Forest v West Brom - Match Thread

Game 41 - April 18th 2022

Nottm Forest 4 - 0 Wet Baggies

Johnson (19, pen),
Yates (23)
Colback (45+2),
Surridge (90+3)

FT

APRIL IS THE CRUELLEST MONTH

On April 18th 1922, the poet T. S. Eliot fell off his bicycle near Hyde Park Cemetery, an accident which prompted him to write his famous line "April is the cruellest month". He could never have imagined how his words would echo through the waste land of the English Championship exactly one hundred years later.

April 18th 2022 was about the cruelty of simple numbers. At three o'clock the possibilities of success or failure were almost infinite. Derby had everything to play for, after their victory over the Cottage Boys had raised their hopes of catching the Reading Ladies. The world was with them, these plucky little fighters from the East Midlands, as they took on Mark Warburton's bottle boys.

It took only 3 minutes for the numbers to start playing their cruel tricks. Reading Ladies went one nil up, and Derby hearts sank a little. But they are nothing if not resilient, these plucky little fighters from the East Midlands, and their faith was rewarded when Reading were pulled back to 1-1, then went behind 1-2, then 1-3, then, remarkably, 1-4. If Derby could somehow manage a win, then survival was definitely on the cards.

The hope that numbers provide is illusory, of course, because numbers change, like the numbers ticking by on the hangman's clock. As the plucky little fighters from the East Midlands struggled to generate their one chance against a brittle Queens Park Ladies, the other Ladies of Reading were putting up their own fight. On the hour mark, the score was Reading 3 Abertawe 4.

Then, quite abruptly, the numbers turned round and spat in Derby's face. In minute 88, Queens Park Ladies scored. In minute 90+5, Reading got their equaliser. In minute 90+8, captain Tom Lawrence got himself sent off, and Derby's world collapsed.

The media coverage of Derby's relegation was widespread and deeply sympathetic, for who would not shed a tear at the cruel fate that had befallen these plucky little fighters from the East Midlands. Praise was heaped on their fighting qualities (14 away defeats out of 22), and their manager ( the one recruited by Morris as a player through a questionable betting company deal, said player manipulating Cocu out of the manager's seat and himself into it, said player owing his career to the man he slagged off after the match as if he was wholly ignorant of his patron's dodgy dealings). Who could not sympathise with the sentiments of captain Tom Lawrence, the brave little soldier who survived a car crash and a conveniently bad disciplinary record to offer his assurance that Derby would bounce proudly back.

At least Derby fans now have clarity. A fresh start in League One, new owner, renewed recruitment, all debts cleared. Sadly, these plucky little fighters from the East Midlands may not have seen the last of fate's cruelty, but it doesn't matter, because by the time the last blow falls, people will probably have forgotten who they were.

The other great cruelty was the fate of the Wet Bags, who came to the City Ground in the sure and certain hope of rekindling their play off chances. By the end of the evening it was clear that something terrible had happened to this once great team. They had never been famed for the subtlety of their approach, but misfortune seemed to have reduced them to a gang of thuggish gobsh!tes. What was wrong with Furlong, who managed to give away a penalty and get himself sent off within a few minutes? Were these people having stupidity coaching? Was Livermore actually trying to get himself sent off? Who was the idiot who kicked the ball into the crowd with malice dissent? What in God's name was happening to Steve Bruce's face?

The last thing you need when you suspect you are crap is for somebody like Forest to come along and prove it to the world by scoring four against you. Johnson shot a bullet penalty and Yates shot a bullet header past the entirely obnoxious Button. Colback sliced in a beauty from out by the corner flag. Surridge completed the rout with an outstanding finish from a Zinks through ball. All the Bags had to offer was a lack of discipline, a load of mouth, and a manager who seemed to have lost touch with reality.

Life can be cruel indeed, especially for those who have made their homes in the Great State of Denial.

There, forgotten already.

Stress and Pie 2022

www.stressandpie.co.uk

What I particularly noticed was that Walter Cowshed bloke [& his side kick or is that a dual acc'?] who disappeared off after the penalty went in.

I thought he was here for the whole evening?

Still here

I have been around on here several years on and off...the other guy Wethersfield is not me..his brother hydy also post on here....our numbers on here have steadily declined over the years so there's no point doing match threads for the 3/4 of us left on here

Most of us left on here now are from the old bbc days

We used to have a couple of Australian based Town fans on here and when I could I used to stream the local radio coverage so they could listen...word got round and some games 3/400 people would be listening to the the commentaries

Nowadays you can watch every game live on TV with the right equipment so I think that's the main reason people have drifted away

I remember us having a Turkish Forest fan once, he was a character!

Leeds used to have a decent number still on here, and we generally get quite a few lost sheep, though there numbers are dwindling, and they haven’t much to shout or ridicule about atm. Hope this keeps going, it can be quite entertaining.

Here since day 1 in 2011, our numbers dwindled, but I'm still on here commenting on snooker