I think, short of an injection of vast sums of money, a la Man City (or Chelsea originally), then it's incredibly difficult to break into the Man Utd/Arsenal/Liverpool/Tottenham group. Without significant investment, no one outside of Man Utd, Arsenal, Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool and Tottenham have a chance of qualifying for the CL - even teams like Everton and Villa, who in recent years have pushed close (and in Everton's case, qualified!), will now have very little chance of getting there. Personally, I think they should make the FA Cup winners the fourth CL team.
I somehow can't see Liverpool making it this year... I actually think the proliferation of money might help in an odd way, I mean Tottenham and Man City wouldn't have been considered contenders a few years ago (And Spurs haven't paid really silly money) and the more 'big'clubs there are playing and beating each other, the more likelyhood there is of another team sneaking in... I think the problem is that the poorer clubs just aren't set up for doing any good in Europe so even if they did qualify they tend to suddenly find themselves playing more games and thus knackering themselves (which happened to Villa) or feel they now have to keep spending to stay in that top four spot (Leeds). Europe was a killer for the likes of Ipswich and Reading in recent times. Unfortunately for most teams staying in the Prem is the best they can hope for. One reason in many ways I prefer the Championship, because literally anyone can put a decent run together and be a top six side.
When were Reading in Europe? I'd like to see the likes of Bolton, Sunderland and Stoke having a crack at the Europa League next season. Getting in once is still a cash-pot to help fund future qualification and progress.
I thought they made the UEFA cup not long after they gor promoted? At the very least they must have got close to it...er...I'll do my research better next time!
After last night, neither can I. Dire team. I grant you their better players were all at home, but my god what a shower of thuggish pricks.
Born in Stoke, but the family's from Derby, and most are still there. For me, the Derby vs Stoke thing is almost as big as our rivalry with Forest. Only Forest I can respect. Stoke? C**t club.
All family here got radio on listening to match FORST 1-0 Derby (Earnshaw) final few minutes come on REDS EDIT --- ALL OVER and Derby had a man sent off
Time to get the board out, watched the game and it came down to the benches, we had one and a half strikers and Forest had about 2o it seemed. Yanks out! Even I see the light eventually!
Forest should still worry about Watford - we beat them well today but they're a damn good side, probably the best to visit the CCS so far this season (possibly shaded by Norwich). Such quick, incisive and imaginative attacking. I can see them easily securing a play-off spot. Jax - who are your two games in hand against? Scunthorpe and Doncaster, something like that? I'm starting to get concerned about Forest as well now I've noticed they have two games on us!
All about the quality of finishing today. Forest only had a couple of efforts on target, but they have players that don't need ten chances to score. We've had problems up front since we sold Hulse, and despite us borrowing strikers left, right and centre, we desperately need someone in on a permanent basis, committed to the club. Too much pressure on Porter (coming back from a lengthy injury) and Commons (head elsewhere). Nigel's made a few mistakes (playing too many players out of position etc), but, he's totally not been backed by the board other than them saying that his job is safe. FFS, we have some of the richest owners in English football, and the miserly c**ts won't put any money in. Time to sh*t or get off the pot. It's clear that the current long-term approach isn't going to work, so really, if they're not here to provide investment on the pitch and get us back into the top tier, why are they here? Time to fcuk off now I think. This is probably the direst that we've been since we went down to the third tier in the 80s. Bad under Davies, but still good enough to get promoted from this league. Bad under Jewell, but still able to beat Forest. Now? I can't see where the Americans are taking us. They brag about the debt situation, but that's mostly down to Gadsby and the LoG. Even under the three amigos, or under Maxwell, when we were threatened with relegation, I've not felt as depressed as I am at the prospect of having this shower around in charge for much longer. At least under those regimes we still had decent players, and played decent football. It'll be interesting to see what happens over the rest of the transfer window. It'll also be interesting to see how the rest of the season goes. If it carries on in this manner then the pressure on the board/owners is going to get worse. Gadsby's probably sitting back rubbing his hands with glee at the moment. If anything he could probably get us back for a cheaper price than what he offered for the club last year. I love that they once said they would use the Randy Lerner model at Derby. Villa just spent £24m on a new striker. They wouldn't spend that at Derby if they stayed here until the next century. C**ts.
