Don’t panic!
Football’s a funny old game. If you’re old enough to remember ‘The Saint and Greavsie’, then you’ll know where the popularisation of that particular stock phrase originated. It wasn’t a great show in all honesty, but was as good as it got in an era when TV punditry was primarily about humour, albeit of the cheesy, Tarbuckesque variety, rather than slick Sky’s every-angle-covered gizmo-fest.
The technophile’s choice, which on the weekend just past, added 3D to its dishful of whistles and bells, thrives on the groaning sideshow that accompanies the game now it faces 24 hour rolling scrutiny and the fear of missing any detail, regardless of its relevance. The back pages and websites fill up with financial reportage, or banal conjecture about which Latin wonderkid Sir Alex or Arsène might be trying to shoehorn into their crowded training ground car park. Analysis of what happens on the pitch is forced to fit in around this.
Forest-Derby clashes are gathering an ugly sideshow all of their own. It’s usually what we look for in any derby fixture, and Glasgow’s Old Firm take the prize, weaving a few centuries of Irish bloodshed into their histories and on-the-pitch meetings. What is often obscured by all the kerfuffling is that the matches themselves are not very good. Not always the case, of course: this season’s first Manchester derby at Old Trafford was a belter; our victory at the City Ground over the Rams in August was thrilling. Whilst all that history, the friction, and the battle for local pride go into making the occasion what it is, it could easily become an unwanted distraction for Forest at this stage of the season.
“Don’t panic, Captain Mainwaring!” feels like an appropriate battle cry in the aftermath of Saturday’s reverse. So the news that Billy Davies has accused Nigel Clough of assaulting him in the bout of mass handbags that followed is worrying. And Davies’ comments on the matter give cause for concern. He talks of the pettiness surrounding the fixture compared to the Old Firm matches he experienced, yet is ensuring at the same time that the next meeting between the sides (hopefully not next season at least!) will feature more of the same.
If it’s an attempt to deflect attention from the fact that Forest were ineffective against a very poor Derby side anchored at the wrong end of the table, it’s somewhat excessive. Forest’s magnificent run had to end eventually. That it should be at the hooves of Derby, is – as Jimmy Greaves would’ve noted – funny, ironic, maybe inevitable. Derby’s players probably needed no more of an incentive to raise their limited game than the chance to end that run, and may have been praying that Reading or QPR didn’t beat them to it.
We need to move on quickly, and the response Davies gets from his players will be telling. Their growing air of invincibility has been breached, and beating Sheffield Wednesday at home this weekend – straightforward enough on paper – takes on massive significance. Failure to do so could lead to a crash in confidence, and plenty of other sides fancying their chances against us. February promises to be a defining month in the season, with awkward trips to Coventry, Doncaster and Leicester, more local sides seeking revenge for defeats, heavy in a couple of cases. A resurgent Sheffield United will come to Nottingham looking for a victory to cement their play-off ambitions.
By the time Swansea visit on March 6th, things could look very different. Davies will have a much better picture of the calibre of the squad he assembled in the summer, and we will know much more about his own credentials as a manager of our club.
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I too am troubled by Billy’s wild accusations. Professional men don’t go around kicking each other at work, even if they did used to be footballers! Does Billy really think he’s that unpopular that nobody can resist the chance to give him a boot? I think you used the right word when you said “excessive”. Even if Billy wants to distract from poor performance and crushing result, he ought to stay within the laws that say you can’t go around accusing people of assult based on a paranoid hunch!
have watched the coverage of the incident a few times, 2 of which from a different angle to the one on football league show and you can clearly see clough raise his foot and kick BD. this is not a paranoid hunch from BD and clough should be punished but i doubt he will!!!
