Since Dougie Freedman took over from Stuart Pearce in early February as the Nottingham Forest manager, the Scot has been in charge for eight games and won seven of them with a 4-4 draw at bottom of the league Blackpool, which ironically is the only game Forest haven’t won.
Dougie Freedman – fantastic initial record at Nottingham Forest
So Forest have taken 22 points from the last 24 available, and are now in 9th place and now only 9 points out of a play-off place.
Before Dougie took over from Pearce Forest had lost six of their previous seven games, so it’s gone from famine to feast for fans since Freedman took over.
Who said a new manager couldn’t make an immediate difference?
😀
In the final weeks of Pearce’s reign, the former Newcastle left-back had dropped both Newcastle players, goalkeeper Karl Darlow and center-back Jamaal Lascelles, but since Freedman has come in he’s played both our players.
And it was a terrific result for Forest over the weekend, as they beat league leaders Middlesbrough 2-1 at home, with goals from Gardner (34 mins) and Blackstock (65 mins) with former Sunderland player Grant Leadbitter scoring for Boro after 27 minutes.
Both Karl Darlow and Jamaal Lascelles played the whole game on Saturday, and it’s certainly an exciting time for Forest fans, and if they can keep up this pace they could still make a play-off place – and they would also be the side in form when the playoffs arrive.
Next up for Nottingham Forest is a tough game at Leeds United on Saturday, and that’s a game between a two time winner of the European Cup playing a club that reached the semi-finals of the same competition.
It will be good when both famous clubs make it back to the Premier League.
Karl Darlow and Jamaal Lascelles will join the Newcastle first team squad this summer, and will battle for a first team place next season.
Comments welcome.
Note: An avid reader of the blog Andrew Foley is participating in the Great North Run for a charity named Tommy’s, which is a charity that funds medical research into the causes of premature birth, stillbirth and miscarriage.
See if you can help Andrew reach his goal of £400 by donating on his just-giving page here.
You can follow us on our three social media sites below:
84 comments so far
jayphoto
Mar 9, 2015 at 5:48 PM
Comment #41@jesper thats true mate but they don’t rush to sell the player when he becomes worldclass either.
Would argue Everton and Lukaku but hes having a dog of a season. Every player newcastle buys in a business investment. Ashley runs us with no feeling. Just glad he wasn’t in charge 15 years ago he would have sold shearer at 28
croftus5678
Mar 9, 2015 at 5:51 PM
Comment #42on the upside there could be some bargains at the end of the season with micah richards / benteke / ings / ashton i’d have any of those in our team 😉
toon kk
Mar 9, 2015 at 5:51 PM
Comment #43At the end of the day we all want what’s best for our club, there’s a lot of frustration among fans, some think we have a really good/good squad which if well coached are Europe candidates bu personally unless we have some real quality brought in we’ll end up in a relegation battle within a season or two.
If we hadn’t had a decent run earlier this season we would have been in deep trouble. If we hadn’t had Remy last season we would have gone down.
MA is gambling.
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Mar 9, 2015 at 5:57 PM
Comment #44Jay…I agree. Look at my post at #22 and Senor Tuff’s post 🙂
Jeff from Benwell
Mar 9, 2015 at 6:01 PM
Comment #45Sorry Hibbitt wasn’t blanking you – I got distracted.
To be classed as World Class you have to perform on the World stage for your country.
Cisse Tiote ? I don’t know
Jonas and Colo in the past
Cabella Sissoko
Janmaat and this guy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXUy65sAFtc
but they are all way above championship level
toon kk
Mar 9, 2015 at 6:01 PM
Comment #46Croftus
MA running of the club is slowly but surely lowering people’s expectations. People are happier with lower class signings and occasionally winning games has become a real highlight.
Tsunki
Mar 9, 2015 at 6:01 PM
Comment #47Mr T. – telling sentiments indeed from the Rangers incumbent. While we may on the whole whinge and whimper about the lot of our beleaguered club, if the raft of awful decisions made by Ashley and his misogynist crew members had been all made in this last season, instead of dropping on us over the last 5 years, I think their world be more vigorous anti – Ashley activity from the Toon faithful. As it is, we seem to have been lulled by the gradual, attritive nature of constantly derisory manoeuvres into an acceptance of the new status quo. Where Rangers fans and it’s football – club conscious owners benefit is looking at our unfortunate and pitiful condition and bring determined not to let that happen to them. Good on them. We should envy their resolve, it evidently pays off. We tend to look a little pathetic by comparison, to be honest. It doesn’t help that there are still a significant number of Ashley apologists and wait-and-see, jam tomorrow exponents.