I just don't understand what their plan is? I mean obviously they want to sell up for a profit, but that isn't going to happen until we at least look like we might make the Prem! If they could just get us promoted they'd likely be able to make a big profit! I realise they got their fingers burnt over Jewell's signings but at the moment they're like the guy who swears off all women and becomes a hermit just because he had one bad experience! And what makes it worse is that I don't think we're that far away from being a team that can challenge for the playoffs; and how much would a decent striker (or two) actually cost? I don't get the impression Swansea paid that much for Luke Moore, and they'd probably have let us had Kuqui for next to nothing! Loans don't propel us forwards long term, they can help, but the core needs to be there and at the moment we have no core up front. What worries me even more is that both Porter and Davis are out of contract in the summer I beleive, what happens then? In the same way Billy D used to obsess over fullbacks and midfielders to the detriment of other areas that needed strengthening, Clough sees obsessed with the three offensive midfielders, which is fine but if there's no one playing in front of them we're screwed! I do sometimes worry how much Clough is to blame as well, he seems very reluctant to sign players sometimes, and he can't not know he needs a permanant signing up front? He can't truly believe Porter, Steve Davis and a loan striker is enough? Unfortunately I don't even see how the fans protesting can do any good. The board are never here so will they even notice if there are placards? They don't even seem that bothered by attendences dropping!
The problem is that there's a disconnect between our owners and the board that they put in place to manage the club on their behalf. I'm not entirely sure how aware they are of what are situation is. For a lot of them they make the right noises about being in it for the right reasons, but it's clear that they see it as a hobby-type interest, or that it's a great (or so they think) business opportunity. They've consistently said that their aims are to make the club a global brand, and to get them back into the Premier League. They need to realise that they have no chance of the former without the latter, and that they have no chance at the latter without investment in the team. The current approach will chip away at the debt, which isn't really a priority any more as it's very manageable as it is, but it won't get us anywhere near promotion anytime soon. Clough has been responsible for some of the defeats of late, playing players out of position, not changing the system until it's too late etc, but I'd love to know how he'd do given a bit of backing for a change. The lad from Notts County looked handy on Saturday, but we need more like him and a few better still. Have to agree about the point on protests, it won't get us anywhere unfortunately. And we don't have the leverage of the debt to manipulate their departure like at Liverpool. We're just going to have to wait and hope that someone like Gadsby puts together an offer that they can't or won't refuse. At the moment I see us going nowhere without further investment, and the drip-fed approach isn't going to cut it. I'm still waiting to see where this permanent replacement for Hulse is. I suspect that one's another of Glick's 'Shaun Barker-like fees' comments, ie. bullshit.
I think what makes it more annoying is that most of the fans I know aren't crying out for millions to be spent! If they announced an 800K striker tomorrow and a 500K central defender I'd be chuffed, I don't expect em to pay 5 million for some PRemier league reject or anything.
Absolutely mate, modest investment, that's all that's being asked for. Look at the players that Clough's actually paid money for; Barker, Brayford, Bailey, Davies, all solid signings IMO.
Forest look set to sign the left winger who scored the opening goal at the 2010 World Cup... We've needed another winger for a long time.
I thought it was a left back you needed! Even Porter would fall into that category if he was fit! Ok so Croft was a dodgy signing but at the time it looked a good move. Apparently as well as Waghorn we're interested in some Kilmarnock striker who turned down Scunthorpe last week...and there's mutterings about Commons and Rangers again. I say sell him, then at least we make a profit which is more than Forest did when he pulled the same shit on them!
Apparently Rangers have bid £500k for Commons. I'd take it and get him gone. Save the money on the wagebill and gives Nigel half a million to reinvest. Croft was a freebie btw. Odd, the freebies, like Croft, Roberts etc have been hit and miss, yet the players he's paid money for have tended to be a bit more of a solid signing.
Bennet is back but Bertrand is back at Chelsea now, hopefully we can sign him, that would be a big blow if we don't get him back. My annoyance with Forest is we seem to loan in some decent players and then they bugger off else where
Andy Gray sacked after new 'offensive' behaviour comes to light. Having heard the first, and seen the new evidence, Sky are taking the fcuking piss.