The Official Nottingham Forest 🌳 Supporters Thread

Lazarus · December 13, 2014, 2:45pm

Sexy Dexy returns to the first team at Rotheram today for the first time in fuck knows how long. Looks harsh on Fryatt but great to see Dexter back.
Hunt, Osborn and Burke will also be looking on in wonder as to how Fox, Angela and Pato got the nod ahead of them

Nottingham Forest FC ‏@Official_NFFC 6s6 seconds ago
#NFFC starting line-up: Darlow, Lichaj, Mancienne (c), Wilson, Fox, Paterson, Tesche, Lansbury, Antonio, Assombalonga, Blackstock

Nottingham Forest FC ‏@Official_NFFC 24s24 seconds ago
#NFFC subs: De Vries, Lascelles, Hunt, Osborn, Ince, Burke, Fryatt

Lazarus · December 13, 2014, 4:52pm

0-0 Seriously uninspiring stuff all round. With the game there to be won Pearce brings on Tom - happy to pick up a pay cheque - Ince. Osborne and Fryatt not getting a look in

Gary_Birtles_Lovechi · December 14, 2014, 7:42pm

Time for Pearce to go. He is not up to the job. Fawaz shouldn’t wait until after the Xmas period when we’re 10 points behind the playoffs.
He has to act now.

Mac · December 15, 2014, 5:44pm

How did this work out?

Gary_Birtles_Lovechi · December 19, 2014, 6:30pm

Is it May already?

Mac · December 19, 2014, 9:16pm

Is that when he’s due back?

Lazarus · December 20, 2014, 12:50pm

15 December 2014Last updated at 15:43 GM
[SIZE=6]Nottingham Forest face long road to Financial Fair Play recovery[/SIZE]
By Colin FrayBBC Radio Nottingham’s Nottingham Forest correspondent
Few people can claim to be surprised by the Football League transfer embargo imposed on Nottingham Forest. It has been coming for months.

And, though owner Fawaz Al Hasawi has previously claimed to have been unconcerned by Financial Fair Play, his club, his ownership and his manager will now be severely tested.

Forest have not yet revealed the full extent of their losses for season 2013-14 and are not commenting at this stage.

But an educated guess would suggest that their losses will be significantly over the £8m permitted limit. And, if that does prove to be the case, the likelihood of a swift exit from the embargo diminishes.

[SIZE=5]Existing Championship FFP rules[/SIZE]
2014-15: Losses of no more than £3m, up to £6m with owner investment

2015-16: Losses of no more than £2m, up to £13m with owner investment

However far over the threshold they were for last season, they need to claw that back, and save a further £2m, before they can emerge from the transfer shadows and begin trading again on an unrestricted basis.

Given the relaxation of the rules come the 2015-16 season, one strategy may be to ride out the storm - keeping the investment high and living with an embargo until the new, higher threshold kicks in.

Forest do have the advantage that the squad they have already assembled has plenty of quality within it. With an injury-free second half of the season, they may not even need to strengthen - and promotion to the Premier League would certainly mean a swift end to the embargo.

But ‘injury-free’ is hardly a phrase that can be applied to the Forest squad over recent years.

Stuart Pearce (left) officially took over as Forest manager on 1 July

Promotion this season looks a big ask from the current position of ninth in the Championship, and the Reds already know that they will lose at least two quality players in Karl Darlow and Jamaal Lascelles to Newcastle in the summer. Replacing them, or anyone else, while still under embargo looks a difficult task.

Forest cannot spend a transfer or a loan fee. They are restricted to a total spend of £600,000 a year on any new signing. That figure includes wages, agents’ fees, and any other “employee costs”.

Put simply, until they come out of embargo, replacements for the likes of Darlow and Lascelles need to be free transfers or loans and, by Championship standards, not highly paid.

[SIZE=5]Preparatory Pearce[/SIZE]
Nottingham Forest manager Stuart Pearce getting ready for the transfer embargo

"If you cannot go out and buy a player in the transfer market that is always a little bit hurtful. But the flip side is that you have to be cute in the transfer market and we feel we have the scouting network that can cope.

"As a supporter I would not want my club to go bust because of financial overspending, so if the League are putting plans in place to safeguard the long-term future of football clubs then fine, I have no problem with that at all. “If an embargo comes in then we will deal with it. We won’t bleat. It is something that is historic and has not happened during my tenure. But that is neither here nor there - you deal with the moment in front of you.”

Forest can currently add two more players to their squad before anyone has to leave. Any player added, loan or otherwise, regardless of age or experience, immediately counts towards the maximum of 24. That does not leave boss Stuart Pearce with a great deal of room for manoeuvre.

The manager quite rightly points to the likes of Matty Fryatt, Chris Burkeand Robert Tesche as examples of players who can be found on free transfers.

Forest’s difficulty going forward, though, is that another club only needs to offer such a player a wage of, say £12,000 a week, and they’ll know Forest cannot match it.

So, difficult times lie ahead for Pearce and his staff as they bid to strengthen Forest’s promotion challenge. They will be forced to show restraint, while fans may have to demonstrate their patience once again.

