Following In Our Father's Footsteps: Nottingham Forest FC

SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: NOTTINGHAM FOREST VS. BURNLEY

Date: 20 October 2015
Kick Off: 20:00 GMT


Nottingham Forest
Position: 7th
Manager:Nigel Clough
Captain: Chris Cohen
Key Players: Dorus de Vries, Jack Hobbs, Henri Lansbury, Jamie Ward, Nelson Oliveira
Last Match: 1-3 Vs. Bristol City
Form:

Fans Prediction: ”Burnley showed last season in the Premier League that they were determined not to give up on their playing style and their style of running the club and it almost worked. They’ve spent a fair bit of money this summer and turned themselves into a club that for me should go straight back up if they play their cards right. They’re having a good run of form whilst we seemed to have dipped a little which is worrying but hopefully we can still do well and hopefully snatch a point but I’m not putting money on it.” Predicted Result 1-0 Burnley Win.



Burnley
Position: 4th
Manager: Sean Dyche
Captain: Tom Heaton
Key Players: Tom Heaton, , Michael Keane, George Boyd, Scott Arfield, Ashley Barnes
Last Match: 2-0 Vs. Bolton Wanderers
Form:

Fans Prediction: ”We’re in flying form and it is great to see. Sean Dyche has done a brilliant job in turning this club around after last season’s relegation. We’re a very good side for this division and quite frankly, for my money, Forest are going to have to put up with a very tough ask coming up against us.” Predicted Result: 2-0 Burnley Win

NEW ARRIVAL: DWIGHT TIENDALLI

07 October 2015


After completing his free transfer from Swansea City during the Summer Transfer Window, Dwight Tiendalli has settled down into life at Championship side Nottingham Forest and agreed to nottinghamforest.co.uk focusing on the player in this months in depth focus. After starting his career in his native Netherlands, the defender went on to make just over 200 appearances for FC Utrecht, Feyenoord and FC Twente, impressing enough to earn himself a move to the Premier League under Michael Laudrup. ”It was a really good experience playing in the Netherlands and playing for the range of clubs that I did really taught me some valuable lessons. Feyenoord are obviously a massive side in Dutch football and to be given the chance to play for them was a massive privilege. Then to win the Eredivisie with FC Twente was completely unbelievable and it will be probably the most memorable point of my career, especially for a side with not as big a history as Twente to win the league was amazing!”

The full back, who has been signed as cover for temporary captain Eric Lichaj was released by Swansea in the summer, after being loaned out to fellow Championship side Middlesbrough for last season, although he only made two appearances as Boro missed out on promotion in the Play-Off Final. It was a spell that bought an end to his stay at the Liberty Stadium but the defender reflects well on his time in South Wales. ”It was a great period in my career. It is a very well run club with some great values and they hold the other players available to them in my position very well, just like they did with me. Angel Rangel is in my eyes a club legend so it was always going to be a tough ask for me to beat him to first choice. We won the League Cup during my time there and that is something I will never forget because the memories we made that season were fantastic.”


Michael Laudrup, the former Swansea manager was the man who bought Tiendalli to England with the Swans.

After being brought to the Premier League by Michael Laudrup, his form for Swansea under the Dane during those first two seasons at the club were on a level good enough to earn him international recognition as he would go on to make two appearances for the Netherlands as the country prepared for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. ”For me, the World Cup was always a pipe dream but to be recognised by Louis van Gaal for what I was doing at Swansea was fantastic and a high point in my career it really was.” Tiendalli also spoke very highly of Michael Laudrup. ”He was a fantastic manager, and it was unfair how he was treated, especially when we were trying to balance a European campaign with a relatively poor Premier League campaign. He would have kept us up if he had been given the time if you ask me, but then that wasn’t my job to make that decision.”

After talking about Laudrup, Tiendalli then turned his attentions to new manager Nigel Clough. After the former Derby, Sheffield United and Burton manager Clough gave the defender the chance to prove himself again at the City Ground. ”So far he’s been a fantastic manager to work under and he gave me my debut almost immediately and I didn’t exactly respond in the right way. Getting sent off was a bad move and I should have known better. However I’d like to think I’m redeeming myself now. I’m pleased with the performance levels I’ve been putting in and I’m grateful to Nigel for giving me the chance to prove myself again after a tough summer where I didn’t seem to be going anywhere.”

”This season is going to be a big one for this club. Whether it’s because this is the season that Nigel starts some really good work at the club or because, as we’ve been doing so far this year, we’re pushing for promotion. This is a Premier League club in the waiting, the facilities and the playing squad are brilliant, and Nigel is definitely starting something special here. With any luck we’ll be back in the Premier League as quickly as possible.” Forest fans, then, we’re sure, will be hoping that what Tiendalli has to say is true, as the club is becoming desperate to return to the Premier League.

