It was the performance that'd we been waiting four months for.
The performance we began to think might never materalise.
The performance where the team showed they wanted to fight to stay in this division.
The game in which Nottingham Forest looked solid and compact in cohesion with a nice attacking flair.
The sort of team we hadn't seen since the days of Billy Davies.
Yesterday, it arrived.
So why do we all feel so deflated and disappointed?
I don't think it's that hard to figure out. Everyone has looked at the fixtures and saw two home games against Watford and Coventry as the perfect opportunity to pick up 6 points and the majority of the people listening to the game or in the City Ground watching it, knew that we should have picked up 3 points yesterday. To rub salt into the wound, every team around us, failed to pick up a result that would enhance their chances of survival.
Coventry - lost
Doncaster - Didn't play
Bristol City - Lost
Millwall - Drew
Ipswich - Game abandoned.
It was a serious opportunity missed.
But let's just rewind to my last entry and that dismal performance against Burnley. We were all crying out for a bit of fight, passion and desire from the lads. They showed it in abundance yesterday and must be credited for it.
I cannot stress how brilliant it was to be sat in the Main Stand, see McClearly score a great goal, hear 'Chelsea Dagger' and see complete unity across all four stands. For the icing on the cake, I looked down to see Steve Cotterill celebrating harder than anyone else. It sent shivers down my spine.
Say what you like about the gaffer, he is as up for this as much as anybody.
It was interesting that Cotterill praised McCleary in midweek. No-one really saw it coming but we've all played football manager in the past and all realise how important a good bit of PR is for a player's performance.
But I don't think it was media spin and this is coming from a sceptic journalist. I think Cotterill genuinely believed McCleary has been a huge assest for us this season and should have featured earlier.
I completely agree. He's almost definitely one of the first names on the team sheet at the moment. His importance is only going to increase if he keeps popping up with goals like yesterday. If that's what a few complimentary words can do then keep praising him Steve!
We all know our biggest issue has been the failure to put the ball in the net. It was our failure yesterday. But to see McCleary essentially embarrass two players as he skipped past them and not be afraid to have a shot from 30 yards was fantastic to see and the winger got what he deserved.
I could go on and on about the missed opportunities. But quite frankly, everyone knows that Miller should have scored just minutes later,Gunter should have had at least three and Findley should have won the game for us late on. For once, Nottingham Forest fans, let's be positive. I haven't been able to talk about chances created for a long, long time. We were a dangerous attacking team yesterday and that is most definitely a step in the right direction.
I'm not getting ahead of myself. There were still a few things I raised my eyebrows out. Gunter on the right wing being one of them.
The loan signings we have brought in have transformed a under-equipped side to an almost over-equipped side. If I've counted correctly, I believe we have nine recognised defenders, eleven midfielders and seven strikers. What's more, the majority of those players can play a huge part in keeping this football in this division.
So why was there the need to put round pegs in square holes? I don't think Gunter's performances have been good enough lately, so drop him. Don't try and fit him in elsewhere. I know Anderson's and McGugan's performances have not been brilliant so I understand them being dropped but I'm not sure what else Andy Reid has to do to get himself a game.
It's clearly a difference of opinion in tactics. For me, I'd start him and get him to give his all for 65 minutes. Then change it round if he's struggling. Not give him ten minutes at the end. His experience and ability is vital and within two minutes of being on the pitch yesterday, he threaded a superb ball which USA should have converted. In addition to this, and I appreciated Gunter is a defender, but if we had Reid, Ando or McGugan at that back post yesterday, would we have won the game? I think so.
I reminicised in my last post about the impact of the last set of loan signings and how it kickstarted our fight against relegation a couple of years ago. I couldn't see this current set of loan signings having the same effect. I won't confirm or deny whether I was right of wrong but the early signs suggest they might just be what we need.
On a seperate note, I'd like to offer my condolences to the Doughty family. To hear of his passing was terrible news and such a huge shame. It just was the next dramatic turn in NFFC's season.
