Peter Beagrie - Sky Sports Expert

Forest fire for Colin

Beagrie talks Football League - and answers YOUR questions

Posted: 21st November 2008 10:42

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Colin Calderwood

Calderwood: can he keep Forest up?

They took a big gamble by shelling out a lot of money on Robert Earnshaw but in all honesty he's been feeding off scraps. You can be the best finisher in the world but if you're only getting one chance a game it's going to be difficult.

Peter Beagrie
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I was in Dubai with Colin Calderwood when he was first given the job at Nottingham Forest.

Interestingly Brian Laws, who had also been shortlisted for the position, was also out there and when the decision was made I saw the two of them shaking hands. At that stage I didn't know which one had got the job and I thought they might have been shaking each other by the necks instead!

Colin said straight away that promotion was the only option for a club of that size and that was a brave thing to say when you consider they were struggling in League One at the time. The chairman said that he would stand by Colin even if they didn't go up - and sometimes the words of chairmen can be a little bit empty - but he stood by his man even though they didn't win promotion in that first season.

There seems to be a real healthy respect between the pair of them. They are able to look at the bigger picture and not just the imminent situation which sees them sitting joint-bottom of the Championship.

I think that is a direct result of an incredibly competitive division and failing to replace a couple of quality players. Their leading goalscorer Junior Agogo went over the summer and they also lost Kris Commons who may have only scored nine league goals last season but the number of assists he had was incredible. He was the heartbeat of the side and to add insult to injury he went to their arch-enemies Derby.

He really was their tormentor-in-chief during their promotion season and Sammy Clingan, who also created chances for them, has also gone. They took a big gamble by shelling out a lot of money on Robert Earnshaw but in all honesty he's been feeding off scraps. You can be the best finisher in the world but if you're only getting one chance a game it's going to be difficult. Perhaps if Earnshaw had been playing in the same side as Commons and Clingan he'd have scored a few more goals.

Progress

You can see they are progressing and getting used to the division, but they realise it's going to be tough. They're unbeaten in the last four after a few sterling draws, although Colin will have been hurt by the fact they had three points in their grasp last weekend and threw away the lead twice.

There have been crumbs of comfort for Colin in the games they've played of late because for the first time this season they've dominated games and have created a few more chances than previously. They've needed improvement, there has been some and now they need to maintain that.

Another bright spot has been the signing of young Joe Garner, which was a bit of a gamble. I saw him a lot last year and he was in a rich vein of form for Carlisle, playing in a side that do create plenty of opportunities. He scored 14 goals and undoubtedly they would have got automatic promotion if he had remained fit.

It's interesting that he's been paired with the other young lad Nathan Tyson. It's given them a genuine threat in behind defences and any team that goes to Forest trying to score the first goal and feed off the negativity there might be exploited if they leave gaps at the back because Forest have genuine pace in Tyson and Garner.

Bonus

Another bonus for them is even at this stage of the season they're not cut adrift. They're on a decent run which has clawed them back into contention with the likes of Doncaster, Watford and Southampton all struggling.

These next five or six games are going to be pivotal if they can continue to build upon those improved performances. But I think Forest are going to find it difficult with the added pressure of the tradition and the expectation levels at the club.

It's a similar situation to what I experienced at Manchester City when we played in front of full houses of 30,000 people, even in the lower divisions. It's fantastic, but when things don't go to plan you can feel the nervousness and the tension and that spreads to the players. That's why when you buy players for a club like Forest you need people not only with big hearts but self-belief as well, people who are not going to go hiding.

Winner

As far as Colin's future is concerned, until someone decides otherwise or the situation gets worse then I would still back him. I know him personally and having played against him, I know he is a winner.

He'll be hurting more than anybody else at their current position, but he has the courage of his convictions. It would be easy for him to blame injuries, but he's not one to make excuses. He's an honest guy and I hope it turns around for him and for Forest because they've always been associated with playing some fantastic football.

However, football is a game for now. What has been achieved before is exactly that - a thing of the past.

It's going to be tough for them. I don't know whether at this stage I've seen enough from them to make me believe that they will get out of it.

But there are other teams in that division suffering a crisis of confidence and as long as that's the case then Forest have a chance.

