It's been four years in the making, a rocky road to bid for the chance to compete for the ultimate glory. Some people doubted it would happen, qualifying was tough and there's been a big debate about who's in and who's out of the team but now it's upon us. No, not the Olympics stupid, it's much more important than that - Forest are about to start a season in the Championship!
With the season around the corner it's time to take a look at what we're up against in a run down of the team's we'll battle against over the next 46 games....
Barnsley - Last season they struggled to stay in the league and were possibly hindered by an energy-sapping cup run. Tough, difficult to beat but not spectacular. Prediction - relegation dogfight/lower mid table.
Birmingham - Possibly the best side in the division, the Blues are bound to be challenging for honours. They've lost Muamba and Forssell but the squad is laced with top class experience and has been boosted by new boys Phillips and Carsley. If they can hang on to McFadden they will cause every side a threat at this level. Prediction - automatic promotion.
Blackpool - Will look to continue to punch above their weight yet again this year. Grayson has done a fabulous job at Bloomfield Road but the loss of Hoolahan may affect them. Prediction - relegation dogfight/lower mid table.
Bristol City - Came so close to reaching the promised land of the Premier League in an excellent first season. Under Johnson they are still 'more than the sum of their parts' but they might have to guard against 'second season syndrome'. Prediction - play off contenders.
Burnley - Probably summed up by striker Akinbiyi - not pretty, unfancied, not the most talented but tough to knock down and never gives you and easy game. Prediction - mid table.
Cardiff - Another side that shone in the cups last season, they seem to have veered from being on the verge of financial oblivion to being on the verge of the big time for a while now. Some talented players and a canny manager at this level make them no pushovers but seem to lack an extra ability to lift them above this league. Prediction - mid table/play off contenders.
Charlton - There will be pressure on Pardew to deliver after their challenge faded badly last year. Lots of attacking talent but Pardew will need to keep them all happy and find some consistency. Prediction - play off contenders.
Coventry - If Eastwood can realise his rich potential he could fire them to contention and the signing of Clinton Morrison for the fans dream 'Clint Eastwood' ticket would make them even more dangerous. The loss of Mifsud might be a blow and they'll need to break the 'start well, go on a bad run, sack manager, just survive' time warp they're stuck in. Prediction - play off contenders.
Crystal Palace - A chance for us Trickies to renew acquaintances with our 'good friend' Mr Warnock. They almost 'did a Palace' last time and with Warnock's nous and some strong players they'll certainly be in the running. Prediction - play off contenders.
Derby - Jewell's made a fair few summer signings for the dirty sheep in a bid to throw off the hilarious 'form' from last year's wonderful season-long humiliation. Will the signings click? I hope not. Prediction - should be promotion contenders but if dreams can come true Jewell will repeat the excellent work of Mr Gregory and they'll struggle.
Doncaster - O'Driscoll's done a great job to mould a fine side that play attractive football. Haven't upset the apple cart by making many signings but if they can continue to play as they did there's no reason why they shouldn't surprise a few at this level. Prediction - mid table.
Ipswich - The Tractor Boys seem to have an endless conveyor belt of brilliant youngsters to keep their side afloat. Dangerous going forward but I'm not sure I fancy them over 46 games. They ar, however, the type of side that could go on a run and be difficult to stop. Prediction - play off contenders.
Norwich - Signed a few midfielders (including our Sammy) but lost the old heads of Dublin and Huckerby from last time round. Look to have a very strong squad this year but there's something about Roeder that makes me feel they'll be decent but never anything more. Prediction - play off contenders.
Plymouth - No-one fancies an away game there and Sturrock seems to understand how to be successful at Home Park. Strong yet unspectacular. Prediction - mid table/outside play off bet.
Preston - Firmly established Championship outfit that should get plenty of goals with Hawley and Mellor up front backed up by some able midfielders for this level. Prediction - mid table.
QPR - Their newly found wealth has seen them splash the cash on some signings and live the dream of every millionaire football fan - appoint Iain Dowie as boss! Could take time to settle and are being overrated in some circles but should be challenging come May. Prediction - play offs.
Reading - Coppell quietly fashioned a formidable outfit from this division last time and while Kitson has jumped ship they should still retain enough quality in the squad and have enough promotion know-how to do well. Prediction - automatic promotion.