Tsunki
Mar 9, 2015 at 6:06 PM
Comment #48I think there’s nothing more galvanising for players lacking confidence and needing to get a break into the team than being inadvertently thrust into the firing line. I hope Riviere and Perez can grab their chance, nothing to lose with another win and a draw under our belt, and there being every chance they are certain starters for at least half a dozen games. Would have been nice to see how we could have formed an attacking mid with De Jong, Sammy, Cabella and abeid just in front of the defenders. Just a thought.
Belfast
Mar 9, 2015 at 6:07 PM
Comment #49Hmmmm nice thought Skunki
Jeff from Benwell
Mar 9, 2015 at 6:09 PM
Comment #50Tsunki
How do you figure Ashley etc. to be women haters ?
Belfast
Mar 9, 2015 at 6:10 PM
Comment #51Apparently he still has the power to nominate two directors onto to the board. I don’t think we’ve heard the last of it yet.
Belfast
Mar 9, 2015 at 6:13 PM
Comment #52Saying that, his two directors would probably have no influence at all, not like Llambias and Leech who where running the show.
Lindisfarne
Mar 9, 2015 at 6:14 PM
Comment #53GOOD EVENING BLOGGERS. If you would like to add anything to the following please do before I send to the appropriate recipients:
At the Fans Forum the club reiterated its desire to improve the communication it had with supporters, we would like to provide the opportunity to the club to act on this intention and respond to some of the issues that were not fully explained, or have subsequently been raised by the meeting minutes. The following points of clarification have been compiled by a number of supporters in order to expand on the information given in the meeting, to enhance our knowledge of the Clubs operation and develop a more positive conclusion for Fans.
1) A progressive club with long term ambitions and policies of work would be able to announce the permanent Head Coach before the last game of this season. The selection process would not undermine the present incumbent and allows for longer term decisions to be made regarding the existing squad and potential new players. Has there been any qualified progress and when will a decision be taken?
2) The funding from the Premier League enables seventeen clubs appearing in the tournament to recruit a strong and full squad that can compete in additional competitions other than the league and retain their league status. Does the fact that annually we can play in over-seas pre-season tournaments and that we are not consistently competing for a top five place in the league suggest that the stated primary focus of the Club away from Cup competitions needs redressing?
3) The income received from the Premier League has increased considerably, however the underlying revenue generated by the Club has decreased. Other than relegation a number of years ago, what is the justification for this and what ratifications are needed to secure the long term interests of the Club?
4) The financial decision making of the Club to limit transfer expenditure and players wages has successfully returned the club to generating a positive turnover. How will this policy be able to continue and make the Club more competitive at attracting and retaining players?
5) The Club has a stated policy of ‘continued investment in the playing squad’; how does this relate to the actual practice of negative spending on player transfers in both the summer and longer term?
6) The Club has a stated policy of ‘continued strengthening in the quality and quantity of the playing squad’; how is the directly opposite practice of removing players from the squad, through sales and loans, with no actual replacement allowed to occur?
7) The delay in the loan move of Mbiwa was the reason given to explain the lack of an incoming central defender and also a previously stated desire was for a replacement player to be secured prior to an individual leaving. What were the limiting issues that prevented both agreements being processed diligently and within the time constraint?
8) The earliest potential sale of the Club by Mike Ashley was reiterated to be at the end of 2015/16 season. What are the reasons for this particular threshold; what are the requirements that would induce a sale and are there any extenuating factors?
9) Why have the accounts not been published and for what reason does the Club seek to retain an amount of debt?
Jeff from Benwell
Mar 9, 2015 at 6:16 PM
Comment #54Apparently although voted of the board
Llambias and Leach are still Rangers employees
Tsunki
Mar 9, 2015 at 6:17 PM
Comment #55Ha ha jeff good spot. I was gnashing my teeth at ‘bring’ instead of ‘being’ and failed to put misanthropic instead of misogynistic, which started badly with a ‘my’ and then turned into ‘my shiniest’…… I liked the good old days, when words were just badly spelled.
Having said that, I’ve no reason to doubt Ashley could be a my shiniest. Could happen.
Anyway, Belfast, what thought was nice?
