Philippe Montanier: The dead man walking who struggled with an impossible job

The history books will show that Philippe Montanier was given the sack on January 14 but, in essence, his brief reign at the City Ground really ended on August 28th.

#NFFC can confirm that the club have parted company with head coach Philippe Montanier. https://t.co/uWe14CZ5O2 pic.twitter.com/lobMR5tX0D

— Nottingham Forest FC (@NFFC) January 14, 2017

August 27th, the day before the sale of Oliver Burke, had been a happy one. A third win of the season kept up the perfect start at home, with Leeds put to the sword. The threat of Monk's men had finally been nullified by a late and decisive blow from the ace up Philippe's smartly tailored sleeves - Burke netting for a fourth time in the season. Not only that, but the manager been given assurances that the 'Scottish Gareth Bale' would not be sold.

The sale of Oliver Burke the next day must have come as a hammer blow. Philippe had no time to spend the incoming money that, according to the boasts of the owner, had been a 'good deal'. None of us really knows whether he would have had it to spend anyway. Regardless of that, the sale undermined Philippe and set the tone. This wasn't a club on the up, aiming to challenge with bright young talent after all. It wasn't a job where you could succeed and make a difference, it was a job where you tried to prolong the sack for as long as you could.

That Montanier only finally lost his job in January is more down to the protracted takeover talks than anything else and it can't have been easy knowing that he was not the choice of either the current or future owner. No-one can blame him for sticking around to get his pay-off - that's pretty much the only perk to taking up the City Ground hotseat these days.

It feels such a shame that Philippe became just the latest in the list of managerial victims of the Fawaz regime. He cut a dashing figure on the touchline, delivered excitement on the pitch, blooded our youngsters, extolled the virtues of cheese and genuinely seemed a ruddy nice bloke. There was even a song for him, to the tune of Blondie's Denis, that deserved greater use.



Still, Philippe was the head coach in a continental-style club structure that, along with the Greek takeover, never materialised. Director of Football Pedro Pereira was soon gone, leaving the Frenchman the sole survivor of an abandoned strategy that could only have worked if we'd ever inserted the other pieces of the puzzle.

On top of all that, he must've been scratching his head at the never-ending injury saga which continues to be forgotten about amid Fawaz's circus.

That's not to say the former Real Sociedad boss was perfect, far from it. Over time, he took the bad hand he's been dealt and played it badly. He struggled to settle on a line-up, deployed players out of position and managed just two clean sheets, one in his last game. His teams weren't solid enough or good enough on the ball to dominate for long periods and suffered as a result.

Even victories left us scratching our heads at times. While Philippe can take much credit from the spirited showings in the early home games or at Villa away, say, the signs were there in all of those performances that there were many flaws in the team and squad.

None of us knows if he had any say in the transfers or whether that was the sole preserve of Pedro Pereira. The sad fact, however, is that none of the new arrivals has really worked. You could make a clear case that our best XI would not include any summer signings.

Then there were moments - such as the penalty argument between Henri Lansbury and Britt Assombalonga or Eric Lichaj switching positions with Matty Cash - in which you questioned his control over the squad. His laid-back approach probably wasn't suited to players that needed a boot up the proverbial.

Still, that criticism is harsh for a man who maintained his dignity and professionalism amid chaos. He'll at least be able to write off his failure as being a product of the conditions at a 'crisis club'.

His will be another reign defined by 'what ifs'. What if the Greeks had taken over? What if he'd been part of a proper club structure? What if he'd not had his bright young star sold against his wishes? What if he'd been able to pick from a fully fit squad?

Au revoir Philippe. No hard feelings, eh?

Fawaz's tweets show he's learned nothing from four years of failure

There's an unhealthy sense of 'here we go again' when Fawaz tweets isn't there? Last night's social media missives showed, once again, that he's learned very little from four years of failure at the City Ground.

First of all came the unedifying spectacle of young Ben Brereton's contract announcement seemingly being rushed out to detract away from yet another paperwork fiasco.

Pleased to announce that Ben Brereton has signed a new contract with #NFFC

— @FAWAZ_ALHASAWI (@fawaz_alhasawi1) December 31, 2016

That should have been a moment to rejoice - yet another academy star set to emerge from the production line. Instead it came at a time when the club was having to explain away yet another red tape cock up.

