Horror shows must stop soon
24/10/05 | by Paul Severn

As Forest fans walked away from the defeats to Scunthorpe, Barnsley, Macclesfield and Woking, many will have been saying: “It can’t get worse than this.” This weekend, we saw another total embarrassment at Yeovil, as we were put to the sword by a team that played conference football just a few years ago.

Over a long, hard season, fans will forgive the odd slip-up against minor opposition, but Forest have now put in at least four performances in the first third of the season which have been quite frankly, non-league standard. This is in part, a continuation of shocking displays which date back to last season’s debacles at Coventry and at home to Plymouth. The first half at Yeovil, with two goals, an injury to our best player and the dismissal of our centre forward must rank as the worst first half in the club’s history – however, unless the players pick up their game, who is to say more humiliations are not around the corner?

The away form is certainly the cause of most of the concern. While some early home displays were poor, in general those who predicted a tough time at home have been proved wrong. Recent visitors to the City Ground have generally played 4-5-1, showed little ambition and allowed us to take a measure of control on the games and grab winning goals. They have treated it as a “big day out” and when you look for a point – as Forest found at Southend recently – too often you end up with nothing. However, away from home, we have seen bumper, record crowds, pumped-up atmospheres and our opponents have been spurred on to put on a show for the full house.

Until Forest learn to deal with this – as they have managed to do with some success at the City Ground – we will finish mid-table with a whole heap of embarrassments to remember the season by. Another thing that must happen is that the new players must start contributing. Most fans were happy to see the calibre of players arriving at the City Ground over the summer, but John Curtis, Danny Cullip and Gino Padula have hardly been seen this season, which must be bitterly disappointing for Megson. Gary Holt added little before he succumbed to injury and the two Nickys, Southall and Eaden, have not thrilled fans with their displays down the right.

Megson’s signings from last season, David Friio and Scott Dobie have not lived up their billing either. Only Russell Hoult and Ian Breckin have impressed, and it has been left to the stalwarts of seasons past – Jack Lester, David Johnson, John Thompson and Wes Morgan – to provide any sort of continuity.

If Forest are to get into the promotion mix this season, the new players need to get themselves fit, in form and motivated to go away from home and grind out results. The rest of the squad must start to learn, fast, from the humiliations so far this season and start picking up points away. If it doesn’t happen, die-hard Forest fans will be looking at the fixture list and eyeing trips to Colchester, Chesterfield and Doncaster with more than a little trepidation.