A Square Peg in a Round Hole, or a Stellar Appointment

Well, if and that’s a big if the purported re-appointment of the prodigal son Billy Davies does happen then there is going to be an explosion on Twitter. The fans are split down the middle on the relative merits of this but I think most admit that it would be an improvement on McLeish.

He might not be a great fit. A square peg in a round hole to steal a phrase. But maybe he could be good at advising Fawaz and recommending. We already made some stellar signings for him in the summer, if he can do what Davies does and get the best out of players, and then I contend my fears and worries could be allayed.

Fans Divided

Where things get interesting is the relative fans views. Those who are Pro Billy are defiant in that he will succeed #unfinishedbusiness has been doing the rounds on Twitter. Those who are against the appointment concede that yes he might succeed; it’s more a personal dislike for some. Convinced that OK, it might be a good short bumpy ride, BUT, there will be a point where we go over a bump and the jolt to earth is too much for some.

Because let’s remember he is a very abrasive character. He doesn’t much like those in charge. And with a chairman that’s been characterised as a despotic loon by some it can only end one way. There is a chance that Billy might be chastened by his experiences. That his time off may have calmed the stormy temperament. Bu there’s another cliché; a Leopard doesn’t change his spots.

Last time he came in we were struggling, and a few wholesale changes later we were motoring. This time we aren’t so much struggling, but just simply can’t find the right gear. Stalling. Is he the man to get us going?



Strong Support

Well he’ll bring in the crowds and a lot of vociferous support. The vocal few who usually call for a managerial change or the chairman to go are the same type that loved Billy. So it would bring nay Sayers on side. On the other, everyone will be waiting for those cracks to re-appear.

The old issues of not being backed in the market. Issues of his commuting from Scotland. His ambition over riding his loyalty. His lack of ultimate success. If any of those re-appear then it will bring put all the nay Sayers in force.

Is he the right man for this very moment? Maybe. It needs someone who generally knows what he wants and there’s no doubting Davies is that man. O’Driscoll at times seemed to dawdle. McLeish, well we never got to know, but at the end of the day it never seemed a long appointment. Neither would this to be fair. But after a period out the game, maybe Davies will have cooled his careerist approach. A main breaking point before was the fact he made himself open to approach for other jobs. This will never sit well with anyone. After sitting out the game for 18 months he might just be grateful to be back in the game, and in familiar surrounds.



The Question of Youth Development.

Another hug element was his lack of an over view. No regard for youth development, no regard for the reserves (disbanding them), as long it is made clear this cannot be done, then we can ring fence them and stop him from destroying a lot of hard work, then maybe it’s worthwhile. But then it’s different management styles. Davies had two clear possible reasons for doing what he did there. One, he didn’t think the youth were good enough, and b) he wanted more unity by having a single first team squad. Both are possible explanations I don’t know the honest answer too.

We have an excellent crop of youngsters, before hand with Billy we frankly didn’t. None of who we released has really gone on too much. Bencherif ended up at County, Emile Sinclair is now at Doncaster after failing at Peterborough. Nialle Rodney is now at Lincoln. So that excuse might be a tad excessive.



Round Peg or Stellar?

If he can reign in his abrasiveness and actual learnt o just get along, and if Fawaz can butt out of team politics this might work. I’ve been fully converted nearly. I still don’t like the guy. I don’t like his personality or that everything is someone else’s fault. I almost feel he used to cut his nose off to spite his face. But like I say, maybe we can control that. The Transfer Panel is gone. The old enemies are gone. Maybe he can be a round peg, in a round hole, and that really would be stellar.

Where Do We Go From Here?

I swear this isn’t the first time I’ve used this title, and shamelessly ripping off a Filter title too. Anyway, we are in a sorry state of affairs tonight. The world is officially laughing at us after Alex McLeish ended his 40 day tenure as manager. Loan signings he made will have longer Forest careers. His tenure will now surely go down in history as one of the worst mistakes the club made.

So we are again managerless, rudderless and evidently clueless.  Quite what this does for a player’s mindset I’m not sure. On the one hand maybe it makes not much difference but it must be a time of confusion for a squad just getting used to one guys ideas. And as for the backroom staff too, again confusion as to what they do now. Namely Peter Grant who I haven’t seen mentioned what’s happening with him.

