoted QPR as they look to bolster their ranks for the Premiership. And most rumours link them with the cream of the Championship. I think it could be likely to see QPR go for Gunts. He is still young and therefore would be a good investment, I could see him jumping at the chance of Premiership football if offered. If Forest accept such an offer remains to be seen. Every player has his price and all that.


Lewis McGugan
Similarly QPR are being linked with McGugan which is a rumour that also appeared back in January, that didn't have much in it at the time. If Taarabt does leave QPR(a host of top top clubs are linked)then McGugan would be a like for like replacement, though not as good, and with more questions about attitude. McGugan would undoubtedly jump at the offer of Premiership football. Remember before he broke though here he was touting himself to Chelsea apparently


Lee Camp
Obviously a player on top form will get linked, and the season Camp has had its no surprise that Premiership clubs would be sniffing round the new Northern Ireland no.1. Aston Villa are the club being mentioned, Friedel being in the last years of his career is apparently out of contract and Villa are looking to replace the American with Camp. Camp is undoubtedly the one player we would miss more than most, top goalkeepers such as him are few and far between at this level. I'm not sure if Camp would agitate for a move, but a club like Villa could certainly triple his wages easily.


Guy Moussi
Moussi is out of contract this summer,and what with where we will be next season still unknown it seems we are leaving negotiations late. Following his excellent season a few Premiership clubs are sitting up and taking note of this situation. Stoke, Wigan and Everton are the ones being mentioned, and considering he would be on a free it would be relatively risk free. Whether he'd want to go and sit on a Premiership bench for most of the season, as he would, is unclear. He would be a loss for free though.


Luke Chambers
Wolves were being mentioned at looking at Chambers a few weeks ago. Wolves being embroiled in a fight for their top flight status though put's this move in the 'unsure' pile. Baring in mind if relegated they'd have more money than most due to Parachute Payments, they might look at Chambers has a proven Championship defender to help their promotion bid. I can't see them risking him as a buy in the Premiership, but they do persist with Richard Stearman,so who knows.

Lee Camp - Player of the Month for March

Taking the award for the second month in a row is keeper Lee Camp. After winning February's award Camp went onto have a memorable March, where he made his international debut for Northern Ireland.
Being possibly the best of a bad bunch at Forest in a month that was largely forgettable for all, he beat Adebola into second. Camp took 50% of the vote, Adebola second with 15% and Chambers third with 11%.

Thanks for taking the time to vote, and look out for the April poll toward the end of this month.

International Round Up

While most of our squad were getting a much needed rest this weekend, two of our Forest boys were away on international duty. Lee Camp and Chris Gunter still couldn't get away from disappointing performances though as both of their countries fell to defeats.

First up was Lee Camp on Friday night, who was earning his first Northern Ireland cap after finally getting international clearance last month. In typical fashion, he was on hand to produce an excellent reflex stop from an Ivanovic header early in the second half while showing his typical confidence and ability. Unfortunately for Camp, it wasn't to be the dream start he'd have hoped for as Northern Ireland squandered a 1-0 lead to lose 2-1. But there was some positive with most reports saying Camp was Northern Ireland's man of the match. Well done Lee!

Yesterday, Chris Gunter then went on to play for Wales against England - a game I'm sure the vast majority of us saw. Despite Wales losing 2-0, I though Gunter had a great game keeping Rooney quiet and being one of Wales' best players on the day. Ex-Reds loanee Aaron Ramsey also featured, as he went on to become Wales youngest ever captain at the age of 20.

It's a relief to say international's are now out of the way until June, allowing both Camp and Gunter the chance to fully focus on the final push for promotion.

Camp Called up by Northern Ireland

Lee Camp looks set to start his international career after being called up to the latest Northern Ireland squad. Camp qualifies for Northern Ireland via his grandfather.
This call up was expected after Camp decided that he would choose Northern Ireland, despite playing for England at junior levels. Camp recently made his decision to take the chance to test himself on the International stage for his adopted nation.
Nigel Worthington, the Northern Irish boss has watched Camp lately, and has added him to the squad or the matches against Serbia and Slovenia.

Lee Camp - Player of the Month for February

Thank you for all the votes. And as ever another indicator of the growing popularity of this site is another record month for votes.

Lee Camp won the poll for player of the month taking a whopping 65% of the vote. This is after another month of amazing saves and commanding performances from the Forest vice Captain. Form which will shortly see Campy make his bow on the international stage for Northern Ireland.

The nearest contenders saw Luke Chambers finish in second on 11% and Chris Cohen taking third on 9%.

Lets hope this excellent form continues through not only March but the rest of the season too.

Northern Irelands Number One!!!

Lee Camp has been cleared to play internationally for Northern Ireland, opening the way for him to begin his full international career.
Although this was first suggested a while ago, it has taken a while for clearance to come through, as FIFA requires evidence of eligibility for players who have represented other countries at youth levels, (as Camp has for England)
I say good luck to him. Although many cheer for him to be in the England set up, that's always unrealistic when playing outside the Premier League.Also playing for England would put him the shop window for bigger clubs to swoop in, and we don't want that to happen do we Reds fans?
Camp qualifies to play for Northern Ireland via his grandfather, and he is relishing the opportunity to feature on the international stage. It is likely he will feature in the squad for next months games versus Serbia and Slovenia

Forest Look-a-likes 3

Here is another instalment of our series Forest Look-a-likes. These have been very popular, so we hope to see more nominations please. We are running a little thin on these and there has to be more.
Please leave your lookalikes on the facebook page, on the forum, or via twitter,or indeed in the comments section below here. The links are all on the right hand side of this very page you are looking at.

Without further ado,the latest look-a-likes


Ewen Bremner & Paul McKenna



Rufus Sewell & Lee Camp



Marcus Tudgay & Aleksandr Orlov




Grant Holt and Johan Elmander