That’s a virtue which has been sorely tested over recent years, and that trend looks like continuing

thedancingbaby · February 1, 2015, 6:31pm

Pearce sacked

Lazarus · February 1, 2015, 6:32pm

Old news

myboyblue · February 1, 2015, 8:35pm

Douggggggggggieeeeeeeeee

Lazarus · February 1, 2015, 8:44pm

http://www.nottinghamforest.co.uk/cms_images/dougie-freedman-4340-2241603_478x359.png
[SIZE=4]Nottingham Forest have announced the appointment of their new manager.[/SIZE]
Dougie Freedman has taken over at The City Ground with immediate effect.

Freedman, who played for The Reds between 1998-2000, has previous experience of managing in the Championship after spells with Crystal Palace and Bolton Wanderers.

The club will announce further details in due course.

Read more at http://www.nottinghamforest.co.uk/news/article/new-manager-announced-2241612.aspx#5vYGlDao2LPrbfv3.99

Gary_Birtles_Lovechi · February 2, 2015, 1:10am

Pearce had good intentions and is a decent sort, but he really didn’t know what he was doing. His plans for the youth set up were admirable. But the first team had no defined style - other than give it wide to Antonio or just hit it long to Britt. The players in the middle, Lansbury and Tesche in particular, have been totally by-passed by the “system” Pearce has used. The ones who actually warrant a place in the team - Osborn, Paterson and Fryatt (when fit) have been ignored for large parts of the season. Its been a long time since I’ve seen a group of Forest players this devoid of confidence.

This change should have happened before Christmas, but I’m glad Fawaz has acted swiftly to replace Pearce with a very capable manager in Dougie Freedman. Did an excellent job at Palace under very testing financial restraints (which will come in handy with our current embargo). Then in one season, turned Bolton’s fortunes around, going from relegation scrapers and to playoff scrappers. 1 win in 10 saw him sacked.

Dougie will do fine, for the moment, i just thank our lucky stars we didn’t end up with Keane or Clough Jr. In an ideal world I’d love to see either Sean Dyche (ex Forest player) or Nigel Pearson (Nottingham boy) take over, but that wasn’t a goer given their current employment status.

Gary_Birtles_Lovechi · February 2, 2015, 1:32am

Welcome home Dougie. This is my favourite Freedman Forest moment at 1.59 on the tape

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDL2-CCxID0

@Lazarus[/USER] and [USER=236]@Fitzy what be yours?

Bandage · February 2, 2015, 1:46am

[QUOTE=“Gary Birtles Lovechild, post: 1084769, member: 2585”]Pearce had good intentions and is a decent sort, but he really didn’t know what he was doing. His plans for the youth set up were admirable. But the first team had no defined style - other than give it wide to Antonio or just hit it long to Britt. The players in the middle, Lansbury and Tesche in particular, have been totally by-passed by the “system” Pearce has used. The ones who actually warrant a place in the team - Osborn, Paterson and Fryatt (when fit) have been ignored for large parts of the season. Its been a long time since I’ve seen a group of Forest players this devoid of confidence. This change should have happened before Christmas, but I’m glad Fawaz has acted swiftly to replace Pearce with a very capable manager in Dougie Freedman. Did an excellent job at Palace under very testing financial restraints (which will come in handy with our current embargo). Then in one season, turned Bolton’s fortunes around, going from relegation scrapers and to playoff scrappers. 1 win in 10 saw him sacked.

Dougie will do fine, lets just thank our lucky stars we didn’t end up with Keane.[/QUOTE]

Right decision but always sad when it doesn’t work out for a legendary player returning as manager.

Lazarus · February 2, 2015, 1:57am

[QUOTE=“Gary Birtles Lovechild, post: 1084798, member: 2585”]This is my favourite Dougie Freedman Forest moment
[MEDIA]https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PL_29dk7pma-dQHui3eHW7QGcGwa6TcW5Z&v=PDL2-CCxID0[/MEDIA]

@Lazarus[/USER] and [USER=236]@Fitzy what be yours?[/QUOTE]
We’ll talk tomorrow my friend. Superbowl on, I cannot compartmentalize with the night that’s in it

Gary_Birtles_Lovechi · February 3, 2015, 12:32am

What the fuck is going on at Forest?

[ATTACH=full]2328[/ATTACH]

Nottingham Forest chief executive Paul Faulkner has resigned less than 24 hours after Stuart Pearce was sacked as manager, BBC Nottingham Sport reports.
Faulkner had only been in the role for five months, having officially taken over at the start of September 2014.
The former Aston Villa chief executive has been placed on gardening leave, but the club are yet to confirm his exit.
Dougie Freedman replaced Pearce as boss on Sunday after the loss to Millwall left them 12th in the Championship.

Lazarus · February 3, 2015, 12:47am

[QUOTE=“Gary Birtles Lovechild, post: 1085642, member: 2585”]What the fuck is going on at Forest?

