Blow ya whistle ref !!

When British rail introduced the class 142 pacer unit in 1985 it looked shiny and new did the job  but was unfashionable, As I climb aboard 0817 to Preston I look at the 32 year old train and notice it's looking very tired, struggling to cope and quite dirty.

 
I'm on my way to Nottingham and rather embarrassingly it's for my first game of the 2016/17 season versus Reading and probably my last. Hopefully I will see us get some points as our perilous position puts us only one point above Blackburn who are in the drop zone, lose today and we will most probably be in relegation positions, I woke up this matchday morning at 3am and realised it would be futile to try and go back to sleep, so off I crept downstairs and decided to put a  DVD on , the film was called "I Believe in miracles" strangely enough it was still in its wrapping from Xmas 15, never got round to watching it although I had read the book, which I must say was excellent due to the skills of Daniel Taylor. after watching this fantastic film I must admit I thought today would produce some devine miracle as we definitely need one. My 3rd train pulled into Nottingham station on time at 12:23 by 12:45 I would be tasting  my first pint in the world renowned Trent Bridge Inn alongside my friends Chris and Elliott. The usual tactical banter was missing and most of the talk was about who would beat who and all the permutations of our relegation plight. As we eventually went through the turnstiles into The main stand I looked up at the ground I had visited on hundreds of occasions and realised it was in a condition not to unlike that train I'd first got on this morning, Tired, Dirty and struggling to cope. Hopefully our imminent new Greek owner will address this at a later date.

 My view was excellent and the thought of being in A block was exciting in itself although it was far from being full.
Mull of kintyre was sang and the game was underway, Forest started well and looked up to the task Britt was sharp looking and young Ben Brereton sent a header into the keeper when it would have been easier to score. He made up for it though for just after half a hour he sent a lovely through ball to Britt Assombalonga and you know the rest, The city ground breathed and forest started to turn on the style, Mark Warburton seems to have a football approach to games and the team seem to look like they are enjoying the challenge of playing on the grass from the back rather than the big hoof,. halftime came and went and forest carried on the onslaught it was only a matter of time before Britt made it 2, after a lovely cross from the workhorse Benny Osborne Assombalonga powered in a lovely header and seven minutes later the man of the match Mustapha Carayol walked through the beleaguered Reading defence and slipped a neat shot into the left side of the goal.. 3-0 Forest. Now let's just pause for a second, the gods must have looked down and realised us trickies were getting too cocky.. What!!  Forest are winning without giving their fans a nervous wait, we can't have that can we?  So four minutes later the reds decided a tight game was needed, and allowed Reading to score a very weak goal from Kermorgant, this was just what we didn't need and the crowd seemed to make the players panic and twenty minutes on from cruising 3-0 we were only one ahead, that bloke Kermorgant scored another scrappy goal to reduce the city ground into a quivering wreck. 16 minutes plus injury time to secure a precious 3 points. Please please please hold on!!!. To be honest, although it was a nervous wait I believe we played ourselves back into it and in the final throws of the game could have made it four. As the final whistle was blown the famous old ground cheered the lads off, each one of them fought for that win and got what they earned and to be honest if that's what they did every week and played for the team and fans & shirt then we would probably be at the upper side of the championship table.A quick look at the scores and Blackburn have drawn, that's 3 points between us but our goal difference is far superior, and to top it off villa beat Birmingham on Sunday afternoon. so In my humble opinion we need one more point for safety, wether we get it is another matter but it would be a shame to waste this afternoons hard work. After saying goodbye to my compadres I got the train back to Blackpool. At Manchester piccadilly 200 plus  Bolton fans were singing about their impending promotion to the championship... I got to thinking I hope they are playing us next year?  Gulp... let us pray

One day my son...

Well another seasona ends in a rather anti-climax .Not even a sniff of a play off for the faithful reds , in fact quite the opposite a rather brief brush with the relegation contingent, although it was never a serious threat the fact remains it was a threat .Even though we were under a Embargo the season looked quite exciting as Dougie Freedman signed some quality players to add to a quite good squad. But as the season progressed the curse we seem to be under regarding injuries soon reared its head .
The five year plan that fawaz put together has somehow starting to dissolve. Rumour has it a Greek billionaire is sniffing around and a sale could be forthcoming !! Although fawaz seems to want his chairmanship to remain, one thing is certain and that is once again Nottingham Forest will have to go through more upheaval, all this and  our failure to pay bills on time ,The constant disarray in our administration department and the sacking of yet another manager puts us on the back foot instead of the front foot. Just to rub salt into our very sore wounds Leicester city have marched onto premiership glory, , How times have changed. This should have been a glorious year as we celebrated 150 yrs of the Garibaldi reds, A team which pioneered so many things for the modern game even our miracle men from the late 70s early 80s were made immortal in a fantastic film and book, despite all this the faithful reds still turn up in their thousands, on the eve of our very last game of the 2015/16 season nearly 5 thousand tickets had been sold for a away fixture at MK Dons, quite a feat for a team that has served up so many under par performances this season.In fact the highlights of our season these days seems to be watching Derby County mess up in the play offs.. It's funny but come on we are the team that have 2 stars on our shirts.
each season comes and with it excitement and hope, but like most reds fans have realised by now that hope seems to have abandoned us.and again we ask.!!. next season?,  Will this be the one.? How many times has that been asked over recent years?  Well I'm not putting any bets on a promotion campaign all I really want is my club back with Martin Oniell or some sensible candidate at the helm and some actual stability, the youth academy seems to be back on track since Billy Davies nearly destroyed it, something we can thank SP & Dougie for reviving .whatever happens you know it's not going to be easy.. Especially if it involves Fawaz.But mark my words...one day my son. & that day will come,  Nottingham Forest will be back. FACT

