A win at long last, but is the damage already done?

Sorry you had to wait so long for my latest blog to appear. I have only just got over the shock of winning away from home!

I remember telling my mum as we were eating our dinner that I was preparing for another depressing evening ahead, so it was a very pleasant surprise to see us (a) play well for 90 minutes (b) win our first game since the last Olympics and (c) gain our first away points after losing all our previous six games on our travels.

I don't know who or what made the difference, but Forest showed a huge amount of grit and determination, which to be honest they had shown a lot of this season, but not been rewarded for it. Against Crystal Palace, though, their hard work finally paid off as Forest capitalised on a lacklustre performance from the home side to earn a crucial three points, which saw them swap places with Doncaster and lift themselves off the foot of the Championship table. And what an important win it has turned out to be, because the picture could be very bleak now if we had lost or drawn as we'd be eight or nine points adrift and staring relegation firmly in the face.

I think the return of Robert Earnshaw to the fold following a short injury lay-off may just coincide with an upturn in our fortunes. We just seem to have more confidence when he is in the team, and on Tuesday night he and Joe Garner were playing up front together for the first time as Forest played 4-4-2 and we just sounded so much better going forward. We created a lot of chances and made their goalkeeper work hard, which is just so unlike what we have been used to away from home in recent times. We also defended well, and dare I say it, but I think Ian Breckin being in central defence helped to steady the ship a bit. He was deputising for Kelvin Wilson, who was injured, but I would like to see Breckin given an extended run in the team. After all he does have a lot of Championship experience, and we probably need an old head at the back because they are all so young, and I'm not sure that's a good idea in a relegation battle.

Palace sounded quite poor, but I don't think that should detract from Forest's display. We have played many poor teams this season, but been just as poor ourselves, and consequently missed out on some much needed points, but at Selhurst Park there was not an awful lot wrong about our performance. I thought 'here we go again' when Palace equalised out of nothing with a long-range goal, and I was just waiting for them to score again, and once again leave us empty-handed. That goal had come shortly after both Garner and Earnshaw had departed the field, so I couldn't see us scoring, but for once lady luck was in our camp as eight minutes from time one of the substitutes Matt Thornhill bundled the ball over the line after the Palace goalkeeper spilled a shot from James Perch, who had been one on one with him. Colin Calderwood has come in for a lot of criticism regarding his substitutions, and sometimes rightly so, but when his substitute scores the winning goal, you have to take your hat off to him.

If Forest don't gain confidence from this win, there is something wrong with them. Let's not forget that Palace had won three of their previous four games, including a 2-0 win away to us. Even the most optimistic of fans would have said a draw would be a good result, so to beat them, and dominate the game for long spells is extremely pleasing. It is such a relief to see that we are no longer bottom of the Championship. It's an awful feeling seeing our name propping up the rest, and although we are still in a lot of trouble, at least we now have a bit more hope that we can turn our season around. This victory has come exactly at the right time as we prepare for the big game at Derby on Sunday lunchtime. Imagine going there rock bottom of the League with no wins in eleven games. Having beaten Palace, it will give us the belief that we are capable of beating the Sheep. They are slowly getting better and better, picking up some good results, but we will go there with a spring in our step, and I do not see why we can't beat them. Having Earnshaw back in the side certainly makes me feel better, and hopefully Paul Anderson will have recovered in time from the injury that kept him out of the game on Tuesday. With Anderson, Earnshaw and Garner all in the side, we could cause defences a lot of problems. We do look a lot better side playing 4-4-2. It looks as though Calderwood has finally realised that playing 4-3-3 just doesn't work in the Championship as he has ditched it lately. Forest have always flourished playing the old-fashioned 4-4-2 and it's what the supporters want. It does make me wonder that if we had all our key players available from the start, we wouldn't be in this mess. I just hope that the damage hasn't already been done.

What a pointsless waste of time

Colin Calderwood said after the home defeat against Cardiff that he could see a lot of positives and that if we look beyond what is happening now, the future is bright. This man gets funnier and funnier every time he speaks. At least there is still some entertainment value to be had from supporting Forest, because let's face it there is precious little else to smile about at the minute.