Sheff Utd - The Blunts made the laughable mistake of thinking Brian Robson was a football manager last year but unfortunately Cap'n Marvel won't be around to scupper their chances again. Experienced and solid with Beattie/Webber/Stead/Sharp providing a deadly goal threat they should, unfortunately, do well. Prediction - play offs/automatic.
Sheff Wed - Struggled last time around but Laws inspired a survival bid and with a limited budget will look to build on that. Talented but vulnerable. Prediction - mid table.
Southampton - It will be interesting to see how their new look management team adapts to Championship football. They have a decent looking strike force with John/Rasiak/Saganowski but could leak a few goals too. Prediction - mid table.
Swansea - The runaway League One champions won't find life so easy at Championship level. A talented and flexible team has grown quickly under Martinez but goals may not be so easy to come by this season. Prediction - lower mid table.
Watford - Boothroyd's side started like a bullet train last year but inexplicably transformed into a Regional Railways clapped out old banger to Skeggy mid way through the season. Solid and experienced, if they can stay consistent they should challenge. Prediction - play offs/chance of automatic.
Wolves - Another old foe that should be a tough test this term. Vokes and Iwelumo have been added to the already strong bank of forwards but they can't all start. Prediction - play off contenders.
It's quite an eye opener to consider just how many teams should have a legitimate shout of the play offs this year. Just as last season was tight, unpredictable and exciting this should be too and looking at the standard of opposition has re-affirmed my belief that mid table wouldn't be too bad for us!
Roll on August 10!
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Monday, 28 July 2008
Sunday, 27 July 2008
Is 442 dead?
It's as traditional as Fish and Chips, the Royal Family and Colin Slater - but has the era of the old 442 formation come to an end? Many of Europe's top teams have abandoned the old set in stone line up and it seems our Stranraer supremo has done likewise - but is he right to do that? Does modern football need a modern formation?
It seems inevitable that come the big kick off in August Colin Calderwood sending out his charges in a 433/451 formation. He's built a squad containing winger-cum-striker types in Arron Davies, Garath McCleary, Paul Anderson and he is seemingly trying (rightly or wrongly) to fit Nathan Tyson into this mould. He's also previously spoke of his distrust of our form in a 442 and peservered with 433/451 through to the dramatic climax of last season.
In recent weeks the old warhorses of the City Ground scene have been sharpening their knives and calling on ol' CC to retreat and go back to 442 - but are they right?
In Calderwood's favour is the fact that the new formation is much more flexible. It allows for greater numbers behind the ball when defending and greater emphasis going forward from the very nature of the fact it morphs from 451 to 433. It suits a counter attacking team with pace as its strength, something CC desperately wants from his Tricky Trees.
Very often as well it can turn into a 442, if necessary, with a wide man tucking back and a winger pushing forwards, showing an inbuilt ability to alter without substitution. 433/451 also contains a space for the 'Makelele role' - that tireless enforcer who patrols the midfield stifling out attacks - important for defensive stability.
442 by comparision has had a tendency to look pedestrian. Witness Germany's transition when they changed from a flat, flimsy 442 to a dynamic 433/451 mid European championsip which took them further in the tournament than their abilities should have expressed.
One argument in the Evening Post - from one of those sages Burns or Birtles - said that Forest had been undone by '442 teams' such as Doncaster last year. Whoever it was obviously hadn't paid much attention to League One's most stylish passing outfit. O'Driscoll often tinkered but mainly stuck with what could be described as a 433/451 formation which outwitted many of less talented League One line ups. Many others are choosing this option now too. Ferguson secured the Premier League title with a swashbuckling 433, Chelsea pushed them to the wire by returning the Mourinho's old 433/451 and the Champions League version of Benitez's Liverpool are much more dangerous than their domestic alter ego, playing a 4-2-3-1.
It's not enough to choose a formation because others are but it's certainly worth considering why successful sides are looking beyond 442.
Flexibility, innovation and keeping up with the Jones' may be one thing however but the chief concerns with maintaining this formation in the Championsip may well be deficiencies in the current starting 11 on Trentside.
433/451 requires strong full backs to be able to cope without constant cover and there are still question marks over Luke Chambers' ability in that role and maybe Jules' discipline on the other flank.
Questions may also be raised about the 'winger-cum-strikers' in the squad. They need to do a lot of work to make the formation viable and have to have an impact for it to be successful. Davies, Anderson and Tyson have had or are having injury concerns and all four (including McCleary) are unproven at this level.
