One Month After We All Knew, Adebola Leaves

It is ridiculous that at the time people shouted this down saying it's not official,despite every quality news source carrying it,but one month (May 24th was when we wrote about it, and we weren't exactly claiming an exclusive)Dele Adebola has sealed his deal with Hull.

Why anyone doubted it I am unsure. They always have to wait till this time to officially sign with their new club anyway, anyone who plays Football Manager knows that, and anyone who remembers the way we signed Adebola should know that. That deal was known for 2 months before anyone officially admitted it had gone through. My greatest memory of Dele will be his complete inability to control Lee Camps punt up field away at Cardiff and bumbling the ball to McGugan to show him how its done from range. Cheers Dele.

Anyway, he is largely expected to be joined by Paul McKenna at Hull in ex Forest dads army on Humberside. That of course is similarly one of footballs worst kept secrets and will out shortly.

In other news, Nialle Rodney is currently on trial at Bradford, who were apparently shocked we had released the guy, despite him being 20,only played a few games,and not doing lots on loan in League 2. Maybe there's a reason Bradford keep struggling.

In other "interesting" news, big Hamza Bencherif has signed for Notts County. What with Westcarr also being there I am expecting them to sign Ross Gardner and Pascal Formann any day now

Transfer Exits Rumours and Round Up

It was well known before and covered before but Nathan Tyson has of course departed to Derby.It says something when our reerve strikers are sought after by Derby. Good luck Nathan but you were no longer good enough.


Today has come the news that it looks likely that Paul McKenna will be moving to Hull City. It was broken by a couple of smaller sites,so I ignored until Sky have gone with it.To be fair to McKenna he is on the wane and has garnered the ire of many of our fans. He does still offer something, but if we are shipping him I wish him well.He was Davies man,so maybe now the Scot has gone McKenna wanted to move on too.

Rob Earnshaw was linked with a move to Palace. One report got it hopelessly wrong when it said we had released him, we haven't. He is still to agree a new deal that is on the table,and it remains to be seen if he will sign. Seeing as Palace are in and out of financial trouble I doubt it will be to them IF he does leave, as his wages aren't exactly cheap.The man himself said on Twitter he doesn't know where he will be next season.Forest have made an offer to Earnshaw,as they have with Moussi.

Julian Bennett has been told if he doesn't find a new club Forest will give him an extra year,to stand by him after his long term injury problems.


Mark Byrne and Niall Rodney have been released.

So Long, and Thankyou...

As previously reported it looked like Tyson, Moussi and others may be off.

Well the first confirmed departure is Dele Adebola,who it has been revealed has signed a deal with Hull. Two things spring to mind with me and Adebola. One it's really not much of a miss. Ok the big feller came on and scored one or two vital goals here and there, and he always tried his damndest, but lets face it, he was never good enough. In fact had we released him at the end of last season most would have been relieved. He won a few people more over this season, but he was never going to be leading the line for the Reds, used as a big lump to aim at when we really need it up in the area late on. Another aspect to this is that a "promotion rival" in Hull (I used inverted commas as I see them as nothing of the sort) has signed him. One of our cast offs being picked up by a rival can only be good news. Our players who aren't good enough are still sought after elsewhere, what does that say about us?

Nathan Tyson looks likely to sign a deal somewhere this week, with a number of clubs including Ipswich, Derby and Hull have been mentioned. The thing with Tyson is I don't begrudge the guy a move. He has been a number of years, but I still say he isn't a Championship quality player, as he can neither control the ball, finish or cross. That being said he has been therein some vital matches and no-one will ever forget the Man City goal, but lets face it,if we wan to kick on, he isn't good enough. Neither does he play enough being as injury prone as he is. We all laughed when Blackpool were linked last summer.

Julian Bennett is unlikely to be retained, as most readers will know I am not a fan of a player whose whole reputation is for effort. That will only take you so far, ability has to be there too and I'm afraid he doesn't have the requisite amount. Those who hold him high regard are usually the types of fan who celebrate a hard tackle as much as a goal. No doubt like Tyson he weighed in with some good performances but he is also a League 1 player. Palace didn't think much to him either, and they were rubbish. Indeed a 37 year old Edgar Davids was used as left back ahead of Bennett in a few games.

Paul Smith, won't be signing for Boro as they don't have any spare budget for wages. Thats because they are paying such ridiculous fees to former SPL rejects. Add in they only got him into cover injuries anyway, so they have keepers they already rate without adding more to their creaking wage bill.

