What a difference a win makes!

Instead of looking forward to Sunday with
dread, this win sets us up nicely. Great team performance showing all
the attributes that have been missing too often this season, especially
away from home. Using four (and sometimes five) in midfield restricted
Palace to long range efforts and allowed us to break with numbers
through the pace of McCleary and Tyson.

With injuries sustained against Cardiff, Breckin and Chambers were
restored to the defence with Perch in midfield and Earnshaw supported by
Garner up front. At times, Garner dropped back into midfield leaving
Earnshaw further forward.

We started well and pushed Palace back in the early stages. Earnshaw
should have scored when he turned their defence but allowed their keeper
the chance to save. Palace came back into the game but we continued to
look bright and attack whenever possible.

The opening goal repaid some of the misfortune we've suffered this
season. Cohen's free kick wide on the right missed everyone and flew
past the keeper and into the far corner.

The rest of the first half passed without too many scares apart from one
incident with a shot narrowly wide of the far post. As half-time
approached, Earnshaw found himself through on goal but his effort didn't
cause their keeper too many problems.

Palace came out of the second half looking determined to make amends for
their first half performance and missed a few half chances. Then, having
survived a succession of set pieces, they scored from out of the blue. A
free kick wrongly awarded against Tyson for shirt pulling (which should
have been in our favour) was lumped up to Kuqi, who beat Breckin to the
ball and scored from outside the area with Camp slightly unsighted.

Our heads went down for a short while and we looked likely to settle for
a point at best. Then substitutes Tyson and Thornhill started to get
into the game and were pushing forward at every opportunity. If Tyson
had some composure and awareness to match his speed, we'd have won 4-1
but time and again he found himself clear of their defence but failed to
spot a better placed team-mate. Thornhill in particular suffered after
making long runs from midfield watching Tyson shoot weakly against their
defenders.

Finally we made that all important break through. Their keeper made a
close range save, followed by a scramble with Palace unable to clear
until Thornhill slid in to force the ball over the line when it seemed
the chance had gone.

McGugan had the chance to seal the game when finally put through by
Tyson but scuffed his shot straight at the keeper.


Camp showed again the positive attitude to the game that we've been
missing. Decisive when coming to claim crosses and didn't put a foot
wrong throughout. The frequent indecision and panic from our defence
hasn't been as apparent since his arrival to the club.

The most impressive part of the evening was the performances of MOTM
Breckin and Morgan and the heart of the defence. The only header that
Breckin missed led to the goal for the rest of the game he was
outstanding and led by example. Every corner and free kick saw him
rising highest to clear. Alongside him, Morgan supported him at every
opportunity to keep Kuqi quiet and we didn't miss the injured Wilson at
all.

Chambers looked slightly suspect at times but better than previously in
the season especially with someone playing directly in front of him to
help out. Lynch also dealt well with the Palace threat down their right
hand side and made numerous sliding blocks to prevent crosses reaching
their target.

In midfield, Cohen was back to his normal self, looking full of running
and contributing at both ends of the pitch. I wouldn't necessarily play
him on the right hand side but he just seemed to be everywhere. McCleary
started nervously down the left but as the game progressed he just gets
better and better as each game passes. Never lacking in confidence or a
willingness to work harder even if things weren't going his way. Time
and again he found space to provide a decent cross from the left but
without anyone on the end to take advantage. Even Perch looked
comfortable in midfield showing the form that he started this season
with. Winning numerous headers and keeping things simple on the floor.
McGugan always looked capable of creating chances and the one to take
really advantage of the movement around him.

Garner showed his obviously qualities switching between partnering
Earnshaw and then dropping deep to support the midfield. He looks a
proper footballer, decent first touch, good awareness and able to pick
out a pass. Earnshaw worked himself into the ground, missed a couple of
chances but the sharpness is coming back.

Assuming we continue to play four in midfield, regardless of personnel,
things will improve. This gives extra protection to the full-backs and
provides options wide when were are in possession. There is enough pace
in this side from Tyson, McCleary and Anderson in particular to break
from deep positions without having to leave three up field constantly.