It might only be a 'formality' but the fact is that failure to provide financial paperwork to the FA has caused us to be placed in yet another transfer embargo. It might be easily solved when the takeover is complete but it really shouldn't have happened and it can't have impressed John Jay Moores and co. There's a way to bow out with dignity and professionalism and this is not it.

Worse still came in Fawaz's replies to fans. Now, you might argue that Fawaz gets a lot of unnecessary abuse on Twitter and I'm sure he does. There's no excuse for violent or abusive language directed towards anyone. To be honest, I've always felt that anyone who descends into dropping the 'c bomb' diminishes any point they might want to make. I'm no prude but there's no need.

However, right from the start Fawaz has revelled in the attention he has been able to get on social media. He's made transfer announcements and released other club news through the medium of 140 characters. He's set the tone and should've known that there would be rough to come with the smooth. It's easy to say you want to have a direct line to the fans but that does mean having to keep your cool when you don't like what you hear from them.

Last night he became defensive over a sarcastic comment about the Oliver Burke money.

@KRichmond2 13 million 13 million 13 million Do you know how much money 💰 I invest in nffc

— @FAWAZ_ALHASAWI (@fawaz_alhasawi1) December 31, 2016

The more I think about this tweet, the more I think it sums up what has gone wrong under Fawaz's leadership.

Firstly, it's hardly the language of someone who wants to be seen as a serious businessman is it? In fact, it sounds pretty petty to me.

Secondly, Fawaz has to accept that the reason why he's being ridiculed for the sale of Oliver Burke is because it looks set to be a spectacularly bad piece of business. Fawaz himself boasted about what a great deal he'd got for the prodigal winger and gave a confusing set of interviews in which he hinted that the manager would have the money to spend in January. Does anyone think we'll ever see any of that cash spent on the playing staff? If the money was, in reality, needed for FFP then we've been misled and Burke has been sacrificed to cover up Fawaz's failings. Either way, it's a mess.

Then there's the sheer hypocrisy of the question in his tweet. Do we know how much Fawaz has put into the club? Well, no actually. But, funnily enough, neither does the FA. The fact is that if Fawaz had bothered to fill out the paperwork and say how much he'd spent then we wouldn't be in an embargo and the new owner wouldn't have a mess to mop up. What awful timing to be trying to score that particular point.

Then there's the word 'invest'. A more accurate alternative would surely be 'waste'. Fawaz has poured money into inflated contracts and fees for average players and fired a succession of managers. His only plan has been to spend more to try to paper over the cracks. However much Fawaz has spent, it's said to be in the region of £100 million, the fact is that he could have got away with spending half the amount if he'd run the club properly and might well have got us to the Premier League. The sole reason he has spent quite so much is because the money he's stumped up has been used badly.

Money is necessary in the mad world of the Championship, yes, but organisation and structure are worth their weight in gold. The fact that he still sees his money as an 'investment' makes me think he hasn't learned a jot. His legacy is to leave a club with zero structure and a diminishing reputation. Some investment.

Last night he also asked fans to consider the players he had bought. Again, in a well run club he'd have provided the money needed for others to do the buying. It shouldn't have been about him and his ego. His role should have been about holding those to account who spent the money on his behalf.

It's worth adding the disclaimer that I know the person Fawaz tweeted. He's a good friend. As a result I also happen to know this person spends an awful lot of their time and money going around the country watching the mess of a club Fawaz has presided over. He's been a Forest fan longer than Fawaz and will still be here when he gets bored and clears off for good (it seems like he's clinging on to 20% for now). Frankly, given the mess Kev has watched, he's earned the right to make a sarcastic joke about the club. I'm sure there's plenty worse he could have said.

I gave Fawaz plenty of time. I still don't think he came with the intention of doing anything dodgy. I think he wanted the glory of leading us to the top flight and, frankly, I wasn't bothered if his ego trip coincided with success for the club too. But, whatever his intentions, he hasn't been up to the challenge. It really is time to go now.

