Premier League

Sanjay 17pts 0CS 6CR 5GB 3BB 1SB
Minizin. 14pts 1CS 5CR 0GB 3BB 1SB
Derby. 12pts 2CS 5CR -3GB 3BB 0SB
BBB. 11pts 1CS 5CR -3GB 6BB 0SB
SCO. 9pts 1CS 6CR -3GB -3BB 1SB
Silver. 8pts 1CS 3CR 5GB -3BB 0SB
BaggieOne 8pts 0CS 5CR -3GB 3BB 0SB
Snooty. 2pts 0CS 2CR -3GB 3BB 0SB
AAA No Submission


At least the gamball actually did its job this week. A moderate week's scoring with both the gamball and the Valball matches providing negative total scores.

Sanjay heads the table with 17 points. Although he failed to get a single correct score, he was the only player to score from all of his balls and shared the week's high of 6 correct results. Minizin seems to be very picky with his gamball and this week he again chose not to play it - wisely this time! This negativity helped him to second place and should keep him among the early pace-setters. Derby was the only player with 2 correct scores, though losing on his gamball for the first time this season held him back.

BBB had a decent week helped by a maximum on his bonus but failing with his other balls though he did manage to creep into double figures. It was a week of firsts for SCO - this was the first week that he scored on his score ball and also the first time he's failed on the gamball as his early season form seems to be deserting him.

Silver and BaggieOne are locked together on 8 points. Silver only scored on 3 games though he was saved from a really bad week by being the second player to score on the gamball. BaggieOne had 5 correct predictions but no correct scores.

Stranded at the foot of the table is Snooty, having a weekend to forget. His 0 - 2 scoreline (that's nil correct scores, 2 correct results) may just bring back bad memories of his Saturday afternoon (to think that I didn't pick the Huddersfield game because I thought it was too predictable!) He did at least stay positive thanks to one of his correct predictions being his bonus.

No AAA again - come back, all is forgiven!

Some comments on the balls:
SCO remains the gamball king despite this week's failure. Derby and Minizin have also scored more than 20 points from this ball so far and nobody other than AAA is actually negative - I confidently predict that that won't be the case for long. Minizin tops the bonus scorers closely followed by Snooty while BaggieOne is struggling with the bonus currently costing him 3 points. SCO's score ball point means that everyone has now gained at least 1 point on this ball - Minizin again has the best record scoring on 4 out of 5 weeks.

SCO 83
Minizin 76
Derby 73
Silver 71
BBB 69
Sanjay 59
BaggieOne 49
Snooty 49
AAA 16

A bit of a reshuffle this week though SCO retains top spot. Minizin and Derby both rise one place with Silver's poor week dropping him 2 places. BBB stays in tough while at the bottom, Sanjay's best score of the season so far lifts him 1 place with a 10 point gap to BaggieOne and Snooty sharing bottom place (assuming AAA doesn't beam himself back into the league).

Zin


Championship

Blue Baggie 21pts 4CS 3CR -3GB 6BB 0SB
Dingle 21pts 1CS 6CR 5GB 3BB 1SB
Themaclad 18pts 4CS 2CR -3GB 3BB 0SB
Zinman 14pts 1CS 5CR 5GB -3BB 0SB
Stairs 12pts 0CS 5CR NPGB 3BB 1SB
Salop 10pts 1CS 2CR NPGB 6BB 0SB
Twerton 7pts 1CS 4CR -3GB -3BB 1SB
Amelia 5pts 2CS 0CR NPGB -3BB 0SB
Lady Jane -2pts 1CS 0CR -3GB -3BB 0SB

You can always tell when either Zinman or myself get a decent score, we score each others divisions so when I get a good score, like the first week, I sent the results to him quickly, this week for the first time Zinman had a decent score and I got the PL scores from him about 30 seconds after Mark Noble missed that penalty!!!! Its obvious that we do this to "encourage" the other one to get the scores in quickly so that we can bask in our glory for longer!!!