The surprise news that Joe Garner would make his home debut gave us all a lift prior to kick-off, and a decent first half in which we played some very good football, but were once again let down by the final ball, gave us a lot of hope that we could get three points, but things did not look too promising for the second half when Paul Anderson, who had been such an influence in the first 45 minutes, did not emerge after the break and was replaced by Nathan Tyson. I just knew then that without Anderson, Forest wouldn't be very good, and so they proved, and Cardiff ended up winning from a penalty.

Our defence still looked dodgy even though both Luke Chambers and Julian Bennett weren't in the side. I feel a lot safer with James Perch at right back, but I am worried about Joel Lynch. I just don't think he's Championship quality. I also thought Kelvin Wilson had an awful game. I am really surprised that he has seemingly not made the step up. Maybe he is suffering from a lack of confidence, but he doesn't deserve his place in the side at the moment, and I have to say I thought that when Chambers came on for him, he played rather well and looked competent as a central defender, which we have always suspected.

I wasn't expecting to get much from the game, as Cardiff had lost just once all season, but we so badly needed the win. We needed to get four points out of six from these two home games we've just had, but as I predicted we have ended up with just one. Now we have three extremely hard looking games with back-to-back away matches at Crystal Palace and Derby, and then Birmingham, who are in red hot form at the moment, come to the City Ground. It's looking extremely bad for us. I can't see us getting more than one point from all three of those matches. That's not me being pessimistic – just a realist. I've given up hoping for Deadwood to go, because I've given up on this season. I don't believe that anyone can turn it around now. I think we're sunk. I am not suicidal at the thought of returning to League One, but I am at the prospect of having to endure another six months of hopelessness before we can think about moving forward. Now I know how the Derby fans felt last season. And I bet they are having a right good laugh at us, Kris Commons included.

Wake me up when the season ends

I was going to give last night's game against Ipswich a miss, despite my dad offering to drive me up there, but on Monday afternoon, feeling a bit better following a wretched weekend of illness, I changed my mind as I had this unexplained feeling that we were going to see a good Forest performance and that they would at last put an end to their miserable winless sequence. How wrong was I?

True we had a few bright spells, and Paul Anderson, who finally got to make his home debut following a long injury lay-off, looked a real prospect and frightened the Ipswich defence with his pace, but he did a lot of defensive work, too, and it didn't always pay off as he gave a penalty away early in the second half, which saw Ipswich equalise to cancel out Gareth McClearly's earlier strike.

I was also impressed with our new goalkeeper, Lee Camp, who has signed for three months on loan. I didn't think it was very fair that Paul Smith should be dropped, because the defenders in front of him are the ones to blame for our shocking start, not him, but Camp does look a lot better goalkeeper. He does everything that Smith doesn't. He commands his area well, has good distribution and doesn't flap at crosses. I hope he stays in the team, but I do feel sorry for Smith at the same time. Rumours are he was furious at being dropped last night and walked out – the fact that he wasn't even on the subs bench last night could give weight to that theory.

It's all very well having a good goalkeeper, but you've got to have a good defence, and I'm afraid to say ours is awful. There isn't one player who has been playing well this season. Both Kelvin Wilson and Wes Morgan have been shocking, and those two players were excellent last season, but they've just gone to pot in the Championship. Everything has been said a million times about Luke Chambers and Julian Bennett being our full backs, so there's no point going over old ground again, but the sooner they clear off the better, because they are both garbage. Bennett suffered a broken collar bone last night so faces two months on the sidelines. That's sad news for him, but Forest will not miss him, although his replacement Joel Lynch has failed to impress me since he arrived from Brighton. I thought it was an odd decision to sign him in the first place to be honest.

Had we won last night, we would have got ourselves off the bottom of the table as Doncaster lost at Reading, but instead we're six points adrift, and that gap will just get bigger and bigger. Confidence is at a very low ebb and I honestly can't see how we are going to turn it around. The whole Club is rotten from top to bottom. We were extremely lucky to win promotion on the final day. We were only really a top six side in League One last season, and would probably have capitulated in the play-offs if we hadn't sneaked into the automatic spots. I am beginning to wish that we hadn't got promotion now, because I am absolutely hating it in the Championship. All the fun has been sucked out of supporting Forest. I was so looking forward to this season, but now I just can't wait for it to end.