Belfast
Mar 9, 2015 at 6:21 PM
Comment #56Hmmmm it was such a good thought I seem to have forgotten it.
Yeah they’re still employed because King and co are refusing to pay them a years salary.
Tsunki
Mar 9, 2015 at 6:23 PM
Comment #57Lindisfarne – in point 1/ perhaps the introduction to the question regarding the recruitment of head coach could contain a referral to the lack of foresight evident when Pardew left his post and the absence of any contingency as openly admitted by Mr Charnley?
Tsunki
Mar 9, 2015 at 6:27 PM
Comment #58Good thoughts are hard to come by these days belfast, should hang on to them.
Mister Tuff
Mar 9, 2015 at 6:42 PM
Comment #59Tsunki – I agree with your suggestion that Rangers Fans had an inkling of what was coming their way. I think they were “tipped a wink” by observing the shenanigans at the Toon – and were perhaps aware of what the future “promised”.
I would suggest that Toon fans explore this concept and imagine we were Rangers for a brief moment in time. The undecided/fence sitters may get an inkling that really we a poorly run -with the main villain -Mr Tubbs and the dolts he employs.
Lindisfarne
Mar 9, 2015 at 6:43 PM
Comment #60Tsunki – I could insert this sentence?
….The lack of any contingency plan to recruit a Head Coach at the outset and thecurrent cessation of approaches being made indicates that the Club has no intention of hiring externally and discredits any optimism of a credible appointment…..
BoyDoneGood
Mar 9, 2015 at 6:51 PM
Comment #61[From earlier today]
Croftus had suggested we need players of “top 6” calibre. I wrote:
“Top 6 clubs have squads in the quarter-to-half billion pound range. NUFC are simply priced out of that market, unless they out-scout the top 6 or bring great young talent through…”
Dazzler noted that Southampton, Everton and NUFC have all managed top 6 finishes in the last few years – and that is right, but it is also true that these are (last year’s figures) the 7th, 8th and 9th most expensive squads respectively. You get what you pay for.
Southampton achieve this with exactly the Newcastle attitude to transfers. Lalana and Shaw were youth products, Lovren was scouted from Lyon, Lambert from lower tier domestic football. They sold for over £70M profit, not all of which was reinvested in players.
A good example of the bubble bursting is Villa, who used to make top 6, spending their way deep into debt, and are now in deep doodoo.
toon kk
Mar 9, 2015 at 6:53 PM
Comment #62Lindisfarne
The club is very secretive but also very predictable, and very untrustworthy.
Lindisfarne
Mar 9, 2015 at 7:01 PM
Comment #63toon kk
If you want me to put that forward can you put it into more of a question that can be directed at the Club? Thanks
toon kk
Mar 9, 2015 at 7:04 PM
Comment #64Boy done good
it’s not just the squad MA skimps on, its often the right type of players.
But good potential players are getting wasted by skimping on the right training staff and top coach.
Everything revolves around profit, MA total lack of football knowledge is actually costing more in the long run.
beermonkey
Mar 9, 2015 at 7:06 PM
Comment #65boydonegood
are looking at what a squad is worth or what it cost the club,
Southampton flogged about 100mill worth of players spend around 50 60 but how much did they pay for the players they sold
there squad is worth a lot but it didn’t cost them that much as most come through the academy or they bought them young and developed them
same with everton if you take lakaku out of it colemen 500k worth ? barkley stones
Lindisfarne
Mar 9, 2015 at 7:06 PM
Comment #66toon kk
Perhaps this is the response you will receive if you do not mention why and about what you think the club is hiding:
3. “The club has been criticised for not communicating and then criticised for banning NCJ Media. However, it is then criticised when it tries to put messages out to supporters and does interviews with NCJ Media. Where does the club sit, given its frustration with this?” DM
The board felt the fall-out with local media and a number of stories that followed during the period of the ban were unhelpful, but the board stood by the decision it made at the time. The relationship now enables the club to reach a wider audience with its key messages, as with the recent interview on the head coach situation and on John Carver. The club will continue to keep those channels of communication open but accepted there will be some supporters who will not agree with what the club has to say. The club is looking to improve the means by which it communicates.
BandB
Mar 9, 2015 at 7:10 PM
Comment #67Could anyone explain to me the personnel and powers of this “board” the members of the Fans’ Forum appear to believe they are dealing with?