Peter answers your questions...

To send Peter a question on the Football League, send an email to skysportsclub@bskyb.com or use the feedback form below...

PAIR OF ACES
Can you name me a better strike pairing in the Championship than Doyle and Hunt at this moment in time? Doyle is on fire, now that he has signed a new contract he will continue in the rich vein of form he is in, and for Noel Hunt at £600k or so, another Coppell bargain that will bang in goals at this level. See you in the Premiership next season! Jin Khangura
PETER REPLIES: I can't think of anybody better and if you look at the statistics then what you are saying is borne out. The only pairing that comes close is two of the four guys at Wolves. Chris Iwelumo is a big, strong focal point for them, Sylvain Ebanks-Blake has hit the ground running building on the goals he got at Plymouth and they've also got Andy Keogh and Sam Vokes, who has adapted sensationally to Championship football. Wolves have four genuine striking threats and they are the only ones that can match the Reading lads.

It's interesting to note that it hasn't really happened for Birmingham, despite the plethora of talent they have got up front. The one that has been the biggest threat so far is Garry O'Connor and he was arguably the Birmingham striker with the least expected of him. The big disappointment there has been in the wide areas because, going back to the Forest situation, you've got to create and make teams defend the width of the pitch. If you've got wingers then you can spread and stagger centre-halfs and that gives strikers space to exploit. That's what Reading and Wolves are doing better than anyone else in the division and those strikers are benefiting from that.

CHAMPIONSHIP CAPS?
As a Wolves fan I was thrilled to see Michael Mancienne called up to the England squad. I know he's a Chelsea player but I'm sure he wouldn't have got in if he wasn't playing for us. Do you think there are any other players in the Championship that Mr Capello should be keeping an eye on? Stu Parsons, Wolverhampton.
PETER REPLIES: I've been racking my brain, but I don't think there is anybody. I think these days the top teams in the Premier League like Manchester United and Arsenal have got youngsters coming through and we've got to be thankful for the League Cup. It's much maligned but it's going to be the breeding ground for the English starlets in competitive football.

I've had the pleasure of covering Arsenal's youngsters in their live Carling Cup games this season and they've been incredible with five or six young English guys in there. That competition is going to be pivotal in the development of our national game, which is strange when you consider the battering the competition gets.

The loan system can still have massive benefits, we saw it with Frazier Campbell going to Hull and finding his legs in the Championship last season. Talent can only take you so far, you must have will to win, heart, dedication and a large slice of luck - it's good to test these players in such a competitive division.

To send Peter a question on the Football League, send an email to skysportsclub@bskyb.com or use the feedback form below...

Comments

Andrew Young (Birmingham City fan) says...

its fair to say birmingham havnt yet started this season as we should but we have got the most talented squad in the league and we are still 2nd in the league without really playing well.everybody knows that we are going to hit form and we are showing patches of this happening and the sooner the better we will have no problem winning this league.mark my words. 1st birmingham 2nd reading and hopefully qpr for the playoffs.

Posted 19:42 23rd November 2008

Alan Silcock (Nottingham Forest fan) says...

After reading your article on Colin Calderwood, i have to say that i do like Colin and wish we were in a better position than we are for his sake, but after watching us get beat at home to 10 man Norwich, i thought for the first time since he joined that he's got till christmas to sort it out, or go! We dont seem to have any new ideas to brake teams down, except for long balls to Tyson, against two defenders, which just isn't good football! You need to draw defenders out, especially against 10 men! Do you think that we should possibly move for Sam Alderdice, who has plenty of experience while he's still available? David Healy i think would also be a good addition for us considering our lack of goals?

Posted 17:34 23rd November 2008

Carl Lycett (Nottingham Forest fan) says...

"Created a few more chances than previously". Talk about understatement! Forest created chance after chance and totally dominated Birmingham at the City Ground. We had a bad start but recently ive been very impressed with the perfomances we've just missed a few opportunities and had some bad luck. I have total faith in Colin Calderwood and the boys that we will climb out of the bottom three we just need to keep our heads up and continue with the positive football we have seen as of late. In fact i would go as far to say someone soon will get hammered if we carry on the way we are playing. YOU REDS!!

Posted 21:28 21st November 2008

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