The Longest Day

02.15am already ! My Alarm Can only mean one thing in 15 or so hours Nottingham Forest will be fighting for some kind of dignity against their old foes Derby County in the East Midlands Derby,but first I have to do a shift on the trains , one trip to Manchester Airport from Blackpool and back finishing at 08:00 .not a bad start .by the time I'm on the train to Preston for the arduous journey to Nottingham its 12:30 ....Three trains later I'm stepping off into a very wet and dark Nottingham station. The friendly coppers greet whilst looking for known faces . Two skips and a jump later and I'm in the jury's inn on London road £53 for the night. first impression is quite good to be fair .quick shower , fresh shirt then off to meet a couple of twitter reds in the Fellows pub by the Canal. By this point I hit my first yawn .with a beer inside and a very nice burger its a stroll up to the Mecca of all things football .yes the Magical City ground ,a quick pause on Trent bridge for the customary picture then off to ticket office to meet my lovely Daughter Lyndsey who has our tickets in the lower Bridgeford .our seats were a peach of a view just to the left of the goal looking from the stand. Must admit I didn't feel the vibe before KO ,not sure why but maybe it was the feeling a beating was afoot or the fact that the young adolescent at my side who's armpits smelt so bad that me and Lyndsey almost vomited. a poorly graced minutes silence was observed (i do hope the morons learn some respect one day )...Mull Of Kintyre soon got me back into the mood  and the game started . Forest looked up for it and started well ,Derby kept possession well but never really threatened the forest defence. Then it happened !! God realised that the famous team needed a break so he allowed Nelson Oliveira to send a second shot on goal after his first was blocked, it took a slight deflection and slid into the far corner of the onion bag ....This is where 23 thousand people decided to do a impression of a person getting electrocuted , I personally must covered most of the lower Bridgeford and my breathing proved the point also we were covered in beer by some kind red.... HT came and went and with it the second half bought nerves.. Stop! No it didn't ? Apart from a few long shots and plenty of the familiar possession Derby County produced absolutely nothing of any consequence and for the first time in many a Derby game NFFC looked quite comfy ,in fact we should have extended the lead , the only nervous moment was a free kick in injury time which would have been a injustice if scored. One quality talking point was Tom Ince getting chopped down by our goal scorer and the following chants from the red faithful.... 'ya Dads a T..T And so are you'... this tune has been in my head for days since.
The final whistle came and we had won the ground erupted and the inevitable happened ,euphoria turned into over exciting celebrating and a few silly people decided to go on the pitch , don't think I'll ever forget that bloke and his wife charging at the Derby lot ,funny as . Lyndsey went home and I went into the Southbank via the secret stairway ...I won't say anymore as its a secret. The mood in the pub was great , singing and laughing  even Notts county gave us a laugh by losing to a non lge side on the big screens. After southbank its Trent navigation , more singing rejoicing and tales of how forest are back ,finally at 12am I laid my tired head on the pillow .approx 22 hours ago I started the best fixture of the season .And thanks to Nottingham Forest it turned out as it should ...Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

True reds

now It's been a age since the city ground entertained a premiership football match ,in fact with 3 weeks of the season left on 24 April 1999 Forest were relegated .Which makes it 16 years of championship and league one football respectively. Our last Trophy ,not counting the Brian Clough trophy was won at the now demolished and rebuilt Wembley stadium in 1992, the same season we lost to Manchester United in the League cup final , A thrilling 3-2 win over Southampton in the much maligned full members cup. Thus meaning its 23 years since a cup was paraded on the banks of the river Trent.The point I'm trying to get around to is that the next generation of reds supporters have been very much deprived of success. Apart from a promotion under Colin Calderwood to the championship its been quite grim. Even the playoffs have not been kind to us...ie sheff utd /yeovil / Blackpool / Swansea..
Many of us older lot watched in Awe as Brian And Peter took us to the heights of European and domestic success, Something this new generation must jealously wish they had witnessed instead of the constant reminders from dads ,uncles ,mothers etc .Not that they arnt proud of our history but they deserve their own bragging rights because it could be argued they are to be lauded for sticking to a team that has not lived up to any expectations from walking through those red turnstiles. after all sky have really made the prem teams very convenient to support what with TV season tickets ,so it would have been so easy for them to get to JD sports for a Chelsea. City or Utd top.So its time for Nottingham Forest to give our younger lot some decent memories..... They deserve it.