[ATTACH=full]2328[/ATTACH]

Nottingham Forest chief executive Paul Faulkner has resigned less than 24 hours after Stuart Pearce was sacked as manager, BBC Nottingham Sport reports.
Faulkner had only been in the role for five months, having officially taken over at the start of September 2014.
The former Aston Villa chief executive has been placed on gardening leave, but the club are yet to confirm his exit.
Dougie Freedman replaced Pearce as boss on Sunday after the loss to Millwall left them 12th in the Championship.[/QUOTE]
It’s the Fawaz way. There’s seems to have been more coming ans goings at the club since he took over than the entire Doughty era combined. I keep saying he only needs to get lucky once and next thing we know we’ll have the next Lippi running the shop but I think I might be only kidding myself. Pearce was only ever gonna go one way or the other and sadly, perhaps inevitably and despite a roaring start, it’s gone the other way. Fuck it but it was worth a try. It didn’t work out, that’s life. In fairness to Pearce the injuries to Ried and Cohen, probably our two most important players along with Britt, would have scuppered more ships than not. I have no expectation for Dougie whatsoever. I think the sooner this thread just drifts into oblivion, like one of @myboyblue’s threads on TFK, the better.

Gary_Birtles_Lovechi · February 3, 2015, 3:06am

Injuries hampered us to an extent yes but they don’t explain the general awfulness of our play these past three months. Or the total lack of a plan on the pitch.

Just seen this on the Daily Telegraph:

Forest have been plunged into another off-field crisis after Faulkner followed Stuart Pearce out of the exit door, with sources claiming his position was untenable under the regime of chairman Fawaz Al-Hasawi.
Pearce, the legendary former captain, has also rejected a consultancy role at the City Ground to finally sever his links with the club following his dismissal by the Championship club on Sunday.

Freedman was appointed barely an hour after Pearce’s dismissal was confirmed and is due to hold a press conference today but it is Al-Hasawi, the Kuwaiti owner, who is facing renewed scrutiny after the exit of Faulkner.

Telegraph Sport understands Faulkner, who was appointed in August, was frustrated for more than four months by the restrictions placed on him and clashed repeatedly with Al-Hasawi’s assistants.

He was keen to introduce a proper structure and long-term plan for the future but was frequently ignored and undermined by financial director Lalou Tifrit and Hassan Saef, two aides close to Al-Hasawi.

The Football League is believed to have written to Saef last year to ask him to subscribe to the owner and directors’ test, amid suspicions he is involved in daily operations at the club.

Faulkner is alleged to have been exasperated by Al-Hasawi’s delay in paying clubs for players, with Hull City and Crystal Palace thought to have been waiting for payments owed for the Thomas Ince and Jack Hunt deals respectively.

Peterborough are also owed around £1.5million for Forest’s £5.5million signing Britt Assombalonga and chairman Darragh MacAnthony accused Al-Hasawi of missing a payment on Monday night, insisiting it had prevented them from signing players.

In a series of tweets, he wrote: "There wont be any incoming signings today but that has nothing to do with players having to leave etc, the real reason is due

to a certain championship club failing to make an agreed large payment (not thousands btw) last week on plyr they bought from us.

"This same club did this to us in August & now again. Truthfully its a disgrace & their chairman is the same. It has put us last minute in a terrible predicament.

“Its also a shambles the Football League allow this nonsense to carry on & not for the first time. I’m also sure we are not only club who its happened to but the knock on effect is outrageous.”

Many agents and suppliers are also understood to have been paid late or are still waiting for money.

There is no suggestion that Al-Hasawi is experiencing financial difficulties but there have been issues regarding the distribution of funds since the takeover in the summer of 2012.

The final straw for Faulkner came when Freedman’s appointment was made without him even being consulted.

Faulkner, who previously held a similar role at Aston Villa, informed Al-Hasawi of his decision to resign and was promptly placed on gardening leave.

Pearce’s extensive back-room staff, which included Steve Wigley, Brian Eastick and Tim Flowers, have also been put on gardening leave in a mass clear-out which is likely to cost a significant amount of money in pay-offs.

Freedman addressed Forest’s players at the training ground on Monday morning in a brief discussion and is expected to bring in long-serving assistants Lennie Lawrence and Curtis Fleming. His contract is rumoured to only be until the end of this season.

The 40-year-old is Al-Hasawi’s seventh managerial appointment in just over two-and-a-half years and he will be working under a transfer embargo after the club breached financial fair play rules.

Despite those financial restrictions, Forest managed to stave off interest from West Bromwich Albion in winger Michail Antonio while Burnley were rebuffed in an attempt to sign Henri Lansbury.

Fawaz ignoring and working against his CEO doesn’t bode well, why bother hiring one in the first place if you’re going to constantly undermine him?!

I’m amazed MacAnthony did business with us again after the George Boyd debacle. He must absolutely detest us by now! Our image is being damaged by these late payments shite. I don’t think I’d want to deal with Forest if I was the CEO of another club. Not worth the hassle.

Fagan_ODowd · February 3, 2015, 8:13am

Forest have a decent chance of being relegated

Mac · February 3, 2015, 9:19am

It would have been fierce unexpected for Reid to pick up an injury alright.