There was nothing remotely surprising about the performance, either. Doncaster totally dominated the game and throughly deserved their three points, and the Forest players as usual just went through the motions and seemed content just to turn up to earn their money and get it over with. But are they really to blame? They are not responsible for the team selection, the formation or the tactics, are they? That is Colin Calderwood's job, and he is failing miserably.
By all accounts, the Forest players absolutely loathe Deadwood and his assistant David Kerslake. That is hardly earth-shattering news because it's been obvious for ages now that they have no faith in the manager. Just recently a few of our players have lost their spark and motivation. Look what has happened to Junior Agogo. Since he returned from Africa, he has been rubbish and been demoted to the bench. He just can't be bothered any more. He was in really good form in August and September, but just like many of his team mates, he seems to have lost interest.
We now have seven games left in which to hold on to our place in the top six, with four of those at home. If we can win three out of four at the City Ground, I think we will be alright, but another demoralising defeat at Carlisle this Tuesday could really make things rather awkward, and I would not bet on us winning the home game against Cheltenham next Saturday. They are fighting relegation, so it will be a big game for both teams, and the bad news is it's another Kids-for-a-Quid game. Forest seem to have a knack of underperforming (even more so than usual) in front of big crowds, so don't bet against Cheltenham getting a result. They did recently beat Leeds at Elland Road, after all.
Perhaps on Monday, we will finally get the news we have been craving – that 'Colin Calderwood has parted company with Nottingham Forest by mutual consent.' But don't hold your breath. I can see him staying until the bitter end. Nigel Doughty, as usual, is hoping that the fans can force him into resigning, so he doesn't have to pay him off. Fortunately, I think the fans will succeed if they try hard enough as we got rid of one of the most stubborn men in football, Gary Megson, so I don't think we will have too many problems rooting out weedy Deadwood.
It's not as if we don't have anyone to replace him. I'm pretty sure that John Pemberton can get us playing well enough to pick up some good results between now and the end of the season. He has worked wonders with the youth and reserve teams. The reserves, of course, have just won the title, with a few games to spare, and they have been playing excellent football. Apparently nobody has a bad word to say about Pemberton, and former striker David Johnson told the Nottingham Evening Post this weekend that he can see Pemberton being a future Forest manager – on a long-term basis. I think he should be given the chance. The players seem to respect him, and if things don't work out, then they don't, but let's at least give him a try! Things can't get much worse than they already are, so come on, Doughty. Do the decent thing for a change and listen to the fans.
No comments:
Post a Comment