Was this all doomed to fail from the beginning? Probably. I was never comfortable with this appointment. For me he isn’t good enough, and he never had a large portion of fans on his side. There are rumours he was only was here as he is a Ferguson acolyte and Fawaz is keen to develop links with him. Sounds feasible, also sounds like utter rubbish. Anyway, he’s gone, many fans wanted this, but it feels to me like many of those same fans are now up in arms about the disarray, which many tried to cultivate anyway. This somewhat puzzles me. On the one hand fans want to have their say, but it appear when the chips are down, in reality, what they want after all is stability.

Now the whole sorry issue is out for all the national media to have a field day. A lot of what will be written read and broadcast will be hearsay, speculation, conjecture and more utter tosh. Some out there have an agenda. Why people insist on constantly citing Daily Mail articles is beyond me. This paper is the worst paper out there. Horrendous right wing dribble for grannies and racists, but some are lapping up what they have to say. Surprisingly about foreign ownership they aren't keen. In their early days of the Hasawi reign they were claiming all sorts, and when that was disproved came up with a new load of twaddle.

My main sources on these matters have stayed a little more removed from this. Perhaps because they don't know what’s happening, or aren’t comfortable with blind speculation I’m unsure. I am not for one minute saying what’s out there are lie. I am merely suggesting it’s an embellishment of the truth. Or perhaps because they don’t have a desire to push stories for attention, more for their accuracy and quality.

There is desperation to believe anything and the in particular the very worst gossip right now, because for some reason a panic and headless chicken mentality kicks in Someone tweets a made up rumour and before you know it’s spread like wildfire. It’s hilarious yet terrifying. This isn’t the worst state this club has ever been in. Not even the worst state it’s been in for a year. So for some to be claiming so is naive and to misunderstand the perilous state of our finances in the summer.  And never forget the state of affairs under Nigel Wray and Irving Scholar. We had to take this offer, we couldn’t wait. To wait would have been suicide as we’d had to start to jettison players. We aren’t there. Yes it embarrassing, yes it’s a mess, but we are still mid table. The playoffs aren’t out of the question.

Remember most of the uproar was because we backed out of a deal with a player many people didn't want. Ok there were promises of a few players but you have to agree deals. Fawaz was perhaps naive in his dealings with clubs. He will learn. And it will be the hard way.

And hopefully he has learnt a lesson in appointing managers here. He will take time over this appointment rather than the rather rushed McLeish one. Maybe he won’t. Maybe he will rush an appointment and panic. And if he panics, there will be one name he can pluck out the hat to try and appease fans, and hopefully make sure he can ride out a storm.

William McIntosh Davies. Regular readers know I am not his biggest fan. Ok he had successes, but his legacy hasn’t been great. Remember he was instrumental in disbanding the reserves and developmental squads. He was vocal in wanting new players and not wanting outside interference. Something he clearly won’t get here. So to call for Davies is to not look at this bigger picture. He wastes a lot of money too and a few of his signings were expensive errors. Was Adebola worth £5k a week? What about the expensive loan signing of Konchesky? David McGoldrick? He isn't the great financial wizard some make out. In his first full season we spent a lot of money on players.  .Around £4-5million and tats on fees alone. Ok, so he does appear to be a good man manager, and that might be what we need now, but he wouldn't last 40 days with this board either, unless he is really desperate for work. Additionally he has a huge point to prove. But that said he fluffed his lines before in the playoffs.

However, what other options are there? Will Adkins who has just been burned y a hands on chairman want another such deal. After the way he was treated by Southampton, which seemed very akin to O’Driscoll he would be right to have his reservations. After that, the list gets grim quickly. The top bets even include Roy Keane, who doesn’t have the greatest record.

