South Notts NFFC

8 minutes ago, sylofox said:

Credit where it's due. As a fan base the mind game they play with us is awesome and so many fall for it. They do care about us but the we don't care comment gets under so many skins it's unreal.

 

Better than any form of abuse.

I agree and that in general Forest fans do 'care'. Where I think the problem comes from a Leicester point of view is that we don't 'care' as much as some Leicester fans would like us to.

Again, I'm generalising as some fans on both sides will feel differently to this. My perspective over the years has been (again, in general) that Forest see Derby as rival #1. Leicester see Forest as rival #1 and want Forest to feel similarly and don't like it when we don't.

1 minute ago, FoxesTalker said:

This one is probably the toughest out of these run of games, especially given how they've started. My view on the rivalry itself comes down to where you're located within the two cities, which is why when they label their entire fanbase as not caring it's just not true. In fairness, would say the majority of Forest fans do see Derby as bigger rivals, but also know about plenty who view this game with the same level of importance. It is of course the 'traditional' rivalry after all. The viewpoints of both @South Notts NFFC and @ForestAreMagic would be interesting unless I've already missed this.

Yes I agree your location can dictate who you 'hate' the most. Notts is a long county and those in the North Nottinghamshire towns like Retford and Worksop are much closer to Sheffield than the city of Nottingham and there's the whole miner's strike history there too.

Having lived in several parts of the county and having followed Forest for 40-odd years I'd say if you were to do a poll now amongst every Forest fan you'd find that the large majority see Derby as our biggest rivals and take more joy seeing their demise than any other club.

Then there's yourselves, Sheffield United (but not Wednesday), Wolves, Liverpool (for those fans from the 70s/80s) and then I suppose Notts County. I actually like to see Notts do well as it's good for the city generally to have two clubs on the up but some Forest fans would prefer to see them fade into insignificance. Partly due to their hatred towards us and there's also a lack of gratitude there. When County have been in the absolute shite on and off the pitch Forest have made efforts to help them out only for their former fool of a chairman Alan Hardy to try and drum up a rivalry between the clubs by having a pop on twitter, I'm not sure Forest have sent a player on loan there since. Don't bite the hand that feeds you...

I do think these things can be dynamic though and a lot depends on circumstances. If Forest and Leicester both spend years playing each other in the Prem that could be the new de facto EM Derby. If County suddenly started doing well and playing us more then a real rivalry might develop there too.

33 minutes ago, Dr The Singh said:

Interested to see how the match pans out.  They play counter attacking football, and we struggle to attack.  This could end up a bore draw.

That would be my prediction too. Cooper will set up to counter I'd imagine and so will Nuno. We would probably be better off benching someone like Elanga who needs space to run into.

1 hour ago, moore_94 said:

 

Over-exaggerating an injury was a big 'Cooperism' whilst here. It was basically every week that he'd say someone was out for weeks only to see them in the line up, and vice versa. In fact it got to the point where you basically took anything he said about a player's fitness with a pinch of salt.

50 minutes ago, Jazzy_Jeff said:

Watched Forest for first time this season on Monday night. Very impressed with the two centre backs however a very timid palace side had about 20 shots.

19 minutes ago, Pliskin said:

Defensively Forest look alright, but then that’s Nuno…. I’m however not too fearful of their attack. Both their wide players are hit and miss. They’re clearly well set up, but I think they’re a fairly average side. 

Our defence has definitely been our strength this season and as I mentioned in a previous post it's mainly down to Milenkovic who I have no idea how we managed to sign. He's a champions league level CB without doubt.

I agree about our wide players, bar his winner at Anfield Hudson-Odoi hasn't been like he was towards the end of last season and Elanga can be very hit and miss generally. Luckily for them Chris Wood basically seems to score in every game at the moment but at some point others will need to chip in. I wouldn't be against Jota playing instead of Elanga as he's looked lively each time he's come on this season.

2 hours ago, Fox92 said:

I do think if you get the first goal on Friday then it'll be a struggle for us to get back into the game. You've conceded something like 5 or 6 goals all season so far, which is amazing considering you've played Liverpool, Brighton, Chelsea and Fulham already.

It's been the complete opposite to last season, where we were on the wrong end of a 3-2 score in 7 games as well as there being a few 2-2s.

I can explain this difference using only two words, Nikola Milenkovic. The impact he has had has been absolutely incredible.

