Changes

The events of the last 24 hours in the history of Nottingham Forest are already, and will be for many years to come, momentous. Football managers come and go. When the man that appoints the manager decides to go, that’s a whole other thing.

Whatever you say about Nigel Doughty, he has done his best to bring back the good times to the club. Thanks to his resources, we still have a club. His deep pockets saved the club from “doing a Portsmouth" before Portsmouth “did a Portsmouth". He can be rightly proud of that alone, but went on to invest heavily year after year. Alas, during the last 12 years finances in the wider context of football makes his investment look like small beer. That is not his fault, nor should he draw criticism for how much he pods out - it is his money. I’d just say thank you.

However, the issue for which he has stepped down is the right one; poor judgement on managerial appointments – specifically Steve McClaren’s. He was right to step down because that decision has backfired disastrously and spectacularly setting us back significantly. Think back to May’s optimism compared to now finding ourselves 1 point the drop zone after 10 games of the new season with no manager, no home league win staring down the barrel of League 1 - is staggering.

The time is right for his decision; it is not a knee-jerk reaction to a small group of protesters. It has been coming for a while. Despite his best efforts, Nigel has not managed to find a recipe for success on the field to get the club promoted. The signs have been there for 18 months; the incongruence between ambitious words and indifferent action has been the source of frustration for supporters and managers. If Steve McClaren has any Forest legacy is that his openness, honesty and integrity to act in good faith forced Nigel Doughty to reflect on his own position and act accordingly. The issue is about honesty. If a clear statement had been sent out, “sorry guys, the bankroll days are over, FFR is on the way, no more money" at least we would have known. Of course, had that been the message, there would have been no Steve McClaren era.

As for Steve McClaren, I feel sorry for him. He was mis-sold the club. That is not his fault, although you might imagine he would have done a little more homework. Clearly, his ideas, his style of management has not fitted well with the players. Rumours of dressing room unrest have been flying around for weeks.

The performance yesterday on the back of a mauling Burnley was poor. Birmingham have got their own problems; they were there for the taking. Instead, we gifted them the game. The players didn’t really care. Maybe they already knew that SM was going to be on his way after the game. However, had Majewski cut the ball back for Miller to put us 2 up from 3 yards out, things might have been different. We will never know, and on such small things in a few seconds can so many things hinge. Birmingham could just have easily lost the game despite Forest being so poor. McClaren might have stayed put and a first home win might have been a corner turned. It was not to be. Whilst sympathetic, Steve was not without fault. He was clearly stumbling for a formula, not knowing what formation to pick, who to play where and how to gel them. Consequently he changed it constantly and the players yesterday didn’t have a clue what to do.

So to the future; the search for a new manager begins and with it a clear, new requirement to manage within a strictly limited budget not just for this season but for the foreseeable future. Given what we know now, will the expectation of Forest supporters diminish proportionately? If think not. Is the City Ground hot seat turning into football’s biggest poisoned challis? You bet. Getting a good man won’t be easy.

I’ve heard a lot of nonsense about the need get somebody with Forest connections. This notion that having been a former player at the club as manager somehow translates into them having special powers coursing through their veins because they “know the club and its traditions" is sentimental bunkum. What matters most is getting players fit, organised, disciplined, bonded as a unit and responsible, with a basic level of ability in their own position (which they stick to). Where the manager comes from and who he played for does not matter one iota. Not a teeny tiny jot. I lie; it does matter – only because too many Forest supporters will lack patience with a non Forest man who doesn’t hit the ground running.

The way that football has gone, I don’t want to get to the Premier League. There is a large part of me that pines for the days of the 80/ 90’s: Pearce, Clough, Keane, Parker, Crossley, Jemson, Hodge, Crosby, Chettle. Getting in for a fiver, 70p for a pie. Simple game, simple passing, simple prices, happier times. If football could return to that era I’d be happy.