As I mentioned Zinman got a decent score this week but top of the pile were joint winners Blue Baggie and Dingle Dingle with a very good score of 21 points each. They achieved this in very different ways though - Blue missed on the Gamball, DD got a CR, DD picked up a CR on the Bonus, Blue got it spot on, Blue got 4 CR, DD just got one - I think you get my point but it all added up to them ending with the same points total. In 3rd place is Themaclad on 18 points, his highest total so far this season, he was one of 3 players this week who got more CSs than CRs, not sure I have seen that many before.

And then comes Zinman with his decent score of 14 points. a seasons high for him and I am sure the fact that he not only played the Gamball but he picked up a CR on it had nothing to do with his speedy scoring!! Two of our more consistent scorers come next in Stairs with 12 points and Salop with 10. I keep banging this drum, maybe I need to use a different beat for them to hear me but their refusal to play the Gamball at all has now cost each of them 15 extra points this season so far!! Still, maybe they know something I don't as they both are still doing well overall.

The bottom three all ended in single digits, Twerton had a poor week by his recent standards missing on both the Gamball and Bonus. Amelia with 5 points and Lady Jane with a negative 2 bring up the rear, not for the first time this season. Amelia was one of the three players to get more CSs than CRs, LJ got one CS and a double -3 on the Gamball/Bonus combo!! With a certain player getting his first Scoreball point in the PL this week, LJ is now the only player in both divisions to have not picked up a single point on this ball so far.

88 - Blue Baggie
69 - DD
68 - Stairs
61 - Salop
57 - Twerton
51 - Themaclad
47 - Zinman
37 - Amelia
34 - Lady Jane

All bar 2 players moved places this week!! Blue stays top and increased his lead to 19 points!! DD rose 3 places to go second just a single point ahead of Stairs who drops one place. Salop dropped a place as well, as did Twerton with DD jumping all three of them. Themaclad took sole possession of 6th, with Zinman in 7th. Bit of gap opening up now above the bottom 2, Amelia moves off the bottom but is 10 points behind Zin and Lady Jane's negative score saw her fall to last place.

Cheers
SCO

On a side note, maybe this week we can score more than zero comments on this thread!! I know we are all friends but a bit of banter or even praise for the scorers wouldn't go amiss!! For example, come on BBB, you are 3 points behind Derby and they are in administration!!

This will be an interesting encounter at Tannadice with a cup semi-final "up for grabs". They'll be "on a high" after winning the Dundee derby and it has the making of an entertaining rip-roaring cup tie. Hibs still unbeaten and always seem to be able to "lift" their performances in cup ties. Also Hibs record v United is vg in recent years with JR not losing a match v the Tangerines. Lets hope that continues. Looks like a big Hibs away support heading north to cheer on the guys. C'mon Hibs!

GGTTH

Gamball Game:
Chelsea - Man City

Others:
Leeds - West Ham
Watford - Newcastle
Brentford - Liverpool
Reading - Middlesbrough
Blackburn - Cardiff
Forest - Millwall
Swansea - Huddersfield
Ipswich - Sheff Wed
Arsenal - Spurs

Only watched the goals IJ. Were the JTs satisfied with the point or do you feel that the 3 points were there for the taking?

Cheltenham Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in the town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. From the 2021–22 season, the club will compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system, after winning the League Two title. Nicknamed the "Robins", they have played at Whaddon Road since 1932. The club contests rivalries with Gloucester City and Forest Green Rovers.

Founded in 1887, the club spent much of its early history competing in local football circles, before moving to the Birmingham Combination in 1932 and then the Southern League in 1935. They spent the next 50 years in the Southern League, winning the Midland Division in 1982–83 and then claiming the Premier Division title in 1984–85. They were subsequently promoted into the Alliance Premier League in 1985, where they remained for seven seasons until they were relegated in 1992. They finished as runners-up of the Southern League Premier Division for four of the next five seasons, and were promoted into the Conference in 1997.

