Stalemate in Top of the Table Clash

By The Daily Red
January 30 2008

Forest registered a point against an impressive Swansea side in a game that promised a great deal, but ultimately delivered very little. Both sides spurned chances to seal all three points as the visitors maintained their eleven point lead at the top. Keeper Dorus De Vries pulled off a series of smart saves.

A lot of people left the City Ground this evening feeling almost as though we had lost the game. An ominous, though exceptionally familiar, feeling of disappointment.

Even though tonight’s outcome was never likely to be the sole determining factor in our promotion campaign, I think a lot of people were disappointed by the fact that Swansea maintained their enormous lead at the top – and looked more than worthy of it.

Particularly to those who are regularly disappointed by Forest’s performances and Calderwood’s decisions I don’t think it will have come as a great surprise. But seeing things first hand can certainly prompt the penny to drop.

Swansea did not obliterate us by any means. But they were exceptionally well-drilled, they moved the ball around confidently, they were happy to attack, they worked harder – they were better in most departments. They are better in most departments.

For 25 minutes we hit them with pace and determination on the break, and looked more than capable of taking the lead. Unfortunately we did not sustain it, or even look like we wanted to.

Their passing and movement in the final third had our defenders reeling at times early on; they plotted their route and left us chasing shadows, or sometimes simply watching them. This was addressed, at the expense of everything else.

Instead of fighting fire with fire and attempting to defend from the front, we retreated into our shell alarmingly quickly - never to emerge.

It seemed to me that the side became consciously aware that Swansea are better than them and rolled out the red carpet accordingly. Not for a moment in the second half did we look at all capable of taking the game to them, and I am not convinced we had the bottle to even want to.

I was left baffled by Colin’s persistent shuffling of the pack this evening too. I know there are people who take a lot of comfort through trying to explain these kind of decisions, but the fact is the players barely knew where they were supposed to be – never mind us.

Grant Holt today played in almost literally every position other than the single role he has the capability of playing to any effect (centre forward, of course). Kris Commons spent the entire game on the right which reduces his impact time and time again.

The continued absence of the most sensible starting eleven, in the most sensible shape, is a big concern. Tonight’s results alone demonstrate that the rest of the chasing pack will slip up, but there are only so many ‘second’ chances available before we find ourselves mourning another failed season.

Now is the time to rally together and start showing that we mean business. February could have a profound impact on the shape of the season; only two home games out of six, and trips to both Carlisle and Leeds. The rot must stop now.

Perhaps the highlight of today’s game was the half time lap of honour by Our Boys upon their return from service in Afghanistan; a fitting tribute to some brave young people. I was reminded almost of the World War Two photographs you see at school; the soliders lapping up every second of their moment in the limelight. It’s far too easy a comparison to draw, but it should be said that if our squad played with a fraction of the courage these gents live by, we’d be where Swansea are now.

 

Ratings:

Smith – 6 – caused havoc on occasions as he ignored calls for him to leave his line and failed to shout up. His distribution was utterly appalling as he frequently seemed to aim for the small patches where there were no Forest players. One or two decent stops.

Chambers – 5 – did not look fit enough to be playing; had rings ran around him at times.

Wilson – 7.5 – excellent display.

Morgan – 7.5 – solid as an ox when it mattered most, despite the cumulative 5 minutes of wobbling (which are quite the custom with Wes).

Bennett – 5 – enough passion to share between an entire squad, but scarcely the talent to use for himself. One or two reasonable balls in, generally a ticking timebomb when in possession though.

McGugan – 5.5 – a reasonably quiet and occasionally careless display after a bright start. Increasingly confident on the ball, he can’t afford to forego the basics. I think he may have done tonight.

Thornhill – 5.5 – a good footballer in the making. I am impressed by his willingness to play the ball along the floor, and forwards. Unfortunately, despite a few good runs that were ignored, he sank like the Titanic when Forest went into their shell.

Clingan – 5 – not vintage Sammy. Gave the ball away too much and always seemed to be in the wrong place, doing the wrong thing, at the wrong time. He is a clever footballer, but I think he is struggling in this system at the moment. It’s especially understandable when he is left to run the show alongside two attack-minded teenagers.

Commons – 6 – partly lazy, partly bypassed by a system that didn’t really suit anyone. Always looked capable of delivering, but rarely did.

Tyson – 5 – Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s the worst first touch of any professional footballer in the world.

Holt – 5 – useless, despite much huffing and puffing. My anger towards Grant Holt for his inefficiency is turning into unmitigated contempt for Colin Calderwood, who just does not seem to realise that Holt is thoroughly incapable of playing anywhere other than centre forward. The ‘square peg in a round hole’ expression was invented for Grant Holt the winger.

Subs:

Sinclair – 5 – somebody ring the Colonel, we’ve got a headless chicken going spare.

Lennon – 5.5 – too late for a player like Lennon to make a difference.

 

Alternative report by WIAN!