Football News: Nottingham Forest v Blackburn Rovers 13 April 2019 Match Review

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Very much an 'end of term' feeling prior to kick off yesterday, with even the slight hope of a play off place no longer a realistic option and for many a release of the pressure associated with that, which it was hoped would manifest itself on the pitch.

The usual eyebrow raising followed the line up release but not perhaps in the way that many would have expected bearing in mind the managers assertion of his intention to experiment with the squad.

What followed was , in my humble opinion though shared by many around me , the single most dreadful 45 minutes we have produced this season at home which surely nobody could have anticipated particularly, with all due respect here, against Blackburn Rovers.

We were for the most part outpaced, out muscled, out jumped and outfought with for the most part barely a whimper and once again the first goal was just waiting to happen although from my position in the Trent End the whole thing happened in slow motion with the goalkeeper being rooted to the spot.

Yes we of course had chances with Grabban ( not for the first time recently ) fluffing his lines just before the break.
It has been said on here , myself included , that he may well not be back to full fitness but even a half fit striker of his experience and quality MUST do better and his miserable effort against The Owls when Lolley would have had a simple tap in is still fresh in my mind.

I wonder if his general attitude and recent displays are not symptomatic of a more deep rooted problem because his petulance is well known and for those who saw the recent Sunderland documentary is there for all to see.

The second half performance was marginally better and I do mean marginally but a second goal early on ended the game as a contest which in itself is indicative of the way that we were playing and the Yates/own goal was little consolation to a perhaps unsurpisingly quiet City Ground.

Murphy could and possibly should have done better with an opportunity late on with an opportunity of a tap in to an open goal but it was a difficult chance however these have to be taken and it would have been a point we did not deserve and would have perhaps been " papering over cracks ".

I alluded earlier to the stated intention of experimentation by Mr O'Neill which was something I welcomed but never in my wildest dreams did I expect to see arguably our most consistent player Colback, being moved to left back and our left back being moved to centre half with both players by and large having in the past giving consistent performances in their true positions. This was not the experimentation I had expected to see and to my eyes it really did fall at the first hurdle.

What Colback's reaction to this change remains to be seen as does any impact it may have on any future thoughts the club has regarding his future here whilst the use of Robinson at centre half is equally as baffling considering our options at centre half , injuries and the return of Worral included, would appear to our strongest suit player wise if not quality wise so I can see little to be gleaned from it.

The introduction of Carvalho once again made no impact on the game at all and for many on here he continues to be a player who divides opinion with mine being well known.

I will at this juncture say that if experimentation is to be made then surely there can be no better chance to play our record signing , who has unquestionably shown flashes of inspiration and is clearly a talented player, a full run of the remaining games (I expected him to start yesterday) in an effort to prove to us all, perhaps himself as well, that he does have what it takes at this level because surely it been proved times many that he is not an impact player to be fetched on for the last 15 minutes of a game which generally has been long lost when he crosses the white line.

Four games may not be an ideal situation for Carvalho but to me seems to be an experiment worth trying because like it or not at the moment his future here is very very much in the balance.

As a footnote to those of you who listened to the game on Radio Nottingham what I have written may sound a little different to what you heard because I heard the after match summing up which was to me all smoke and mirrors but as I have said before we all see things differently and have our own opinions and no doubt some who were there will agree with the comment that, "Forest were not that bad today".

I also have to say that the managers comments after the game that Pele was excellent fell on stoney ground in my car but, as I said, its a matter of opinion and perception.

So its off to Sheffield again on Friday and I for one feel a little trepidation as to what awaits us and to see what further experimentation takes place which quite frankly even from a hugely bloated squad (which is a complete post on its own) seems to be somewhat limited.

So in closing thanks for wading through and as always...

COYR

Written by creepy1 April 14 2019 13:02:29