Well isn’t it amazing how quickly perceptions change? On Friday we were all comfortably positioned riding our wave of euphoria, the only serious debate being whether we would go up as champions or as runners up. One defeat later, albeit to the woeful sheep, and the quiet shutting of the transfer window with no-one in and Shorey confirmed as out and things feel different. Does this mean that our resurgence is built on foundations of sand? That our extraordinary run has been the result of confidence and form rather than superior ability? I can’t believe that. Confidence is critical of course but the football we played against the Baggies, Reading in the first half and for periods against QPR tells me we are the real deal. Automatic promotion isn’t guaranteed of course but I reckon a place in the top six certainly is, and as we scanned our fixture lists back in August I would have been more than delighted with that prospect awaiting.
Why oh why though did it have to be the bloody sheep?! I hate derby matches…
Well I’m convinced that Billy is simply very unhappy at watching his footballing side bullied into defeat by a derby team more apt to playing rugby than football.
It’s speaks volumes that the derby players are claiming that, that was their best performance of the season.
Billy is indeed a sore looser, and this exactly why Forest have gone so many games unbeaten isn’t it. We have a winner managing our glorious football club and long may it continue. The antics of Clough pre and during the match is symbolic of the shambolic approach to the game he has decided to take “I want to see tackles flying in” was just one of the unsavory comments our ex-legend stated.
If his dad could witness the conduct of his son, I’m sure he’d be both ashamed and embarrassed.
If the managers association agree with Billy (highly likely looking at the footage and cloughs war like comments) I’d imagine at least a touchline ban for Nigel.
Rest assured though Forest fans, Billy will have the last laugh…..
First i woul like to comment on billy being a soar looser there is nothing wrong with that i myself hated loosing so i always put my best in for that reason my team mated wwere always upset with me because i never stopped screaming and shouting at them if they were slacking so i think it is a good thing. next i would like to say that \derby would have killed to win that match as it will be there pinicle of there season because there will be nothing else to look forward to. Now once again many headlines and rumours from Forest about possible signings but once again Nothing from the transfere market I believe Forest always put in low bids knowing they probabley wont get there men and once again that what we have got nothing. I have been shouting for Doughtys head for a long time because he is no good for Forest you only have to look where we were when he took over and look were we have been for the period of time he has been in charge that says everything to me. It makes me sick when I look at the premership and see teams like Wigan and Hull in there and why are they because they have chairmans that have thrown money at the clubs. There are those who will say Doughty and his cohorts have done the same over the years well if he has was it not a waste of time,but let me say look back over the years and remember all the good players we have had and how much money they were sold for work it out. Like one supporter said Doughty is a business man in the top 50 in the rich list but lets be honest he just throws a few million at it.22 players we have a very small squad compaired to most teams so we have a comparativly small wage bill come on think about it where not at the races when it comes to other ambishous teams.I rest my case
Hi i comment on nffc blog as the norm.Just watched the footage on forest player and NLN HAS A KICK AT BILLY AND NED KELLY AND TRIES TO WALK AWAY AS IF HE DID NOWT.
Billy was giving him the verbal on touchline as to (i cant believe you just did that ) clough jnr has lost my respect as a life long forest fan he is not a red and i dont think he ever was.
U reds
Most worryingly, of course, is that Forest may have been found out.
Like they were in our second season in the premiership under Frank Clark. We surprised everyone for a season, then the opposition did their homework.
Let’s hope Sheffield Weds didn’t get a video of the game and so won’t know what to do.
I feel that whatever actually happened between BD and NC all concerned now have a responsibility to calm things down. There is enough poison (Billy’s own word) around this fixture without adding to the toxicity. To make a formal complaint is only escalating matters and is not in the interests of either club, their players or fans. So, come on Billy, let our football do the talking as it has for much of this season!
Patrick, not sure about us being found out. I think the fact that we are a footballing side, as opposed to the teams of lump-kickers so common in this division, is no secret. I hope you’re not correct, though, obviously! And I think the problems in the second premiership term under Clark were more to do with neither Jason Lee nor Andrea Silenzi quite being Stan Collymore!