If we continue in this vein for the forthcoming games then the doubts
surrounding Calderwood position should quickly be dispelled. It's only
one game but there were enough positives to take from an all round team
performance to suggest that we still have a chance this season.

Tags: Games Won, MOTM Ian Breckin

A depressing ninety minutes that summed up our miserable start to life in the Championship. Despite playing well for spells during the game, it’s points and not performances that will get us moving up the table.
 
We had so many good chances I still can't believe that we didn't score. The fact we played pretty well at times and still lost just makes it even worse. Some of the chances looked easier to score but we just don't have that conviction in front of goal. We had more chances but Cardiff should really have made the most of the few chances that came their way. Bothroyd in particular missed a couple that looked easier to score.
 
We played well for the first half hour and then at the start of the second half but McGugan's rash challenge and the penalty knocked us side-ways. We then struggled to regain any momentum for the remainder of the game until Earnshaw’s arrival provoked a couple of late chances.
MOTM Garner was the highlight of the afternoon, despite only playing for an hour. He showed a very good attitude to the game, providing the fight that has often been missing this season. On first impressions, he was much smaller and slightly built than I was expecting, however, as much as Purse etc tried to knock him out of the game he got back up and came back for more. Despite his lack of stature, he plays off the last defender and competes for every ball. First touch looked pretty decent to me and able to bring others into the game. Very encouraging signs and something for the rest of the squad to learn from.
McGugan started well and was involved in most of our early good moves. He spent most of the time almost playing up front around Garner causing their defence quite a few problems. Following his rash challenge for the penalty, he disappeared and ended the game hobbling around. Other positives include the continued decent form of McCleary plus the defence looked pretty good, apart from Wilson who looks unrecognisable from the comfortable centre back of last season. Please take the captancy off him and let him get back to defending properly without the extra responsibility.
Despite the good spells, something has to change to spark our season into life. The teams we play in this league aren't that much better than ourselves, they just look street-wise compared to our naive new boys unable to establish ourselves in this league. The points gap to safety seems to increase with each passing game.
With regard to the manager’s position, it doesn’t change anything. We badly needed points from these two home games and failed. The forthcoming games look much harder.

Tags: Games Lost, MOTM Joe Garner

Pretty even game, few chances either side but we were badly second best
in the second half as we struggled to close Ipswich down and the game
drifted to a stalemate. We had a couple of goals disallowed for offside
and missed 2 one on ones but generally the visitors looked much more
composed that we did.

Initially I was disappointed that Smith had been singled out for our
problems this season but having seen Camp last night I might have to
change my mind.
Camp was always quick to leave the six yard box, pro-active during the
game with his distribution, catches the ball whenever possible, trying
to get on with the game quickly. He didn't really have any saves to make
though, guessed right way for penalty but no other chances to impress.
In contrast to Smith, he plays in a positive fashion and gets on with
the game.

We were terrible at the back. Morgan was probably the best of the bunch
and that sums it up. All three full-backs showed exactly why they're not
good enough especially with their distribution. We seem to have lost the
decent build-up approach to games that we employed earlier in the season
and resorting to aimless long balls. Chambers in particular struggled to
find a red shirt all night. I'd take the captaincy straight off Wilson
given the chance, just let him get back to defending.

In midfield we were outnumbered against their 5 man midfield and
struggled badly in the second half to get even get possession. Fletcher
and Cohen did what they could but struggled to find any space and barely
figured. Ipswich always seemed to have a free man and passed their way
through and around our midfield. Even though they didn't create many
chances they were one of the better teams we've played so far. McGugan
made an initial impact but then resorted to hitting first time blind
passes and giving the ball away.

There were a couple of small positives besides Camp. McCleary is quietly
getting on with establishing himself in the first team squad. An
excellent strike from distance for our goal and approached the game with
a decent attitude until he tired and was replaced. He never hides and
keeps trying to make things happen.

MOTM Anderson is starting to show signs of his quality but let us down
with the needless, clumsy challenge for their penalty. Their player went
down too easily but the challenge should never have been made in the
first place. Should have scored when clean through but took a touch too
many and then hit the keeper. Looked dangerous running at their defence
(even with the woeful Chambers alongside him) and found time to get back
and defend when needed.

