Left Brian: October

Forest: almost an anagram of "fortress"

Ay up duck.

With the winter months on the horizon and the season now in full swing, perhaps it’s time to think about what warm feelings will be coming our way as the temperatures outside plummet faster than Steve McClaren’s attempt at Geordie management (no, a 6-2 win over Norwich doesn’t change that: mark my words).

Let’s face the reality here: we’ve probably proved over the first period of the season that we’re probably not a relegation candidate, which was probably on the minds of many of you. We’ve also proved that we have a bit of fight in the team and can now grind out results when we need to. QPR away was an excellent result and came through the sort of hard work that’s been missing over the last few years.

It’s always been a bugbear of mine that we don’t close down goalkeepers or rush in for rebounds. I don’t remember anyone really taking that approach since the days of Nathan Tyson and I just don’t get it. Why wouldn’t you want our striker to put pressure a goalkeeper? Why wouldn’t you want to force a mistake? It might just come to something, as indeed it did at QPR. When Chris O’Grady, who had already run himself into the ground, chased down Rob Green, forcing him to mishit the ball and give away a penalty it was exactly the sort of thing that can happen a few times each season. Regardless of what happened, I think it was refreshing to see that sort of commitment from someone in a Forest shirt. I love to see us chase lost causes, because every now and again they aren’t lost.

Other results haven’t been as good as that QPR win. In fact, while we turned over a previously unbeaten Birmingham, that was followed with losses to Boro and Hull sandwiching a disappointing point at Huddersfield, before another underwhelming week against Bristol City and, heartbreakingly, Burnley has dragged us out of our nice warm comfy midtable bed in a modern city centre flat and into the cold October bathroom of a rickety cottage in rural Looking-over-Shoulder, where we could be isolated for winter if it snows too hard. Probably. Surprisingly, though, our losses have been tinged with flashes of inspiration, hope that this lost cause of a season is definitely one we shouldn’t be giving up on, one that Dougie is chasing down, so to speak.

The other week saw the release of the critically acclaimed I Believe in Miracles, chronicling the halcyon days of the late seventies and early eighties under the leadership of Brian and Peter. I have to say that this film is a must-see, not only for the wondrous storytelling but to reignite those Forest fires that sit deep inside of us all, fires that burn so deep but have dimming over recent years. It’s bittersweet in a way to see just what is possible with a team, some belief, and a sprinkling of inspiration. The downside, however, is that it’s a sad reminder of just how far we’ve fallen. While we can all name every player from the 79 European Cup final, I’d be hard pushed to name our starting XI from 2 years back. It just made me feel like our current squad is little more than instantly forgettable.

I’m hopeful that Dougie has ensured the current squad have seen I Believe in Miracles ahead of the fixture we all anticipate from the day they’re released. As Derby roll into town in only a few short weeks, it may be that this game is the highlight of our season. I’m presuming you’re like me, and the nerves are already beginning to twinge.

What’s making me feel better is that Dougie’s loan signings over the last couple of months are actually turning out to be pretty decent. Nelson Oliveira and Ryan Mendes have particularly shone for me. While they’re not seemingly yet up to the pace of the game, they do offer a fantastic attacking threat. I’m particularly impressed with Mendes’ first touch, which so often puts the ball into a position for him to pick out a dangerous ball, something we’ve missed greatly with the long-term absence of Andy Reid.

Speaking of Reid, he’s played a couple of Under 21 games recently, and is apparently nearing match fitness. It’s only been a year! I’m hoping he’s back in time for Derby, what a nice return that would be.

I’m glad to see that our players away on international duty returned injury free and in celebratory mood. Congratulations to David Vaughan and Jonathan Williams who helped Wales reach the European Championships; hopefully that success will carry over into the Forest team.

On another note, I read with interest BBC’s ‘Price of Football’ survey and see we are pretty much average. Our prices are like our league position, although I’m wondering where the £22 match day tickets are as I’ve never seen them!

Believe in Miracles? One day Dougie could have his statue in Slab Square...

 

(Looking at the season ticket prices across Europe got me wondering something – if you can get a season ticket at Barcelona for £76 and there are plenty of cheap flights out there, would it be possible to actively support one of the greatest teams ever for about the same price as it costs us down Trentside each season? I reckon it’d be cheaper for someone living in Nottingham to go to every home Barcelona game throughout a season than it would be to support Arsenal. Apologies for the tangent, just food for thought.) 

In what I like to call ‘Bamford Watch’, apparently he may be a target for us in January. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but he’d probably score us some goals. Will we need him? Maybe, but If Britt’s recovery is on track he should be back to scoring for us after Christmas, and I can see a formidable partnership with Chris O’Grady forming.

All in all, I guess I’m feeling a bit more optimistic about Forest at the moment. My glass is definitely half-full, which is a step up from last month when I wasn’t sure if I even had a glass anymore. All it’ll take is a 5-0 drubbing of Derby and we’ll be back to expecting promotion again.

I’ll see thee.