We’ve been here all too often lately. What we need is an I’ll say it time and time again, not someone who was “Proven” because for a start they have no loyalty. They also have aloof ideas of themselves. We need a young hungry manager eager to make his mark. It worked for Norwich, it worked for Swansea. Both these managers played football too”! But who is out there? Well I’m not the expert on lower leagues I might be so I am not sure. Karl Robinson was linked before and has MK Dons doing good things. We don’t have the plethora of ex player’s names to pluck from. Laughable I have seen people seriously tweeting Martin O’Neill’s name. Not going to happen ever. He’s at a bigger club, in the top flight, and the club he supported as a boy. To think he’d come here is downright stupid. Nigel for me is still a question mark over his ability. He’s starting to show some signs of working well on a budget, but he's been blessed with a few vary talented youngsters to supplement that. Apart from that there are none likely. Psycho is a mere pipe dream.

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is being linked with a quick return as a caretaker. I’m not sure. It seems a bit Joe Kinnear to me. Insofar as to get a guy in who will cheer up the dressing room as apparently Jimmy is very popular. Does he have managerial acumen? Well there's only one to find out, but do we really want an untried manager after the last time under Platt? Well maybe. Platt was an idiot, not all new managers are idiots. Hasselbaink knows the squad and knows this division now.He might work out. He has something to prove.

But what does this all mean for the club. People say no-one will want the job. But there have been far worse chairman who managers have gone and worked for. There will always be an option. Maybe a depleted field, but a field nonetheless. We need patience this time.Don't appoint the first manager you can think of. It was clear they wanted McLeish in before they even sacked O’Driscoll before maybe now it will force the al-Hasawi clan to take stock a little. Have patience. Look around, though there will be calls from some fans for a quick appointment. There are those fearing we will see Fawaz in the dugout at the next game. I don’t think it will get that far. It’s happened before though at other places. No, what we need is for them to realise this was all a mistake and to move on. Maybe the whole Boyd thing was an attempt to get McLeish to walk. Aah no, now I’m doing blind conjecture, you got me doing it too now folks.

O'Driscoll Out, McLeish Comes In

So around this time yesterday I found out the news about O'Driscoll being removed from the manager’s role. I was in the pub, at the time and to be honest most people, who I was with, fans of different clubs, simply couldn't understand why we had made this decision.

But we had. We really had just sacked our manager after a glorious win over Leeds. Ok now in the previous games things hadn’t gone right, but it looked to me at the time they had someone clearly lined up. And the speed we have got to this point suggests to me this was all in place.

It is a great shame,I had a lot of time for O'Driscoll and what he was trying to do. The football was good, the players seemed to like him and everything seemed to be moving in the right direction. Now that direction has changed

So Alex McLeish, Big Eck, is our manager.

Let’s look at the positives. He has succeeded at this level with Birmingham before. He won many trophies with Rangers, and has top flight, European and International managing pedigree.

That said he does play extremely agricultural football, took Birmingham down twice and narrowly missed relegation whilst at Villa. There are some extremely bad signings he has made in the past, but then every manager has that.

It's the quality of football for some that will be the issue. He plays a more pragmatic game rather than O'Driscoll's fluid football approach. The more direct approach of course as we all know is not what we ideally like to see at City Ground, more so because of the blessed Brian Clough years. When we have tried to play a direct game in the past we don’t succeed. Whether this is because we never take to the manager or whether it’s simply we haven’t had a decent manager for that game isn't even for debate. Cotterill & Kinnear will not be on any City Ground hall of fame.

McLeish sets teams up to not lose, which is a critique some had of SoD in his few games we played 1 up front. McLeish sides don’t score many goals. Both his Birmingham and Villa teams were fairly goal shy in the last few seasons, so this doesn’t' exist excite me.

Couple the lack of goals, and the direct football it doesn't bode well for an instant rapport with fans. There have been people already bemoaning the appointment and even some on Twitter trying to start a virtual lynch mob with the aim of forcing him out as soon as possible. Now that is just silly and being very anti the club. I don’t approve of the last 24 hours or so at our club, but I will get behind them as I do every Saturday. In 2 or 3 weeks when this has all blown over I guess not too many will be fussed if we start with wins. Furthermore at the end of the day none of us really have a say. the al-Hasawi's for whatever reasons have decided this is what needed to happen and that they hopefully know what they are doing., 

That said this move worries me that we may have owners who are too trigger happy. It speaks volumes that most fans have been in complete surprise and even anger at this.

But I think what we really do is dust ourselves off and move on for the good of the team. Dwelling on the dismissal and bringing a negative force to the ground won’t do anyone any good. 

