Nottingham Forest away is one of my favourite away days. It isn’t usually for the football. We’ve suffered through some godawful games in the last few years, with the last two being 0-0. But there is something about this old fashioned little ground, built in 1898, in West Bridgeford (capacity 30,000 or so) just over the bridge by the Trent river, just down from Trent Bridge cricket ground (increasingly a haunt of mine), surrounded by terraced housing and with a storied past. The clubs have very long links as well. We always get a big chunk of the lower tier, which used to be the Bridgeford stand but was renamed the John Robertson stand in May of this year. All the away fans are lower tier, as at the Emirates, and very different to other places I could mention. It all helps the atmosphere.
Another reason is how easy it is to get to for us. It was a day of glorious autumn sunshine as we left St Ives. 90 minutes later we were parking up on the drive of one of the terraced houses just the other side of Ratcliffe road. Into the ground, and a very pleasant sit in the sunshine from our seats by the corner flag as we stared at our phones and digested the early game results. The team news was in:
Raya
White, Gabriel, Konsa, Calafiori
Rice, Guimaraes, Odegaard
Saka, Havertz, Eze
Bench: Meslier, Timber, Lewis-Skelly, Mosquera, Zubimendi, Merino, Madueke, Dowman, Gyokeres.
The teams came out and we were off. That pleasant sun was right in our faces and made it very difficult to see. That was actually a blessing, as the football, from both sides, was awful. Forest dropped back into a very low 5-4-1 block, which was very narrow, with Delap up top their sole attacker fielding long balls from the keeper and defenders, by passing midfield completely. It reminded me a bit of John Beck’s Cambridge United team of the early 90s. We were just stodgy and couldn’t find a way through them. Eze doesn’t seem to be enjoying the left wing and only had one run of note (he was promptly hacked down). Kai was bang off it, no energy or imagination. Saka was double teamed and usually ended up passing back inside to Odegaard or White.
The crowd started off in a lively fashion. We reminded them that we knew what we are, and that was the Champions of England. They replied that Champions of Europe, we’d never sing that. As one, we instantly replied, in time honoured fashion, Champions of Europe, you weren’t even born. As a traditionalist, I like it when these historical exchanges are reprised. Everyone knows their place. But as the half wore on, both sets of fans grew quieter as the grimness of the fare put before that became apparent.
We will draw a line under the rest of the first half. At half time, Arteta replaced Eze with Noni to give the team more width. He immediately made a difference, receiving the ball wide and putting in excellent left foot crosses. On 66 minutes, Arteta made a triple change. Merino for Bruno, Timber for White and Gyokeres for Havertz.
We immediately looked better. Quicker, more direct. Gabriel headed over from a corner (I’m getting worried about Nicolas Jover. How is Mrs Jover going to feed the children without all those set piece bonuses?). Odegaard laid in Timber on the right, who cut back a lovely ball to Rice who from a great and unmarked position, blazed it over.
Then, on 80 minutes, it happened. A ball was scooped into the box and headed away. Rice alertly won the second ball and fed Noni on the left wing, right in front of us. He cut inside, into the area, clearly with one thing on his mind and unleashed a powerful right footed shot which took a deflection and went into the top corner (it may have been beating the keeper anyway, it was hit so hard).
The Arsenal faithful (who were much louder in the second half) went mad. Uber limbs all over. Noni’s song rent the West Bridgeford air. We decided to tell the Forest fans that it was one nil to the Champions, in case they couldn’t see the scoreboard. Now all we had to do was see the game out.
It wasn’t that easy. My muttering became louder and more intense as we repeatedly pushed forward leaving only a couple of defenders at the back. In the last ten minutes we were caught on the break three (count them) times. Murillo went on a mazy run and we were lucky as he placed his bending shot just wide of the post with Raya beaten. Chris Wood dithered inside the area and Rice made a good block. Finally Delap (who was very good throughout, much better than I had seen him with either Ipswich or Chelsea) was laid in by Hudson Odoi and we were only saved by a thundering block by Ezri Konsa. A corner ensued right at the end of injury time. Their keeper came up. But Michael Oliver blew up for a foul, and from our free kick, blew time. More pandemonium as the team came over and celebrated in front of us. Declan pushed Noni forward to take his bow.
Noni was a deserved man of the match. He was superb. Vik had his best game bar a goal for us. He won every one of the balls knocked up to them ran with energy and determination, controlled that ball well and laid it off. Konsa and Gabriel were given a tricky game by Delap but defended manfully. We won after really not playing well at all. But we found a way. Despite their lowly position, Forest are not a bad team, as our recent results show. But we found a way. That’s what champions do. Isn’t it?
A fifteen minute walk away from the away end is Trent Bridge cricket ground. Part of Trent Bridge is the fabled Trent Bridge Inn. On the other side of the street lies the Bombay Bridgeford, our favourite restaurant on the Premier League circuit. There a delicious chilled pint of Cobra, some excellent food and warm hospitality awaited us. As we enjoyed our meal, in the packed out curry house, we were able to overhear people in red and white scarves and replica shirts bemoaning those last three wasted chances and, generally, crying into their beer. Shame.
