Why is it that any time a club sacks their manager, they win their next game? It certainly does seem like it anyway. Although, I must admit I had my doubts we'd be capable of it when I saw John Pemberton's line-up. I was very surprised that Brendan Moloney, who had been one of the few players to emerge with any credit from the mauling against Donny, was dropped for Luke Chambers. Perhaps Pemberton was just making sure that he wouldn't be considered for the full-time vacancy. I couldn't understand why he also left both Joe Garner and Rob Earnshaw on the bench, with Nathan Tyson operating on his own up front. Surely we weren't playing for a draw?
However, I needn't have worried as within half an hour we were deservedly two goals up thanks to strikes from the re-called Matt Thornhill and Lewis McGugan. Norwich were poor, it's got to be said, and we just took advantage just like Donny did to us. And just like at the City Ground, boos rang out around Carrow Road at half time as well as calls for Glenn Roeder's head.
Even though Norwich were firing blanks up front, I never once felt comfortable as I knew that our defence was very capable of going to sleep at any moment. So once the back-in-favour Ian Breckin had accidentally put through his own net with little over 20 minutes remaining, I feared the worst.
Thank God then that Earnshaw put the game out of reach as the clock ticked down into injury time. But even at that late stage, the game was still not safe as the referee declared five minutes of stoppage time. And wouldn't you know it, Norwich (or rather Forest themselves) ensured that there would be a nervous finale when Garner calamitously scored an own goal with an attempted headed clearance from a long way out. That was the third own goal scored against Norwich this season. Fortunately it turned out to be nothing more than a consolation and Forest held on for their second successive away win, which takes them out of the relegation zone on goal difference, thanks to Southampton's failure to beat Reading.
We now have a nice two-week gap before our next Championship match, which is at Charlton. Before then we have an FA Cup third round date at Manchester City. I can't see anything but a resounding defeat for us there with our defence, but we may well have a new manager by then, and we may even have one or two new players as the January transfer window opens on Thursday. It is really bad timing that Lee Camp's loan has ended at the same time that Calderwood has left. It doesn't sound as though Camp is hopeful of coming back. And if Billy Davies is the new manager, I think we have no chance of signing him as Davies didn't like him at Pride Park. If we have lost Camp, we will have to sign somebody else because Paul Smith is simply not good enough. Camp has saved us so many points this season. Granted he was in goal when we conceded four against Doncaster, but that was down to our awful defence, not him.
I really hope Davies does not get the job. The more I read about him, the more I think it would be a disastrous appointment. The fans don't want him, so he's already got them against him before he's even started. It seemed to be set in stone that he was taking over a few weeks ago, but for some reason or another that never materialised. Apparently he failed to agree personal terms. Some might say what a lucky escape.
The search for a new manager has been complicated by the news that Paul Jewell has resigned as manager of Derby. That means that two very similar clubs both in the East Midlands are searching for a new manager to lift them out of the Championship doldrums. The worrying thing is that Nigel Clough has been installed as
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