The Rambling Review 2002/03 29/05/03 | by TrickyMatt

Well, I was hoping that my end of season review would be one of joyous celebration and boundless delight as my beloved Forest once again took their place amongst the elite of English football. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be, but by the time you have read my report you will feel something comparable to how you did on January 1, 1992! (For our younger readers, this was the date of the crunch home game against Luton Town... oh and Dessie scored from 30 yards!)

Goals, Goals, Goals!

Forest fans have witnessed some true legends down the years, especially in the attacking third. Right from the prolific Wally Ardon, we have had some great attackers, my favourite being Nigel Clough, mainly for his ability to combine excellent link-up play with impressive goal tally’s year after year. Unfortunately, the last few years have seen Forest disintegrate into a side more likely to score on the Saturday night piss-up rather than in the opposing teams penalty area. To say goals have been hard to come by is an understatement.

One of the most remarkable feats this season has therefore been the incredible number of goals we have scored, predominantly at home. This is mainly due to the excellent strike force of David Johnson and Marlon Harewood. I am made up for Marlon 'cause here is a lad who has taken his fair share of stick but is now terrorising defences at will and bagging plenty of goals in the process.

Johnson has, of course, improved beyond all recognition from the labouring tool he used to be. At the first home game of the season, it was clear to see that Jonno meant business. His sweetly-struck finish against Preston looked routine to many, but it was the type of goal a striker scores when he is confident and I am sure the Jonno of the season before would have dragged it well wide, before waiting for the terrace boo-boys to pipe up about, amongst other things, the words “3 million pounds” and “waste”! I definitely think he is striking the ball a lot cleaner these days and reaping the rewards accordingly. For both strikers to bag over twenty goals each is remarkable and I can see this continuing despite the added pressure and defensive adjustments of opposing defences who now know much more about why we kept Marlon and persisted with Johnson.

For me David Johnson’s return to the goals was down largely to his improved fitness. He came to Paul Hart last summer and thrashed it out and got himself fit and got himself in the team. I seriously doubt whether Johnson would have done this under David Platt. I always got the impression that playing under Platt looked too easy. Week in, week out, we didn’t see the passion we do under Paul Hart. David Johnson’s tears as he trudged off at Bramall Lane on May 15 will be an enduring memory of a season full of great moments.

Step forward, Michael Dawson

I have never in my entire Forest watching life seen a centre half who is commanding in the air. My early days going to the City Ground saw a defensive pairing of Colin Foster and Des Walker. Des’ attributes are well established but Colin was soon to make way to a number of defenders who whilst decent (apart from Steve Chettle!) were in truth never quite tall enough to cope with opposing forwards.

One of my articles earlier in the season describes the night I first saw Michael Dawson, playing his second senior game against Kidderminster Harriers in the Worthington Cup. My rave review was hardly inhibited and I am more than glad Michael has proven me right. His performances this season have been superlative - utterly sensational.

His age is astounding as he plays with a maturity (one exception and I think we all know when that was!) normally reserved for seasoned international professionals. His awareness, passing and all round game befit a midfielder, whilst his heading, tackling and organising skills suit the most commanding of centre halves.

The game at Pride Park in the autumn was a good indicator as to his development. I was going undercover for that one, sitting amongst our enemy at the opposite end to the travelling Reds. From here I saw the second half Derby onslaught close up and young Dawson coped admirably. From this moment on I knew he was more than ready. I was stood in utter disbelief at his dismissal in the Play-Off first leg as his face etched with anger and dismay, showing a player still learning, but one who cares immensely about the game of football and Nottingham Forest FC.

I said after the Kidderminster game that one day he will play for England and that is something I stand by, for in Michael Dawson is a player comparable to ANY centre half Forest have had in our modern history.

Derby Day

April 10, 1999, was a sad day for me. Did this day standout for other Forest fans? It did for me. The date is significant because it was our last defeat at the hands of our most despised rivals. Since 1983, we have only lost to Derby twice (November 1990 was the other time) and I have the misfortune of admitting I was there on both occasions.

The game in the 1990/91 season was bad; a 2-1 defeat after Steve Chettle has put us infront. As I came away I could see delirious Rams screaming “Saunders” as if they themselves we putting away that header past Mark Crossley. However, we got the final laugh that season as Derby were relegated, thanks in part to a 1-0 defeat at the City Ground in April courtesy of a Roy Keane header.

It was the game in 1999 though that REALLY hurt. The fact that we were going down already made it so hard to take the abuse we got, really hard. I thought we had done enough but with six minutes to go, they scored. The car journey home was silent, and I sat alone for 15 minutes in silence afterwards, just hurt. I just kept thinking, we WILL have our revenge, and that this day will be confined to history. That day came, and Jesus, what a day it was!

Beating your rivals is one thing, but seriously destroying them is quite the other. An incredible humiliation underlined by the lighting start we made that night provided the perfect remedy to the nigh on four years of hurt I and other Reds had suffered. I can still see Darren Huckerby nodding home number two before the whole place went bezerk (apart from the travelling sheep that is).

