Forest 3 City 2
The equivalent match last season was probably the City’s lowest point, when they were humiliated at the City Ground, losing 5-1 to their greatest rivals. This encounter was an improvement on that performance, but demonstrated all the reasons why the season has fizzled out after we dared to dream at the beginning of the year.
The vast contingent of City fans were bathed in sunshine, although thankfully not in its full glare. Sven changed his defence yet again although this time it was forced on him by the injury to Bamba. In many ways the players defended better than the awful display against Reading, but there were question marks about all three of Forest’s goals.
The first one saw Tudgay somehow get between two defenders to score with a good header; the second one was a fortunate rebound after Weale had saved heroically from McGugan and who else but Earnshaw (who tormented us last season) was the quickest to the rebound; and the third one, as everyone now knows, was the softest of shots that somehow crept under Weale’s body. I wonder why City can no longer find good goalkeepers, Banks, Shilton and Wallington must be scratching their heads in disbelief.
Credit to the players, they looked more determined to get something from the game and were probably the better side; certainly they equalised very quickly after Forest scored on two occasions, giving us hope that this was to be their day; unfortunately after Weale’s faux pas there was no time left to score again.
I hadn’t realised that we had never done the double over Forest and Derby in the same season and this was probably the closest they had come. Some of their passing was sublime on occasions but as so many times this season they lacked the bite in the final third and the woeful defending was yet again their downfall.
For once the players could have been forgiven for not going at full pelt, as it must have been roasting on the pitch, but this did not seem to affect them – and curiously they did not take on water as often as they have done in the depths of winter, something else that has crept into the modern game but which is totally ridiculous.
Yakubu was no improvement on previous games and I was pleased when Sven at last seemed to recognise this and substituted him; several fans were contacting Radio Leicester after the game and saying what I have said for some time now, that he is lazy and does not earn his obscene wages.
In my opinion, all the other players were OK and Oakley’s goal was a cracker. Not that I could see much of it! It was clear that the match was one where everyone stood and of course the stewards did nothing. I hear all the arguments about standing but when you are just over 5ft tall it is impossible to see a lot of the game. I was delighted when all-seating stadia were introduced but I would support the campaign for the return of terracing (in a limited way) if it means that I can actually see a game which I have paid a lot of money to see!
Sven still seems to think that mathematically we have a chance but this is blue sky thinking of the worst kind! Our season was effectively over after we couldn’t see off Crystal Palace, it was just that others were having a nightmare end of season as well.
I am not convinced that we will do any better next season, unless we sign some decent defenders and the players start to play as a team, not as a bunch of talented individuals. One final point, it was an entertaining match, despite the tension among the fans (if not the players) and must have been good to watch if you were a neutral observer.
Nottingham Forest: Camp; Moloney, Chambers, Morgan, Gunter,Cohen, Moussi, McKenna (c), McGugan, Tudgay (Boyd 75), Earnshaw (Findley 80). Subs not used: McCleary, McGoldrick, Majewski, Bennett, Darlow.
Goals: Tudgay 15, Earnshaw 73, McKenna 84
Leicester City: Weale; Naughton, Vitor, Bruma, Mee, Wellens, Oakley (Abe 50), King, Gallagher, Yakubu (Vassell 58), Kamara (Howard 76). Subs not used: Teixeira, Dyer, Berner, Ricardo.
Goals: Oakley 21, Vassell 73 Booked: Kamara, Vitor
Attendance: 24,217 (3,309 away) Referee: Mark Clattenburg (Durham)
The views expressed in this report are the opinions of the Trust member nominated to file the report only and do not represent the views of the Foxes Trust organisation