retired_bbcarr

With Kris Commons missing for a week with a sprained wrist, Jack Lester off to Bury for a three month spell and the Carling Cup third round draw having placed us against Watford, we travelled to Yorkshire to face Bradford. The home side had obviously employed two tactics in order to try and beat us. The first was to kick the living ***** out of any Forest-clad player who came within range, which worked to the extent that Eugen Bopp, Lassana Diarra and Scott Dobie were all forced off with knocks at half time. The second, and infinitely more effective, was to sign Clark Kent as a goalkeeper. He may have gone by the name Russell Howarth, but his secret identity was only too clear as he flew across the goal time and again to deny us the goals we so readily deserved. Thankfully, our defence was in just as mean a mood and the game ended with neither goal having been breached.

The fitness of Kris Commons was becoming something of a worry for us. Not once had he managed to complete a full ninety minutes, and rarely had he been able to play in two consecutive games. With only Momo Sissoko available to cover on the left, and my desire to see him play more often in a central role, I decided to try and bring in, temporarily at least, some extra left sided cover. There were a mere three days before we faced Peterborough in the LDV Vans Trophy, so work had to be done quickly and it was, bringing Faroe Island international Claus Jørgensen from Coventry on a three month loan.

Jørgensen was given a starting berth on the left for the visit of Peterborough. David Johnson had suffered the same injury as Kris Commons, straining a wrist in endeavours best left private, so Eugène Dadi came into the side for his first appearance since I had taken over. The game started badly, young defender James Perch having to come off after just five minutes with a twisted ankle, meaning that John Curtis was forced onto the pitch despite my having not wanted to play him at all. For much of the time, as you would expect even given the presence of a number of reserves players in our side, we were the better team for much of the game, and deservedly took the lead in the twentieth minute when Dobie’s ball found Jørgensen free in the area, and the new boy placed his shot expertly past Mark Tyler. With ten minutes of the game remaining, just what we had feared happened. André Boucard levelled the scores, forcing extra time and thirty minutes that some of my players could well have done without. By this time, we were down to ten men as Dadi was forced off after our three substitutions had already been made. We held on for a penalty shoot-out, however, and after James Quinn sent his shot over the bar for the visitors, Jørgensen hit the back of the net to put us into the next round against Brentford.

retired_bbcarr

September 2004 Summary

(League One unless otherwise stated)


Nottingham Forest 3 – 0 Huddersfield
(Mellor pen 47”; Rachubka (OG) 75”; Beaumont 77”)

Nottingham Forest 1 – 1 Oldham
(Johnson 57”; Branston 90+2”)

Nottingham Forest 3 – 0 Luton (Carling Cup 2nd Round)
(Abdessadki 24”; Sissoko 44”, 80”)

Bradford City 0 – 0 Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest 1 – 1 Peterborough (a.e.t) (Nott’m Forest won 3-2 on penalties) (LDV Vans Trophy Southern Section 1st Round)
(Jørgensen 20”; Boucard 80”)

retired_bbcarr

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">| Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Nottm Forest | | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 19 | 3 | +16 | 20 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Rotherham | | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 20 | 7 | +13 | 18 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Hartlepool | | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 18 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Gillingham | | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 7 | +13 | 17 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Bradford City | | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 15 | 6 | +9 | 17 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Bournemouth | | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 14 | 8 | +6 | 15 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Swindon | | 8 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 10 | 4 | +6 | 15 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Bristol C | | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 12 | +3 | 14 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Yeovil | | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 10 | 12 | -2 | 13 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Chesterfield | | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 11 | +4 | 12 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 11th | | Blackpool | | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 15 | 14 | +1 | 12 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 12th | | Barnsley | | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 12 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 13th | | Doncaster | | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 10 | 11 | -1 | 11 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 14th | | Brentford | | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 10 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 15th | | Huddersfield | | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 11 | -4 | 9 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 16th | | Southend | | 8 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 16 | -7 | 8 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 17th | | Oldham | | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 9 | -3 | 7 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 18th | | Swansea | | 8 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 12 | -5 | 7 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 19th | | Colchester | | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 18 | -9 | 7 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 20th | | Port Vale | | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 21 | -11 | 7 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 21st | | Walsall | | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 15 | -6 | 6 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 22nd | | Scunthorpe | | 8 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 20 | -8 | 5 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 23rd | | MK Dons | | 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 13 | -8 | 4 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 24th | | Tranmere | | 8 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 17 | -15 | 1 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| </pre>

retired_amyslack

Enjoying the read Simon but why aren't you using your shiny new copy of FM2006?

