Our season of ifs and buts

It's a strange season we're having. We've lost and drawn many games we could very easily have drawn or won, respectively. Not only is this frustrating (enough so to lead to the sacking of the manager who I personally felt was our best and most promising since God himself), it has also left us in a dubious position in the league. We have hovered just above the drop zone since October, occasionally dipping into it. It's a season of "yes, but" and "what if?"

Just look at the table today. Fifth from bottom. Better than where we were when the year began. After a perfect start with four league wins on the trot, and that massive win over Man City, FF's could be excused for thinking: "Right, we'll have the Sheep in the cup now, storm up the league and maybe challenge for a play-off spot. Good riddance to CC, long live BD." But then came the QPR game, in which our opponents were allowed to score straight after we got in front, 3 minutes into injury time in the first half. We went behind soon after the break but managed to scrape a 2-2 draw. Good point, but should have been three. Then came Birmingham and Ipswich away and the Sheep at home. Fixtures we should have got four points from but which we lost all three, with a dismal 3-1 loss to Derby at home. Depressing stuff.

Luckily Billy Davies then brought in some good loan signings in Osbourne and McSheffrey, and Guy Moussi finally came back from his long injury lay-off. This has changed the team so much I think it is forgivable to think back to the results under Colin Calderwood and how different things could have been without that injury. Most of the games we lost were lost by one goal and looking back at reports, mostly due to a lack of presence in midfield. Presence that is brought, very obviously, by The Moose. Just look at all the 1-0, 1-1, 2-1 and 0-0 results in that period and think what a difference Moussi could have made. That injury, and the transfer window system, are what caused our current predicament. Just think that if we had scored only 6 more goals in that period, three in games lost, three in draws. That would have meant 12 more points!

Back to reality. We're March now, and we've gone two places up. Better than we were in December. Yes, but. Barnsley are 2 points behind us and have three games in hand. It is not inconceivable that they get 2 or more points out of those three games, which would see us drop back down to fourth from bottom, with a resurgent Southampton breathing down our necks, four points away but also with a game in hand. Scary.

Then again, if you look at tomorrow's fixtures, there could be some really good results there, if we get our own stuff right. Getting our own stuff right means beating Watford and gaining a place in the table, leapfrogging our opponents of the day. Barnsley play Birmingham away so we can safely assume they won't get any points at all, meaning we'll peel away from them nicely. Blackpool, currently just ahead of us, are away to Sheffield. Not an easy task, so I don't count on them winning. Even if they manage a draw, we'll still go over them. Up two places. And if we get really lucky, Swansea beat Plymouth at home and we slip into 17th position, cosily behind our old rivals.

But of course, we may again stumble with a late equaliser. Or the ref gives Watford a dodgy penalty. Or something else goes wrong and we'll find ourselves again thinking what if and yes but. It's that sort of season, I've said it before. I can't even write a decent blog about it...

Be Good

The Damned United

I have seen a lot of discussion on the Forest fora about a film being made of the book "The Damned United." I haven't read the book yet, but I have ordered it and it is on my "to read asap" list. I have read many comments and reviews, though, nearly all saying it is a fantastic read. In the book, writer David Peace uses the setting of Brian Clough's early years, specifically his time at Leeds Utd, as a backdrop for a tale of corruption, drink and paranoia. Now of course the rumours of bung payments and drink are still in the headlines today. As for paranoia, well, that often comes with drink abuse, so it isn't even unreasonable to assume that Brian Clough may have suffered from a light form of paranoia. These darker sides of a personality are the things that make a character interesting. The squeeky clean Glenn Hoddle is not likely to ever have a book written about him, but a film about Paul Gascoigne is not at all unthinkable. Peace does not represent his fictional version of Brian Clough as a very pleasant person and some fans seem to have a problem with that.

