He didn’t just lose the game, he’s lost the plot
15/12/04 | by Carl Blackborow

There are a great many things that Forest fans have suffered down the years. Three relegations, City Ground pies, the sinister era of David Platt, Andrea Silenzi, Marco Pascolo and now Joe Kinnear. The list continues, but additions to it are becoming frighteningly frequent. Until Saturday, Joe Kinnear had many critics and few allies. Now he is left with many critics. The performance of the Forest side at Pride Park cannot be justified. For a Derby fan, Christmas came early. For Joe Kinnear, the Job Centre re-opens on the 28th.

Before the game, Kinnear had the audacity only a cheeky-chappie Cockney could: "It's just another game". Of course it is – if it's not a London, Old Firm or Merseyside derby then it doesn't warrant the hype, does it? I'd like Kinnear to make that comment to the faces of the 30,000 at the game and the countless other supporters of both clubs.

Joe Kinnear's attitude, in short, is a disgrace. Only a handful of times has he had the bottle to face the media this year. Coincidentally, each time, after we had not lost. Such an iron-willed character, is it surprising that the only guts on display from Forest during the game where the churningly sick stomachs of the fans in Red?

Buoyed after a victory over mighty Queens Park Rangers (who had lost their previous four trips away from Loftus Road) Kinnear declared that now he is starting to get his side back together, Forest were a match for anyone in the division. Cast your mind back a week before – Forest lost to Gillingham, with virtually the same side.

So 3,500 odd fans travelled to Pride Park, with a sprinkling of belief, a dash of hope and a brief ray of sunshine. The teams were announced and, incredibly, Kinnear had changed a winning side. Never change a winning team, goes the cliché.

Rogers, as effective as ever at left-wing against QPR, was back to left-back. Reidy changed wings and Jack Lester's threat, so potent and effective against QPR, nullified out on the right side of midfield. All of these I could possibly understand, if Matthieu Louis Jean was returning to the side. But as it wwas, the Yeading legend that is Andrew Impey returned.

Recalled to the centre of defence, Michael Dawson. So prominent in the victory over QPR. Prominent by his absence. I'm not suggesting for a single second that Dawson shouldn't be a central figure of the side, but I do have the temerity to suggest that rushing him back from injury – another one – to take the place of John Hjelde, who was solid the previous game, and disrupt a winning side still further, was a foolish decision.

All Dawson achieved was instill a sense of panic over the rest of the squad that wasn't for a second evident the week before. Hjelde might be slow, but he is solid – what centre-backs should be, not splaying 45 yard passes to the dugouts, not going awol three minutes into a game, leaving Impey with no cover, then shouting and bawling when his inadequacies were a major contributing factor to the opening goal.

If it weren't so glaringly ridiculous, Andy Impey's handball might have been funny. So obvious was it that Derby fans were embarrassed at having to appeal for it. He was a lucky boy to escape a red card. He was even luckier that Ian Taylor had been practising his appearance in the next Adidas commercial with Johnny Wilkinson.

The decision that finally took away any of Kinnears' remaining credibility was to replace David Johnson with Gregor Robertson. If he was hoping that reverting back to the formation that worked reasonably before would work again, he was naïve. In a game that Forest never had any semblance of control over, Gregor Robertson is not the man to change the shape of playdough, let alone a derby in which you are trailing with limited time to recover.

The chants of "You don't know what you're doing" rang loud. For once, the referee wasn't the culprit. It was our own manager. That substitution could be singled out as the moment that the fans knew he hadn't just lost the game, he had lost the plot. Now he has lost the support of the fans and from this there can be no way back.

If the consequences of Kinnear walking or being pushed are, as expected, Mick Harford becoming the new man in charge, then I'm willing to accept that. Harford may be loyal to the man, but I'm willing to wager that he has more respect for Nottingham Forest and their fans than Kinnear could muster in a lifetime of press conferences. Whoever takes charge should look at Kinnear's attitude and use it as a blueprint, should they ever need it, to alienate the fans and the players and then use it as a rod for their own back.

If Joe Kinnear is still in charge come the return fixture on February 28, then the Rams might just be arriving to nail the lid on Forest's demise. For the love of God, Joe – and more importantly the love the fans have for the club – go now. There might be some pride left in this wreck of a season to salvage yet, but not whilst you are at the helm.