Under the stewardship of Steve Cotterill, Cheltenham won the 1998 FA Trophy final and then secured promotion into the Football League for the first time after winning the Conference title in 1998–99. He left the club after the 2001–02 season, having guided them to the FA Cup fifth round and promotion with victory in the 2002 Third Division play-off final. Immediately relegated after one season in the Second Division, they secured another promotion as manager John Ward guided them to victory in the 2006 League Two play-off final. Relegated after three seasons in the third tier, the club's 16-year stay in the Football League ended with relegation back to the National League in 2015. However manager Gary Johnson led Cheltenham to the Conference title with a 101 point tally in 2015–16, making them the first club in 26 years to secure an immediate return to the Football League as champions of the Conference. After Michael Duff took over from Johnson, he led the club to its first Football League title, winning the 2020–21 League Two title.

MANAGER

MICHAEL DUFF

On 10 September 2018, Duff was appointed to his first managerial appointment at his former club Cheltenham Town in League Two.[10] He was awarded the League Two Manager of the Month award for September 2019 and February 2020.[11] On 1 November 2019, Duff signed a contract extension which will keep him at Cheltenham Town until June 2023.

On 27 April 2021, Duff secured the club’s first ever automatic promotion in the Football League with a 1-1 draw against Carlisle United.

LAST TIME OUT



This the first ever meeting between the clubs

MACS VIEW

One of those games we should win but one we could so easily lose, this is a decent side we are playing under a pretty good manager, they have had two great seasons one falling in the play offs before putting that right by getting automatic promotion the season afterwards.
Gave City a hard game in the cup last year and should not be underestimated
Like the Morecambe game expect a strongish side from us although also expect the likes of McCann, Wickham and Potts to start, win this and the chances of getting one of the bigger clubs comes closer

Aldershot's Chairman went for the full hagiography on Danny Searle and his family, straight after sacking him and probably ruining his life.

Mate, if he's that good all you had to do was wait and you'd eventually have ascended to heaven. As it is you're going to bring in someone new, in whom you can't afford to invest, and who will probably repeat all the mistakes Danny Searle has now learnt from, but can't apply as he is now out of a job.

The storyline I'm waiting for is Chairman Pulled Down by Supporters, Thrown Into Harbour / River / Sea / Lake / Swimming Pool / Reservoir .......

Isn't it enough to be a crap chairman? Is the full-on hypocrisy really necessary?

It's like those pre-loved ads, "Lovely pony, sad sale, entire family distraught, good home only." Truth is it tried to eat one of the children!

After just seven games in charge Harry Kewell has been sacked as Barnet Manager.

Any bets on Martin Allen taking over?

2 points for a correct result
4 points for a correct score
2 points for each correct scorer
Correct joker doubles your score      
Wrong joker result gives you minus 2
Correct Random Badger gives you 2 points

The random badger is used for any random prediction used once in each matchday sequence. For instance, a scorer at a particular match, the number of red cards in the matches or yellow cards or own goals or owt you want really within reason, I do need to be able to check whether it's correct or not. Please don't put stuff like....."Commentator says...."  
The joker   is played for one match in each sequence and if correct you get double points. So if you've predicted 1-0 and it finishes 2-0, you get 4 pts, but if you've predicted 2-0, that's 8 pts. But if you get it wrong, it's minus 2.
Jokers and badgers are optional. You don't have to play one if you don't want.


Cup games:
In the event of a draw, it's half the points if you've predicted a draw when it gets to 90 mins and the full points if it's still a draw after extra time. Half the points will be awarded for correctly predicting the winner of the match if it goes to penalties. Similarly with the badger, if your random prediction is affected by this, it'll be half the points.

Random score generator: I will be using the random score generator again for those who miss predicting, so we shouldn't get some people too far behind that after missing a couple of weeks they lose all interest, because I know it's not easy getting on here every week.
To be fair to everybody, this is going to be like, say if three people in one week miss their predictions, the first one in the table will be given all 0-0, the second one down the line will get 1-0 and the third will get 0-1 and so on, like if there's four missing the 4th will get 1-1, then 5th 2-1, 6th 1-2. and if there are so many missing, might as well pack in.
And if you miss two weeks on the trot, I'll stop until you come back on again. Not doing it for half a season like I did t'other year.  

NEW FOR THIS SEASON: End of season Play Offs.

