Ousting Kinnear would solve nothing
06/12/04 | by Alex Campbell

“Kinnear out.” Strong words that have become almost as common as the "We Love You Harty" stickers that were plastered everywhere, six months before he became a central figure of blame and was sacked. Forest fans appear to be heading down the very same miserable path right now. It wasn’t so long back that Kinnear was being heralded as our miraculous saviour by all in Red and, now that we’ve slumped again, his position looks doomed – despite his relaxed claim to be in the job until he "decides" to leave.

I’m as concerned as any Nottingham Forest supporter about the horrendous state we are in. I too saw the cringe-worthy struggle to hold Rotherham, I too witnessed the debacle at Gillingham and I too sat all night in the bitter cold to purchase tickets for a game we are quite likely to be humiliated in - yes, I’m sick of wasting so much time and money on terrible performances. No, I don’t blame the manager.

The problems at the City Ground lie much deeper than the arguable incompetence of Joe Kinnear – a frightening number of crippling backroom errors over several years have slowly hauled us into the dire squalor that swamps the Championship’s lower half. So what do we do? Attempt to force Nigel Doughty out perhaps? Totally unrealistic, not to mention insensible. The fact of the matter is that Doughty has probably put more money into this club than anybody else in its history and we’re still in debt – despite his plans to reduce spending on the Reds, we still need the money (and financial security) of the man that once saved us from disaster (remember that?). In the long-run there’s no doubt that Doughty has to leave, but this is certainly not the right time for his much-coveted departure. 

Sacking Kinnear too would merely be wallpapering over the cracks... in tracing paper. He is far from perfect and the majority of his critics regularly raise totally valid points. The trouble is, nobody has looked at the reality of the situation and beyond the knee-jerk of ousting the gaffer. The next man is only likely to face the same, in Alex Walker’s words, "rotten to the core" surroundings – as is the one after that and the one after that, etc. Different actor, same old props. The chilling reality is, the only way to move forward is by removing those who really have the power and we can’t afford to remove them at all.

Who would replace Kinnear anyway? Some Reds call for Nigel Clough, but ignore the fact that he would forever be in the colossal shadow of his great father (they also overlook his rather average performance so far as Burton manager). Other Reds would prefer Stuart Pearce, he of no experience (our managerial job is the archetype of what every first-time gaffer doesn’t need). Most Reds again ignore the reality: if Kinnear does leave, his replacement will almost certainly be Mick Harford, not one of the many exotic suggestions that fans conjure.

Sacking the manager is such a cliché in modern football – as soon as the going gets tough, the gaffer gets going, often due to supporter pressure. Personally, I feel that stability and support are a far greater asset to the football club and axing Big Fat Joe will only bring about another honeymoon period, followed by more pressure, ultimately followed by another change of manager.

Kinnear often bends the truth, particularly regarding potential transfers, something that has earned him the sarcastic title ‘Kinnochio’. He can’t win though, can he? If he didn’t claim we were after everyone but the physical equivalent of the kitchen sink, the supporters would be in uproar about his inactivity. Yet when he talks about deals that later fall through, he is criticised for fibbing. Comments like the infamous “I reduced the debt” were not intended to be sinister, nor was the “I’ve had job offers elsewhere” rant. Kinnear is merely trying to keep his seemingly infallible pride intact. Surely this commands more respect to players than a manager that falls apart in the media?

The lack of discipline too cannot be blamed on Kinnear. The fact that he doesn’t fine players cannot be held responsible for instinctive motions taken in the heat of the moment. Fines are intended as a punishment and not necessarily a deterrent. 

The squad we have is certainly capable of far greater things than a relegation battle, but we can’t really be surprised by it. Ignoring Paul Hart’s brief affair with the play-offs, we’ve been married to mediocrity and struggling since the day we last dropped out of the Premiership.

To be blunt, I don’t think too many Forest fans would disagree with what I have argued. For whatever reasons, online Reds fans using forums, etc, seem to be overwhelmingly against Kinnear. Their public voicing of disapproval (events like Saturday’s protest) create what sociologists and other posh folk would call a "moral panic", meaning that anyone who does support Kinnear suddenly believes that everyone else doesn’t.

We all have reason to be annoyed and, if the situation doesn’t improve, something big will have to happen at some level. But whilst Kinnear is at the helm, it would be in the club’s best interests if all of its supporters simply ditched the moaning and united behind the team. Saturday’s protest and the general ceaseless moaning is only creating ill-feeling, something which I fear is the final leak in a sinking ship.

Maybe I’m living in a dream world. But even from up here, three managers in six seasons seems far too much – why continue the chain reaction when we’re doomed for reasons way beyond the dugout?