O' Its Sean

So the chase for a manager is over, and after all that has been said and done, it’s someone who was here last season. This isn’t exactly news of course; anyone who doesn’t know by now must have been living under a rock.

Many have been venting frustration, that after all the names mentioned and after all the promises of iconic names and experienced managers who can lead us to glory, they have stumped for a less than glamorous name. For a safe name.

This is no bad thing in my book. You want someone who knows the division, knows what players to get, knows our current players strengths and weaknesses. We went for the name last season in McClaren and look how that panned out.

Many of the big names linked and mentioned were frankly never on the agenda, Redknapp as I repeatedly said was never a contender, we may have spoke to him, but it would take something special for Redknapp to go north of the M25 to manage.

Look at the successful managers at this level over the last few years. Rodgers at Swansea, Lambert at Norwich, McDermott at Reading, and Adkins at Southampton, all of these are relatively unattractive safe managers. Two of these have now moved to “big clubs” and all of them were promoted. Compared with the big names, Eriksson, McClaren, Sousa, these have struggled to make the grade. They have success before and maybe will again, but they don’t know this division.

When you see the names who succeeded above, they were all in their second, third jobs, having been at a relatively smaller club before getting the reins at a larger Championship club, this is exactly what O’Driscoll has, so hopefully he can replicate those successes.

The appointment has apparently been largely player influenced. Maybe somewhat to do with the fact they experienced a large name sweeping in the guise of McClaren; they prefer the approach of an O’Driscoll. Dexter Blackstock certainly seemed delighted on Twitter and having a manager players want to play for is such a bonus, they will go the extra mile.

O’Driscoll has a hard task now though in creating a new defence from scratch. Whether he works with the youngsters available to make up at least a part of that, if not the backup, that remains to be seen. Hardened pro’s who know the division would be more than adequate.

The appointment itself has started to be mocked by fans of other teams. I don’t think they realise the fact that our board has listened to the players, and took a wider look at the situation. Rather than the initial promise of the big name, after looking at the situation and appraising what we need, they decided to go for the guy the players themselves say is good. It shows certain humility that new regimes often lack who go in all guns blazing and then fail to listen to what others recommend.

It has been pointed out by a few the similarity to what Blackburn did, in firing the recognised a manager and bringing in his assistant, but it doesn’t quite flow like that. Our man has experience, Kean didn’t, and he had left the club for another managerial role, not promoted from below.

The next few days will be key as we see the kind of players we are chasing and what kind of players sign up, how much financial backing O’Driscoll is given. Many have speculated because we have chosen a “budget” manager that it indicates the funds are significantly lower than first indicated. That is pure guesswork, conjecture. Others are saying he’s purely a yes man to be able to be dump Arabian players on, and that others had refused because of this, again guesswork. Does it matter as long as they cut the mustard?

As I say, an interesting week or so ahead as the new look squad is built and assembled.

Gunter goes as the managerial search continues...

Chris Gunter has today completed a £2.3m move to newly promoted Reading.

Gunter, who made over 150 appearances in his 3 years at the club, is of course a massive loss and it's disappointing to see such a great young talent depart.

Few can complain about this move despite some twitter folk are calling him a judas - as McCleary has said, do people even know what the word means nowadays?

As I've said before on here, he is an international player who will have ambitions to get back into the Premier League. Fair play to him for wanting to see out the rest of last season and keep us up before departing, where I'm sure he'll be a success.

In manager news, more theories have surfaced about why Mick has said no, Hoddle had ruled himself out - although rumour has it he met with them today, Ferguson wants to stay at Peterborough - hooray - and Paul Ince and Roy Keane have expressed their interest. Billy Davies' odds have also gone from 40/1 to 4/1 to be the next boss.

I did have an epiphany on my drive into work this morning and thought Paulo Sousa would be worth a crack at the job. Experienced at this level, young and despite his Leicester flop, has done ok as a manager. He's better than Darren Ferguson and some of the other names I've seen anyways.

Either way, we are as we were yesterday...managerless.