The one who finishes top of the league will still be champion, but after the season finishes there will be Play Offs between the top 4, with 1st v 4th and 2nd v 3rd. This will take in stuff like the EFL Play Offs, FA Cup Final, final day of Prima Donna League, European Finals etc. It will be one matchday for the semis and one for the Final. It will be the individual scores for each matchday against the allotted opponent, with some kind of tie breaker for a drawn match.
So last season's matches would've been Baggiebob(BBB) v theo_luddite and jjamez v St Charles Owl and would've given a bit more to play for towards the back end of the season.
The prize for winning will be enormous. Another rep point.

We now have an Appeals Committee set up, consisting of me, myself and I. All appeals must be made before the next Matchday kicks off.

Friday 24th September:
Coventry City v Peterborough United
West Bromwich Albion v Queens Park Rangers

Saturday 25th September:
Swansea v Town
Town scorers:
Swansea scorers:

Reading v Middlesbrough (12:30)
Birmingham City v Preston North End
Blackburn Rovers v Cardiff City
Blackpool v Barnsley
AFC Bournemouth v Luton Town
Bristol City v Fulham
Nottingham Forest v Millwall
Sheffield United v Derby County
Stoke City v Hull City

Tuesday 28th September:
Town v Blackburn
Town scorers:
Blackburn scorers:

Cardiff City v West Bromwich Albion
Hull City v Blackpool
Middlesbrough v Sheffield United
Preston North End v Stoke City
Queens Park Rangers v Birmingham City

Wednesday 29th September:
Barnsley v Nottingham Forest
Derby County v Reading
Fulham v Swansea City
Luton Town v Coventry City
Millwall v Bristol City
Peterborough United v AFC Bournemouth

Table after Matchday 8:

1. Baggiebob(BBB) = 207 pts
   
2. jjamez = 188 pts
   
3. St Charles Owl = 184 pts
   
4. theo_luddite = 167 pts
   
5. Lord Snooty = 166 pts
   
6. SHEP_HTAFC = 163 pts
   
7. WakeyTerrier = 161 pts
   
8. neonfoxinthebox = 159 pts
   
9. themaclad = 146 pts
   
10. Amelia Chaffinch = 144 pts
    
11. ritchiebaby = 144 pts

Sad news for me today with the death of Jimmy Greaves. I’m old enough to remember him playing for Spurs at the Hawthorns and scoring a magnificent goal in a 4-3 defeat to the Baggies. Along with Denis Law, he was the greatest natural goal scorer I’ve ever seen in the flesh. Just magnificent. Rest in Peace, Greavsie

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside, oh we do like to be beside the sea. When Jonny Hogg bags the third and you win 3-0, you know you've had a good day at the beach and will be more than happy to bring a stick of rock or two back as a memento.

Josh Koroma and Matty Pearson got the other two as Town turned the screw in the second half after what could only be described as being a drab affair. Danel Sinani impressed at times with his two touch football and his corner led to Pearson's goal, whilst Thomas' set pieces will always cause defences problems it would seem. Our visitors on Saturday suffered a 2-0 defeat at home to Middlesbrough, leading to manager Chris Hughton being given the boot by former Barnsley CEO Dane Murphy. Managers like Chris Wilder, Steve Cooper and Alex Neil are being touted for the top job, whilst former Chelsea defender John Terry has gone on record as being interested in taking the position. Murphy however has shown during his time at Barnsley a habit of going for a lesser known option that buys into his principles, as seen by the appointments of Struber, Ishmail and Markus Schopp, so it would come as little surprise to see a lesser known option come through the door.