Freedman sacked as Fawaz's Forest farce continues

I've tried to give Fawaz the benefit of the doubt. Even now I think his heart's probably in the right place. He's got money and he wants to make a success of Nottingham Forest. But, let's face it, he hasn't got a single clue how to bring that success about. We're further away from being a Premier League club off the pitch than we are on it and - as anyone who saw us put to the sword in the second half yesterday will attest - that's saying something.

Dougie Freedman's sacking is the latest piece of nonsensical management from the club. And by the club I mean Fawaz and that bloke that looks 16 and has seemingly never heard of a direct debit since there seems to be little else resembling a 'structure' at the City Ground. His departure means that the current owner still hasn't stuck by one manager for a whole season.

BREAKING: #Nffc terminate the contract of manager Dougie Freedman with immediate effect. pic.twitter.com/BKlUUh4DxC

— BBC Nottingham Sport (@BBCRNS) March 13, 2016

Dougie wasn't the messiah, let's not kid ourselves. His style was stodgy at times and he wasn't the most charismatic of figureheads. But he's rolled his sleeves up, worked with the twin pressures of an embargo and crippling injury list and done some much-needed dirty work. He's started to build a side - from the back as you should - and has helped to trim the budget and mop up Fawaz's financial mess. Ironically when he's tried to be more attacking (was he leant on by Fawaz?) it has cost him his job.

We did need to see more goals and more style in time if we were to be capable of contesting promotion but Dougie had earned the right to be given a chance at the job with his star players fit and a transfer budget. Now that he's been denied that chance his rebuilding work is put at risk. The whole of the last year might well be for nothing. The style won't magically improve by sacking the man who has moulded the current 11. In fact the risk of relegation, something Fawaz told Natalie Jackson in mitigation, has just been made worse. Freedman at least knew how to batten down the hatches and tough out a few points.

Fawaz has to understand that their is a direct relationship between the style and substance on the pitch and his actions off it. Attendances, another concern, are hardly going to rise when the owner himself has pretty much written off the season by leaving a caretaker in charge.

Fawaztells me he tried his best to keep DF & wants stability for #nffc but is worried about relegation, fans concern over style of play 1/2

— Natalie Jackson (@NatJacksonsport) March 13, 2016

.. and falling attendances. He also says he wants to take his time over appointing a new manager and won't rush. 2/2 #nffc

— Natalie Jackson (@NatJacksonsport) March 13, 2016

Paul Williams now takes charge for the run in. He's a Freedman recruit of course but looks to have some promising and progressive ideas learned under the tutelage of Mauricio Pochettino at Southampton and has a small amount of experience at Brentford. He seems a bright prospect, which means he'll have no chance of getting the nod full time. Quite how he's supposed to impress is anyone's guess. Not getting our trousers unceremoniously pulled down at Hull and Derby would be a start. Good luck with that.

The Freedman regime didn't just include Williams of course. You doubt that the wise old words of Lennie Lawrence will be heard around the training ground for much longer and Dougie clearly had contacts in France and Spain who dug up some decent transfer targets. He'd also just recruited a 'head of sport science' from Charlton and, most frustratingly of all, had lined up a striker to try to fill the goalscoring void in his team. Little else symbolises the ridiculousness of the situation better than sanctioning the loan deal of a striker and then sacking a manager before he gets the chance to use him on the pitch.

If it's not Williams, then who next? This is, after all, a hotseat turned down by Neil Warnock. The same Neil Warnock that fancied the Rotherham job (and I genuinely mean no disrespect to Rotherham there). Most managers would probably need a minimum of two seasons to gain promotion - and that's if everything goes in their favour - yet it's highly unlikely that anyone appointed will get two years. In that sense it's a near-impossible job.

Perhaps most frustratingly of all is the situation regarding the running of the club. I'm under no illusions that operating a Championship football club is easy but Fawaz is clearly struggling. He has the money and the ambition but he badly needs someone to run the 'business' on his behalf. So far he hasn't shown willing to let anyone do that.

It's highly likely that the 'Fawaz out' ranks will be bolstered by Freedman's sacking. Yet even that makes me nervous. If he does decide to pack his bags but asks for as much as a third of the £67million-plus he is owed in loans to be paid back, then the club's future is in jeopardy. This club - supposedly celebrating a 150th anniversary - has been had many firsts in its history, being the first big name to fold is too horrific to contemplate.