Looking at the rest of the starting XI, there is no one there who is
going to score the goals to get us out of trouble. Anderson possibly and
McGugan from set pieces but when Earnshaw's missing we look desperately
short of goals. I can't see anyone else getting anywhere near 10 goals
this season.

Why did Calderwood let our only remaining fit forward, Sinclair, leave
on loan the day that Earnshaw was revealed to be injured again? Whilst
he might not be ready for first team action, we're only left with Tyson
and Cole else we're playing people out of position again. There was 1
defender and 4 midfielders on the bench again last night.

I'm at the stage now where I feel that something has to change. Every
passing game we seem to be further away from safety (6 points plus goal
difference currently) and I don't see enough at the club capable of
turning things around. Even the crowd seemed too depressed to throw any
abuse at the team/manager. It's as if everyone's resigned to failure
this season.

I can't see any other solution but for Calderwood to pack his bags and
let someone else have a go.

Tags: Games Drawn, MOTM Paul Anderson

The clock is ticking and time is surely running out for Calderwood if
the following two home games fail to provide a win. The crowd remained
fairly positive until the final whistle but there's little to keep them
on side at the moment. The support has been quite patient this season
but this might be one defeat too many.

Another change in formation saw us finally revert to a conventional 442
set-up and initially things looked promising. Anderson and McCleary
provided the width and tracked back to help out their full backs.
Fletcher in midfield provided the graft that has been badly lacking in
most games this season.

The first half wasn't that bad. For long spells we matched QPR and
looked much more structured and compact that at other times on our
travels. Neither sides created many chances but McCleary and Anderson
looked dangerous on the break and provided cause for optimism.

Things changed in the second half as QPR raised their game, took
advantage of poor defending and then sat back. As so often seen this
season, lapses in concentration are costing us badly and we find
ourselves unable to recover. Forest never really looked like scoring
apart from McGugan's quality freekick and Tyson's turn and shot that
required a smart low save.

Having defended pretty well in the first half, we undid all of the good
work with our inability to clear a couple of right wing throw-ins. The
first was flicked on and Smith with left with no chance with the first
time shot in off the bar. The second goal arrived after we failed to
clear another throw-in from the same area. The resulting shot from
outside the area came through a crowd of players and flew past Smith.

With the game drifting, Calderwood replaced Anderson and Fletcher with
Davies and McGugan. Cue boos and chants of "You don't know what you're
doing" from the travelling fans mostly due to Cole remaining on the
pitch. I didn't see the problem with the changes as Anderson had tired
badly and we needed McGugan's more attacking approach in midfield. The
biggest failure was not having an alternative centre forward on the
bench.

Forest struggled to make much impact going forward with Tyson and Cole
dominated throughout by the towering home centre backs. Cole in
particular just didn't look interested when we need everyone out on the
pitch to stand up and be counted. Chambers blasted one chance over the
bar but that was about it.

We finally scored and made the final stages interesting. Cohen won a
free kick 25 yards out and McGugan did the business with an excellent
curling strike into the top corner.

As soon as the goal went in, Morgan was pushed upfield to add numbers to
the forward line but to little real effect. We had a few corners but
never really came close to equalising.

The full backs looked more secure than usual with a winger in front of
them to provide cover and also the presence and covering of Fletcher.
Problems again at centre back where Morgan stills looks clumsy at this
level and Wilson a shadow of the assured defender that used to play for
us.

Fletcher impressed whilst on the pitch with his ability to cover back
for the defence whilst holding things together around him. Definitely
something we've been lacking since Moussi's form has dipped and a very
welcome addition to the squad.

Anderson looked sharp in the first half and showed the pace and direct
running that will give us a massive boost in the coming games.

MOTM McCleary was the one player who really stood out throughout,
carrying on his good recent form against Sheff Weds and Palace. Always
willing to take on the QPR defence and involved in most of the good
moves that we put together.

Tyson ran and ran for the side again and had very little support from
Cole alongside him. Cole himself put in an abject display and showed
very little interest in events around him.