It has been a dismal start to the campaign for Forest so far, with the Tricky Trees picking up just the one point against local rivals Derby and currently sit bottom, 3 points behind Peterborough, although they could move off the foot of the table if the points deduction for Derby comes through. Despite sitting bottom, they have only being losing by slight margins, 2-1 away to Coventry, thanks to two late goals. They lost 2-1 at home to ten man Bournemouth, former Town man Phil Billing getting himself on the scoresheet. Another 2-1 defeat followed at home to Blackburn, before losing 1-0 away Stoke, they managed to pick their sole point of the season before the international break away at Derby in the Brian Clough derby. September started the way August went with a 2-1 defeat at home to Cardiff, despite being 1 up for a large portion of the game, before last nights 2-0 defeat at home to Neil Warnocks Boro side. Unless they make a sudden appointment before the game, it will be former Republic of Ireland midfielders Steven and Andy Reid in the dug out against Carlos. Steven is probably most known for his time at Blackburn, mainly prior to the arrival of the Venkys, whilst Andy is a legend of Forest having come through the ranks there before joining in Tottenham in a double deal with recently retired Michael Dawson. Injuries plagued both midfielders careers, with Andy, playing 144 times in 5 years in his first spell at Forest, and then despite having a good start at Spurs before injuries saw him fizzle out with spells at Charlton, Sunderland and Blackpool before he headed back to the City Ground to play a further 119 games despite more niggling injuries. Steven began his career at Millwall and had a 5 year stint there before moving up to Ewood Park. He had 7 years there including loans out at QPR and West Brom, the WBA loan became permanent and he had a 4 year stay there, before a short spell at Burnley. He retired and went on to become a coach at Reading with Steve Clarke, before moving to coach at Crystal Palace under Roy Hodgson. He had a brief stay as coach at Wimbledon and a spell as caretaker assistant manager at former club WBA before heading up to Scotland to work as a coach with Clarke, before heading back below the border to work with Chris Hughton.



So there is a quick run down of their season so far, but the most important question. What is everyone's go to flavour of rock?

In terms of incomings it was a quiet window for Forest until the last few days when there was a flurry of activity, starting with USA goalkeeper Ethan Horvath, who was linked with Town before Lee Nicholls signed. Horvath had played as back up mainly in Belgium, where he was behind former Liverpool stopper Simon Mingolet, but decide to try and challenge for a number 1 jersey at Forest where he has only just got the gloves ahead of Brice Samba. He started against Boro and when I was watching he nearly got the ball taken off him whilst trying to play out from the back, apparently he did make a howler later in the game to give Boro one of their goals. Then came the signings of a couple of loans in the build up to deadline day, James Garner rejoined on loan from Manchester United, Phillip Zinkernagel joined on loan from Watford, former Derby full back Max Lowe joined from Sheffield United, whilst Jordan Osei-Tutu joined on loan from Arsenal. On deadline day they managed to complete the loan signing of Djed Spence from Middlesbrough as well as the permanent signings of Xande Silva from West Ham, Braian Ojeda from Paraguayan side Olimpia and Mohamed Drager from Olympiakos, they also signed Rodrigo Ely on a free transfer after the window shut after the defender left Alaves.



With regards to departures, there seemed to be a mass exodus of players, with Glenn Murray, Michael Dawson and Michael Hefele all retiring, the Hef obviously coming back to where he was loved the most. Senegalese goalkeeper Abdoulaye Diallo was released after being brought in by former manager Sabri Lamouche to challenge Samba for the number one jersey, Samba Sow was also let go at the end of his contract after failing to make a real impression in the Forest midfield. Other departures include midfielders Harry Arter and Fouad Bachirou, who, like Sow, found themselves behind the likes of Jack Colback in the pecking order. Left backs Nikolas Ioannou, Tyler Blackett and Yuri Ribeiro all left for pastures new, Ionnou on loan to Serie B side Como, Blackett on a free transfer to MLS side Cincinnati to play under former manager Jaap Staam, whilst Ribeiro wanted to be closer to family back in Portugal after being isolated from them due to COVID, he ended up at Legia Warsaw in Poland, I suppose the first two letters are the same  Striker Nuno Da Costa left to join Caen on loan after failing to make a mark at Forest, although being played out wide as a tall striker arguably isn't going to help matters. Bambi on ice Sammy Ameobi was released and went up to Middlesbrough after impressing Warnock whilst on trial, although the biggest surprise was that the club willingly sold highly rated right back Jordan Gabriel to Blackpool, he played against Town on Saturday and looked okay, dealing well with Koroma's pace as he tried to go around the outside, it is a puzzling sale.