Forest just leave me Cald

I'm feeling pretty rough at the moment, so I certainly don't need Forest to make me feel even more rotten. I'm suffering from the worst cold ever, and there's constant talk of financial Armageddon on the news. At least my cold will go in a few days, but I'd gladly keep it a bit longer if it meant Colin Calderwood was handed his P45 on Monday morning.

I didn't expect us to get anything from QPR, and we're still five points from safety, so in one sense things haven't got any worse, but despite playing well (ish), we still lost, and that is becoming a pattern for all of our away games. We should have got something at Sheffield Wednesday, should have got something at Plymouth, should have done this, should have done that, etc., etc. That is the language used by relegation candidates. I think the players (and some fans) are deluded. On the phone-in after the match yesterday evening, one person had us all laughing when he thought that Forest had blown their chances of promotion!! He thinks we 'may' be in a relegation battle. No really? I hadn't noticed. Only, I wouldn't even use the word 'battle' with Forest. A battle is supposed to be competitive, and Forest don't seem to be putting up much resistance at all. They are doing a very good impression of Derby in the Premiership last year. The only difference is Derby actually had the excuse of being beaten by top quality sides bankrolled by multi-millionaires and billionaires. We've lost all six of our away games, and we will be visiting Pride Park in a fortnight. Derby have got their act together now and are moving in the right direction up the table. Who is laughing at them, now? We've had our three months of gloating. It's business as usual now.

Before the Derby game, we have back-to-back home games against Ipswich and Cardiff and a tricky looking away game at Crystal Palace next Tuesday night. Both of the games at home are winnable, but confidence is so low that we'll probably end up with one or two points from them, knowing Forest as I do. I have a season ticket, but I don't feel like going any more. It all feels rather hopeless and the spark has gone. It's alright if you can just hop on a bus and be there in five or ten minutes, but I have to give up my whole Saturday to travel to Nottingham, and spend nearly £20 on a train ticket. It really wears me down, and I am getting zero enjoyment out of it. It hurts to contemplate not going any more, but I'm seriously considering it. It has nothing to do with protesting – it just makes me too sad. I've got other hobbies now which give me a lot of pleasure, so my life doesn't completely revolve around Forest any more. They can be a sideline (albeit a really irritating one) and not be the focal point of my whole existence. Yes, that's the way it's got to be from now on.

Big Sam will sort us out...if only he is given a chance

Colin Calderwood said in the press a few weeks ago that after ten games you should have some idea of how your season is going to pan out, and that he should not be judged as a manager until we had reached that stage.
Well, now that we have played ten games, Forest are currently sitting rock bottom of the Championship, five points adrift of safety with a measly five points to show for their efforts. We have won just once so far this season and haven't scored in our last four games. The defence is the worst in the League, shipping in 18 goals already, and at this rate we will be virtually relegated by Christmas.

The Crystal Palace game was the ideal opportunity for us to get back to winning ways, but you could tell by the players' body language that when Palace scored from a long-range effort just three minutes into the game that they were defeated already. That goal was a real body blow because we had spurned so many chances in those opening few minutes. It might have been a very different story if we had actually managed to score. But after Palace took the lead, it just got very scrappy and all hopes of snatching an equaliser were snuffed out when Palace took advantage of yet more dodgy defending to put the game out of our reach in the closing stages.

To be quite honest, I am getting really fed up of travelling to the home games now. I am just not enjoying it any more. It costs me £18 to travel up on the train from Bedford, and I just end up feeling really miserable and almost every Sunday is written off nursing a headache, caused by the stress of watching the match and carrying a heavy bag everywhere.

