At last, looking at the league table in February fills City supporters everywhere with immense pride!

By: Martyn | February 1st, 2009

Another victory (2-0), another clean-sheet, another 3 points, and Reading, Sheffield United, Birmingham City and the Jacks all dropped points. Could yesterday have gone any better (you there at the back… stop shouting that we could have scored more than two goals for the first time all season!)?

Pre-match, we were treated to the quite magnificent news that we’d completed the signing of Quincy (Owusu-Abeyie) on loan from Spartak Moscow for the rest of the season. This is just so terrifically ambitious, it’s almost frightening. We’re seriously destined for the big time sooner rather than later. I’ve never felt this way before, so truly do be patient with me. The Ghanian international has experience of this league during the current 08/09 instalment. I’m going to assume that his loan spell at league rivals Birmingham City petered out inconspicuously, hence why he’s now here rather than there. Then again, Birmingham seem to have undergone something of a formation change in the last few weeks – McLeish more happy to play two up top rather than the three they so boldly started the campaign with – so maybe he became surplus to requirements give one imagines he commands a hefty wage packet. Nevertheless, my abiding memory of him is was the majestic performance he gave against us at Ninian Park earlier on this season where he was the busiest, most industrious and most technically gifted player on the park. The cherry on his cake that day being a sumptuous curling strike from outside the box that whistled past a box so crowded it resembled a Next store on one of their crazy 5am opening day sale thingy-jobs. For every good bit of steak however, there’s always some soggy chips and bland peppercorn sauce accompanying it with this club. This time, Chris Porter has seemingly decided to give us the V and join relegation battlers Derby County instead. As someone who found his feet in League One initially, Porter can look forward to renewing his footballing vows their next season with the Rams!

Back to yesterday’s game, and thankfully a woeful ref (so bad, that on several occasions both City fans and the travelling Forest faithful we’re singing “You’re not fit to referee” in unison) didn’t stop us from securing a victory. Not only did he fail to award a blatant penalty in the first half when Joe Ledley was hacked down clean through on goal, but his inconsistency in dealing with shirt pulling and niggly little fouls (Billy Davies team traits – hack and hope) committed mostly by the opposition was odd to say the least. Thank God we don’t have to face Forest again this season, because three players are supposedly out for the cup replay against Arsenal on Tuesday after yesterday’s melee (Ledley, Gyepes, R Johnson). Billy Davies’s Bruisers don’t half do their best to fill the A & E ward.

As per usual, the away side lined up with 5 in midfield. For the opening periods, we struggle to impose ourselves in centre midfield owing the being swamped feeling, thus isolating our wingers and forwards, and thus leaving Forest to do well, nothing, and thus boring every supporter in the ground into a coma. It picked up soon enough (but maybe not enough), a sumptuous Paul Parry net-homer lifting the mood and the team. If there weren’t so many breaks in play owing to Forest’s blanketing tactics and heavy-handed approach to us spending more than a second on the goal, a game may have threatened to break out. It didn’t, and so we adapted to the style of play the team in Red had opted for and started throwing ourselves into tackles with added conviction, and pressed them all over the field after they brought on Joe Garner and adopted a 4-4-1-1 formation. Although this resulted in Forest offering up one or two instances to be nervous, they never really threatened. They are a young side without the important know-how needed to survive in this division, and in spite of it being clear that their manager is starting to impose his approach to the game on them, time is required for them to make progression. A Jay Bothroyd dribble and finish at the death put them to the sword, and ensures that rather than this league having a Big 3, it’s now a Big 4.

Players in rank order

Jay Bothroyd – A wonder goal emphasised that he can finish and its now 2 in 2 for the big man! The goal also hit home all of Bothroyd’s other undoubted qualities – Pace, vision, ball control and agility. Most of these qualities had been on display individually or compounded with another throughout the afternoon, and the goal was a more than deserved end to a great afternoon’s work.

Paul Parry – His opener seemed to inspire him more than anybody else. Battled aggressively but fairly for the rest of the afternoon, tracking back and helping out Kennedy in tricky sticky situations on multiple occasions. A real team-player more than an attacking threat, but this tucking in kept a potentially resurgent Forest at bay in the second half and the ex-Welsh international worked his socks off.

Ross McCormack – Ran and ran, drew fouls and defenders out of position, and inadvertently set up Parry’s opener (his power shot deflected into Parry’s path).

Chris Burke – Perhaps it is tiredness related, but his lack of acceleration is become oh-so apparent. Nevertheless, when he does battle his way past his marker, 9-times-outta-10 the ball is potent.

Gabor Gyepes – Hobbled off injured, but had been as defensively sound as ever; bar one reckless moment that earned him a yellow card and exposed his lack of pace (dare I say it, but this lack means that he probably won’t be in our starting XI should we reach The Promised Land).

Joe Ledley – When the team are winning and comfortable in doing so, Ledley begins to ooze class. He must learn to be quicker out of the blocks however, because his slow starts to games are far too frequent.

Gavin Rae – Battled well and his technical ineptness had no need to be exposed.

Kevin McNaughton – Save for two truly awful back-passes, McNaughton was an animal. I can’t recall him losing a tackle, and had obviously got a good night’s sleep before this one!

Roger Johnson – Strong and composed, but needs to learn to eradicate the casual lapse in concentration he makes every game.

Darren Purse – Replaced the injured Gyepes midway through period two and held the line well and a good showing considering he hadn’t played for ages and was in talks with Norwich City regarding a move during the week.

Peter Enckelman – For someone who had so little to do, his kicking and releasing of the ball so as to launch an attack was non-existent.

Mark Kennedy – His distribution (FK’s, passing and crossing) is just abysmal.