Typical duties of boards of directors include:
governing the organization by establishing broad policies and objectives;
selecting, appointing, supporting and reviewing the performance of the chief executive;
ensuring the availability of adequate financial resources;
approving annual budgets;
accounting to the stakeholders for the organization’s performance;
setting the salaries and compensation of company management. (source Wikapedia)
I can’t see a governance structure at Newcastle United that remotely resembles that. We are a de-listed company, with no stocks and a sole owner.
I ask only in relation to what makes the groups on the Fans’ Forum competent to represent the fan base. Perhaps one of them would like to answer?
Jeff from Benwell
Mar 9, 2015 at 7:24 PM
Comment #68I would guess (that’s all it is) that the reps for each stand are ST holders in them.
There has always been a disabled rep.
The racial equality guy is also a longstanding ST holder
Thats just off the top of me heid
BoyDoneGood
Mar 9, 2015 at 7:24 PM
Comment #69Toonkk, Beermonkey
Indeed – right kind of players. The scouting needs to be good, and the youth system; as I said. NUFC has done fairly well on both recently, though we could do with a few more goals from a couple of individuals. Selling Cabaye, Debauch, etc is evidence of good buying in the first instance. But, yes, the canny scouting has to continue. A couple of expensive failures – a few more Ben Arfas – and we do a Villa.
BoyDoneGood
Mar 9, 2015 at 7:25 PM
Comment #70Debauch? I absolutely effing hate autocorrect.
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Mar 9, 2015 at 7:27 PM
Comment #71Lindisfarne…look at my post at #22 and Senor Tuff’s post at #27 I think you can construct a question out of that?
Lindisfarne
Mar 9, 2015 at 7:29 PM
Comment #72BandB
I can not answer your question directly and do not have a position on the Fans Forum ‘board’ , as you call it. I believe the original idea was from UEFA and was meant to reverse the trend of fans being dissociated from their club. The members of the FF are decided on by the club and NUFC have attempted to gain a cross section of support. The are no powers attached to the representative role other than to ask direct questions and scrutinise the clubs responses.
I detect that there is a large amount of good will extended by the representatives for the sake of holding a position and that in the ‘heat of the situation’ the Clubs responses are accepted at face value. The club for their part approach the meeting as a PR exercise and wish to control any information that may be divulged. There does not appear to be much of a point and the chance of a revelation being of damage to the club is very minimal. However the aspiration is that the Club will develop a working relationship with the fans in order to foster a positive environment. But don’t hold out any hope beyond picking the third choice kit from the best of a bad bunch.
welshgeordie9
Mar 9, 2015 at 7:30 PM
Comment #73Good evening ladies, so who’s going to win tonight then, man utd or arsenal.
toon kk
Mar 9, 2015 at 7:32 PM
Comment #74Lindisfarn
it’s not just a matter of communication, its a matter of the club been so predictable, I think most knew Carver would be given the head coach job and I predict he’ll get the job full time come next season. Why did it take so long to say he had been given the opportunity? It was obvious that was always the plan.
Why doesn’t the board come out and say we will be looking for quality to push the club forward, as in players, training staff and coaches instead of knowing they’re keeping the cheeper options in work, which are happy to work with MA regime. Surely the best interest for the club and fans is getting the right people for the job.
welshgeordie9
Mar 9, 2015 at 7:33 PM
Comment #75I’ve just noticed that Roy Keane is on bbc, what happend there then.
jesperfuglsang - capt'n awesome of the lemon crew
Mar 9, 2015 at 7:33 PM
Comment #76BandB…it’s more of a make believe board! The club is run by a Oligarch and the laws are executed by his henchmen (the make believe board)
BandB
Mar 9, 2015 at 7:35 PM
Comment #77Lindisfarne,
I think you may have misunderstood.
The Fans’ Forum minutes always refer to answers they have received from “the board.”
My question is who are the people they consider to constitute the Newcastle United “board”…those with the powers I outlined above.
People aren’t going to get meaningful answers if they can’t understand the questions.
Jeff from Benwell
Mar 9, 2015 at 7:35 PM
Comment #78By the way NUFC do not call it a board – they call their side “Club Representatives”
BandB
Mar 9, 2015 at 7:37 PM
Comment #79jesper,
That would appear to be the case, wouldn’t it?
Lindisfarne
Mar 9, 2015 at 7:38 PM
Comment #80jesperfuglsang – capt’n awesome of the lemon crew
Thanks, I have made a note of the subject which is address in parts in a couple of questions already. But I will attempt to expand and elucidate your point.