As the tributes poured in, I learnt what a great man he was. There aren't many people in today's world who could recieve compliment after compliment like Nigel did. Furthermore, we all know what he did for NFFC. Not only did he save our club, he transformed it with a legacy to boot. What a shame the final few months he worked for this club were overshadowed by discrepencies and even as fellow fans hurled abuse at him, he behaved with great dignity as he stood down.
I didn't sign the condolences book yesterday. I didn't feel it was my place to. I hate to admit it was probably due to my own stubborn personality. As I saw fan after fan queue up to sign it, I couldn't help but wonder how many of them were screaming for his departure just a few months ago. These aren't fans of the football club. Not like Doughty was. I, for one, didn't want to place my name along with those who have ridiculed him for so long. He didn't deserve the majority of the abuse he got and I hope the stress of it all didn't accumulate to his death.
I offer my sincere apologies on here and hope he rests in peace.
Camp- Looked a lot more secure with a new look back four in front of him and tried to move the ball quickly with improved distribution. At fault for the goal? Possibly bad positioning. 7/10
Wootton- Really impressed with this debutant. Easy to tell he's had an excellent football foundation. Strong in the challenge and comfortable on the ball. Looks to be an excellent addition. 8/10
Chambers- Won the aerial challenges all day long and rarely looked troubled. But switched off for the goal. Disappointing. Probably the weakest of the back four, says it all. 7/10
Higginbotham- Assertive and assured, this was a great debut. No need to give him the captain's armband, he led all afternoon without it. Very little got past him all afternoon. 9/10
Elokobi- First half he was on fire. Not only defended with power and determination but produced some fantastic passes, both short and long to keep the ball. A couple of clumsy errors but likely to be down to lack of match practice. 8/10
Gunter- Tough afternoon for the Welshman. Not completely new to the position and caused problems down the right wing. If only he could have scored. A much better performance than recent weeks though. 8/10
Moussi- He's like a an exciteable dog that you can't keep quiet. Energetic in all areas of the pitch and was a vital part of the team yesterday as he ended attacks and pressured Watford into bad decisions. Still a bit clumsy though, the same way an excitable dog would knock over a vase at home, if you get my drift. 8/10
Guedioura- Man of the match. If the Frenchman performs like this every week, I cannot wait. His range of passing, his vision, his energy, dominance, I could go on. Absoutely superb performance. McGugan has something to aspire to with this guy around. 10/10
McCleary- Inspired performance from the winger and Watford couldn't get close to him all afternoon. Says it all that everytime he picked up the ball, he was closed down by three men at all times; yet still managed to produce a cross. Deserved his goal. 10/10
Miller- Worked hard but the partnership with Harewood didn't work. Should have scored on a couple of occasions as well. Lacking in confidence? possibly. But the money we're paying him, he needs to start scoring and he needs to start doing it soon. 6/10
Harewood- Had an impressive first half with some neat touches and quick thinking. But soon appeared very lazy. Wouldn't come to the ball and failed to do the simple stuff as the match drove on. 7/10
Findley- Will always be remembered for the miss right at the death. Lack of match practice cost him and I bet he puts them away in training all week. Not sure how many more chances he'll get. 6/10
Blackstock- Doesn't work when he comes on as a sub. Struggles to get involved and get straight into the speed of play. Needs a goal for confidence. 6/10
Reid- Only got five minutes at the end but in that short time, he managed to set a great opoortunity up and had plenty of useful touches on the ball. Still not entirely sure why he isn't involved from the start. 8/10
So it's a point and we've moved up a place. Now, let's keep looking up and the way the results can go, a five point gap can be demolished in no time. Who knows, if we take six points from the next two games, we could be out of the relegation zone this time next week and we'll all be wondering what we were scared about!
Okay, so maybe that's a tad too far. But for the first time in a long time, the optimism has seeped back in and although I don't expect anything from a very tough trip to Middlesbrough on Tuesday night, I will be a lot more willing to keep my eye on the score.
Although, with it being Valentine's day, I imagine the girlfriend will have something to say about that...
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