Your Thoughts On The Current Nottingham Forest Manager

[Strawberry Avenger]

Lamouchi is brilliant. What he is doing is working - look at the league table and fact that we're smashing top sides away from home.

What he is doing, is building a core of together players who are ready-now for this league. Dawson, Worrall, Cash, Watson, Sow, Lolley, Grabban. The likes of Yacob & Milo, two players who were nowhere to be seen under MON (a man who values attitude) have no place in a team which is designed to be just that - a team.

What Mouch does lack though is genuine 2nd choice options. Our recruitment this year has, IMO, been largely "make-do". Again. For me Sow & Adomah are the only real genuine quality outfield additions (Samba's been a great buy, but GK-ing is a different kettle of fish, plus the timing of his arrival & origin make me wonder if Mouch recomended him anyway. Speculatory or course). Ribero's been a good buy too, nowt spectacular but a good player in that position.

However, that leaves us with........

Muric - Crap. Sorry, but an awful aquisition. A kid nowhere near ready for the task in hand, in an area which we have a ton of depth, and better, already here. Not ready for Champ promotion.
Ameobi - 3rd choice wildcard. Yeah a decent free, but you're not gonna get promoted playing him every week. He's a bit like Tyson under Billy. The fact that it was a choice between him & Lolley to cover the ACM position last night shows how thin our attacking options are. Wouldn't get into any other top 6 side.
Jenks - Might be great, but has a history or injuries & has so far carried that trend on here.
Chema - Unknown as of yet.
Bostock - Unfit. Not sure that time invested in developing him wouldn't be time better invested in someone like Yates instead. Not yet ready for Champ promotion.
Semedo - Inconsistant. Still clearly needs lots of work, and not a player I'd like to have playing every week. We really look vulnerable when he plays. Again, not a Champ promotion ready player, and again a loan, so why invest time in him?
Silva - Another inconsistant player not ready to play week-in, week-out at this level. Definitely has quality, but is often as bad in equal measure. For me he's a bench option when we need to rely on set peices more. But again, he's not someone who I think would feature much in any other top 6 side.
Mir - Another loan, another player in need of development, and again another one for the "Not ready for Champ promotion" label.

Despite a handful of really good signings, the squad is still severely lacking in quality in depth. We've simply signed too many players who require significant development before being fully up to speed. The fact that Mouch had to start Adomah up top against Arsenal & play both Ameobi & Lolley in ACM last night to me shows how short Mouch is of genuine options.

There were a lot of fans picking holes in our recruitment policy per-season, and that to me has been proven right. We've chanced our arm on gambles, instead of going for proven quality. It's no coincidence that our best attacking option was a player who finished in the top 6 last year in Adomah.

TLDR: I don't think Mouch did much wrong last night. I think his options are very limited, and that any failings this season so far fall at the feet of those recruiting players at the club, not the manager.

I think we can wing it until Jan, and that Lamouchi will keep developing these players, but if fingers for points dropped are getting pointed they should largely be pointed at Modesto & the board, not Lamouchi.

I am a bit shocked by this post to be honest. Signing and losing players is an ongoing thing at all football clubs, we are and always will be a work in progress.

What have Jenkinson, Bostock, Chema, Ameobi, Silva and Semedo done wrong? They are all part of our first team squad and they have all contributed well and will continue to contribute well throughout the season.

I am sorry but I don't understand.

A thought provoking post, Alf but a bit harsh.  Muric doesn't seem to be able to up to it, perhaps.  A young keeper in a 'man's' league like the Championship.  I'll take your point.

But Jenkinson, Rostock, Chema, Ameobi, Silva and Semedo are players who at least give solid case for a top 6 finish.

Last Summer's recruitment under Aitor wasn't balanced and deep enough with quality.  I think there's been a step forward in terms of recruitment.

If you're looking at improvement as a 3 season progression, then Forest have gone from bottom 4 under Warburton dramatic rescue, then lower mid-table under Warburton/Aitor towards top of the mid table under Aitor/Martin and are now joint 2nd under the recent recruitment of coach and '12' new players.

You'd be right to say that much of what's been good about Forest this season has been Worrall, Dawson, Watson, Lolley, Grabban (players brought in under Aitor bar Worrall who was cast out...)

But the incisive competition for players has seen Silva, Ameobi, Semedo score goals and contribute to the points tally and add depth of quality in the midfield.  Particularly Samba Sow who seems to have galvanised Watson along with the Coach.

In short, I think many of the new arrivals have built on the platform of what was good about Forest last season.  Jack has competition.  Cash has competition.  (Bit unlucky that two RBs have injuries.  It's Forest, innit?)  CH and CM has competition in depth.


They tried for a striker  and it didn't come off.  They'll try again in January, I'm sure.

It's hard to argue with being joint 2nd.  1 point off top.  Sure, they aren't playing like they did against Birmingham every week.  But much of what is good about Forest so far is the platform of what was good last season being built upon by some shrewd acquisitions.  They may blow hot and cold.  But the 'Aitor's acquisitions have been here longer.  Some players take longer to settle in.

Bringing on Silva is no replacement for Sow.  But, Ryan Yates is on his way back from injury.  Bostock might not be fully fit.  Maybe The Coach wanted Forest to play it more last night instead of lump it forward.  Early days with the games to be too brutal in our assessment.  But yeah, Muric doesn't have the confidence or composure of the keeper that replaced him.


SA.