While I can see that it is hard to see one of your heroes (and Brian "God" Clough is exactly that to generations of Forest - and, for that matter, Derby - fans) described as a paranoid, corrupted drunk, it must be kept in mind that this is a work of fiction, which uses a real setting and a number of real people to hang up a story. This is not new. A great many works of fiction use real characters and happenings to build a story. And we can be assured that not all those real characters come out smelling of daisies. (The same works the other way round. Think of the outrage when Bruno Ganz portrayed Adolf Hitler as an actual human being in Der Untergang...) The book is not meant to be a biography of Sir Brian, so we shouldn't be upset when the picture painted by Peace is not exactly the same as how we have all known Cloughie. Of course there was a lot more humour to the man than comes out of the book. Of course he was never as bad and one-dimensional a person as his fictional counterpart apparently is ("apparently" as, again, I have not read it yet, so I am going by what I have read about it), but that's why it's called a fiction. This characterisation is probably needed to make the book work. And let's be honest. Brian Clough could be a right pain in the buttocks when he wanted to and he was first to admit that and even used that side of his character as almost a marketing tool. Don't we all lovingly call him "Ol' Big 'Ead?" Having a big head isn't usually likely to generate love, admiration and devotion the likes of which were bestowed upon Cloughie. But he used those traits to his advantage. I am sure that, with the humour and mischief that was in him, he would have thought this was all a good laugh.

This is why I have to admit to being slightly puzzled by the reaction of Brian's family, who are, if what I have read is correct, not at all happy with the way the book portays our great former manager. Brian's family and fans should realise at all time that this is a fiction. It is not as Mr Peace is "out to get" Brian Clough through his book. People, mostly Forest and Derby fans, have commented that Brian Clough didn't have any opportunity to react to the book, which is seen as tarnishing his great reputation, but then that goes for thousands of people. Clough has become almost public property, every bit as likely to pop up in a novel or film as Winston Churchill, of whom we have seen all sorts of portrayal, from flattering to downright demonising. We have a saying in Dutch that says, litterally, "high trees catch a lot of wind." I am not sure if this is an English expression as well but its meaning is pretty obvious. The bigger your status, the more likely people are to have an opinion about you, talk about you, write about you. Brian Clough is a legend, so him being in a book or film was bound to happen sooner or later. This book or film cannot, can never tarnish the reputation of this great, great man, nor was it intended to. Brian Clough's achievements have generated a love from millions of people that can and will never fade. No book, no film can ever change the way we think of him at the City Ground or at Pride Park. Or in Deurne, Belgium. Or anywhere around the globe.

So let's just watch the film or read the book and remember what it is. A work of fiction, featuring a fictional representation of the greatest manager ever to work in England, our hero, our God. I think as Forest fans, we should all read the book and watch the film, even if it's about the Leeds period. The memory of late Sir Brian Clough has become very much like the statues that have been erected in his honour. When a bird has the audacity to drop anything on Sir Brian, it is swiftly washed off and Brian restored to his former, shining glory.

Be good.

Welcome!

A win. I didn't really expect much from the Reading game, but we somehow got three points out of it. Three much needed points, in terms of steering clear of relegation. And a much needed win, in terms of giving our young team something to be proud of, something to lift their heads. After the recent run of results, the last thing they needed was their manager telling the press they weren't really good enough. That could have had a devastating effect. (I have been writing more extensively about this, expect a long-ish post soon...) But I think there was a salvaging factor, a deus ex machina. A comeback that, had it occurred sooner, I am sure would have seen Colin Calderwood still in charge as Forest manager.

Guy Moussi is back. And the impact was instant, judging from all the match reports. From what I read, The Moose bossed the midfield and Forest were able to convert from defence to attack in seconds. This ability, vision and sheer physical presence is something we have missed since Moussi was injured in October. He has rapidly become one of our most important players, it seems. I have repeatedly compared his impact to what happened when Patrick Viera arrived at Arsenal. He soon became a talisman for them. We can never be sure but I do think that a prolonged absense would have affected Arsenal as much as Moussi's lay-off did Forest. Even if it's only one player, some players are missed more than others.

It was good to read Billy Davies' comment in Monday's Guardian about his little (perceived) spat with the club. He has taken time to point out that there is no major rift between him and the powers that be, that he is still committed to getting Forest up the table. And as if out to prove he really does mean business, we have signed a promising young midfielder on loan from Aston Villa. Apparently Martin O'Neill says he's useful. If Martin says so, I am happy to believe him. Just look at Villa...

So welcome to the City Ground, Isaiah "Ozzy" Osbourne. And welcome back Guy "The Moose!" Moussi. Onwards and upwards!

Be good.