(16-02-2019, 02:04 AM)NG3 Wrote:

(15-02-2019, 10:36 PM)PsychoStooge Wrote: I hope the owner gives him time, but I don't expect any of it because if I start expecting I'll end up disappointed.  :D

It's probably never been harder to be a football fan than it is right now, not least because so many fans walk around thinking they're an expert, because they can use Wikipedia & they've picked up a few phrases from Sky sports pundits, & they think that presumed expertise means they know what's best for the club, however, at a time when more fans think they have a voice that needs to be heard, than ever before, they have never been so powerless & voiceless.

When my forebears first joined Nottingham Forest you did join Nottingham Forest, because it was a members club. You paid your fees & if you were any good you tried to get into a team (we were multi-sports back then) & if you weren't you tried to help in other ways, like making the half time teas, grounds work,  laundry duties, making a contribution towards a new pair of boots for the club captain, or as in one case your job might be to visit the captains house on a Friday night to pick up the team news & then go to all the players houses to pass it on so the right players knew they were playing in the next match.

Back then you really were part of the club, so you really knew every aspect of it & your input & your voice was valued & that's why, although you always wanted to win, it was always club first, club above results, managers & players. The club was what mattered most.

These days fans aren't as immersed in the club (look how long it took some to hear about the Grabban injury) & often run off a happy meter, if the manager has a personality they like, if Saturdays result was good & our league position is OK, then they are usually happy too, if they don't like the manager, or find him grating, we lost at the weekend & dropped a place in the table, they'll descend on Twitter & start verbally abusing players, or send them death threats.

If they are happy they demand the manager is kept, regardless of any bigger picture & the relative impact on the club, & so if the impact is negative & an owner feels forced to act, they might not understand it's in the clubs best interests, or understand the negative impact, so they lash out at the owner instead & abuse him too.

Conversely, if they are unhappy, & a manager retained, because it's in the best interests of the club, if they don't know that, or have been mislead by a Twitter experts misguided & misinformed narrative, that can confuse & anger them too.

I'm rambling a bit here but basically because of a growing disconnect between fans & club, as opposed to team & because of poor official communication & often invented unofficial news, fans these days are often misinformed & therefore often have misguided expectations & are therefore frequently disappointed by them & confused as to what's going on half the time, which obviously breeds mistrust & sometimes resentments.

Oh for simpler times, jumpers for goalposts & all that...

The worst part is I don't blame the modern fan for basing everything around personalities & results on the pitch because it's what they are conditioned to.

Do you feel like a part of Nottingham Forest, or do you see yourself as paying spectator & supporter?

I bet I'm not the only member here who's turned up to offer to sweep the terraces after a bad snow, or chatted football with one of the team at a local pub, or even just waved to, or nodded at the gaffer in town, because in time's past this club was part of the community & the community was part of the club.

With TV revenue, sponsorship money, naming rights & image rights I don't think it will ever be like it used to, those days are gone, so the disconnect, confusion, distrust & disappointments will continue, but I must say, it's a feather in the cap of our new owners that they've at least tried to close the gap a bit, with communications with various fan groups, new initiatives & community out reach projects & for those not interested in the political side, or who place results, or personalities above all else, at least they've invested heavily & hired a top manager, so hopefully results & satisfaction will follow, because it's probably never been harder to be a football fan than it is right now.

Just noticed the thread topic, so who would you clear out?

(16-02-2019, 11:06 AM)ThePromisedLand Wrote: Not sure we’d win many games with that line up Psycho - but at least we’d entertain.

(16-02-2019, 10:47 AM)PsychoStooge Wrote: Then I'd work towards a 3-4-1-2, which at the moment with the current squad would be:

Pantilimon

       Milo-----Benalouane-----Robinson

    Cash---------Yates--------Colback---------Lolley

Carvalho

Grabban-------Bonatini

(26-02-2019, 09:10 AM)NG3 Wrote: This probably won't go down well but I think I have to put a '?' next to Grabban's name now.

(26-02-2019, 09:33 AM)NG3 Wrote:

(26-02-2019, 09:16 AM)Duncan Mckenzie Wrote:

(26-02-2019, 09:10 AM)NG3 Wrote: This probably won't go down well but I think I have to put a '?' next to Grabban's name now.

Why is that NG3?

Because of his injuries?

Pretty much, yes. It's not an anti-Lewis comment, fit & well there would be no '?' but this is the same Achilles problem he had at Norwich & Bournemouth, a problem we bought him with & that hasn't cleared up all year, & has now seen him unable to do a full 90 minutes in about 20-25% of our matches.

Given this is now a long term thing & he's now 31 it's more likely to get worse than better & so we're going to have to look at a top drawer striker to cover, at the very least, this summer, & therefore there has to be the consideration of cashing in, while we still can, & upgrading.

That's not saying we should sell, or will sell, just that there is an issue & whenever there's an issue we should look at it & examine our options.

I don't think we'll necessarily push him out the door, or anything, but if we got a bid of £6m+, considering injuries, age & depreciation, I think we'd have to look at it seriously.

(06-03-2019, 02:25 PM)Robbos Desert Boots Wrote: This will upset a few on here but here goes.

If it was my decison then I would sell both Carvalho and Grabban in the summer and give all the money to MON for a rebuild.

(06-03-2019, 02:25 PM)the jock Wrote:

(06-03-2019, 02:25 PM)Robbos Desert Boots Wrote: This will upset a few on here but here goes.

If it was my decison then I would sell both Carvalho and Grabban in the summer and give all the money to MON for a rebuild.

so would i