Substitutions

[Johnny Cash]

Can someone explain to me the decision to bring Knockeart off and bring on a Dean Hammond?

 

Nothing against Dean but we needed two goals... If Knockeart was tired from running, why not drop him into the middle where he doesn't have to work as hard and is so much more effective? Instead we brought a CDM on and pushed Drinkwater on instead of King who is fairly useless in the deep lying role.

 

Vardy was unfit and proved completely useless today. GTF Should have come on before him. Oh and Nugent played the full 90...

 

This is not an isolated incident on suspect substitutions. Am I alone on this?

[The Horse's Mouth]

It was strange, Hammond is the kind of guy you bring on to kill the game off and we weren't in the position to do that. I would've kept Schlupp on over Nugent aswell. 

[Bert]

Subs were strange today.

Personally I would've gone 4-2-4 and just gone for it, but we only had one game changer on the bench.

[Carl the Llama]

It's definitely strange, especially seeing how Nigel has seemed to get his changes right for the most part this season.

 

Nuge was the one having a bad day at the office, so to me it would have made more sense to get GTF on for him and see if he could hold it up and make room for Knocky, Schlupp, and Dyer cutting in.

[Dickov22]

Can someone explain to me the decision to bring Knockeart off and bring on a Dean Hammond?

Nothing against Dean but we needed two goals... If Knockeart was tired from running, why not drop him into the middle where he doesn't have to work as hard and is so much more effective? Instead we brought a CDM on and pushed Drinkwater on instead of King who is fairly useless in the deep lying role.

Vardy was unfit and proved completely useless today. GTF Should have come on before him. Oh and Nugent played the full 90...

This is not an isolated incident on suspect substitutions. Am I alone on this?

Hammond came on so Drinkwater could get forward more. Drinkwater then won a pen, as he was playing further forward

Vardy came on because he's been our best player this season and is usually a threat- if he's fit enough to be a sub, he's fit enough to play. He had no impact because in the second half we were terrible, not because he's still injured

We changed formation, our wingers were getting no joy so we changed it to try and turn it round. It didn't happen. Some days it goes for you, some it doesn't.

[Johnny Cash]

Hammond came on so Drinkwater could get forward more. Drinkwater then won a pen, as he was playing further forward

Vardy came on because he's been our best player this season and is usually a threat- if he's fit enough to be a sub, he's fit enough to play. He had no impact because in the second half we were terrible, not because he's still injured

We changed formation, our wingers were getting no joy so we changed it to try and turn it round. It didn't happen. Some days it goes for you, some it doesn't.

Sun always shines in your world does it?

[Dickov22]

Sun always shines in your world does it?

Mostly yep. I'm also well aware of the fact that Nigel Pearson is a football manager, and I'm not. Therefore, he was probably better placed than me to decide on the best substitutions today. We could have played until tomorrow, and still wouldn't have scored today. I don't think the substitutions had any bearing on it really.

[StanSP]

Sun always shines in your world does it?

 

Hold on, you can't give a comment like that just because it doesn't agree with your view.

 

There was absolutely nothing wrong with what they said. Spot on in my opinion. 

[Guest Col city fan]

When Pearson took off Lloyd and Knocky today I looked at my mate, he looked at me.. Both of us looked quizzically at each other and mouthed 'why'?

We've been out, had a few lagers and frankly, still don't know.

[StanSP]

When Pearson took off Lloyd and Knocky today I looked at my mate, he looked at me.. Both of us looked quizzically at each other and mouthed 'why'?

We've been out, had a few lagers and frankly, still don't know.

 

Dyer had a poor game and didn't look like changing the game at all. 

 

Pearson brought on some fresh legs (cliche, go with it), to try and change things up. Like Dickov22 said, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. For Pearson he's been praised tactically this season so I think his errors today are just magnified and emphasised because it was against Forest.

 

Let's face it. pre-subs, we weren't getting very far, were we? Total lack of ideas and creativity. We looked lost. 

 

One thing I think should have been done earlier, was to take Schlupp off. If Vardy was available on the bench, he should have come on at the beginning of the second half. 

[Guest Col city fan]

Dyer had a poor game and didn't look like changing the game at all.