Our car was a gentle stroll away. After another 90 minute run we were home by 9.30. Another excellent away day. COYG.
A very enjoyable report C100 on a trip I know you enjoy. You are absolutely right to pick out the excellence of Noni who brought a sharpness to our attack( which Eze had signally failed to do ). And it was a robust team effort despite our lack of rhythm and incision. Konsa would be second behind Noni as MOTM in my reckoning. He has fitted in seamlessly. Viktor was an improvement on Kai but Kai was dreadful . I thought he ran with intent and purpose but he doesn’t get great service . Saka was flat again and we did well to win at a ground where we have struggled to score for a long time
Three important points
A most enjoyable read, C100, about a day whose thread of familiarity suggests the world was at rights, at least in one place for a day.
Thanks C100, an enjoyable report
and good to hear you both had a
fine day out too 👍
Unfortunately I failed to watch in Arezzo
but I’m hoping for better luck for the
Bayern Munich game in Moraira on
Wednesday……
I know some of you are fabulously wealthy
so if anyone happens to have a spare place
with CL football in Moraira let me know 😀
Cheers, C100, much more enjoyable reading this than watching the match.
Surely you’re missing the bit where, seeing you take a swig of Cobra, someone started singing ‘Are you Parlour in disguise?’.
Nice summary of a day on which Noni’s goal and the curry and the beer were the highlights. If AB has his way you may manage the cool Cobra while enjoying Noni & Co ‘live’.
I had been to Dens Park on the night before. Both teams there played to win. What a novelty. Infinitely better entertainment than the 90 minutes I drove homewards for 8 hours at high speed to watch on Sunday.
The Forest game was reminiscent of many low block games we’ve witnessed in recent times. “We’re unlikely to beat the Arsenal, so let’s try to build an impenetrable wall so we don’t get hammered” says much more about our oppositions’ interest in entertaining football than our own.
I thought Konsa was excellent. So good we’re hardly missing Willie. Timber added potency too when he replaced Ben White.
Thanks for the comments so far all. I see the agenda elsewhere has now switched to “Arsenal’s boring football is killing the Premier League.” Last year’s set piece fc has become 1-0 fc.
So of this season’s aways, Villa, Sunderland and Forest yielded us two points last year. This year they’ve given us nine. Add in the fact that last year we beat Brighton and this year we lost to them we are four points ahead for four aways.
I’ll settle for that.
Haters gonna hate.
An excellent and atmospheric report, C100. There really isn’t anything better than an on the spot eye witness account of the game, its setting and the atmosphere in which it took place. I thought the whole team, bar Rice, was flat in the first half and I agree that Noni made a huge difference. Our starting full-backs were particularly flat and Timber for White also made a difference. Your observations on Gyökeres are not misplaced either and I agree with your observations on Havertz – rushed back too swiftly, perchance? However I didn’t think Saka was as poor. He was double or triple teamed throughout but kept coming back for more. – my only criticism is our failure to exploit the early yellow gained by Williams though the multiple teaming probably protected the left back from needing to produce another rash challenge. Guimarães, of whom I expected much was surprisingly unable to exert his vertical pass superpower so skilfully were Forest blocking the passing lanes.
I think your should share the details of your menu choices however, in case any of us happen to wander along the banks of the Trent.
We tend to eat different things every time we go there but last night, after the usual poppadums and chutneys, I had Dhaba White Chicken Karachi, my son had Karachi Chicken Tikka, we shared a Tarka Dhal and onion bhaji and we both had a garlic and green chilli naan bread.
Different to what’s number of us ate at Trullo a couple of weeks ago, and considerably cheaper but delicious all the same!
To divert from food for the moment (unwilling as I normally am to do so) and to revert to the points I made @6, Orbhino made this point on BlueSky.
Arsenal’s win at the City Ground was an improvement on last season, so the Gunners are now tracking at +4 points versus last season’s equivalent fixtures.
City and Liverpool are at +3, Man Utd are -10 and Spurs -1.
C100 @8, that sounds delicious – my mouth is watering profusely!
Some lovely stats there @9!
But I already feel the pressure of having to avoid dropping ANY points at all from this point on. Unlike TTG, I have no faith in the powers that be enforcing a suitable punishment for Shitteh*. Nor do I believe they are capable of delivering it before the end of this season. We have to assume that the Cheats* will be thereabouts at the end of the season as I agree with MK’s observation on TalkSport that the opprobrium hurled at them at Anfield galvanised them rather than intimidated them and they clearly have that defiant bit between their teeth now. I’m beginning to think that it’ll take appropriate and timely sanctions to stop them this season.
Cheers C100!
Fucking love it we piss people off.
I only just noticed the Spuds are
bottom 😂😂 Come on Coventry
C100@6: i would have thought it was the ubiquitousness of low blocks that was killing the Premier League, but what do I know?