Follow me on twitter @benando_torres

Why Billy Would Not be the Right Choice

People are once again clamouring for Billy Davies to return as manager, as I write this Mick McCarthy has seemingly turned down the job, and the reasons are not fully clear yet. Now that the likely option has been and gone, the pro Davies gang are out in force again.

However Davies would be a horrific choice right now and I shall explain why. Not just that Davies burned a lot of bridges with the previous regime and does with every board that he has ever worked for, and not for his commuting from Glasgow.

It essentially boils down to the fact it will not end well at all. Davies likes, in fact demands control over transfer activity. We saw that all too clearly when he clashed over the now infamous Acquisitions Panel and David Pleats role in that. There were wars over the fact Davies wanted players that the panel didn’t agree with and that the panel provided players Davies didn’t want. George Boyd is an example of this.

Now one thing that is clear is that the board will be involving themselves heavily in transfers and would look to bring in some Middle Eastern players. Davies does not like this. So in any recruitment phase when they ask the Scotsman about this, I am pretty certain he would make it clear he is against it, as some are saying McCarthy has done.

Ok, he doesn’t have to play them, but under Doughty he pretty much had free reign over the players he had in his squad, we still don't know if there will be board level input into this. Davies would have board level liked players foisted upon him.

Davies is a fiery character who doesn’t like interference, to be honest who would, and I cannot see him being given free reign here. There are reports of deals already being done and Davies is pig headed enough to potentially ignore these players regardless as they aren’t his.

Davies holds this aura amongst some fans that puzzle me, they claim it was always good football under him, and yes sometimes it was, but there were times it was bloody awful too. His abrasive personality makes him notoriously difficult to work with. Any new regime would not want someone who questions their decisions or judgement. They’d want a more complimentary figure, someone who sings from the same sheet as them. This is not Davies. And that is why he would be an appalling choice to work with the al-Hasawi family.

The Candidates

So enough with the conjecture. There has been a fantastic amount of guesswork going off on Twitter and Facebook and forums about the new boss. We review the potential candidates being pushed forward (seeing as most of our names we included the other day are no goes)

Mick McCarthy
Well, the outspoken and often entertaining (for a quote anyway) Yorkshireman is one of the fore runners. Basically since Wolves he's been on pundit duty, and would probably relish a new chance to have another promotion on his CV. I personally like McCarthy, his football can be a bit agricultural admittedly, but he gets results at this level.

Roy Keane
If it wasn't for his club connection I'm not sure if this would be met with the same interest/ His record isn't fantastic, he struggled with Ipswich, but he is the "iconic" type of name the Kuwaiti's want, and he is ex Forest. He does also have a massive point to prove after recent failures.

Keven Keegan
This one was from left field. I never thought it was a possibility, or even entertained the notion of it. Keegan has his detractors, but projects like have bough out the best in him, initially when Newcastle first got John halls cash, and then with Al-Fayad at Fulham before England came calling. The question is I guess is he still relevant? Is he someone top players would want to play for? That would remain a doubt for me.

Glenn Hoddle
Diamond Lights aside a pretty successful career in all he has done. Swindon, Chelsea and Tottenham were all largely good periods, and although England crashed out in Euro 2000 early after almost beating Argentina in World Cup 98. I think had we won that game people would remember Hoddle a lot differently. Problems are that of course he became infamous for comments about the disabled, Eileen Drewery, and his love of Kenny G.

Diego Maradona
If you told me a week ago this would even be mentioned never mind almost seriously I'd have laughed in your face. But no, its out there as a possibility. He's available after a spell in the middle east and would again be that "iconic" name. The question is is he nay good. Argentina might have done better in spite of him at the last world cup. Can he speak English? That's another potential barrier. But for shear headlines and media attention.... Couldn't be bettered.

Phil Scolari
Oh yeah the Forest "fan" from Brazil. He's been with the Hasawi's before in Kuwait so they know him well. One major stumbling block, he's employed with Palmeiras. Who are doing rather well (they just won the Brazilian Cup) Why people think he'd come back to England after his spell at Chelsea I am unsure. I think it's a case of putting 2 and 2 together and adding up to 27.

Other names mentioned in passing, Graeme Souness, Darren Ferguson (still), Bryan Roy, Laurent Blanc, Dougie Freedman

Manager Merry Go Round?