Now we come to the two players where there is a lot of interest from Forest fans. There are numerous unconfirmed reports that Moussi has signed for Everton. There has been no concrete proof of this yet. To be fair he is so inconsistent that it might not be such a huge loss. When he is poor he might as well be an opponents twelfth man he gives away possession so much. That said he is a beast in the midfield.
Earnshaw has attracted supposed interest from Leicester and Cardiff. However the word is he wants to stay at Forest as he feels settled. The issue is we want him to take a pay cut. He does have a higher paid deal on offer elsewhere, but on a shorter term deal than we are offering (ie we are offering 2 years, the other deal offered by whoever is one year) I comes down to a quick pay day for Earnie or more stability, so its still very much in the air.

Nialle Rodney tweeted earlier today he doesn't know where he will be playing next year.

Rodney Loaned to Burton

Following the arrival of Kris Boyd today, Forest have allowed young striker Nialle Rodney to join Burton Albion on loan for a month.

Rodney, who has 3 sub appearances for the Reds in the last few weeks will now be looking vital match experience down in league Two for Paul Peschisolido's men. Looking bright and willing in his few Reds appearances we of course wish nothing but the best for him in this spell, as the Brewers battle against relegation.

It also means the awful Dave jokes will have to take a back foot for a few weeks yet

Let the Youngsters Blossom?

Nialle Rodney’s appearance the other night had me thinking on the dearth of quality younger players we have had come through the ranks of late.

Nialle Rodney


What with Billy Davies statement the other day that the youngsters may have to step up into the team, despite hardly ever being given a look in before. Brendan Moloney we have seen bits of before, but Rodney and Kieron Freeman we have hardly seen. Also mentioned were Jamaal Lascelles and then there’s always Mark Byrne, who still will be wrongly remembered for missing an open goal v Derby in the cup.

I am always heartened by the fact most fans, even the delusional ones who think we have a god given right to be in the Premier League, warm to a youngster making his steps in his career. Being supportive whereby with a more experienced player they would probably berate. Of course this run will end, and there will be a point where this encouraging reaction of fans turns to expectation.

Of course it helps that Rodney largely did well when he appeared against Preston, chasing every ball, hitting the post. I worry it’s a game of politicking by Davies, trying to prove a point ‘look to what I’m left to having to play.’ But should it be as if everyone is saying we down to the bare bones? If these guys aren’t ever going to play for us or make the grade, what is the point in us employing them? Of course they should be used, that’s what they are at the club to do, so this largely condescending tone of having to use youngsters belittles the whole point of having a youth team in the first place.


Hamza Bencherif


The last youngsters to break through were arguably Lewis McGugan and James Perch. The likes of Thornhill though looked like he might settle in ultimately have been shipped off elsewhere. Many youngsters coming through who you hear are promising haven’t made the grade. Hamza Bencherif, Adam Newbold, players who in the youth and reserve teams names appeared to be set for a bright future but never made that step up.
It’s been said to me that the lack of decent young players coming through is that that 3 year period in League 1 meant we were no longer the appealing prospect we were before. The top youngsters we would sign went to other clubs, and we ended up with lesser quality. Only soon will we see the benefits of going back up a division with a talent of attracting in new quality youngsters.

It also would help to have a manager who trusts in youth. Billy Davies obviously does not. He wants players who can perform now, and not need to be moulded. Calderwood was more encouraging of youth, and of course Paul Hart implicitly entrusted in youth, it did help that he had a quality batch of youngsters coming through. For a while after that Golden Bunch came through we supported any youngsters coming through, hoping it would be another gem uncovered by Forest. Invariably these youngsters who broke into our team drifted down the league to relative obscurity. Gregor Robertson and Barry Roche two such examples. It didn’t help at that time, that the most highly promising youngsters we had both turned out to be no good, and vanished, I refer you to James Beaumont and Ross Gardner. Players apparently highly regarded at Newcastle, when we pinched them. I can’t help thinking this was a line we were fed.

Ross Gardner



There were one or two I feel we gave up too early on. Chris Doig could have done well for us in League One, he certainly did OK for Northampton. The famous cases of Shaun Wright-Phillips and Liam Lawrence being released by us by kids underline the fact that some times wrong decisions are made on youngsters. Look at Felix Bastians, playing in Bundesliga, not as the left winger we thought he was, but as a central defender. By and large though, we make the right call. These players leave us and disappear into relative obscurity. Though it is good to see Craig Westcarr blossoming at County, and Steve Guinan carved out a decent enough career after we let him go.
So I am delighted to see the possibility of youngster being able to maybe have the chance to step up. It’s all too easy to say that in the pressure cooker of this promotion run in games that we need experience, but I think that belittles these players and makes a mockery of what they might be able to offer. If they are what we have available then we utilise them. Simple as.