There has been quite a few meetings between the two sides, with Town holding the upper hand with regards to head to heads, winning 24 of the meetings, drawing 17 and losing 18. The first couple of meetings between the two sides went the way of Forest with Town having to wait until 1913 to seal their first victory over the Tricky Trees. From 1920 to 1939 it was a spell of dominance for the Terriers, with 7 league wins and a cup win, with a solitary league draw and cup draw. It wouldn't be until the 50's that the two sides would meet again, with the reds doing the double over the Terriers in the 52/53 season. There was to be a fair few draws between the two sides for a decade or so when they met, with the odd win either way. Come the late 90's and Forest were on the wain slightly after Brian Clough had left, whilst Town too were finding themselves heading downwards, Forest did the double in the 97/98 season, with Town repaying the favour the season after. By the mid 00's both sides were languishing in League 1, and Forest would become somewhat of a bogey side for Town, with Town managing just the one win during the league 1 era against Forest, and that was a 2-1 win over 9 men, future Premier League referee Mike Dean giving red cards to Jack Lester and Ian Breckin. By the end of the 2007/08 Forest were winning promotion back to the Championship where they have remained ever since. It wouldn't be until 2012 that the two sides met again, in what would be one of prolific Rhodes' last games for Town, he scored a 90th minute penalty to give Town a share of the points. The return fixture would see Mark Robins in charge of Town, and it would see Town thrashed 6-1. James Vaughan gave Town the lead in the 10th minute before the floodgates opened. Future Town loanee Radi Majewski scored a hattrick, another future Town player Elliott Ward scored, with Henri Lansbury and Darius Henderson also getting on the scoresheet. It wouldn't be until 2014 that Town would register their first Championship win over Forest, two former Reds were on the scoresheet that day in the form of Joel Lynch and Grant Holt, Nahki Wells scored the other goal. It would lead to a spell where Town would have the better of the two sides with Forest only winning 2 and Town winning a further 6.



Now on the back of that, a little quiz of a game from yesteryear. I'll give a description of each player in the Town side, you've got to say who it is. Bonus pat on the back if you can tell me the result.

1- I was on loan for the season and played 38 times for the club that season. I've never really made a mark at my club

2- A future captain of the club. At this point I was fairly limited in my game but that would soon improve. I left to join another Championship side

3- I was captain of the club at the time and would captain the season after before retiring and moving into coaching, I am currently unemployed and looking for my first management gig

4- I was perceived to be a rolls royce of a defender, capable of a boo boo or equally a great goal. I fell out with the manager over training and was replaced by a club icon

5- Another loanee, I came in after the loan of a future Champions League and Premier League winners loan ended. I was only here temporarily as the manager didn't rate the current incumbent

6- I left the Hornets nest to join Town and have become part of the furniture

7- At this time I was a bit of a boy wonder just trying to make a name for myself, could strike a clean ball but would also disappear from games. I'm back playing in the Championship but have mature a little bit from what I used to be.

8- A winger who always looked promising but also too prone to injuries. Seemed like he only had one trick but blossomed once he left. Seems to have regressed over the last few year, mainly due to injuries and loss of form

9- Played the bulk of my career in Germany despite being French born. I struggled a bit with the physical nature of the game in England and was released at the end of the season. I played on for a few more season but officially retired last year as I became a scout for one of the bigger teams in German football.

10- I was a hustle and bustle winger come forward and looked bright but became more of a bit part player as the seasons went on. I left and have bounced around a few clubs before drifting into non league, however a league club took a punt on me this summer and I have a second shot of league football.

11- everyone keeps saying my name wrong! I left Town when I probably should have stayed, it took a move to the capital for me to regain my scoring touch and I have since moved to another big city, although I was told this summer that I would be sold if a team came in for me

subs

another old head that retired and went into coaching, I left the club to coach with a former team mate, since then he and I have been sacked and I have recently joined the coaching set up of a team near where I spent the bulk of my career.

I appear in most quizzes of Jj's but surprisingly I haven't actually played for Forest

I was highly rated when I first joined Town before being used as a utility player by the manager. I went on loan to the coast and turned that move permanent and made a bit of a name for myself there. A new manager didn't rate me much and loaned me to a future Championship side, that move stayed a loan and I moved to Kent to ply my trade.



