A Megson masterclass
23/02/05 | by Andrew Brookes

As the dust settled on a successful day out in North London, the travelling Forest faithful could be forgiven for thinking: "It's just like watching West Brom." However, the resemblance of the two sides must not be levelled at the current Forest charges as a criticism; in fact a better way of looking at Sunday's proceedings is that it was a masterclass of how to be successful the Gary Megson way.

Since arriving at the City Ground he has started to build a side that contains steel and a degree of tactical nous that has sadly been lacking in recent years. Even under the much-vaunted Hart era, Forest often struggled away from home with naïve tactics, something that cannot be said about Megson so far. His plan worked to a treat on Sunday keeping the creative output of Frederic Kanouté, Jermain Defoe, Robbie Keane and Mido to a relative minimum.

This performance, and Megson's tactics, however, were not just focussed on stopping Spurs playing at their fluent best, and right from the outset Forest looked positive when breaking forward. Alan Rogers had a very good chance in the early stages, forged by the excellent Kris Commons. Commons proved to be the creative springboard for Forest's attacking exploits with an eye-catching performance that has seen him short-listed for 'Player of the Round'. Indeed soon after he created the chance for Rogers he went on the first of many mazy runs that carved open the Spurs defence. 

This bright start showed that Forest can play good football under Megson, and allayed fears that with Gareth Taylor as the sole recognised striker on the field, a plethora of long balls would be Forest's only line of attack. But it must be said that one of the most impressive aspects of the performance was the way in which Spurs were continually frustrated by the rock solid organisation that Forest displayed. From the first whistle they battled and tackled well, making sure there was little time on the ball for the Spurs players to show their quality.

The work-rate involved and the closing down was first rate by all and showed a real desire to win, the lack of which many have criticised Forest for this season. It was also a definite ploy to narrow the game down and as a result Spurs found it very difficult to pass their way through the numbers in the middle of the park, being forced to try intricate passes in tight situations that simply did not work. Even when they did get the ball out wide, the aerial supremacy that the Forest centre-backs enjoyed over Kanouté and Defoe was plain for all to see when dealing with crosses. Spurs were therefore frustrated by a combination of hard work and solid tactics.

The result of this was that Spurs were forced to try and find an alternative avenue through which to score, and their main source of threat was through free-kicks and long-range shots. Michael Brown's post-jarring effort, and an excellent shot from Simon Davies showed their ability to strike from distance. Indeed there had also been two warning shots from free-kicks before the goal scoring effort.

This free-kick was 'creatively won' by Defoe on the edge of the box, and his subsequent effort slipped cruelly through 19-year-old debutant Colin Doyle's grasp. This was unlucky for Forest in several respects. Not only was it a relatively weak effort, but it came on 44 minutes and 54 seconds, and it represented the only mistake Doyle was to make for the entire match. In fact, the goal apart Doyle kept Forest in the game with fantastic saves from Davies and Defoe, and his command of his box showed he is a player with a great deal of potential. At this moment though, it appeared that all of Forest's hard work was to be undone.

However, the Forest side that simply rolled over and died in such spectacular fashion at Pride Park has thankfully gone, along with its manager, and this Forest side showed a great deal more determination and desire. Just as Doyle showed no knock-on effects from his earlier mistake, neither did the rest of the side as they stuck to their tactics and kept to their game plan. This desire and determination eventually paid off, as a ball from the much improved Alan Rogers caused panic amongst Ledley King and Paul Robinson, and Gareth Taylor was alert enough to nod the ball over them and tap in the equaliser. This was especially sweet for Spurs fan Taylor, who was noticeably delighted to complete a boyhood dream by scoring at White Hart Lane.

After that, however, it was obvious that Spurs would throw all of their considerable attacking might at Forest, and indeed Mido and Robbie Keane were soon brought off the bench to add to the threat. However, conversely this caused Forest to grow in stature, and the failure of Mido or Keane to get any space or joy caused the Spurs threat to slowly wilt. In fact, as the game reached ninety minutes, it seemed that Forest were the side more likely to win, with several more mazy runs from the mercurial Commons carving open the Spurs defence. One run in particular was reminiscent of the great goal of Ricky Villa shown on the 'Jumbotron' before the game; unfortunately it just lacked the killer finish.

Although not a victory, this excellent result was masterminded quite superbly by Gary Megson, and for this he deserves great credit. His tactics paid off well, and it was quite noticeable that Spurs got more and more frustrated at being unable to find a way through the Forest ranks, causing their efforts on goal to be from further distance and subsequently further off target. Some people have grumbled since Megson came about the job he is doing here, and indeed the side does need to find some goals, but it must be argued that he is doing things the right way. He is building a side from the back, he picked a team that worked at Spurs and he has added grit, determination, organisation, character and leadership to a side that was sliding away to relegation without so much as a whimper. 

The last quality of that list in particular, leadership, has been a noticeable addition with the players that Megson has brought in. Andy Melville and Darryl Powell were signings that were greeted with a degree of indifference by many but, on the evidence so far, are the exact types of characters that Forest need in their current predicament. Melville has shepherded the defence quite superbly so far and has, as a result, brought out the best in Wes Morgan and Chris Doig either side of him. Darryl Powell's addition to the midfield brought similar dividends at Spurs with a towering performance, adding a real presence to a midfield that has been haphazard at best this season. These two players may not have caught the eye in the same way as the skills of Kris Commons, but their contributions may prove to be just as crucial if more unsung.

The draw engineered by Megson at White Hart Lane is a great victory to the club, whose coffers will be given a nice boost by revenue from two ties against Premiership opposition. Now, however, it is a question of whether Gary Megson can come up with a winning formula to dispose of Spurs at home. What is clear is that this game could, and should, prove a blueprint for the team to follow for the rest of the season, especially away from home.

Special thanks to Lorna, whose excellent editorial skills helped this article to make sense!