Pearson brought on some fresh legs (cliche, go with it), to try and change things up. Like Dickov22 said, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. For Pearson he's been praised tactically this season so I think his errors today are just magnified and emphasised because it was against Forest.

Let's face it. pre-subs, we weren't getting very far, were we? Total lack of ideas and creativity. We looked lost.

One thing I think should have been done earlier, was to take Schlupp off. If Vardy was available on the bench, he should have come on at the beginning of the second half.

Fair enuff mate but here's what I'd have done:

Nugent off at half time.. He was a fookin liability.. Vardy on.

King off.... Getting over-run, James on

Kept the same formation... 4-4-2... Stuck at it... Getting the ball out wide quicker.

As you say, it might have made no difference. The point was Nige's tactics resigned us to losing.

[StanSP]

Fair enuff mate but here's what I'd have done:

Nugent off at half time.. He was a fookin liability.. Vardy on.

King off.... Getting over-run, James on

Kept the same formation... 4-4-2... Stuck at it... Getting the ball out wide quicker.

As you say, it might have made no difference. The point was Nige's tactics resigned us to losing.

 

Fair but then to begin with, there wasn't enough drive and determination to recover from 2-0 down. Even in the last few minutes we seemed content with passing it around instead of lumping it in to their box - a must when you're desperate for a goal despite how 'ugly' it is.

 

Vardy and Schlupp I don't think would have sufficed. Although Nugent had a shocker of a game, Schlupp wasn't much better. Very, very quiet in the first half and didn't impose himself on the game. To be fair, not many other players did - probably only Knockaert and Wasilewski.

[cjslcfc]

Fair enuff mate but here's what I'd have done:

Nugent off at half time.. He was a fookin liability.. Vardy on.

King off.... Getting over-run, James on

Kept the same formation... 4-4-2... Stuck at it... Getting the ball out wide quicker.

As you say, it might have made no difference. The point was Nige's tactics resigned us to losing.

 

I did wonder why he didn't bring James on to freshen and toughen up the midfield. Thought it would be the ideal sub. 

 

When he took Knocky off I turned to my mate and just said "what the hell is Pearson doing?". Knocky was our only spark and some of the stuff he was doing in the first half was phenomenal, he has such great feet! 

 

I could see why he took Dyer off as he was just not on it today, but then he takes Schlupp off and removes even more pace from our attack! First time I've been p*ssed off and confused by Nige's subs this season.

 

It just added to the frustrating nature of the defeat

[Bettsj2]

Knocky was getting kicked all over the place today and was already on a booking.

Best thing to take him off.

They were spoiling in the midfield so we needed more control and Hammond was the choice.

The subs make sense if you dont look at them in the context of a defeat.

I'm with Bert though. Stick 4 up. It hardly ever works but at least you can say you really went for it.

[cc_star]

Forest were spoiling the game, it had turned really scrappy & we couldn't get our game going.

Dyer & Knocky weren't having the impact, I thought attempting to get a bit more steal in the middle was the obvious thing to do.

Subs & change of direction from NP has extremely often won us the game, hence our best ever start to a league season... So your dig at NP on that front is bizarre along with the nodding heads in agreement, but to be expected on FT

[Aus Fox]

I think quite simply it wasn't working as it was so he decided to change things, I think Dickov22 has got Nigel's thinking spot on.

It's also funny how in your op you have asked a direct question and then you have criticised someone for having a go at answering it, if you don't want opinions don't ask questions.

[cjslcfc]

Forest were spoiling the game, it had turned really scrappy & we couldn't get our game going.

Dyer & Knocky weren't having the impact, I thought attempting to get a bit more steal in the middle was the obvious thing to do.

Subs & change of direction from NP has extremely often won us the game, hence our best ever start to a league season... So your dig at NP on that front is bizarre along with the nodding heads in agreement, but to be expected on FT

 

I agree about Dyer. However, with respect to Knocky I felt he was the only player still willing and trying to create stuff. He was coming to players to get the ball and was pretty much everywhere in their half in an attempt to get us going. 

