The Third Clough

Dear diary,
Our win has come! A 2-0 win at Reading followed up by a 2-1 win at home to Burnley sees us edging ever nearer to safety, draws with the likes of West Brom and Sunderland have also seen us move closer to the promised land of survival! We are 5 points short of the magic 40 point total with 4 games remaining, our chances look good. Next season we will make our mark! Till the end of the season, wish me luck!

Onwards and Upwards,
Kieran Clough

Dear diary,
Survive we did! My boys came good for me when it counted finishing the season on good form and landing a respectable 15th place;



Now for the busy time of pre-season, out with the old and in with the new! Next season will be a big one for the club, we must make strides this year, we must make our mark, we must start to show the world that we are going places, that they have not heard the last of Nottingham Forest!

Onwards and Upwards,
Kieran Clough

Dear diary,
I was at it again with the money making scheme; friendly competitions work wonders, we are now rocketing into profits every month, financial worries are a thing of the past.

I was given £17m by the board to spend, a generous sum but no doubt helped by my efforts to reel in the dough last term. Here is how I went about using our new found riches;



I am very pleased with my strengthenings, I feel I have added the class and solidity my team needed to really push forward this term. So roll on the season!

The season arrived quickly, I can't pretend I miss the stresses that come with it, but it's my life, and I wouldn't change it. Our first game a toughee, despite a very encouraging team display, showing my signings are gelling well, we succumbed to a strong Newcastle side 3-2. We then went down to Arsenal 2-0 despite more good signs, I was optimistic and pleased with how we had played but if the results aren't coming, performance alone will get us nowhere. At last we won in our 3rd EPL game of the season a comfortable and well deserved 3-1 victory to Wigan, now things can really start to take off!

Onwards and Upwards,
Kieran Clough

Gazza Hooper! He's gonna be a goal machine for you (hopefully)

goal on debut off the bench

2012-12-22 00:19#73281 sTedDarzZ : goal on debut off the bench

Brilliant stuff

Dear diary,
Our season is quietly chugging along nicely, we are sustaining decent form, lying mid-table and earning respectable results with some of the bigger teams in the league. Goals from Cox and Hooper are free flowing and we are developing well into a solid EPL team, but we still have our doubters, we'll show them soon enough. We have been on a good run and have reached the semi final of the Capital One Cup, Chelsea lie in waiting.



We lie in a comfortable 10th position, a pleasing return from our first 17 games.



Hoops and Coxy are doing very well this season, they are really flying the flag this season.



The 4-4-2 formation has rought us much success this season, let's hope it continues.

Onwards and Upwards,
Kieran Clough

Nice, a Nottingham Forest comeback.

you are going for their third Champions League?

ASAP! might be a few years yet though

Dear diary,
January has been a productive period for me, so far securing the signings of James Milner (£925k), who will add a lot of energy to my midfield, Carl Jenkinson (£4.6m) and Craig Cathcart (£1.9m) with numerous youngsters being brought in by the Head of Youth Development, requested by me.

Our first leg match of the COC semi final against Chelsea went well, we clung on to an early lead to claim a 2-1 victory. The second leg also started well, my team were near faultless, playing free flowing possession football in a match in which many expected us to cave, which saw us enter the break 3-1 to the good, thanks to 2 goals from Nolan Roux. The second half did not start well, Chelsea halving the deficit within 5 minutes, for the first time that day, I began to doubt. But, thanks to our first leg performance Chelsea needed to win, they needed another 2 goals, I told myself that many times to calm my nerves, 2 goals, my boys could hang on I was sure. But, when on the 61st minute Chelsea equalised my doubts came flooding back, we had half an hour to hang on. I introduced fresh legs on either wing in the shape of Gael Kakuta and Anthony Pilkington to give us an outball, was this enough? My hands were tied, our new signings cup tied I had few options. In injury time Stevan Jovetic scored, extra time beckoned. The boys were knackered, I really felt the final slipping away from us now. 5-3, now it was our turn to chase the game. 5-4, Nolan Roux tucked away a Jack Hunt cross for his hat-trick! All square, penalties on my mind. Jordan Mutch concedes a penalty deep into extra time, surely there are no more twists in this match? Whats more, Mutch sees red. And so it was done, we bowed out in the semi-final, a valiant, admirable effort, but in the end we are nothing but heroic losers, till next year.

Onwards and Upwards,
Kieran Clough

Dear diary,
I got home late tonight, sat at my desk and poured myself a strong whisky, now I write; another season is slipping seemlessly through my fingers. I have devoted over 2 years of my life to Nottingham Forest but not a hint of silverware sits proudly on my mantelpiece. Yes, we have made progress, great progress, but is progress enough? I want success, fame, Champions leagues and England Manager. If we do not crack into the winners world soon we will stagnate, mid table finish after mid table finish is not enough to satisfy a Clough, not enough to satisfy my lust for success.

We will continue to mine, soon we'll find gold, soon we'll hit the jackpot. This must be soon, we must find our winning formula, we must hit gold, for I long to play with the big boys, I ant to challenge the Liverpool's and United's. Mid table is not enough for me. My father never needed a rebuild project, he never needed time. He took his teams from the very bottom to the very top, by the shortest possible route. The game is not the same as it was, this kind of success is unthinkable, I will have to use a different tactics and build slower, but I have been building for 3 seasons, I must find my success soon. We are miners, mining in the mountains, searching for gold, one day we will find it.

Emile Heskey has decided to hang up his boots; he will be sorely missed around the training ground, his maturity, level headedness and dead eye for goal had him held in high esteem and very much respected by my squad. A big Heskey shaped hole is now left in the make up of Nottingham Forest. Don't you want me Heskey?

http://www.youtube.com/user/Doritosuk?v=ZFqE5XKMwf4

Onwards and Upwards,
Kieran Clough

Dear diary,
Pre season once again, the building period, this year, I really think I have a squad who are ready;



I am very pleases with my signings, I really feel the team is ready to now take the next step.

One in and one out came on deadline day, I was saddened to see Chris Cohen leave, he had been a faithful servant but for £6.5m I felt we were receiving good value for Chris and as he is unlikely to improve further I let him go, I brought in 21 year old Jake Forster-Caskey as a replacement for him, with the hope that he fulfills his potential to bloom into a very good player.

The season could not have started more swimmingly, 3 victories see us atop the EPL table. The goals are coming from everywhere, wingers and strikers alike, Milner also popping up with a few goals from midfield also. I have little to write, no complaints or grumbles, my signings have all settled in well and we already look like a well drilled team unit. And so, as i have nothing to write, all goes well.

Onwards and Upwards,
Kieran Clough

I will upload screen shots of my signings by request

Dear diary,
5 games in to my 4th term in charge and Nottingham Forest lie atop the Premier League, and by no means fortuitously! We have started the season in startling form, our goals coming largely from the feet of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is proving to be an inspired signing for the small fee paid;



The late signing of Ronaldinho Gaucho as a player/scout is going well, i feel he adds experience to my squad, despite his physical limits, he gets on well with my assistant Ryan Giggs and is not a half bad scout!

Could this be our year? Our break through year? I crave trophies and glory, this year we may finally be making steps towards being a challenging team, at last!

Onwards and Upwards,
Kieran Clough

Love the stroy keep it up!