retired_bbcarr

I want to get used to FM06 and all its little quirks before settling down to write a story on it. whilst I'm playing '06 a lot, '05 still has my story writing attention

retired_workingmom77

Amen to that! Although I'm waiting for my paycheque so I can go get the damn thing!

Enjoying this so far Terk

retired_bbcarr

cheers, xenon

--------------------

We'd driven north on the Friday evening before our game against Hartlepool. A journey of some hundred and thirty odd miles is not one to do on the morning of a game if you can at all avoid it. On the Saturday morning, I'd woken in my hotel room bed, drenched again in a cold sweat that near stuck me to the mattress. I could barely remember my dream, but even still I had trouble focusing on the afternoon's events. I knew that we'd drawn 1-1. I knew that Neil Mellor had equalised after we had fallen behind early on. But only when talking with Tim on the way back did I find out that we had clearly been the better side, and had Mellor been anywhere near his shooting boots then we'd have bagged a nice three points.


There was mixed news from the physio's room when we returned to training on Monday, a knock that I had been unaware that John Curtis had picked up would keep him out of the team for a couple of weeks, though with our next game being two weeks away, there was still hope that he might make it onto the bench at least. The better news was that Liam Fox was ready to return to full training, though match fitness wise he was still well short and the decision was made to give him at least one game in the reserves to try and get him nearer to a first team return.

--

I’d first met Rachel back in 1998. The sister of a fellow player, flaunting herself at his birthday party. I hadn’t been able to keep my eyes off her for a moment, every move had me mesmorised. We shared a bed that night and I woke up happier than I ever had before, not the slightest whisper of the pain we would cause each other over the next four years.

I could even put up with her Welsh accent, something I’d not been able to stand on anyone else before, or since for that matter. Swansea was where I played what were to be the final years of my career, and to be fair it was the highest point that my playing talents had ever reached. I’d questioned many a time my decision to join the Welsh side, but it all made sense when I met her, in that stupid kind of logic you find when falling in love anyway.

--

Neither Fox nor Curtis made the squad for our league game at home against Gillingham, but come the ninetieth minute we had missed neither and walked away with a full compliment of points courtesy of a goal either side of half time. We hadn’t started in the most impressive of manners, we gave away too much possession when we encroached into the Gillingham half, but managed to get ourselves in front when Dobie’s cross was volleyed into the top corner of the net by the ever rising star of James Beaumont. The game continued in a somewhat dull style, certainly had I been a fan I wouldn’t have felt rightfully entertained for the money I’d paid, but ten minutes from time we did what was important when Commons touched a ball to Diarra and the young Frenchman lashed a drive past Jason Brown from twenty-five yards.

Four days later we were back on the road with a visit to the Bescott Stadium to face Walsall. Liam Fox came into the starting line-up, with David Johnson replacing the tired Neil Mellor up front. Fox proved his selection to be the right choice when, after just a few minutes had passed, he burst into the box, drawing a foul from Ian Roper which resulted in Danny Cullip tucking a penalty past Mark Paston in the Walsall goal. We scored the second and final goal of the match two minutes into first half injury time when Bopp fred a shot which Paston parried, only to see the rebound stuck into the net by David Friio. Only Johnson coming off injured early on made the second half worthy of note, a pulled muscle in his neck would keep the Jamaican striker out for a week or so, but another three points kept us firmly on top of the table.

Mike..

Excellent stuff Terk, love the style and I've just packed my (FM06) scouts off to check out Beaumont!

retired_bbcarr

thanks flipsix i won't pretend that i haven't 'borrowed' a few styling elements from 'leaving the past..', just think of it as a compliment and i was completely taken by surprise by beaumont. hopefully his performance levels can stay so high

--------------------------

We were married after just over two years together. My 26th birthday had not long passed, and my injury nightmare was only six months away. She said when everything had passed that it was that which changed me. That I became a far angrier and more difficult man to live with, that the zest for life which she had found so attractive in me had vanished. She's probably right.

