Ignoring the visiting moron for now I was actually impressed with Nigel Pearson's after match comments, for once a manager being honest. Basically admitting that on another day we would have be 2 or 3 up by half time. Fair play to the Foxes today they got a counter attack against the run of play and then stuck everyone behind the ball, its how you have to do it away from home sometimes.
How can you read me being happy at the result into a bald statement of fact that we have lost to both our nearest rivals? Of course I'm not happy, our only objective this year is to be promoted, we have built a temporary team and are paying HR something like £3m a year to achieve it, and apparently he can do it with or without style. If we don't get up we have wasted the year and made everything much more difficult going forward. Barton I'll give you, I want him to be suspended or dropped or have niggling injuries (even I wouldn't wish something serious on him, though with his record on on and off pitch assaults it obviously doesn't trouble him too much) so I don't have to see him play. I don't want him to cause my team to lose though.
It's not just a 'bald statement of fact' because it comes weighted with all your previous comments: anyway, I didn't intend to start an argument, so if you would like to pick up on any of the other points I've made please feel free.
I agree about Derby. It's similar with Burnley, you think "alright now, you're not this good" but they keep winning and getting good results. We've already been to Derby and won, have you played played them yet? Us playing them away under Clough is pretty lucky.
This game did not deserve a winner really but on a rainy day Leicester showed that they are a good team even though they were very lucky to claim a victory. We should have been more agressive in the second half and of course we were very unlucky 1st half. Well, we lost against Burnley and Leicester and even though I strongly believe that we will go up and do have a good team we are not necessarily the best team in this league. The Joey Barton saga goes on and I must admit that I lost faith this bloke will ever become a professional football player - guess not, just another split personality. B.
I think we took 1 point from Norwich and 4 from Swansea that season (and 4 from Cardiff). The results against your closest rivals may or may not be the most decisive re promotion or not, but should at least be a test of quality for both sides. A good win in these games, or a draw salvaged from behind could be a good psychological boost as well. But today's result could be ok for me because we have yet to lose 2 in a row and have bounced back quite well from previous defeats this year, so bodes well for Forest. And you are right Husky, no need to argue, goodwill to all men etc etc.
My take on today's game is we didn't deserve anything from it. We were, as we have been much of this season, unbalanced and powder-puff upfront. To dominate possession but never looking likely to score sums up everything that has been wrong with our team for pretty well 90% of our games this season. In fact the BAE incident with Austin was us in a nutshell. Leicester, whilst no great shakes IMO, came with a disciplined game-plan and, when the chance came, finished clinically. They then grew into the game in the second half and, if anything, looked more likely to score than us. The referee was an arse, plain and simple. Inconsistent in the way he pulled some tackles and allowed others seemingly as bad. The sending-off capped his dismal performance but I'd say he balanced it out as O'Neil was very lucky to stay on. Overall, I'd say Leicester will be in the shake-up as they've got strikers that score and a reasonable depth of squad. We need to find that missing ingredient to convert our possession to goals or we'll slip away into the play-offs which really are a lottery...
I agree about the test of quality thing; only watched on the net today, but attended the Burnley away match and, if anything, I'd actually have to say that Leicester are a better side. As for us, we're far too ponderous in our approach play. I'm desperate for promotion but at the same time I'm oddly resigned to the fact that we might be in the Championship for the foreseeable future: it's just our fate I think.
There's the rub. I could tolerate another year or two in the Championship if we were building something exciting, youthful and durable. But is all or bust for this season I'm afraid. Still think we'll make it though..............just.
Anyone else think that Redknapp was talking too much Spurs and not enough us this week? Every time I turned on the TV it was either him or Redknapp Junior giving it loads about bloody Tottenham. I think he might have taken his eye of the ball.
Red rag to a bull for me that Swordsie! But I have no idea as I haven't been following the gnomes gnomic pronouncements...in fact I never seek them out, only comment when they drift uninvited through my transom. From what I've read and heard on the wireless its just the usual problem - can't score.
I think like most managers he just gets asked a host of questions on whatever the big football story is for the week. He has a huge connection with Spurs and he'll usually always answer the questions put to him so has been on TV more because they are the news this week. Think it's hugely insulting to him to think his mind was on Spurs and not on us because he spent a few extra minutes at press conferences or the like answering questions.
the worst challenge was O'Neil's by some distance (you conveniently omit to comment) ... Joey has only himself to blame (not for the first time in his career) ... it was a yellow because he lost his temper before flinging his arm deliberately ... he could have left it there ... kicking the ball at our lad directly in front of the ref was the act of a tit .. self inflicted red and if one of our players had done that I'd be furious with them ...