The feeling towards the owner could well turn even more sour in the coming week. By taking this course of action Fawaz has put himself in the spotlight. If we lose heavily at Derby he'll undoubtedly bear the brunt of the fans' ire. Is he ready for that? Given that he seems unable to ignore people on Twitter I fear not. Those fans willing to go along with him before aren't likely to stand up for him too strongly either. It could turn ugly.

Just a final thought: is anyone really that confident we'll come out of the embargo in the summer? Our track record in delivering paperwork, meeting deadlines and working around FFP isn't great, to put it mildly, and I'm not counting my chickens that it'll happen.

16 questions I'm pondering about Forest under Fawaz

I can't decide what the most appropriate description is any more. Are Forest a soap opera, a circus or one of those trashy 'scripted reality' ITV shows? The Only Way Is Mid Table? (or is that ambitious)

Today saw the departure of Leon Hunter, the football co-ordinator drafted in from Stevenage to, seemingly, add some much needed structure and strategy to the running of the club.

His resignation was followed by some worrying comments from Telegraph journalist John Percy, which only added to the prevailing mood on social media.

@sportchippers shambles. Most players paid late again last month, Freedman on the brink..At least the film is a reminder we're a proper club

— John Percy (@JPercyTelegraph) October 23, 2015

@dix_nffc90 @sportchippers heartbreaking mate. Have deliberately kept quiet for months but the place is being ruined. People need to know

— John Percy (@JPercyTelegraph) October 23, 2015

The whole situation had added to a growing list of mysteries surrounding the running of the club. I'm not arrogant enough to think I speak for everyone - or that I'm 'important' enough to get answers - but here's 16(ish) questions that I'd love to know the answers to...

*Why has Leon Hunter really left?

*Hunter's departure is similarly swift to the exit of Paul Faulkner as chief executive. What prompted Faulkner to leave his post at the City Ground?

*Is it true that employees of the club were paid late? If so, why?

*Why do we, from time to time, encounter the threat of legal action over unpaid bills?

*Who exactly is responsible for the finances of the club? Is Fawaz the only one with a chequebook?

*Why does Fawaz allow himself to get drawn into social media spats? Surely this isn't the advice of Adrian Bevington?

Thanks for all the comments #nffc

— @FAWAZ_ALHASAWI (@fawaz_alhasawi1) October 23, 2015

*Why exactly has Liam Trotter not signed? Dougie didn't seem to know on Tuesday night and reports have been conflicting and confusing.

*What went wrong with Ben Hamer? Why did we go through the process of announcing his capture if the deal wasn't done?

*Was Dougie barred from selling Lansbury by Fawaz?

*is anyone at the club doing anything to address the worrying slide in match day attendances? The club used to be at the forefront of promotions such as 'kids for a quid' - could it not embrace '20s plenty' or such like?

*We're told that the club is likely to qualify to come out of a transfer embargo next summer. What is the plan after that and what strategy is in place to ensure we don't just revert to spending too much on average players again?

*What wages were actually paid to Jamie Mackie and Djamal Abdoun and why?

*What is the process for selecting new managers? What criteria do we look for?

*When will we last a whole season with the same man in charge?

*What is Fawaz's business experience? Why doesn't he appoint someone to handle day-to-day affairs? Where is the rest of his family?

*Why is the sentiment on social media much more hostile to the manager than it is among those in the stadium?

I'm sure some people might have answers - or part answers - to the issues raised above. I can think of a few suggestions. Little, in truth, is known about the way many football clubs are run. One things for certain though, 'smooth', 'organised' and 'logical' are not words typically attached to Nottingham Forest at the moment.

Still, there's a game on tomorrow. At least we can get back to the action on the pitch...

Forest 1 Cardiff 2, again, as we're left to ponder 'what if?'

We live in a world of 'what ifs?' at the City Ground at the moment. Take, for instance, every team announcement. A quick glance over the squad list will lead you to ponder what the side would be like if Chris Cohen, Andy Reid, Britt Assombalonga and Matt Fryatt were fit. For yesterday's 2-1 defeat to Cardiff Henri Lansbury was added to that list.

