Play-offs...

Play-offs. Again.

At the start of the season, I said I would be very happy with fifth place and play-offs, not even expecting Forest to actually get anything out of them. Still in a way it is disappointing after the way Forest played up until January. If they had kept that form going, especially away, automatic promotion would have been a real possibility. Hey, even winning it all together wouldn’t have been a crazy notion. But something went wrong. After not losing away at all for the whole season, Forest only got one point away from home in nine games since January. Staggeringly poor form. This is made all the more frustrating by the fact that they won 12 home games back to back. If the away form had been only half as good as the home form, it would have meant, say, 15 extra points from three wins and six draws, putting Forest in second a point ahead of West Brom. Ifs and buts, of course, but frustrating nonetheless.

It is impossible to say what went wrong. Some blame the exit of our loanee left back, Nicky Shorey. I refuse to agree that a drop in form this spectacular can be down to losing one single player. Shorey was class and a massive addition to the squad, but one player does not a good team make. Paul Anderson hasn’t been playing for a number of games after picking up an injury. He has been of great value this season. But losing Paul McKenna to a knee injury in my opinion is a bigger blow. Having seen him run the midfield this season, it is easy to understand how the team can miss him. His energy and work rate have been phenomenal and he has been a real captain and inspiration to his team mates. Guy Moussi has only recently been able to begin to make up for McKenna’s absence. Incidentally, Radoslaw Majevski’s form has also been patchy recently. Forest have in this way lost a number of players who have been incredibly important earlier in the season.

The fact Forest have a small squad has also been mentioned. While George Boyd was an excellent acquisition - even if he seems to need some time to find his best form - many FFF’s have been frustrated at the lack of further transfer activity. Billy Davies was quick to follow with several comments about the lack of transfer activity, commenting that the system at Forest doesn’t work. I have to say, apart from a left back and possibly an all-round midfielder, there were no really pressing needs in the transfer department. The squad is not the largest in the division but it does provide cover for most positions. There have been comments that the players have had to play too many games but I cannot possibly agree with this. These are all young men playing the game they always loved to play and getting paid handsomely for it. And even then, Forest only played 20 games this year up to Easter Monday. That is 20 games in 95 days, with only 6 midweek fixtures. Surely a bunch of able young men should manage that? If not, they should stop being referred to as men. Brian Clough went through what can only be described as a very successful 1978-1979 season using only 16 players. That included the maximum amount of European Cup games in midweek, winning the League Cup and going to the fifth round of the FA Cup. That is a lot of games, a lot more than 20 in 95 days. Sure, those were different times but my point remains the same. My point remains that Billy Davies makes too many excuses. The transfer system at Forest does work, very well even. The players brought in over the last couple of seasons are proof of this. The targets are usually ambitious so it is only normal that not all end up actually getting signed. But then not even Real Madrid always get their man. Just one example: Victor Moses. Great target and it would have been a signing for the future. But when faced with the choice between Forest and Premier League club Wigan, he was always going to the top flight. Fair play to him and well done to the transfer panel for trying.

Billy Davies also has a strange knack of saying the wrong things. He was at it again some weeks ago, commenting on Paul McKenna’s injury. With a young team expected to make up for the absentees, Billy Davies’ comment when it transpired that McKenna would not be back this season, was clumsy to say the least. “I think we could have afforded to lose any other player in the side this season, apart from McKenna,” Billy said. While probably meant as an accolade for our esteemed captain, it is nearly impossible to not read it as a statement of utter lack of confidence in or support for any other player in the squad. They could all be excused for thinking: “Come again? You mean you wouldn’t notice if I wasn’t playing? Well, thanks, gaffer!” It is not the sort of comment that will instill energy and confidence in a young squad like ours. Sure, criticise a player when necessary, but this comment was uncalled for, labeling the whole squad as mere hangers-on if you want to make the worst possible interpretation. Not the best way to go into the play-offs, if you ask me. I have nothing but love and respect for Billy Davies but he has a knack of making excuses for himself at the expense of even his own players. Not good.

So, play-offs. While I am known to be very much an optimist when it comes to Forest, I must say that I am not certain they can do better than the last two times. More heartbreak could well be around the corner. That away form just isn’t good enough to say Cardiff, Swansea and Leicester - currently the “other three” - will be easily disposed off. Especially the sort of form Leicester have hit lately is a major worry. Whoever Forest are coupled with for the play-offs, an away game will need to be won. Failing that, the home leg will need to be won by a decent margin. Forest need to hold on to third place in order to have home advantage for the second leg. It somehow feels safer that way. Even if many first team players were rested, the Blackpool game again showed how vulnerable we are away from home. Having controlled the game in the first thirty minutes, it all crumbled when Blackpool went 1-0 up. If that happens in a play-off game, we face another year in the Championship. You need to get into the play-offs high on confidence. The most worrying thing is, if we reach the final, this will have to be played away from home, at Wembley. Exciting, but nervous times…

Be good!