Monday 31 August 2009

Rams bleating makes victory sweeter

Nathan Tyson was foolish to brandish a Forest flag in front of the travelling Derby fans on Saturday. There, I've said it. That's for all the do-gooders and safety conscious amongst you.

Still, it was sort of funny wasn't it?

A reporter asked Billy Davies after the game if the post-match scenes had taken the gloss off victory at the weekend. He replied, in typical forthright manner, that it hadn't. He was right....in fact for most of us it added another coat didn't it?

The more the Rams bleat on about Tyson's fledgling standard bearer career the longer the smug smirk befitting a derby-day victor stays implanted on my face.

Am I biased? Totally. But it also has to be said that there were better ways of diffusing the Tyson situation than wading in for a confrontation.

Robbie Savage, chief bleater, is like the evil bastard son of Peter Pan and Neil Warnock. Childlike in his pursuit of attention and inability to accept defeat he also seems hell bent on starting a refereeing career before packing in his playing days. Harassing and haranguing are now his prime talents and a stint in charge of Sheffield United surely awaits when he retires.

Childish as Tyson's celebration may have been, so too was sour grapes Savage's pathetic post match protestations. Is this not the man who has mooned, gestured, scarf waved and grinned opposition fans to equal anger over the years? Coming from anyone else his arguments may have held water but seriously, Robbie Savage complaining about someone winding fans up? Next week Jeremy Clarkson hits out at a male bias in motor journalism...

Although one Sheep botherer I dislike more than Savage is Stephen Bywater. Why? Maybe it's the fact he has the head of a lego man and a face I'd love to slap. Or maybe it's the fact he's overrated, seemingly by himself as much as anyone. Or maybe it's the fact that I've seen him take part in pathetic attempts to wind Forest fans up. (But he didn't have a corner flag in his hand so it's ok). Or maybe it's all of the above and more. I just don't like him. Hopefully he's wound up now too.

So if the Sheep are unhappy that's fine. I'm happy to wallow in the first win over Derby for far too long for now. The game highlighted strengths (attacking flair, McKenna) and weaknesses (fragile confidence, defence) and contained magic from Raddy Majewski that will go down in folklore along with Camp's save from last season.

After a game packed with drama during and after I think we all need that international break to recover. And to gloat of course!