Manager talk



and for those who don't have 30 mins spare to watch

Two or three players have seen the medical staff with little issues after Tuesday's game. We don't think it's anything serious, but they're just being looked at. I don't want to create any panic because it's normal for players to come in for assessment after games. I'm not going to name anyone because I don't want to create alert for a normal issue."

"Rolando Aarons is an option for us on Saturday. Ryan Schofield still has a back problem. We're going to test him today to see if he can be on the bench or if he needs to sit out again."

"Pipa and Jordan Rhodes are in a long-term recovery process. I'm told Pipa is recovery very well from surgery and Rhodes is progressing well, but we can't tell yet whether their time out is going to extend or reduce."

"Aaron Rowe has not trained with the group yet. We hope we can be back next week, but we'll see how he reacts in the next few days."

"I'm pleased with Tuesday's result. It's always important to react after a defeat. We knew it would be a challenging game and I was pleased that the players took it seriously and concentrated on small details to improve their approach. In the first half there were many good actions, but there were also problems. In some moments there were things we wanted to improve - that will happen in football. In the second half the mentality, concentration, attention, focus and winning mentality changed the game for us."

"Set pieces are important. I think players can attack the ball with more confidence when the deliveries are good. We concentrate a lot on the deliveries, you can have the best headers in the world, but if the deliveries are no good, you're not going to score."

"We have a good group of players. I have a lot of confidence because we have good players in every position. Every one of our players has value that makes them important, and we have more options for every position with the right mentality and the ability to compete at this level."

"Nottingham Forest have a good squad with plenty of options. We can't be thinking about their league position. We are going to prepare the same because they still have the same squad. They might not keep the players in the same positions, but at the end of the day it's the same players. We know whoever they play with we need to know the level of the opposition."

"We are always working in three shapes in defence and attack. At the moment I don't want to stop doing that because I don't want the side to think they can only play one certain way. Sometimes you need to change things or you can become predictable."

"The key with any shape is to be aggressive and competitive. If we keep working on that identity, that's more important than the shape. We just want to pick a shape that helps us show that identity."

"We picked Hoggy as Captain for everything he's done for the Club, and can continue doing for the Club. He's always looking to improve his game, he's always competitive, and he's one of the leaders at this Club. Hoggy always demands the best of everyone because he demands the best of himself too. He has a very positive spirit and that's why everyone was so pleased for him to get that goal. He doesn't score many, so everyone enjoyed that moment."

So it is anyones guess as to who the players suffering with the little niggles, I'd imagine Ward and Colwill are two candidates, with Ward having had the hip trouble and Colwill going down with cramp, otherwise I'm guessing.

As for the Forest camp

“At the moment, I’m focusing on taking this one game. Hopefully we get a good result tomorrow. I’ve not been told how long it will be for.

“I’ll just crack on, take training today, take the game tomorrow, then after the weekend I’m sure there will be more information, more conversations to be had. A change in manager often results in a change in backroom staff too.

“I’ve never been in this situation where I’ve been in interim charge - it’s always been staying on in my role or leaving as well as a manager. At the moment, I’m just thinking about training today and the game tomorrow. It’s a day off on Sunday. I’m sure we’ll learn a lot more then. Hopefully I’ll get some information next week on what the script is going forward.

I’m sure there will be a couple of changes in the team.

“We’ve got to think about certain situations. We’ve got to work a little bit on the training ground. There’s work to do with the analysts; get a couple of video meetings prepared for the players. There is still a lot to think about. In such a short period of time, you’ve got to give yourself as much time as possible to speak with the staff around you, get their thoughts, and speak with the players.

“It’s about getting as much information into myself and the players ready for tomorrow.”

“It is difficult. You’ve got a loyalty to the manager. But you are also employed by the football club. You’ve got to do your job as they see fit, At this moment in time, they obviously feel I’ve got the skills - and, hopefully, the leadership qualities - to lead the club.

“That might just be until Saturday. Who knows? I just crack on with the job, take training, get as much information as I can into the players and get them going as much as possible in this short period of time.