The final straw was on our fourth anniversary. I'd done the usual thoughtless male thing and forgotten, then gone out and got drunk and come home with a nubile female companion draped from my arm. In hindsight it wasn't my best night, choice wise. The next day I came home from the club to find Rachel in the process of packing her things into a van, I was amazed, to be honest, that she'd actually stayed past the previous night, but there could be no doubt that I had deserved what she's done.

--

Eoin Jess was back at the City Ground in time for our visit from Southend, not that I ever had any intention of including him in the squad. There were, however, seven changes from the side that had beaten Walsall, and those changes certainly seemed to give us a fresh approach. A slight tweak of formation saw us attempt a 3-5-2 over the 4-5-1 we had been playing, and within quarter of an hour we were happy with the outcome as Beaumont swept home the opener. We had to wait until the second half to extend our lead, but when Kris Commons came off the bench in the 62nd minute, we looked an entirely different side. He fired in our second within three minutes of his arrival, and then laid on a second of the day for Beaumont, before wrapping everything up when he took Sissoko's pass in his stride and fired past Bart Griemink.

Beaumont's two goals against Southend meant that he now sat proud as the club's joint top scorer for the season with six goals. The fact that I had missed his quite obvious talent during the first days of my tenure was still weighing on my mind, and to be honest it grew heavier with every goal he scored and superb pass he played. If I could miss someone like that who was playing right under my nose, what chance did I have of bringing the right people into the club?

Beaumont was one of the players rested for our Carling Cup trip to Watford, though a strong line-up was still fielded as I tried to grasp another chance to prove we belonged at a higher level. The home side had had an average start to their Championship season, sitting pretty much where the pundits predicted they would finish, firmly in mid-table. Adam Nowland and Lassana Diarra came into our starting XI, and both were at fault early on to gift the home side chances, thankfully both of which Rune Pedersen swatted away. The game may have been goalless at half time, but it was far from dull, both sides had crafted at least three clear chances each, and it took only eight minutes into the second period for the lead to be taken, thankfully for us, and through the boot of Momo Sissoko. Watford piled on the pressure in the remaining time, Paul Devlin at the heart of most of their good work, but Pedersen was inspired, and we found a place in the fourth round draw.

That fourth round draw, watched live on Sky Sports News, placed us with a tough draw, but not the mouthwatering one against Chelsea that I had hoped for. We, instead, we to travel all the way up north to face Middlesbrough at the Riverside stadium. It would likely see us dumped out of the competition, but at least it would be at the hands of top league opponents.

October was rounded off with a trip to Oakwell to face Barnsley. The home side were most definitely the better side in the opening exchanges. After two games of 3-5-2, I'd decided for no apparant reason other than that I could, to change back to 4-5-1. The Barnsley midfield were still finding it easy to pick their path through us, but as the game wore on we began to wrest more and more control from them, creating more and more chances as we went. The only goal of the match came our way, Scott Dobie cross for Kris Commons just after the hour mark, and the English lieft winger volleyed his effort past Nick Colgan. In truth, we should have won by more. Neil Mellor missed two gilt-edged chances late on, and Dobie fired wide from the penalty spot, but we still won the three points, and kept our charge on course.

The end of the month awards again saw us recognised, Kris Commons landing the player of the month trophy whilst I was once more named the best manager of the previous thirty one days. I was fast becoming accustomed to success.

retired_bbcarr

October 2004 Summary

(League One unless otherwise stated)


Hartlepool 1 - 1 Nottingham Forest
(Neil MacFarlane 7"; Neil Mellor 14")

Nottingham Forest 2 - 0 Gillingham
(Beaumont 22"; Diarra 80")

Walsall 0 - 2 Nottingham Forest
(Cullip pen 3"; Friio 45+2")

Nottingham Forest 4 - 0 Southend
(Beaumont 13", 78"; Commons 65"; 82")

Watford 0 - 1 Nottingham Forest (Carling Cup 3rd Round)
(Sissoko 53")

Barnsley 0 - 1 Nottingham Forest
(Commons 64")