lost that loving feeling - The Great Bart Bypass

On a night when we should all be basking in the relative glory of our three-nil victory at Gresty Road, opinions have been split by another controversial story from the City Ground. More bad news and more bad vibes await us.

For those not up-to-date, the Forest board have reportedly given Paul Hart instructions to leave Chris Bart-Williams out of his plans for the remainder of the season. The story comes from the Nottingham Evening Post, but it does quote a “board spokesman” so I’ll take it that the reports are true and that Chris Bart-Williams has indeed played his last game for Forest.

On the surface this does seem like very extreme behaviour by the board who so far (in my opinion) have barely put a foot wrong in their two years at the helm. It also seems very unfair on Bartman who, in those two years, has undoubtedly been our best player and an exceptional leader.

However, Bart has also stated his intention to leave in the summer when his contract runs out. So in effect, a Forest without Bart is something we will have to get used to. Bart has also signalled that he wants to move to a Premiership club as soon as possible.

Earlier in the season Forest accepted bids from Birmingham and more recently, Southampton, but Chris turned down both moves. No doubt this was because he wants to establish himself back in the Premier League again and neither Southampton or Birmingham appear as viable options to do this. I can’t deny Bart a chance to further his career. He has stuck with us through thick and thin, remaining at the club when others were jumping ship (even Psycho left us for the benefit of his own career), and for this he deserves to be given the second chance at the big time he wants. This I don’t have a problem with.

He has also said that until the right move came along, he would be giving his all to the club and would see out his contract to the best of his abilities. Some interpreted this as greed, sponging the club for all it’s worth until he can get a better deal elsewhere (and if this doesn’t work then he can always expect a big singing on fee from whichever club he joins in the summer as a free agent), but I don’t see any signs of complacency in his play and believe he deserves to get as much from his talent as he can. So again, I have no problem.

Unfortunately the board do have a problem. Their problem is not a personal one - I’m sure they all appreciate Bart’s worth to the team as much as the fans. However, the financial troubles that meant they could not afford to give Bartman the contract he wanted in the summer (he reportedly turned down one improved deal) also mean that the club cannot afford NOT to sell him.

One million extra in the bank (not to mention the money they would save on wages) would certainly come in handy to keep the debt collectors at bay and allow us to hold onto our youth prospects for a little bit longer. The longer Bart holds out for the dream move (probably to a club like Charlton or Ipswich who would offer him a good chance for Premiership success) the more his value declines and the less he is worth to the club. If he stays until June, he is worth nothing to the club in monitory terms. Of course, he is worth a lot in playing terms, but under the current situation financial issues have to take precedent over footballing ones (especially when the club are firmly adjusted to the notion that this season is not about promotion).

So the board have decided to give Bart-Williams an extra incentive to move by keeping him out of the first team. He will be played “in exceptional circumstances”, but other than that he will only feature in reserve games. To be honest, as good as Bartman is, I think we can cope as we have youngsters good enough to replace him (as they will have to do next year). That is not to say he wouldn’t bring anything to the team - an experienced head would help the younger ones develop and he probably is one of our best players.

But as I said, financial over football (otherwise there wont be any football left to finance).

Bartman does seem to be very casual about the news, only commenting to defend the manager. Whether or not he is happy to wait in the cold for 6 months I do not know, but I suspect that his exile has not come entirely as a surprise. He was dropped by Paul Hart after turning down the Birmingham move and again with the Southampton one. Hart said this was due to lack of form, saying "Like everyone else who is fit and available, Chris is in contention for the next game" before selecting today’s team. But again Bart was out and it seems too much of a co-incidence for there not be anything behind Hart’s decisions.

To many fans, this has come as a betrayal on behalf of the board. Already out of favour after the recent sale of Alan Rogers, another popular figure (not to mention the growing debts), this seems like the board ignoring the past loyalty of Chris and might even seem like they are only looking for their own interests in pocketing the cash.

Some, most of whom were already criticising Bart for his decision to leave long before the season began, have been defending the board (and Paul Hart as it is likely he had a say in the matter) by pointing out his recent bad form.

Others have attacked the board for the reasons stated above, meaning that when the fans are needed most to support the team through hard times, they are instead split.

My feelings on this matter are very ambivalent. Whilst I am behind the board 99% in whatever they chose to do at the club based on an appreciation of past actions, I also feel for Bart and will miss his presence on the pitch. It also seems a very strange decision. Even though I know that we need the money, I can’t help wondering what this is going to change in Bartman’s mind. Will he really have any more incentive to leave for a club he may not be entirely committed to now, when he still has the option of sitting out for 6 months and getting the right move then? One thing I am certain about, however, is that when a football club is in such a bad state as Forest, there are going to be very few right answers, and even less that will satisfy everyone.