The other issue is the striking role. Many times last year Forest frustratingly looked limp going forward because of a lack of support for the central striker. Done badly 433/451 could leave Earnshaw/Cole/Garner/Tyson chasing shadows and wasting their undoubted talent.
Those points will need to be resolved over the season but for now it's obvious that CC wants his 433/451. It also seems obvious to this blogger that we should not just dismiss this out of hand. I don't profess to know whether CC's formation will work but the days when 442 was the best and most viable option are gone and calling for 442 for 442's sake doesn't make sense. Managers are opting for more flexible models in ever increasing numbers - let's just hope CC knows how to make it work here next season. Over to you Colin....
It seems inevitable that come the big kick off in August Colin Calderwood sending out his charges in a 433/451 formation. He's built a squad containing winger-cum-striker types in Arron Davies, Garath McCleary, Paul Anderson and he is seemingly trying (rightly or wrongly) to fit Nathan Tyson into this mould. He's also previously spoke of his distrust of our form in a 442 and peservered with 433/451 through to the dramatic climax of last season.
In recent weeks the old warhorses of the City Ground scene have been sharpening their knives and calling on ol' CC to retreat and go back to 442 - but are they right?
In Calderwood's favour is the fact that the new formation is much more flexible. It allows for greater numbers behind the ball when defending and greater emphasis going forward from the very nature of the fact it morphs from 451 to 433. It suits a counter attacking team with pace as its strength, something CC desperately wants from his Tricky Trees.
Very often as well it can turn into a 442, if necessary, with a wide man tucking back and a winger pushing forwards, showing an inbuilt ability to alter without substitution. 433/451 also contains a space for the 'Makelele role' - that tireless enforcer who patrols the midfield stifling out attacks - important for defensive stability.
442 by comparision has had a tendency to look pedestrian. Witness Germany's transition when they changed from a flat, flimsy 442 to a dynamic 433/451 mid European championsip which took them further in the tournament than their abilities should have expressed.
One argument in the Evening Post - from one of those sages Burns or Birtles - said that Forest had been undone by '442 teams' such as Doncaster last year. Whoever it was obviously hadn't paid much attention to League One's most stylish passing outfit. O'Driscoll often tinkered but mainly stuck with what could be described as a 433/451 formation which outwitted many of less talented League One line ups. Many others are choosing this option now too. Ferguson secured the Premier League title with a swashbuckling 433, Chelsea pushed them to the wire by returning the Mourinho's old 433/451 and the Champions League version of Benitez's Liverpool are much more dangerous than their domestic alter ego, playing a 4-2-3-1.
It's not enough to choose a formation because others are but it's certainly worth considering why successful sides are looking beyond 442.
Flexibility, innovation and keeping up with the Jones' may be one thing however but the chief concerns with maintaining this formation in the Championsip may well be deficiencies in the current starting 11 on Trentside.
433/451 requires strong full backs to be able to cope without constant cover and there are still question marks over Luke Chambers' ability in that role and maybe Jules' discipline on the other flank.
Questions may also be raised about the 'winger-cum-strikers' in the squad. They need to do a lot of work to make the formation viable and have to have an impact for it to be successful. Davies, Anderson and Tyson have had or are having injury concerns and all four (including McCleary) are unproven at this level.
The other issue is the striking role. Many times last year Forest frustratingly looked limp going forward because of a lack of support for the central striker. Done badly 433/451 could leave Earnshaw/Cole/Garner/Tyson chasing shadows and wasting their undoubted talent.
Those points will need to be resolved over the season but for now it's obvious that CC wants his 433/451. It also seems obvious to this blogger that we should not just dismiss this out of hand. I don't profess to know whether CC's formation will work but the days when 442 was the best and most viable option are gone and calling for 442 for 442's sake doesn't make sense. Managers are opting for more flexible models in ever increasing numbers - let's just hope CC knows how to make it work here next season. Over to you Colin....
Sunday, 13 July 2008
Oh for obscurity.......
Well we did it. Forest are back in the Championship after a long and tortuous exile in the murky depths of League One. The celebrations have been long and joyous but now that the relief and excitement have passed it seems as though some among the Tricky Tree faithful are expecting big things next season too.
This is perhaps understandable - fuelled partly by memories of an age when Psycho would rampage down the left flank, Nigel would scheme and craft and Old Big 'Ead would have a well drilled team playing fabulous flowing football in the Garibaldi. Memories of these days (still extremely fond for this blogger) and of course of times even before that when Forest achieved 'that which we should not mention for fear of being branded as living in the past' lead many fans to the belief, if not the hope, that we can be a player on the biggest of stages once again.
