lost that loving feeling - Of managers, past and present

It's just over a year since Paul Hart became manager and he's just experienced his first period of real pressure. The dreadful performance at Portsmouth, and not-quite-so-dreadful-but-not-far-off one against Preston had caused this writer, and many fellow fans, to ask serious questions of the manager who had previously been immune to such doubts.

But a four-nil thrashing and a masterful performance is just what he needed and he seems to have survived the early season worries.

It came as somewhat of a shock to see many fans discussing possible replacements, but I'm not entirely sure why. When thinking about it, the displays against Pompey and Preston were nothing new. We had plenty of games in which the Reds played just as badly last season. But last season there were very few dissenting voices against the boss.

The reason for this was, as everybody knew, that Hart had taken on a job of enormous difficulty with the odds stacked sky-high. With no money to spend and his squad being weakened by the month in order to cut the wage bill, it would have been unreasonable to expect Hart to work miracles and get us into a respectable league position.

But what's changed since then? Why should we have expected any improvement this season? The gradual recovery of our finances has only allowed us to sign a few players on free transfers, and though those players could prove to be useful, they are not as good as some of the players we released last season.

Perhaps it was just an overreaction from the fans. Looking at the league table and seeing that Forest have only taken 4 points from 9 so far this season isn't very encouraging. But carrying on in that manner for the rest of the season would see us get a total of over 60 points, which would be a marked improvement on last year's tally of 54.

So nothing's changed since the end of last season: we're still on the same erratic form we have suffered the past three years, and we're still heading for another forgettable, midtable season.

The only thing that has changed is the fans' infamously short patiences seem to be running out with Mr Hart. Perhaps the good news about improving finances, Doughty becoming chairman and the increase in season ticket sales, has clouded our minds to make us think that this club is in a state to make massive strides forward.

Perhaps the rumours of £6m bids for Williams and Prutton over the summer have convinced us that we have a squad full of top-class players. But we're still in financial trouble, our young players still have a lot to learn and we're not going anywhere for the time-being.

Which is kind of a good thing because at least it means we're not going down, which, all things considered, should be enough to keep Hart's job safe. The last thing we need at the moment is a repeat of the David Platt years when fans would spend more time arguing about the manager than supporting the team.

Which brings me nicely onto another subject that arose last week.

Brian Clough's new autobiography has been doing the rounds and 'old big head' has been causing the usual stir. But it angered me the other day to see that Clough has officially 'blamed' David Platt for Forest's current plight.

I am normally reluctant to claim that my knowledge and understanding of football is greater than those who are actually involved in the game and make their living from it, but to my knowledge, Clough has only been to Forest five times in as many years, so on what grounds can he base an opinion about the matter?

Unfortunately, this means much more than just Clough sharing his opinion. The once-great man is rapidly becoming a serious embarrassment to himself and Nottingham Forest.

He was once a sharp wit who could always raise a wry smile with a cutting comment. But these days his wit has been watered down with vodka and gin, and he is little more than an old man determined to boost his ego every so often by saying something controversial, but normally way off the mark.

Sadly, the press love it. Every time they need someone to say something outrageous, they call upon Brian Clough. It's cringe-worthy really and a sad way for such a great footballing man to be remembered.

He has also become bitter and twisted over the years. He accused Platt of buying "forgettable footballers" - but Clough purchased a fair few "forgettable footballers" himself. And he describes Platt's initial appointment as "staggering" on behalf of the board.

But the reasons for these outbursts are clear: Clough is still bitter about the way his retirement was handled by Forest - "I still resent the way I was treated," he admits, but it comes as little surprise.

And he is even more bitter about missing out on the England job, which is where his feelings for Platt come from. Platt's appointment as England U21 manager has given him the possible opportunity of becoming national manager that Cloughie never got. "If that happens, I'll know I'm going mad ... I'm still better qualified for the job than him," says Brian. As ever, Clough doesn't hide his true feelings very well.

It would have been foolish to expect Clough to retire gracefully - that's just not who he is. But the sad thing is, ill-informed comments about the club he left behind nine years ago are not helping matters at all. He still commands a great deal of respect in Nottingham, and many of those who campaigned to get Platt sacked are now relishing in Clough's approval.

But as someone who campaigned to keep Platt's job safe, I am finding it increasingly hard to respect someone who uses their reputation to carry out on-going vendettas with personal insults. How long is it before Paul Hart suffers from the 'curse of Clough' and finds his old boss has stabbed him in the back?