We've been handed a Lennon

I told you didn't I? I could have written last night's script it was so predictable. The only twist in the tale was that Forest didn't actually lose, although it certainly does feel like it.

You would have thought that after Saturday's spineless display at Luton, Colin Calderwood would have the guts to shake the team up a little bit – but no, his answer was to name an almost unchanged line-up, and worse, keep the same 4-3-3 formation. The team news left me feeling depressed even before we had even kicked off. Wes Morgan, despite being available, had to make do with a place on the bench, despite it being very obvious to just about everybody except Calderwood that Ian Breckin should not be in the team, let alone be captain of it.

If that wasn't bad enough, Neil Lennon's sudden back injury (or should I say 'back injury' – more of which later) meant that the midfield would now be too lightweight without any hard grafters in there.

Before the Doncaster game, Forest were playing a lot, lot better than they were last season and looked like genuine promotion contenders, but since then we've just gone into a downwards spiral, and the football has been more like a game of tennis. And I know I keep saying it, and I know it makes me sound like I have a personal vendetta against him, but I am absolutely certain that Forest's recent slump has everything to do with Breckin being in the back four. I don't understand how Calderwood can justify leaving Morgan on the bench when he and Kelvin Wilson formed a central defensive partnership that conceded just six goals in ten games. How long before Morgan becomes disillusioned and falls out with Calderwood? Then he'll never get back in.

Talking of fallings-out, although it's not been made official at the time of writing, it looks like Lennon has done a runner. His back injury, it transpires, was just a smokescreen to cover the fact that he has walked out of the Club after becoming disenchanted with life at Forest. Apparently he is not afraid to speak his mind in the dressing room, and may have unruffled one or two feathers too many. After he was substituted against Luton on Saturday, the word is he had a bit of a bust-up with Calderwood, and promptly decided that he would be better off nearer his relatives back in Scotland. Well, if that's the way he feels, good riddance to him. If he's anything less than 100% committed to Forest, I don't want him here, regardless of how good he is.

In the earlier part of the season, I thought Lennon was really making a difference in midfield, but in the last few games, something hasn't been right with him, so the fact that he has walked out isn't exactly very surprising.

Forest took a bit of a risk signing him in the first place as he has had problems with depression and his off-pitch behavior is less than exemplary. Remember in the summer when he was on the front page of a tabloid newspaper in Scotland after being caught cheating on his wife? To be honest, although it doesn't seem like it at the moment, Forest may be better off without him in the long run.

Now that Lennon has gone, it means Captain Fantastic (you know who I mean) is virtually assured of his place now. Calderwood is too much of a coward to drop him. There are other players more deserving of the armband. Luke Chambers skippered Northampton when he was just 20, so I don't think he is too young to do the job for Forest. After all Michael Dawson was only 21 when he was captain here. Kelvin Wilson could also do the job, but I don't know if he's vocal enough, whereas Chambers is. And then you have Sammy Clingan in midfield, who was given the armband in pre-season on a number of occasions.

One player who I would never in a million years make captain is Julian Bennett. Instead of just saying Gordon Bennett when I want to avoid swearing, I will just say his name instead. He is shocking! He is so thick as well, not just off the pitch, but on it as well. I know he is only deputizing for Matt Crockwood (er, sorry, Lockwood), but to be quite honest, it's like we're a man short in defence when he's playing. He had a good game once, though. Ironically, it was at Chelsea when all of his team mates had shockers. His one redeeming feature is that sometimes he scores...but that's about it.

Forest's failure to beat Oldham has now put them under even more pressure to get maximum points from their next two games. I never expected them to get all nine points from these three home matches, but anything less than seven points would be disappointing. Although the table might suggest Oldham would have been the easiest game, actually, I think it was probably the hardest. They have been a constant thorn in our side in the past few seasons, so in many ways we have made a bit of progress by not actually losing to them - although that does not excuse the dire performance last night. I've just got a feeling that Forest will find it a bit easier against Tranmere and Southend, particularly the latter as they have conceded double the amount of goals that we have this season.

The only real positive thing to emerge from last night was Arron Davies making his long-awaited debut. When he came on as a substitute, we suddenly looked a whole lot brighter going forward. Davies really looks a very talented player, and we know (to our cost) what he is capable of. When we signed him back in the summer, the plan was to have him and Kris Commons on the flanks causing all sorts of problems. I hope this still happens, but I don't know if Calderwood can be trusted to get his tactics right to suit them both. It's all very well having good players, but good players don't necessarily make a good team, and bad players don't always make a bad team. A good manager can make average players seem brilliant, and vice versa. Just look what Brian Clough did with Forest back in the Seventies. Need I say any more?