Where did you get that hat..

Never a dull moment in the life of a supporter of Nottingham Forest . From financial farces to transfer cockups .
Barely has the season begun with our transfer embargo forcing Dougie Freedman to scour  the loan market for anyone that will play for a paltry £10k a week ,which in turn is making the academy youngsters coming through real prospects for the first team . FFP in  my opinion has done forest a big favour . players like  abdoun , Djebbour ,Raddi .Collins ,  Halford etc  have been dispensed with , not going to blame them or the managers that signed them as that's another story, but they all never made the grade and drained our finances, hence the mess we are in now. This last couple of weeks in itself have been rather entertaining to say the least what with the Frey signing that took ages to materialise .....then someone pulled the plug ,and that was that ,Frey was history.this was very reminiscent of the Wesley verhoek mess.
In the meantime our captain Henry Lansbury was virtually wearing a pair of Burnley six fingered gloves when the enigma known as Fawaz tweets a picture of himself and HL on his sofa saying he's going nowhere much to the surprise of a few journalists and even maybe our own manager...fawaz even made henry wear a funny hat for the picture he tweeted.who knows what goes on in them corridors at ye old city ground ,its more mysterious than the Vatican .Now its being reported Antonio is on strike for more cash after a paltry £4million bid from our friends down the Sir Brian Clough way turned his head... will have to wait and see on that one as I can't see its productive for his future in football having striking on his CV.I'd be more inclined to say its his agent winding him up. whatever he decides is paramount to our season .if he stays we can carry on hoping fryatt and Britt get back to reinforce our front line as poor old dex just isn't up to it I'm afraid and Ward is now injured  young Tyler needs a bit more time .So if he goes then a new striker will be much needed . Also its reported a midfielder from fc twenty  21 year old Kyle Ebecilio is on a year long loan at NFFC .jury is out on this lad as his a bit of a unknown but fingers crossed he's as good as some Dutch predecessors that have put on  the Garibaldi red ,maybe this will quash the Joseph Barton saga ? Personally i Hope not . imagine our midfield with him!!  . What I do know is we fans of Nottingham Forest are in for a bumpy ride this season ..but if we could stagger through till january  allowing the walking wounded time to get fit in my opinion the playoffs are a real possibility . It would also be nice if people would cut fawaz and DF some slack .after all we are all wanting the same thing ....I hope! #nffc

No 3

The greatest committed player to Nottingham forest in my opinion . Stuart Pearce.
came gratefully back into the lives of the reds fans once again in July of this year , It started so good with a fantastic homecoming to a packed city ground on the first day of the 2014/15 season against Blackpool FC, Yes Saturday the 9th August 14 will hold a very special memory in my mind the whole ground punching wildly into the air in salute of a forest legend, This man made me and many fellow reds very happy on many occasions mainly due to the fact not of his footballing ability but his full commitment to winning for the Garibaldi shirt. In fact our start was so good we even sang were top of the league to the Derby fans in the frustrating 1-1 draw in mid September, and then it all went sour, apart from a couple of wins its been free-fall ever since! The vultures were circulating before the Derby county game saying it could be his last in charge if beaten , but in his true No3 style his team did him and the tired red army proud that day, If you thought SP was not committed to the shirt then take a long look at the pictures ,He had the same look of pride as when he scored the pressure penalty V Spain in euro 96. But like most dreams,they never happen and after a disappointing defeat to Millwall our chairman and owner sacked him. To say i was surprised would be lying . I backed psycho to the hilt, but it still gutted me , He will always be my Hero , goodbye and good luck Stuart .
And then there was Dougie Freedman ...well it wasn't his fault Sp got sacked so i will back him till hes gone like the previous ones, but its starting to look like there is a circus in the town, in the town ....#NFFC #FTID
 click the link below to make the hairs on your neck stand up.
The hero Returns

Take stock

So another defeat has once again given the loyal Red Army something else to ponder , as they walk over lady bay bridge , trent bridge etc all the talk was should Nottingham Forest stick with Legend Stuart Pearce as manager or cut their losses and yet again dip into pool of merry go round leeches who regularly feed off  quick fix clubs, im talking about the warnocks of this world.  Do we really want to swop a manager who walked into this club with such a fantastic homecoming for a bloke who really is a first class ....... (feel free to enter your own description). In my opinion , if it counts for anything ..then No No No.
On a day when our local rivals kept their worst team in history tag we need to pull ranks  and back  Nottinghams 2nd favourite son  , After all we did lambast our chairman Fawaz for his early dismissal of Sean o driscoll , So lets stick with psycho. I agree hes having a rough time at the moment but be fair , the ones in the shorts are seriously letting their boss down .I believe success is worth waiting for and to start all over again would be a grave mistake. After all the mess left behind by the previous manager it was never going to be a quick fix , in fact the great start was probably the worst thing that could have happened as expectations grew too quickly .Stuart Pearce lives this club please give him the chance to get it back where we belong ...other than that be careful what you wish for ....Paddy Kenny in goal anyone ? #nffc