2 minutes ago, SystonFox said:

Agree. Ipswich can’t buy a result and I struggle to see where a win would come from for them.

 

same goes for saints too as palace and wolves right now.

 

I may be getting carried away after Saturdays win but I think we finish 13th not much danger.

 

easily 7 worse sides and 5 far worse id say.

 

Everton the worst team we play so far with saints close behind but they were good for 45. Ok for 15 and honking for 30

Every season Everton look awful and every season they wriggle out of it somehow. They are the turd that won't flush.

1 minute ago, Miquel The Work Geordie said:

 

I don't think Wolves are particularly good, and they've certainly not really helped themselves in their "easier" games – but they've played 4 sides you'd expect to finish in the top 6, from 8 games (Arsenal, Chelsea, Villa, Liverpool). They've had a rough start of it.

Wolves looked poor against us as well and really got away with one thanks to an unstoppable screamer. From what I've seen generally though I'd say they have enough about them to wriggle clear.

Ipswich and particularly Southampton look absolutely doomed already to be honest.

2 minutes ago, ClaphamFox said:

We contrived to go down with Tielemans, Barnes, Ricardo Maddison and Vardy in the squad. It was a complete capitulation, not the inevitable outcome of years of squad weakening.

True but before that you lost Kante, Mahrez, Maguire, Fofana, Chilwell and Drinkwater at basically one a year. It's nign on impossible to keep replacing players of that level.

2 minutes ago, SystonFox said:

Palace are awful. Belong in the championship let’s be honest. Everything about them is championship.

 

fans

ground

cheerleaders

the ground

the ultras group

Corner flags

nigel Martin rooted to the spot in 96

the holmesdale funatics

the terrible view from the away end

their current league position

Jean Mateta pointing at his imaginary watch constantly

only good thing about them is Eze but even he ain’t that great

I wasn't expecting prime Barca or anything but they surprised me just how bad they were. We weren't great at times either and yet still fully deserved to win.

If Eze gets injured they're doomed.

3 minutes ago, Tuna said:

Palace look like one of those teams that have been in the Premier League for years and then one season it just goes wrong and they go down, see Stoke, West Brom and Swansea for example.

There's only so long you can get away with selling off your best players. Southampton found this a few years ago as did yourselves. Unless your recruitment is ridiculously efficient like Brighton it will catch up with you eventually. 

This league is brutal like that.

1 minute ago, Vacamion said:

 

£30 million Palace spent on Nketiah. 

 

That's a lot of millions.

We were a whisker away from signing him too and I'd imagine he was coming to start ahead of Wood. What a close shave that was.

23 minutes ago, Webbo said:

Considering your team is playing atm , why are you on here telling us you don't care?

Case in point, Palace just brought off former sheepshagger Will Hughes to a chorus of boos. On comes Schlupp obviously a former Leicester player and there's no reaction at all. 

I would love to see us get something on Friday but not because it's Leicester, but because it's another vital point(s) in the quest for Premier League survival which for me is still the aim.

38 minutes ago, Groby_Blue said:

Here we go, a tree on our board telling us they aren't bothered about us. They ALL like to tell us they aren't bothered about us. They'll bore you to death telling you they aren't bothered about us. 

 

'You're not our rivals'

 

Damn right. Come back when you've managed to achieve something more recently than when football was played in black and white. 

 

Nothing before Clough, nothing since Clough. 

Alright, alright. You've caught me out.

I, along with every other Forest fan, despise everything about Leicester City.

6 hours ago, demon_dog said:

Personally I cannot understand all the vitriol on this forum about Forest. Can't see why some people see them as rivals. They not really much closer to us than Villa.

To me it's just a game against another team the same as any other.

On that note I suspect it may well end as a draw.

That's how I personally view the game and I'd imagine a lot of Forest fans do too. I always thought Leicester saw Coventry as their biggest rival as well?

I suppose the longer we both play each other at this level the more chance of something a bit more meaningful developing, particularly as it looks like there's no chance of the sheep bothering either of us any time soon.

4 hours ago, AKCJ said:

Isn't Gibbs White suspended tonight?

I think he's both suspended and injured. His girlfriend posted a picture on Instagram a few days ago and he was on crutches. I suppose you never know though with the sort of mind games that get played now.