“It’s tough. It’s a difficult situation. It’s one I’ve not been in before. I’ve worked with managers who have lost their jobs, but then either I’ve moved on or have worked with a different manager. I’m going to take some positives from the experience, for sure. It’s going to be good experience for myself.”



Played for both

Well you've got to look no further than the likes of Joe Lolley and Michael Hefele for the most recent pair to play for both sides, however there have been a few further back than that. To be fair when I think about the players that come to mind, it always seems to be players that were at the City Ground and then came here, maybe via other clubs but I do struggle to think back on players that went from Town to Forest, other than Adama Diakhaby, but does he really count as a player? Defender Jack Robinson had a loan spell at Town before he wound up at Forest, so there is another one! he is now plying his trade at Sheffield United, Muzzy Carayol had spells at both clubs and is now at Gillingham after a period playing in Cyprus and Turkey.



Midfielder Jamie Paterson had a loan spell at Town from Nottingham Forest, with Town interested in signing the attacker, then owner Fawaz Al-Hasawi kept changing the deal in regards to signing him, leading to Town pulling out of the deal, he would move to Bristol City instead and can now be seen playing for Swansea. Fellow attacking midfielder Radi Majewski had a loan spell at Town but never really settled at the club with family issues back in Poland being mentioned as a major factor for his absence. It is believed that Town allowed him to go back to Poland to sort things out and that he didn't take a wage during his time of leave. In his final season at Forest he was joined by then Leeds defender and former Town player Lee Peltier, he went to the City Ground on a short loan before rejoining Town, becoming the clubs captain. Robins, who signed him left after one game that season and was replaced by Chris Powell who favoured Tommy Smith at right back, with Mark Hudson becoming captain. Peltier left to join Cardiff. Another defender in Elliott Ward had a couple of loans at the City Ground from then club Norwich, he would join Bournemouth from whom Town would loan him for two one month loans.



As well as Joel Lynch and Grant Holt, Ishmael Miller would have a spell on loan at Town, he would come in to replace Holt once his loan had finished. He was used mainly as a winger whilst at Forest, they seemed to have a habit of putting big men out wide as they did the same with Holt, Miller would score 4 goals for Town during his time at the club before being released by David Wagner. Joe Garner also had a loan at Town where he underperformed for Lee Clarks side, he would fail to find the back of the net during his stay in Yorkshire.

Now there are probably a lot more to have played for both clubs, so who do you remember? One name that I know that played for both is Peter Withe, now I feel he had a better time at Forest rather than Town. A former England international, what was he like for those who actually saw him play?

In terms of the current Forest squad, they may be bottom but they still have some good players to keep an eye on

Phillip Zinkernagel- On commentary last year away at Watford after he had just been announced by the Hornets, Leigh Bromby said that we had been keeping tabs on him, ultimately he joined Watford for around 10 million so we were never in the battle. Since promotion, as always they have gone and signed what seems like a whole new tea, which has meant that the Danish winger has found himself on the fringes and has decided to go out on loan. He has a bit of pace and likes to cut in and have a shot from distance, so will need to be watched.

Joe Worrall- Frequently linked with moves to the Premier League with the likes of Southampton and Burnley usually the ones snooping, also always seems to be out injured during a transfer window for some reason too. Came on the scene at Forest having come through their academy at much the same time as Ryan Yates and now Sheffield United, Ben Osborn. Had a couple of promising years but started to stagnate and went on loan to Rangers, there he had some good games but also made glaring errors, however, it helped him come back a better player. Still prone to a major lapse in concentration at the back, but also now a key stay in the back line.

Ryan Yates- A midfielder much like Lewis O'Brien in that he seems to go everywhere and be half decent at pretty much every task, without overly standing out at any. Would have had a fair few goals last season if he could head the ball properly as most set pieces tended to find him. It seems likely that he will be partnering Manchester United midfielder Garner tomorrow afternoon.



The Nottingham Anagrams

1- Abridged rail

2- Grow Drift Bed

3- A Slaving Noisemaker

4- Tea Ban Saved

5- Alas Bottoming Bras

6- A Trust Board

7- Knobby Claim

8- How Bonfires Odor