I enjoyed the 1995/6-style programme

Injuries are one thing to consider, transfers are another. What if we lose Michail Antonio, Michael Mancienne, Jack Hobbs? What players can Dougie conjure from his magic tartan hat if they go? What is the point of FFP if barely anyone else pays it even the slightest bit of attention?

All this means it's a welcome relief to concentrate on a game or two. A relief, that is, until you're 2-0 down and struggling en route to a third 2-1 defeat to the Bluebirds in a row.

Cardiff City do, in many ways, sum up why this division is difficult to predict. After a tame return to Championship action that offered little evidence of a promotion challenge, many might have predicted Russell Slade would soon be packing away his baseball cap and looking for pastures new.

Still, after years of hectic comings and goings, Cardiff have embraced stability and benefitted from a strong start to the current term. They've largely stuck with the players they had and have stopped loaning their best talent out to other Championship sides.

That bore fruit yesterday, especially in the first half. Lee Peltier once again enjoyed his tussle with Antonio at the right of a well-organised back four. Peter Whittingham - yes, him - now puts his wand-like left foot to use to pull the strings deeper in midfield and Kenwyne Jones will threaten any defence at this level.

It was the latter two that, inevitably, combined to put Cardiff ahead. Whittingham - teed up by a tame Eric Lichaj header - curled a delicious cross and Jones left our unconvincing centre halves for dead to power past Dorus De Vries. What if we had Reid and Assombalonga to replicate such play, eh?

The international break certainly leaves Dougie with the time required to get his defence in shape. The Mills-Hobbs combination hasn't been authoritative and this was the worst of the former Hull City man's 50-plus games in the Garibaldi Red.

Forest huffed and puffed. Tyler Walker tried hard - and came close with a decent effort - and David Vaughan showed his class but there was little else. Kyle Ebecilio didn't quite look as bright as he did on debut last week, Chris Burke - up against a former employer - couldn't get into the game and Michael Mancienne looked a lost soul in midfield. You could forgive him for looking around at the 'Mills and Hobbs Show' and wondering why, if they were performing like that, he couldn't command a place in his preferred position.

Ben Osborn injected some much-needed energy into the side after replacing Ebecilio at the break but the second half had barely begun before Antony Pilkington's cross had been nodded home by Joe Mason, a man Freedman had on loan at Bolton, to leave a mountain to be climbed.

What followed next appeared to be a bit of a mess. Antonio had been shifted to a central position to shake off the shackles of Peltier and co. We then threw on Dexter Blackstock for Burke. So, to chase the two goals we needed, we had Osborn on the left, Mancienne in central midfield, Tyler on the right and Antonio operating virtually as a central striker. Four players out of position.

Yet sometimes in the Championship logic isn't everything. Cardiff actually struggled to know how to mark Michail and Dexter's introduction provided a physical threat that seemed to unsettle the centre halves. What if we'd attacked them like this earlier?

Cardiff creaked but, thanks to David Marshall, held firm. The stopper's efforts (what if he hadn't been in such good form?) meant Tyler Walker was somewhat unfortunate to depart the pitch goalless. Des' son and heir, voted the man of the match, was replaced by another teenage prodigy in Gerry McDonagh.

The push for a goal eventually bore fruit. A flick on from Dexter played in Michail Antonio and he kept his composure to ensure Marshall was finally beaten. Personally I feel we need to keep everything crossed that he's still with us when the window shut at 6pm on Tuesday. If not our goal threat will be severely diminished and it could be a long slog of a season.

With the window closed and the chance to spend training time with the foreign imports and up-and-coming youngsters, things could improve. If we hold on to our assets and sneak a freebie or loan in then things could also look a little rosier.

Let's hope so. After all the biggest of the 'what ifs' is something we don't really want to have to contemplate: What if Fawaz gets tired of results going against us and pulls the trigger again?

You can watch the goals from #NFFC's 2-1 defeat to Cardiff City on our YouTube channel now. https://t.co/mwnJZdQ2gK pic.twitter.com/s76uaVNnTN

— Nottingham Forest FC (@Official_NFFC) August 30, 2015