Considering we haven’t replaced the manager, confirmed the manager is leaving, or for that what the Al Hasawi family intend, it beggars belief to see the names that have been banded round as potential successors to a man who is still very the incumbent in his job.

Steve Cotterill achieved his one target he was set last season. Keep the club up. In the end we did this relatively calmly. Which as many of the fans were adamant we would NEVER stay up with this man in charge is funny. Also considering that his trading had been effective too. People cite some selection choices as odd, but he achieved what was asked, no more, no less.

I have already vaguely covered some of the silly season rumours, mainly players but covering Harry Redknapp, who has never worked for a more northerly club than Spurs, and how that isn’t going to happen in a year of Sundays, never mind a month.

However some of the other names chucked at this have been odd. Or peoples suggestions on Twitter and Facebook about who the next manager should be. |I have kept a mental note of some of my favourites, but also some of the more saner balanced ones (which even then seem a bit outlandish)

Mick McCarthy
I’m going to put my cards on the table here and be honest that I actually like Mick, his no nonsense style is what I like, his press conferences are often a bit odd, and anyone who stands up to Roy Keane is going to be able to deal with some of our prima donnas. That said, people already aren’t’ happy with Cotterill, and for my money McCarthy isn’t a whole sale different change. He uses a lot of players a criticism some point at Cotterill, and if the aim is promotion, then sure Mick’s good at that, but he struggles to keep a team up. If Cotterill was replaced with McCarthy I wouldn’t be unhappy per se, I just think perhaps we could do better.

Neil Warnock
This is one rumour that won’t go away. Perhaps down to any Paladini involvement, despite being assured he isn’t involved, and that he himself was accused of tapping up Ferguson jnr. Anyway Warnock and Forest haven’t had the best history. For one being ex County doesn’t help. Then there was the Sheffield United run ins. Warnock and Megson had some angry war or words (and I was told, and I stress this is pure rumour, that Warnock had called his goldfish Megson and Forest because goldfish sink) He seems like he’s trying to build something at Leeds, and keeps saying this job will be his last in Football. Plus I can’t stand the guy.

Michael Owen
Oh yes, not content enough with linking him as a player, I saw a few people (yes a few, not one or two) suggest, by tweeting at him directly he should be our next player manager..... Yes because that worked so well with David Platt didn’t it. The very idea of an entirely untried manager scares me so much, that the mind boggles. I know people need to cut their teeth, but not in such a risky environment. A Gary Neville type figure, maybe if we’re desperate, but do we really want a guy who’s still got playing aspirations? I know it’s just a few random nuts tweeting, but please shut up.

Steve Bruce
Well done for missing out completely he has another job, unless they merely assume he will give up Hull after 1 month and not managing a game. Bravo, idiot.

Stuart Pearce
Simply not going to happen anyway. However, come the start of the season and of course therefore the next few weeks he is managing Team GB, you really want to start a season with a manager who is In Absentia, thus not being able to either a) sign the players who he wants. B) Coach the squad how he wants to play. Or C) Give it any of his focus whatsoever? Yeah what an ingenious plan that won’t lead to us being in trouble whatsoever. Seriously, do people stop and think before throwing this crap out there? I’m also going to go out on a limb and suggest he isn’t a very good manager anyway, what did he spend on Giorgos Samaras? How long did City go without scoring at home? Exactly. Sorry Stuart, you’re a legend, but to retain that legacy, it might be best to not come back and potentially ruin it. Not that I am saying he would fail, but his record hasn’t been as Billy Davies would say, “stellar.”

Billy Davies
Lets leave the past in the past. The fact that a decent proportion of fans don’t want him back, admittedly with an equal number wanting him back, I am not sure it would all end in roses. For a start I would demand he move down south permanently instead of commuting from Glasgow, or whatever he did. You’d have to try and keep him on a tighter leash to the press. I don’t think it’s ever a good idea to go back in football, yes there are successes, but then there’s Kenny Dalglish.



Discuss this and more at the Forest Forum on Soccer 24-7

Cotterill Takes Charge

Steve Cotterill had his customary introductory press conference today, flanked by new chairman Frank Clark. The usual array of questions with the frankly usual array of answers took place, these press conferences really are rather pointless all told. Everyone asks what are your plans and the new incumbent mentions getting the club back to its best, make a remark about how Clough was the greatest and move on to more cagey answers about more direct particulars.