 

I just felt it strange that he chose to bring on a defensive minded midfielder and a slow striker. Sure, GTF would be better at holding it up and perhaps providing a more physical edge up front but in doing so Nige took off our pacey and flair players and I felt this wasn't the right move. Either way, as much as it is a cliche, after they went 2-0 up from nothing you just felt like it wasn't going to be our day. The players seemed stunned by their goals and lacked the energy and invention to get past a stubborn back line later in the game.

 

I wouldn't say any criticism of Nige's subs is "bizarre" as such. He obviously felt that adding more steel was the answer and it didn't work. I felt bringing Vardy on for Nuge and taking Dyer off as he was having zero impact would have been a better choice. In the end, to me it seemed his subs only made our performance more flat. But, hey ho, Nige is human and he can't get it right every time

[Ash79]

As much as I'm lothed to say it Billy Davis taught Nige a footballing lesson today as there tactics were spot on... They'd obviously rode there luck, bagged two fortuitous goals then basically closed down the game for 50 odd minutes.

Simple things like switching to one up top, getting there CM to go hunting for the ball and quickly closing down our play even taking off the young CH on a booking proved to be the difference between.

Whilst I appreciate we had plenty of chances to score and should have easily still been in the game for Nigel to go on the radio afterwards and say it 'wasn't a particularly tactical game' is a little bit laughable when our only response was to throw players on and lump the ball up...

[Leicester Lass]

Whilst I appreciate we had plenty of chances to score and should have easily still been in the game for Nigel to go on the radio afterwards and say it 'wasn't a particularly tactical game' is a little bit laughable when our only response was to throw players on and lump the ball up...

Can't really agree with this last bit at all, we didn't resort to hoof ball at all. The problem was we just couldn't get in behind the Forest defence, everything was played in front of them with us knocking the ball side to side and our strikers always having their backs to goal (apart from the first 20 minutes). I appreciate it's not easy when you're trying to break down such a defensive team but we lost all our attacking threat when Knockaert went off. Wrong choice from Pearson in my opinion, none of his subs had any kind of influence on the game.

[Bettsj2]

Pearson was dead right. There was nothing tactical about Forest. They scored two pretty awful goals and then sat back everyone behind the ball.

We controlled the game pretty much throughout. As much as anyone wants to critisise NP, the bottom line is, an in form Nugent buries 3 out of 4 of those chances.

[Guest Col city fan]

Can't really agree with this last bit at all, we didn't resort to hoof ball at all. The problem was we just couldn't get in behind the Forest defence, everything was played in front of them with us knocking the ball side to side and our strikers always having their backs to goal (apart from the first 20 minutes). I appreciate it's not easy when you're trying to break down such a defensive team but we lost all our attacking threat when Knockaert went off. Wrong choice from Pearson in my opinion, none of his subs had any kind of influence on the game.

I think the subs made us LESS likely to score.

The penalty could have happened with any formation, just a clumsy and unnecessary challenge from the defender.

We really do need strength in depth with our strikers. To bring on GTF when you are chasing a game is not sufficient.

[Fox92]

Didn't understand the Knockaert substitution as he was our only player running at defenders, but I understand why Dyer and Schlupp came off because they were rubbish.

[adam95581]

Hammond came on so Drinkwater could get forward more. Drinkwater then won a pen, as he was playing further forward

Vardy came on because he's been our best player this season and is usually a threat- if he's fit enough to be a sub, he's fit enough to play. He had no impact because in the second half we were terrible, not because he's still injured

We changed formation, our wingers were getting no joy so we changed it to try and turn it round. It didn't happen. Some days it goes for you, some it doesn't.

Completely agree with this post - Forest were organised and playing deep and therefore there was very little chance for our wingers to isolate their full backs, as a result I think Nigel wanted to get ball players in the gap between back 4 and midfield and chose Drinks and GTF for this role (could argue that Knocky may have done this) but having a player in this position essentially won us a pen so the change was vindicated in my eyes.

I think today was just an example of how dangerous it can be when you don't take your chances....at 0-0 they wouldn't have been as defensive and we'd have created more clear cut chances in the second half.

Onto the next one...LTID

[Stadt]

I think it was a case of there were too many players that needed to come off, albeit the subs were strange.

[zigga-zagga]

As a Forest fan i can't tell how delighted I was to see Knockaert taken off, if anyone was going to cause us real damage it was him. When he went off so did your only real threat! Well done Nigel.