If anyone knows Gibbs-White though it's Cooper who has managed him 3 times so if he does play there will be a very specific plan for him.

We have put out a statement too, deliberately including that the FA actually were pushing for a £1m fine.

It's probably unwise to publicly question the referee's agenda but I liked it. It certainly ruffled a few feathers, especially as in the interview post-match Neco Williams suggested if we were a top 6 club we'd have gotten some of the decisions.

3 hours ago, Finnegan said:

 

 

He's a ****ing literal crime lord not to mention match fixer. He's ****ing nuts. 

 

I know you can't help who owns your club and it's not quite as ugly as, say, Newcastle but have some self awareness and shame. 

 

There are a few alleged offences back in Greece but that's all they are. You asked me what I thought about our owner (presumably so you could respond with this) and I've told you.

I can only comment about how he's been as an owner for Forest.

2 hours ago, Wymsey said:

What's your view on your owner?

I genuinely think he's one of the best owners in the league. There's no doubt he does it all purely for the love of it instead of any hope of profit. Just in the last few weeks he stepped in and bought Viv Anderson's European Cup medal when he was going to auction it,  and then when a local club had their facilities vandalised he paid for the repairs.

The first few years were a bit rocky and from the outside it seemed like there was too much interference and very scatter-gun with managers and players but he sort of lucked out getting Cooper in. Since about halfway through our first season back up he's left it to those who know what they're doing though and things 'seem' a lot more stable.

There's no questioning his ambition, he wants us to be regularly top half of the Premier League at the least but whether that's realistic or not is a whole different matter.

1 hour ago, Fox92 said:

Anyone who gets a club promoted after so long is always going to be worshipped. It's similar to Pearson here. I completely understand why you lot love Cooper.

I would also say that Cooper was absolutely brilliant at self-PR. He knew exactly what to say in the media that fans want to hear and he surely knew that in management it's often the fans that make or break you. He knew to pump the chest, he gave the fist pumps at the end of wins and he constantly bigged up the atmosphere in interviews. We fans are simple creatures really and love all that.

He also seemed to have a genuine affinity to the city, there are stories of him meeting up with some of our old European cup players for a beer each week and him going above and beyond to reach out to fans. Again this just endears him further, so much to the point where even when we came up and were getting battered the fans just sang his name. It's difficult to remember a time a set of fans had that sort of connection to a manager, it was extreme and nonsensical to me but some were even prepared to accept going back down if it meant Cooper stayed.

9 minutes ago, Pliskin said:

There’s got to be something about Cooper,  he’s had success at academy levels albeit a very different standard, but he’s had some quality players under him when he’s had these stints. 
 

 

I can’t help but think part of the reason he’s stinking the place up, is his reluctance to take the hand break off. He's often spoken about learning from mistakes, and perhaps he’s just being over cautious because of his previous roles. 
 

What I can’t stand is the complete erosion of anything good from last season, the team is unrecognisable and that’s concerning. 

His managerial record is almost completely successful, relatively speaking. As you say he had success at youth level then in his first two seasons in senior football got Swansea into the playoffs twice. 

Then after that was his time here. He used to say with us that we were having to play in a way which wasn't how he wanted to ideally. Perhaps he feels that like his time here, he just doesn't have the players at Leicester to do much else in the Premier League, other than low-block and counter. 

21 minutes ago, CrazyKopCorner said:

Could I ask how the fuch did he get you lot promoted and then keep you up?  

The promoted Forest and the survival Forest the next season were very different. Cooper actually showed a lot of tactical flexibility when we came up which is an example the likes of Martin at Southampton might want to follow. 

In our promotion season we had a squad of decent players but just had Chris Hughton killing any sort of spirit in the camp. One thing a lot of the players have said about Cooper is how good he is with man management. I just think he made them all believe again and even in our first season up with 30 odd players to try and keep happy there were never any rumours about unhappy players. Once we started winning again we just had momentum and it never really stopped.

Once up we became awful to watch frankly but the novelty of being back after so long away meant no Forest fan cared and we ground out a series of 1-0s. To be fair to Cooper again he had an owner who like a kid in a sweet shop just kept handing him new players to coach and we also had an absolutely horrific injury record too. Keeping us up was more of a feat than getting us up in my opinion. 

Cooper has his flaws of course but he'll never have to buy a drink in Nottingham again. Whoever was the one to finally take us up was always going to get hero worshipped.