There’s still a game to go but it’s not been a season to remember, after all the expectation… here’s five things you might have missed last month
1. Forest’s defenders: Hung out to dry — Forest Boffin
“I’ve been intrigued – and at times appalled – by what has been occurring in Forest’s midfield since Davies’ departure. The stark contrast for Gary Brazil’s first game in charge was that the front four players were operating as a separate entity to the back six; there was a big gap between the two groups, possibly caused by, or contributing to, The Reds’ more direct approach to going forward. I believe this mentality has continued with some players – the midfielders have, at times, been leaving the defenders to face the music alone, culminating in the game at Bournemouth.”
2. 2012-13 East Midlands Football Financial Review – Mist Rolling in from the Trent
“The things that jump out immediately are that the 3 clubs are taking different approaches to life in the Championship but the end result in this particular year was not hugely different. Although Leicester made the playoff places, finishing 6th, they did not achieve promotion so had the same ultimate result as Forest in 8th and Derby in 10th. All 3 clubs remain in the Championship at the end of the year.”
3. We hate Nottingham Forest – The Anfield Wrap
“Brian Clough’s team of average pros and young upstarts were reigning Champions and had knocked us out of the European Cup earlier in the season. We had been deposed at home and abroad. Grown men had cried. At the end of the goalless second leg that ended our European reign, the Kop sang: “We’ll support you evermore.” Such was the sadness and shame of the exit. Imagine the Kop singing that now? Surely, only relegation would bring on such ridiculous mournfulness.”
4. Stuart Pearce And The Fear Of Clay Feet (And Thighs) – Football365
“Pearce was, quite obviously, for various reasons a hero at Forest, perhaps more so than any other player in their history. He clearly wasn’t the most talented player to have ever represented them, nor was he the most decorated, but closely followed by Stan Collymore and Trevor Francis he was the most viscerally exciting. He showed passion which, however much Tim Sherwood and his ilk are relegating such a quality into parody, matters to fans, particularly impressionable young ones. How could you not love a man who once tried to (while playing for West Ham) run off a broken leg? The passage in Daniel Taylor’s ‘Deep Into The Forest’ when he states he would rather go on the dole than work for Derby doesn’t hurt, either.”
5. Psycho killer, qu’est que ce – Forest Lookout
“It is difficult to express how much Stuart Pearce means to Forest fans, especially those of a certain age. All clubs have heroes and for a variety of different reasons: long service, a particularly memorable or important goal, passion in every performance, a local lad done well, outrageous talent. But perhaps what distinguishes Stuart Pearce from other heroes and elevates him above others is that the rest of the country eventually came around to way of thinking and saw him for the hero that he is as we jumped from our sofa and proudly declared that ‘he’s ours, he is – that’s why we love him. Do you get it now? Do you see?”
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