nottingram

Forest looking good and fans getting giddy? Must be the start of the football season again

Did the goalie forget he was allowed to use his hands

This forum is great but when you go on a match thread after a game and no matter how the game has gone, you know you will see the same usernames slagging off the same players irrespective of performance it is so frustrating and boring. You then know when said player scores and gives a bit back to the fans, said usernames will be whinging like 5 year olds that he isn’t showing them respect. Funny old game.

Confuses me how everyone on here can apparently see that Lawrence is some terrible footballer and yet he’s been the first name on the team sheet now for McCarthy, Rowett, Lampard and Cocu at this level.

I think Burns shows the importance of giving a player time to bed in. Going into this series he was probably a poor innings away from the scrapheap, now he’s probably in the first 4 or 5 names on the team sheet. Really do think they have sold Roy down the river. Stuck him in to open against the best attack in the world when he’s never been an opener. Drop him down to 4, he makes a fairly promising 30 odd and then he’s out never to be seen again probably. Part of me thinks they were concerned he’d make runs in this dead rubber and they’d be forced to keep him in for the next series.

My point is his being in and out of the team has probably not helping him to not look shaky. Huddersfield away he looked great on the ball and a very good defender to boot. He’s struggled, you’re right, but he is four games into his Derby career so writing him off is just a bit daft imo. Perversely I think he looked most at sea tonight when he had tons of time on the ball. When he’s pressed he looks a bit more comfortable bringing it out. Leeds obviously very smart pressers though so we’ll see.

He gave the ball away a couple of times in dangerous positions tonight but I don’t think he had a shocker. Possibly just looks nervous, he’s probably never really had a period in his career before where he’s been dropped and it may take him a while to get his mojo back. Definitely worth persisting with. Left sided CB’s at this level are about as rare as rocking horse turd.

Maybe just maybe it would be better to wait for longer than three or four games (one of which he was absolutely excellent) before we start demanding a replacement i actually remember a certain centre back you’re saying we miss taking a little while to get going last season...

He’s got them promoted twice and at the top end of League 1 in his first season there albeit early on. I wouldn’t really want them here for the style of play you touch on but to describe it as mental seems a bit hyperbolic. They’ve definitely earned a Championship job.

What a hilariously incompetent and spineless organisation the EFL are

The first thing I think when I look at the team now is “who is going to win the ball back in that midfield?” Having a midfield without an obvious ball winner is fine if you can keep the ball. Having a front three who struggle to hold on to the ball is salvageable if you can win it back quickly. Currently we have a loose front three and no one to win it back. It’s no wonder we look absolutely rubbish. We shouldn’t miss Johnson but we do because we haven’t replaced him. Really hoping Bielik is that man when he’s fit enough otherwise Shinnie or Evans have to play. I think anyone would struggle without a fully functioning midfield alongside them, in hoping that’s the case for Dowell.

Exactly and conversely I would imagine if you tried that with Lawrence or Bennett they’d be straight into their shell

We don’t know anything about Buchanan’s confidence. Maybe he reacts better to a ticking off than an arm round the shoulder, we literally don’t know.

Buchanan is playing big boy football now. If he makes a mistake he needs telling as that’s how he will learn.

I really do think we have to go 3 at the back. Every single strength we have is accommodated by it, and it hides our weaknesses more. Would allow us to get two up front and negates the need for wingers, getting our potentially most dangerous player, Lawrence, in his best position. Roos Keogh Bielik Clarke Bogle Holmes Shinnie Lowe Lawrence Waghorn Marriott Holmes at RWB and Knight in CM if Bogle isn’t fit. Clarke is possibly too slow for that but I’d like to think he’s a good enough defender to make himself allowances for it. Dowell dropped for now. I think he has a part to play but it’s possibly further forward, competing with Lawrence. Shinnie in as the only viable Huddlestone alternative and would possibly put us more on the front foot. Think we’re seeing what a useful player Johnson was, now he’s gone.