I'm not saying all of this has no point, sometimes it's just nice to hear how they say things will be or mention previous errors, but we've heard practically exactly the same from Kinnear, Megson et al before. Well I say Kinnear, he was of course the man trying to distance the clubs past, which so backfired that every manager now is clearly told express the clubs past as a bonus.

I do admit this would not have been my first choice as manager. I am hoping to be proved wrong. And as I read more and saw somethings fans had said from other clubs that I am filled with a little more hope. Most of them seem to be somewhat complimentary. Cheltenham fans of course are the most complementary. He did take them from obscurity to the league

County fans by and large seem to be, though many are also seemingly quite bitter that he dumped them. Portsmouth fans also seem complimentary, They recognise the hard job he inherited and the work he did in rejuvenating a tea at a lower ebb than probably thought possible before.

Going back to the press conference though, Frank Clark did say something that was attention grabbing. There is no money. We all suspected this, it's been confirmed. But then this is the current world we live in. So to tighten the purse strings is vital. Many fans won't like it, but then, unless they happen to win Euro Millions its a rather pointless argument.

Cotterill will also ban players using Facebook and Twitter. Apparently he does this at all clubs and this isn't just a reaction to Ishmael Millers angry tweets at the weekend. Somewhat misguided, but then frustration often gets the better, and I for one applaud his passion if nothing else.

We start yet another new era at Forest. Let's see how this one goes.

Incidentally,it's also interesting there's people kicking off already about a new manager. Before he's even really took his first training session. Laughable. Laughable.

One of Three for Forest Job

According to the BBC there are three candidates being interviewed for the managers job. Steve Cotterill(of course ex County) Mark Robins and finally Kevin MacDonald who is currently at Villa.


We have previously talked about and mentioned Robins, though at the time I was wrongly under the impression he was still at Barnsley despite having seen numerous thing about Barnsley's new manager. Anyway, he had a good record with a limited club, and all working with budgets (vital now with Forest). Rotherham would have more success under him had it not been their massive point reduction. Most importantly he is currently unemployed so wouldn't cost the club any money at all in compensation.



Steve Cotterill, well, he was of course although briefly, a former Notts County manager, bought in to get them over the line in their promotion season that was somewhat stuttering. He had 2-3 excellent months, but of course County were in a parlous state after Munto's takeover so he left for the much more stable Portsmouth (of course I am being sarcastic). He hasn't exactly pulled up trees with Pompey, but they have been working under terrible financial constraints, something that is probably enticing to the Forest board. Pompey were tipped by some to just plummet through the league last season, so them not really being in danger can be seen potentially as a success. But he is somewhat of a journeyman manager. He has brief success usually followed by stagnation,and its a choice that wouldn't fill me with glee.


Kevin MacDonald has limited managerial experience, in two caretaker roles with Leicester and Villa.though he is more well known for that spell with Villa.That was also with mixed success, in 8 games he only two, before Gerard Houllier took over.

I personally side with appointing Robins. If any from this list. Then again we have seen this too and fro so much in the last 10 days. Cotterill has too mixed a past in management, MacDonald has none, and I said at the start of this Robins would be a good choice. Although I have said I would support a Pemberton appointment, and he has no experience, however that was with a Director of Football working alongside him. Now Hart doesn't look like he is coming and with him apparently being the only choice for that role with the powers that be (like Hart is the ONLY man for the job? Bizarre) it looks like an old fashioned straight up manager appointment, and from this list (and pretty much most lists I saw) Robins would be my choice.

Who Next For the Reds

As I said last night in the general overview piece I wrote there is a lot of useless conjecture and speculation surrounding who will be next in the hot seat Trentside. So lets have a look at it all!!

The names bandied around so far are so varied and so numerous that it's frankly ridiculous to consider that all of these are names in the frame.


From what I have seen on Oddschecker, Twitter, Facebook and forums, there has been around 4 clear favourites for the role. Karl Robinson at Milton Keynes, Alan Shearer, Billy Davies and perennial favourite Martin O'Neill.