The optimism for some has also been born out of the promsing activity in the transfer market. Robert Earnshaw's arrival for 2.65m brings a much-needed out and out goalscorer to the team. Earnshaw may have wandered from club to club a little since his Cardiff days but few can match his pedigree at this level. The size of the fee also shows that we now have some financial clout to compete in the transfer market and gone are the days when poor Paul Hart was forced to put the entire squad up for sale.
Earnshaw will be joined in the striking ranks by Andy 'call me Andrew' Cole. The 'Nottingham lad done good' who returns home for a career swansong. His arrival is perhaps 10 years too late to get too excited about but still given last year's exploits of messrs Windass and Phillips he could still have a big impact and provide some know-how and nous that was lacking at times last year, partcularly away from home.
Salivating at the thought of Earnshaw, Cole and Tyson being unleashed has got many rushing to the bookies for a bet on a successful season.
Our 'great leader Nigel' has also fanned the flames of the optimism surrounding the club. He has spoken about money being available for wages and fees of top players and has said that he won't be happy until we reach the Premier League. With noises like this from the top of the club surely we should be optimistic!!
Others too have looked to last season. Could we not match the exploits of unfancied Hull City or at least compete with the likes of Bristol City who were an instant success in their first year??
So history+ signings + boardroom buoyancy + the trend of last year = guaranteed success right??
I have a feeling it just won't be that easy. Our history might mean something in terms of attracting players and our ability to pull in fans for gate receipts et al but we are not necessarily the big fish in the small pond anymore. Now we must compete with Birmingham, Reading, the Sheffield clubs, Wolves, Coventry, QPR, Crystal Palace, Southampton, Watford, the East Anglian clubs and our sheep bothering neighbours who all through recent success or tradition should expect to do well at this level. In other words the size of our club (debated ad nauseam) is irrelevant.
The signings so far are indeed impressive but to some extent merely replace, in terms of numbers, what was lost when Commons (cough, spit, boo, hiss) Agogo, Holt, Clingan and the loan boys left for pastures new. The players we've got may be better but the squad does still look a tad short in some areas.
The right back situation also concerns me. Our Stranraer supremo CC may rate Chambers in that role but he has shown signs of discomfort if a rampaging winger runs at him and there is some doubt at his ability to fill that role at Championship level. To an extent his goal scoring exploits helped hide the odd deficiency in his technique last year and I fear he could come unstuck against the big guns.
The boardroom statements have been postive and have been born out with the activity thus far. However the bold promise that we won't rest until we get to the Premier League made me wince a little and evoked awkward memories of the 'We're Serious...' campaign. It's good to be positive but one step at a time....
Last year's trend in the division may also be misleading and merely showed to me how difficult this division has become. Teams the standard of Norwich, the Sheffield sides, and Coventry laboured in the lower reaches. These teams only really lacked the consistency of the play off contenders and there will be very few gimmes in the way that Millwall or Tranmere at home were. Hull and Bristol are good examples of sides coming up and doing well but for every one of them there's been a Southend and Scunthorpe that have had the wind taken out of their sales by the tough test offered by the Championship. Parachute payments and TV deals have helped fuel a fiercely competitive league.
So where does that leave us? Storming to the play offs or plummeting back from where we came?? Well I hope, and I would be delighted if this were true, that it leaves us somewhere in between.
After the agonising years missing out on the play offs at Sheff Utd, struggling against and eventually succumbing to relegation from the Champ, floundering in an attempt to come back and finally, dramatically and wonderfully getting back up I'd be happy for a rest from all that thank you! My nerves can't take any more.
Oh for a season of good attacking football, competitive results (esp against the Sheep) and mid table obscurity!
Promotion should, in the cold light of day, be beyond us. Relegation, thanks to some good signings, should be avoidable. Let's take time to build, grow and improve and revel in obscurity for a change!
This is perhaps understandable - fuelled partly by memories of an age when Psycho would rampage down the left flank, Nigel would scheme and craft and Old Big 'Ead would have a well drilled team playing fabulous flowing football in the Garibaldi. Memories of these days (still extremely fond for this blogger) and of course of times even before that when Forest achieved 'that which we should not mention for fear of being branded as living in the past' lead many fans to the belief, if not the hope, that we can be a player on the biggest of stages once again.
