No news from the Club about Tomas Kalas but I fear he will still be out. And that gives the Gaffer a conundrum at the back after dicey displays by Ream (who had a daft 15 minutes) and Madl. Have to be honest and say I don't know much about Forest. Get the impression though that they don't intentionally play deep; rather they are forced back as opposed to holding back. They will come with old favourites Kasami and McCormack of course. Hope our fans don't get overly into McCormack since that will only play to his ego - example, his finger to the lips at Norwich fans when at 4-0 down he scored Forest's consolation goal at the weekend. He did only play half an hour. Forest are likely to be without their No.1 goalie (injured in that game) and definitely Lichaj (sent off). So, who will Jokanovic play at centre back. The main problem is that all three candidates are so ponderous in their distribution when given time on the ball in their own half. Added to that Sigurdsson's lack of game time and, frankly it's up for grabs. I fancy he'll play him however alongside Ream. Also fancy him to replace Malone with Sessegnon - or maybe that's just my prejudice showing. That's not his only conundrum though. He's got one up front as well; with the 'African four' of Aluko, Ayite, Kebano and Cyriac, the Brazilian Piazon and the 'don't know who I play for' Martin to choose from. Arguably the Aluko/Martin/Piazon trio gives us more stability but I'd leave them for Spurs and get in a trio that buzzes around a fairly porous Forest defense. Half sitting on the fence mind since this is a game that ought to suit Martin down to the ground. After his recent performances however, he deserves to be dropped. Also going to give Button the benefit of the doubt! The starting line-up then: .......................Button........ ..Odoi..Sigurdsson..Ream..Sessegnon.. .....................McDonald.. .............Johansen...Cairney... ....Aluko.........Cyriac.........Ayite... Bit harsh on Kebano but him, Piazon and Martin on the bench gives the Gaffer plenty of Plan B options.
This is just a must win for us to keep up the pressure on the top six, Forest appear in disarray and there for the taking and I'm hopeful of all three points but a closer look shows we need to guard against complacency, firstly Gary Brazil ( an old favourite of mine) was named caretaker manager after a good run of results three wins In four matches before the Norwich game. Then a closer look at the Norwich game showed Forest had more possession away from home ( surprising) and three Norwich wonder goals. Forest had there captain red carded who will be suspended against us and there keeper was stretchered off. Forest will also bring a decent amount of fans. I believe we should win this game but only if we don't take them lightly and keep our standard up.
I didn't realise they signed Zach Clough... A front three of Clough, McCormack and Assamabolonga is certainly capable of causing problems!
It's third time unlucky SuperBri. Yes indeedy, tonight sees the return of James Linington after two previous abortive attempts. Back in November he called off at the last minute in our away game at Brighton and in January he literally called off our away game at Reading at half time, just as the fog cleared. We of course know James well from the 2-2 draw against Norwich at the Cottage (4 of ours booked - Aluko, Malone, Parker and Johansen - and 2 penalties against Malone). But, we're not alone in venting frustration about his performances; just look across message boards to see what other fans think of him. Although I wouldn't recommend any Leeds forum after their game v Cardiff at the weekend. Last season James only managed 26 games, handing out 74 yellows and 4 reds. As mentioned before, since getting into the full time cabal in the summer he's been trying harder and making the Isle of Wight crossing more often - 22 matches so far, with a whopping 100 yellows and 3 reds. Health Warning: His last two matches have been very consistent, discipline wise at least. Leeds v Cadriff 4 yellow 1 red H'field v B'ham 4 yellow 1 red
please log in to view this image Nothing like the Cottage under the lights. Pity Sigurdsson was like the proverbial deer when faced with them. After that opening we were utterly shell shocked for 20 minutes. And what a comedy of errors there were in those twenty - it was impossible to say where the next mistake would come from. Thankfully young Sessegnon put his foot on the ball and the more senior types like McDonald and Cairney brought some sanity. In fact, for the rest of the half we blitzed them and only our usual flaws in the final third kept us from scoring more than two. But blimey, just like in the first half the second is only 2 minutes old and we gift them another. He wasn't alone but where the heck was Button! Fortunately we didn't repeat the earlier theatricals but gosh did we make hard work of it. No idea where the extra 5 minutes came from, during which friend Linington's watch must have stopped, but none of them did the old heart any good. Although it was uplifted a tad thanks to Scotty Parker's cruncher. Ignoring the abberation that was first the 20 mins (bet the Gaffer won't), the team were scintillating at times and far too casual at others. The desire to win was there however and fair play win they did. So the joy of the Cottage under lights lives on. PS My award of one of Billy's white roses goes to Lucas Piazon. As well as a fantastic goal he really put in a shift tonight (as I'm sure Denis Odoi will also acknowledge).
Is that the end for Sigurdsson? Getting hauled off after 25 minutes at home in a straight swap (rather than a tactical change) has got to hit his confidence.
Great report Cottager, while i am unable to attend at the moment your match articles keep me and other absentee well informed. keep up the good work
Happened to Johansen and look where he is now. Guess a major difference in Johansen's case is that he couldn't get into the game and making mistakes in midfield rarely hurts you, whereas at CB ... well, the outcome for Sigurdsson was there for all to see. Also found it intiguing that in the second half with the score at 2-2, the Gaffer chose to bring on Kebano when he had our two prize strikers Martin and Cyriac sitting on the bench.
I'd say the difference with Johansen was that he was hauled off on his debut - he was clearly not quite ready. He then came back and has gone from strength to strength. Sigurdsson has been with us for six months and has no excuse for not being quite ready. Anyway I wanted to throw some praise to Piazon, who was great in the first half, and to Kebano, who was great in the second. They were important outlets who were key to the goals. It's worth mentioning both how Piazon changes the way we play versus playing Ayite in that role and how much energy Kebano brought to the team when he came on. I don't know if Ayite is not quite fit, but he was shown up by that pair last night. Also a special mention should go to Parker, who was the calm head we needed at the end last night. He had a great crunching tackle which stopped Forest when they seemed to be building momentum and he had the nous to rouse the crowd at the end to cheer our boys home. He's a class act and evidence that a captain is something you can be made but a leader is something that you are.
The latest Jokanovic quote, this one in an interview following the Forest game. BBC reporter: 'You must be enjoying watching your team going forward' The Gaffer: 'I am not here for enjoyment'.
It is really chalk and cheese compared to MaGath! And I hear talks are underway regarding extending his contract, pure bliss.