Also heavily in the frame are Stuart Pearce, Roy Keane, Brian Laws, and Colin Cooper has quite short odds. That's from an ex player point of view. One that Stan Collymore is very keen to push. Listening to him last night on TalkSport (I prefer to call it TalkSpite)he didn't answer if he would take the job. That means he'd take it but doesn't want to throw his hat in the ring.


Other names chucked in there are Mark Robins, Aidy Boothroyd, Dave Jones and Gordon Strachan. The usual array of wild and made suggestions follow after this. Which includes Terry Farndale and on one site Lee Westwood.

The common ground at the moment is that Frank Clark or Paul Hart seem set for a Director of Football role. So an old school Forest presence working with whoever is brought in. That makes me certain it'll be a young manager. Karl Robinson is favourite for a reason, but Lee Clark. Derek McInnes at St Johnstone is also being mentioned, but also in connection with Bristol City who are also managerless.


Mark Robins would be a good choice, he has a good record, is used to working on a budget and would probably be likely to want to come on over and try his hand with a bigger club. Sean Driscoll, till recently at Doncaster has been suggested. Yes he did well at a limited club, but in the last year has barely won games. Now as I say it is because Doncaster for so long have been punching above their weight. However, I Don't this example would be a good choice.

Then we get to Stuart Pearce, a popular choice no doubt. But, ask Manchester City fans what they thought. He had a bad record in the transfer market and didn't play an attractive brand of football. Also I'm not convinced he would leave the England set up. Admittedly he has said he would love to help Forest out, so perhaps he is bored of the U-21 role and wants every day management at the club which he made his home.

Martin O'Neill I think is unlikely. He left Villa for having a lack of money to invest. Something he won't get here. I also swear I read that John Robertson is done, and wouldn't want to assist again. He has retired. So whether he would be as successful remains to be seen.


Roy Keane, although passionate, usually demands a lot of money to be spent on the same half a dozen average players he always buys (step up Carlos Edwards)I'm really thinking this would be a bad choice as a manager. But Keano is desperate to prove himself and he made his name with us.

Then there are the definite nono's. Brian Laws, I just don't see as a potential candidate. Alan Shearer likewise I wouldn't want to take a risk on. Alan Curbishley like McClaren would be trying to remake his name. Dave Jones and Gordon Strachan would be similar unpopular decisions amongst fans.

Karl Robinson I will admit I know next to nothing about. I think people see it as another Eddie Howe / Paul Lambert potential appointment, made his name in League One and is looking to make the step up. Paul Ince tried this too and look how they worked out. Just a word of warning. Paul Tisdale like Robinson is a young manager being linked that I know literally nothing about, but he has had success at Exeter despite having to sell players, which would be appealing as that might have to be a path we go down.


I do think we need a young hungry manager rather than someone desperate to remake their reputation, like McClaren. Notice I haven't mentioned Billy Davies, for the simple reason I can't see it occurring, nor want it too.

So Mr Steve McClaren....

So it looks a foregone conclusion that the former England manager Steve McClaren will be our new boss.

I have seen a lot of anger about this, and frankly why? We are being linked with a manager with a high pedigree and yet people moan and want something else, making me think once again, the vast majority of fans must be one rung on the evolutionary ladder above a zombie.

So he didn't work out with England, I forgot that part where random idiots with no pedigree get appointed to a top job in the international game. Wait. the Sun nicknamed him and we must all blindly agree with what a vile rag with a history of questionable view says!!!!

It really appals me the lack of foresight I have seen by many fans. McClaren has took a side with a worse past than us to a European final and took a team a similar size to us to a national title. BUT THE SUN CALLED HIM THE WALLY WITH THE BROLLY> Fuck the Sun folks. They have an agenda to ruin anyone who's famous and he also famously refused to answer questions, another reason the Sun got its goat up. So ask again why most blindly agree with an idiots paper written by idiots for idiots.

This is a good appointment no matter what some think. And we will prosper.So if you don't agree and decide to set up a pathetic protesting Facebook profile. (by the way, you really are a fucking idiot for setting these up) and those saying "I will NOT renew my ticket." Billy's gone., get over it, we now have a manager with a high pedigree as a boss. Good news all round