The optimism for some has also been born out of the promsing activity in the transfer market. Robert Earnshaw's arrival for 2.65m brings a much-needed out and out goalscorer to the team. Earnshaw may have wandered from club to club a little since his Cardiff days but few can match his pedigree at this level. The size of the fee also shows that we now have some financial clout to compete in the transfer market and gone are the days when poor Paul Hart was forced to put the entire squad up for sale.
Earnshaw will be joined in the striking ranks by Andy 'call me Andrew' Cole. The 'Nottingham lad done good' who returns home for a career swansong. His arrival is perhaps 10 years too late to get too excited about but still given last year's exploits of messrs Windass and Phillips he could still have a big impact and provide some know-how and nous that was lacking at times last year, partcularly away from home.
Salivating at the thought of Earnshaw, Cole and Tyson being unleashed has got many rushing to the bookies for a bet on a successful season.
Our 'great leader Nigel' has also fanned the flames of the optimism surrounding the club. He has spoken about money being available for wages and fees of top players and has said that he won't be happy until we reach the Premier League. With noises like this from the top of the club surely we should be optimistic!!
Others too have looked to last season. Could we not match the exploits of unfancied Hull City or at least compete with the likes of Bristol City who were an instant success in their first year??
So history+ signings + boardroom buoyancy + the trend of last year = guaranteed success right??
I have a feeling it just won't be that easy. Our history might mean something in terms of attracting players and our ability to pull in fans for gate receipts et al but we are not necessarily the big fish in the small pond anymore. Now we must compete with Birmingham, Reading, the Sheffield clubs, Wolves, Coventry, QPR, Crystal Palace, Southampton, Watford, the East Anglian clubs and our sheep bothering neighbours who all through recent success or tradition should expect to do well at this level. In other words the size of our club (debated ad nauseam) is irrelevant.
The signings so far are indeed impressive but to some extent merely replace, in terms of numbers, what was lost when Commons (cough, spit, boo, hiss) Agogo, Holt, Clingan and the loan boys left for pastures new. The players we've got may be better but the squad does still look a tad short in some areas.
The right back situation also concerns me. Our Stranraer supremo CC may rate Chambers in that role but he has shown signs of discomfort if a rampaging winger runs at him and there is some doubt at his ability to fill that role at Championship level. To an extent his goal scoring exploits helped hide the odd deficiency in his technique last year and I fear he could come unstuck against the big guns.
The boardroom statements have been postive and have been born out with the activity thus far. However the bold promise that we won't rest until we get to the Premier League made me wince a little and evoked awkward memories of the 'We're Serious...' campaign. It's good to be positive but one step at a time....
Last year's trend in the division may also be misleading and merely showed to me how difficult this division has become. Teams the standard of Norwich, the Sheffield sides, and Coventry laboured in the lower reaches. These teams only really lacked the consistency of the play off contenders and there will be very few gimmes in the way that Millwall or Tranmere at home were. Hull and Bristol are good examples of sides coming up and doing well but for every one of them there's been a Southend and Scunthorpe that have had the wind taken out of their sales by the tough test offered by the Championship. Parachute payments and TV deals have helped fuel a fiercely competitive league.
So where does that leave us? Storming to the play offs or plummeting back from where we came?? Well I hope, and I would be delighted if this were true, that it leaves us somewhere in between.
After the agonising years missing out on the play offs at Sheff Utd, struggling against and eventually succumbing to relegation from the Champ, floundering in an attempt to come back and finally, dramatically and wonderfully getting back up I'd be happy for a rest from all that thank you! My nerves can't take any more.
Oh for a season of good attacking football, competitive results (esp against the Sheep) and mid table obscurity!
Promotion should, in the cold light of day, be beyond us. Relegation, thanks to some good signings, should be avoidable. Let's take time to build, grow and improve and revel in obscurity for a change!
Rants etc..............
I've finally decided to jump aboard the world wide web revolution and channel my thoughts through the realms of the blogging hemisphere!
Join me for a spin through my opinions!
I'm intending this to be mostly about my beloved Nottingham Forest (hence the title) but occasionally i'm sure i'll veer off into cricket the wider world of football and who knows what else....
Join me for a spin through my opinions!
I'm intending this to be mostly about my beloved Nottingham Forest (hence the title) but occasionally i'm sure i'll veer off into cricket the wider world of football and who knows what else....