MONTHLY UPDATE: OCTOBER

RESULTS

03.10.2015: Nottingham Forest 2-2 Hull City
- Hull Strike Late To Deny Forest Spirited Three Points
56: A. Hernandez
77: T. Walker
80: R. Mendes da Graca
83: A. Hernandez
Abel Hernandez

17.10.2015: Bristol City 3-1 Nottingham Forest
- Bristol City Stroll To Victory With Flying Second Half Performance
55: L. Ayling
78: L. Freeman
80: D. Pinillos
81: S. Wagstaff
Luke Freeman

20.10.2015: Nottingham Forest 1-0 Burnley
- Forest Return To Winning Ways With Win Over High Flying Burnley
24: T. Walker
Dwight Tiendalli

23.10.2015: Nottingham Forest 2-0 Ipswich Town
- Play Off Hopefuls Ipswich Fall To Comfortable Home Victory For Forest
12: J. Ward (Pen)
64: G. Gardner
Tyler Walker

31.10.2015: Sheffield Wednesday 0-0 Nottingham Forest
- Forest Unfortunate To Only Take A Point Away From Hillsborough
Keiren Westwood

LEAGUE TABLE

INJURIES

Ben Osborn. The young midfielder who has been in terrific form this season, twisted his ankle in the victory over Ipswich meaning the youngster will miss the next three to four weeks of football.

PLAYER OF THE MONTH

HENRI LANSBURY


After returning from injury the former Arsenal midfielder played in all five of Forest’s games this month, averaging at least a 7.0 rating in all five. His box to box ability and his dynamism has been a massive part of Forest’s movement into the top four of the table and Forest fans will be hoping for similar form over the coming weeks.

SCHEDULE

After moving into the Play Off spots, November refuses to ease up on the schedule for Nottingham Forest. They start the month against relegation threatened Preston North End at Deepdale. Their next fixture is the big one though as eternal rivals Derby County visit the City Ground in the first meeting between the two sides since both sides appointed new managers in Nigel Clough and Tim Sherwood. Following the Derby clash is the international break, with Forest returning to action at Griffin Park against Brentford, before they meet Reading at the City Ground in the final fixture of the month.

AWARDS

Manager of the Month: Slavisa Jokanovic, Fulham
Player of the Month: Barry Bannan, Sheffield Wednesday
Young Player of the Month: Cauley Woodrow, Fulham

OTHER NEWS

- There was delight for Leeds United fans this month after Massimo Cellino’s reign was officially brought to an end after a consortium led by former Barcelona president Joan Laporta completed their takeover of the Elland Road club.
- As a result of Laporta’s takeover at the club, manager Steve Evans was sacked with Laporta intent on bringing his own man in at the club.
- After a poor run of form that saw them lingering at the bottom end of the table, Wolverhampton Wanderers took the decision to sack manager Kenny Jackett.
- Meanwhile former Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood was announced as the new man in charge at Derby County.

MANAGER’S THOUGHTS

Again, a good month overall and I’m happy with how it has gone. When I took over this role, a top half finish would have been ideal and anything we achieved over that would have been a bonus. For us to be in the top four after this many games is brilliant and we’re enjoying ourselves at the moment. The performances at the end of the month were terrific and two victories with two clean sheets was really pleasing and then for us to draw with Sheffield Wednesday was pleasing because to be honest we could well have beaten them if we had taken our chances. We’re beginning to get into the season now and its nice to see that we’re doing well and hopefully we can start to push on from here. But first of all, we’ve got to make sure we get one over our rivals for the fans.

CLOUGH TALKS: "DERBY WILL BE OUR TOUGHEST TEST YET!"

05 November 2015

Forest manager Nigel Clough spent 4 years as manager of our East Midlands Derby rivals, although he only achieved a 33.1% win ratio.

Nottingham Forest manager Nigel Clough has spoken to nottinghamforest.co.uk ahead of Saturday’s massive game in the Sky Bet Championship against eternal rivals Derby County. ”We’re all very much excited about this game, not least because of what it means to everyone associated with this football club. Derby are having a good start to the season and in Tim Sherwood they’ve got a good young manager that, although he is slightly inexperienced at Championship level, seems to know how to get a team gelled and going forward with some verve. He turned Aston Villa into a team that could play some very direct, very attacking football last season and if he gets Derby playing like that against us on Saturday then we will have a very tough test ahead of us.”

”Having said that, we have started the season really well, especially at home. We might be ninth in the table at the minute and of course the result against Preston was disappointing but here at the City Ground we are confident we can beat any of the teams that this division has to throw at us. Derby, obviously sit third in the table, which is a flying start but hopefully we can move above them and take three big points against them on Saturday.”

”The atmosphere at the game, and the way the Derby fans are going to react to us, and the way our fans are going to react to them, is going to add an awful lot of pressure to both sides. This is by far our biggest test of the season, but that doesn’t mean I’m not confident that the team can come away with the three points and a good performance to go with it. Of course I have some sentimentality to Derby but my priority is Forest, right here, right now and getting the result and ultimately the points we need against our fiercest rivals on Saturday.”