The Rambling Red - Issue 7 20/09/02 | by TrickyMatt

Our league campaign has started solidly, without being spectacular, yet I came away from seeing the 4-1 defeat of Gillingham with a smile as broad as the Trent. Suffering with an annoying cold and a nose that is running quicker than Franz Carr ever did, my cockles needed warming and the boys in red certainly did that. This was the third time this season that we have fired four goals and this latest win has to be used as a platform for a run of form to push us right into promotion contention.

Since I started watching Forest back in 1988, I have seen many young players start their careers here at the Mecca of football. Many have fallen by the wayside and eventually slipped down the league ladder. The likes of Craig Boardman, Steve Bladderwick, Phil Starbuck, John Burns and Bobby Howe, to name but a few, have all fallen away after showing initial promise. I am convinced and confident that the same fate won’t fall upon on the excellent Michael Dawson. The performances given against Kidderminster and Gillingham bordered on the sublime. The lad WILL play for England! I honestly can’t recall a time when Forest have had such a solid header of the ball playing at centre half. The time had come and the Godfather (Paul Hart!) has delivered straight from the gates of Wilford Lane a primed centre half to prevent the kind of sloppiness that has blighted us since the days of black and white tellies! Long may it continue. The future looks so bright I have resorted to wearing sunglasses!

Not long to go till our dance with the Sheep at the Sheep Dip on the 20th October. Let’s pray for headlines along the lines of “Silence of the Rams” come the Monday morning! Play like we did against the Gills and we should be okay. Fingers crossed.

Speaking of the said game, the £25 ticket price is shocking and I encourage the Forest officials to raise the price for Sheep fans when they visit us in March. Anyway, they might be bust by then so there may be no need! Again, fingers crossed.

Recent excursions saw me take in the recent Oasis gig at Lancashire County Cricket Club. The usual mix of madness and anthems provided the climax for an afternoon, which saw performances from Soundtrack Of Our Lives, The Electric Soft Parade, and Richard Ashcroft. Liam was embarking in plenty of banter with the expectant hoards, repeatedly telling them to “sssshhh” in relation to the near-perfect singing of every Oasis song! It wasn’t long before numerous female members of the audience decided to make themselves known by revealing just what makes them so special! This saw Liam reply with “Put em away before me mam gets her's out!”. Classic.

Whilst on the subject of music, The Shining’s debut album True Skies is now out and is highly recommended. I have seen this guitar-driven five-piece on numerous occasions and have never gone away feeling let down, in fact quite the opposite. Formed by two members from those Wigan warblers, The Verve, this band is definitely one to look out for. If they were American and dressed like they were stuck in a time warp, then I’m sure they would sell loads of records like the excellent Strokes and BRMC. Time will tell but I suspect this record belongs to the Britpop era.

As Derby County’s imminent collapse proves, comedy is indeed a precious thing. I’m sure many of you were mourning the last Phoenix Nights in the current series but fear not because new series of The Office and Alan Partridge are around the corner.

As Alan may himself say: “It’s not five star, but it’s certainly competitive!” An apt description of Forest’s start I think! 'til the next time, God protect your soul.