I have been through this before with Forest, of course, and I have always rediscovered my passion for them, but I just feel like giving up on them at the moment and staying at home reading or watching television. The trouble is I have a season ticket, and I have only been to five games so far. I need to go to another five to justify the cost based on prices of £25, but I am just not sure I can stomach it. There doesn't seem much point, and I can see us being something like ten points adrift if Deadwood isn't sacked before the QPR game in two weeks. I just don't know what the hell the Club is playing at not sacking him sooner. It's blatantly obvious to everybody that he is just totally out of his depth in this division. We need a manager with know-how of fighting relegation battles. Deadwood just doesn't have any experience. That might suggest he's a good manager, having never been at the bottom of a division, but he's only managed Northampton, who were hot favourites to get promoted from League Two, and us, so his wins-to-games ratio isn't as impressive as it might seem.

There have been very strong rumours that Sam Allardyce has been having talks with Forest about coming in and taking over. If that is true, then that is very good news in my opinion because I am sure he will sort us out. I think he's just what we need. He's quite disliked for playing boring long-ball football, but who cares? We are in huge trouble and we need points desperately. It doesn't matter how we get them. I also think the players will be scared of him. He is not one to be crossed, and he will be furious with the players. Calderwood is a soft touch and is scared of dropping his favourites even when they're playing badly. Allardyce will not stand for any nonsense and he knows one or two things about tactics. He did a wonderful job at Bolton, and he, of course, knows the Nottingham area inside out, having managed Notts County. I personally would love him to come here. I don't care if he was involved in a bung scandal, If he doesn't go out mugging little old ladies, then get him at the City Ground A.S.A.P.

Calderwood must go NOW to give Forest survival hope

Another away game, another defeat. We may only be just into October, but we are looking very much like relegation certainties at the moment. We've no idea where our next goal is going to come from, never mind our next win.

Yes, we did play reasonably well at Sheffield Wednesday, and Andy Cole did have a number of good opportunities to equalise, but I'm getting fed up of saying 'we nearly did that, we nearly did this.' The fact is we lost, and once again a sloppy defensive error cost us. This time the recalled Ian Breckin was the guilty party as a seemingly tame shot deflected off the back off him and rolled across the line. The commentators on the radio said we were unlucky, but I am sick of hearing that word. Forest have been very poor so far this season and they deserve to be where they are in the table because they are not good enough. Now whether that's down to the players just not being up to it, the manager not being able to motivate them, or just a complete lack of confidence, I don't know, but what I do know is that this just can't continue for much longer, otherwise the battle to avoid relegation will be to avoid finishing second and third bottom. We could end up being cast adrift of safety like Derby were in the Premiership, and for that to happen to a club of Forest's size in the Championship would be just beyond embarrassing.

Colin Calderwood is getting increasingly desperate to hang on to his job. His team selection last night for the trip to Hillsborough was extremely negative, with no fewer than SIX central defenders playing, I kid you not. There were three at the back with Luke Chambers and Julian Bennett operating as wing backs, and James Perch, who considers his best position to be in central defence, was in midfield. It was obvious that Calderwood would be happy with a point, but thanks to another moment of madness at the back, we ended up leaving with nothing, despite holding our own for most of the match. We didn't actually start creating much until we made some substitutions and switched to a flat 4-4-2 formation, but then, of course, Wednesday started to create chances themselves, and Paul Smith saved us from a more humiliating defeat, which would not have done our already bad goal difference much good.

People are saying that Calderwood should be given the Crystal Palace game, and if we fail to win that then he should go, but what is the point in flogging a dead horse? We're bound to win the odd game under him, but we will not win enough under him in the Championship to stay up. There are plenty of good teams in this division, who will easily beat us, even at the City Ground, so we won't be able to rely on our home form like we could last season.

I honestly don't see where our next win is going to come from, because I thought we were going to beat Burnley and Charlton, but we didn't. We have a really good chance of beating Palace, but our confidence is so low at the minute and the fans are depressed, so I am being careful not to build my hopes up. Even if we do win, I don't think I'm going to feel ecstatic or anything because we still won't be out of the relegation zone and I know that there will be plenty more tough games to come after that. For that reason, perhaps it would be for the best if Forest were to lose on Saturday, and then we can appoint the new manager, who will have the international break to prepare for his first game. If Calderwood stays with Forest, he will drag us back down to League One, you can be sure of it.