What a memory and what a night. Our short and long term future is at the moment unsure, but what appears clear is that our set-up both on and off the pitch is set to dominate that of Derby’s and a period of dominance is on the horizon.

Just to point out to any Forest fans unaware, we finished in a higher league position than Derby for 18 seasons in a row, 1977/78-1995/96! Another thing to bear in mind, readers, is that Leicester City were nowhere to be seen either during this period. I wished to outline this because the current climate (helped by Century radio no doubt!) is the continual debate of who is the best East Midlands club. Leicester and Derby have had little peaks in recent years but nothing like 18 seasons worth of dominance!

Anyway, for those who were there, just breath out slowly and remember March 19, 2003 - a date truly to remember.

A touch of Clough

He has a gold bust in the reception area, photos around the ground, his name is even on one of the stands. However, Brian Clough’s influence this season has been larger than ever, and through none of the aforementioned means. What has he influenced? I hear you cry... Paul Hart of course.

Paul Hart’s superb handling of the Forest side has been well documented but I would like to concentrate on a managerial trait he has developed from our very own Mr Clough. Everyone realised that in the late 1970’s Liverpool had a team full of players which would grace any European outfit. Quite how we even challenged that much-celebrated Liverpool team is remarkable.

However, bringing out the best in players previously devoid of such ability was something Brian was famed for. Kenny Burns, for example, was a wild man, not wanted by Birmingham City, rejected by the footballing superpowers, except Mr Clough of course. The 1978 Footballer of the Year is a testament to the genius of Clough and is something I am being reminded of on a week to week basis.

Players such as Riccardo Scimeca, Jim Brennan and Louis-Jean are but three examples of the Clough factor. Brennan, for example, was bordering on useless when he took over from Alan Rogers as the Forest left back. Weak in the tackle and untidy going forward, the Canadian was something of a target for fans like me. He represented David Platt in that he was expensive yet generally not up to the task.

Now we have a left back who is determined, makes challenges, keeps possession, poses a threat going forward, and even SCORED against Norwich City at the end of March! Such a transformation to me seems incredible as shows that under Hart we have a manager players want to play for and do well for. To me, this is crucial.

Play-Off Heartache

For the season to end as it did was terribly unjust. Our luck over two legs was none-existent as everything seemed to go the way of Sheffield United. However, for me it was the loss of Michael Dawson which was to prove pivotal. When Andy Reid put us two up in the second leg, Des Walker began to tire. It is understandable that a man of 37 could do so and he did. Michael Dawson playing centre half would have meant us going to Cardiff, I am sure. Some may bemoan Jonno’s two missed opportunities, but for me it was the loss of a player so outstanding that it was hard to recover.

The first leg was a fantastic game to witness. The atmosphere was electric and for the large part we were, as usual, on top. I don’t wish to dwell for too long on this two-legged affair as I have detailed my thoughts on the games elsewhere. However, one should not merely think of the Bramall Lane capitulation and instead focus on a season beyond expectation which gave us a team better than the likes of Sheffield United, just one not quite experienced enough to get over the finishing line. One things for sure, I am relishing my chance to visit Bramall Lane next season to banish the memory of May 15. I know it may be expecting a lot, but I want to see a real hammering, real embarrassing stuff... maybe even a Jim Brennan goal to rub it in!

Glory Days?

As long as the board resist the temptations offered by the affluent Premiership teams, I strongly feel that we on the cusp of relative greatness. Many Reds are overly-pessimistic about our future but I for one am not. The quality of young players is astounding, and why should this not continue? As soon as we make the step up, there will be no need to even contemplate the sale of stars such as Dawson and Reid. With Paul Hart at the helm, we have the set up to be a top Premiership club and I really mean that, however delusional you may think I am.

Players such as the aforementioned Dawson and Reid, combined with players like Williams, Bopp, Thomson and Westcarr are only going to get better. What a thought that is! How many times in the second half of this season did Andy Reid play the killer ball, knock a great cross, set up a goal (two against Derby!)? Plenty is the answer and this is going to improve as time rolls on.

Also, expect young Eugen Bopp to emerge as a real star. Unfortunately Rob Lee was the culprit in ending Bopp’s season as it was beginning to take real promise, but he will be back.

That goes for the others. During the first leg game against Sheffield United, I looked at the United players. I saw the likes of Mark Rankine, Robert Page, Paul Peschisolido, Wayne Allison, Dean Windass and something stood out. They are all past their best, all clinging on to the end of their careers.

You can only say that about ONE of our players, and that is Des Walker. Now our “kids” are just starting out, learning the game and all it’s professional traits. It was a delight to see our boys pass them off the pitch at the City Ground and even though the result wasn’t what we wanted or deserved, one thing is clear: in a year or two, we will be destroying sides like United so much so that we will be pitting our wits against another United who, whilst also play in Red, are far more accomplished and famous than our rivals from South Yorkshire.

Yours in Red and White,
TrickyMatt