With little chance of scoring combined with little chance of keeping a
clean sheet, we're always going to be in trouble.

If we were in mid-table and this type of performance was a one-off blip
then it wouldn't have been problem. However, the first half (at least)
was one of the better displays this season and it still wasn't good
enough. We've played some very average teams away from home this season
and have failed to take a single point from any of them.

Tags: Games Lost, MOTM Gareth McCleary

A thoroughly depressing result, which leaves us stranded at the bottom of the table. Palace were far from being a decent side but as with Tuesday night, we’re left frustrated at our inability to compete with even the very average teams in this league.
 
The team selection contained some surprises. Cole was very unlucky to be dropped after being at the heart of Tuesday’s better moments. Breckin and Lynch could also consider themselves hard done by to find themselves on the bench with Morgan, Martin and Moussi all recalled. McCleary received a deserved start after an encouraging display in mid-week.
 
We struggled to create many clear chances apart from a series of set pieces, which caused Palace problems all afternoon. Their keeper was barely tested in the second half when we should have been pushing them backwards at every opportunity.
 
Palace frustrated us for long spells through their cynical approach to the game and just bided their time until the inevitable Forest defensive mistake came along. When they arrived they took full advantage and never looked in too much trouble.
 
We started the game brightly with a succession of dangerous corners from Cohen. Bennett in particular found himself in some promising positions but was unable to convert.
 
Then Palace won a free-kick on the right hand side which found it’s way across the area for Ifill to score from 20 yards. A great strike but we should really have defended much better.
 
On half-time, McCleary worked a decent opening for Moussi to fire low across the goal but wide of the far post.
 
With Forest struggling to create any chances, Cole replaced Thornhill as we switched to 442. On this occasion, it had little effect as we continued to find ourselves frustrated by Palace and their antics.
 
Their second killed the game off with ten minutes to go. Wilson looked to have the situation under control when Smith came charging from his line. Kuqi simply brought the ball under control and lobbed the ball over Smith’s head. A terrible decision from our keeper who came racing from his line for no reason.
 
We forced a few chances from set pieces, with Bennett again the most prominent player. However, we created very little from open play throughout.
 
I’ve supported Morgan in the past but today he looked like a pub player, completely outclassed especially with the ball at his feet in the second half. Perch did enough during the game to suggest that he can make the right back position, solid and not a pressing problem.
 
Thornhill did reasonably well at Sheffield Wednesday but today he was anonymous and the game passed him by. Rightly replaced by Cole after an hour. Cohen was full of running, as ever, but failed to have quite the impact in recent weeks. Moussi looked to be getting some form back before an ankle injury forced him out of the game.
 
Martin has been transformed from a decent youngster with something to prove into a show-pony who doesn’t seem to realise that this is a team game. Time and again it was one unnecessary flick too many when a simple control and pass was required. A luxury we can’t afford to carry at the moment.
 
MOTM McCleary deserved his start following a promising performance on Tuesday and I didn’t think that he did too much wrong. Out of all the forwards, he was the one willing to get the ball on the floor and run at the opposition. Some of the final balls could have been better but a promising display and something to build on.
 
Tyson ran and ran but never looked like scoring. Cole made a difference for the last half hour and should have started the game. He was lucky not to get sent off for a blatant elbow against one of their players as the frustration grew.
 
We should scrap the continued use of 3 midfielders in an attempt to match the opposition and prevent ourselves from being outnumbered in midfield. Play 4 or 5 across midfield using wingers to provide support to the full backs. We need to make ourselves difficult to beat and then work forwards from there.
 
A couple of fresh faces are desperately required, especially in midfield if Moussi is going to be missing for any length of time. With the current squad, the only option would be to revert Perch back into midfield and re-instate Chambers. This just isn’t going to work. It’s easier said than done but we lack experienced, solid players in defence and midfield. There is talent in the squad but there is a balance missing at the moment, which we need to compete.
 
We need to be more organised and structured in our approach to games. Whilst some of our approach play has been entertaining this season it just isn’t effective enough.
 
Two weeks without a league game might have just come at the right time.

Tags: MOTM Gareth McCleary, Games Lost