david in sweden

what he needs is ...a few good nights sleep. .....anyone with a new baby in the family will know what that means ........

Billy comes into the category (for me) of those mid-season arrivals who are always there to help us over the finish line in the last month, but perhaps... never quite make it... to the top level. The list is not long, and (sadly) often forgettable; 1965/66 - only first team run out for reserve CF Norman Dean who scored 9 goals between New Year and Easter (incl. hat-trick at Fratton Park) and we won promotion, then he was replaced by Ron Davies. !977-78 - reserve striker Tony Funnell (19) came on and scored TWICE v. Palace in March 78... .and then scored 5 more goals in the next 9 starts. We won promotion by one point, but he never scored again. 1993 - Nicky Banger scored in three successive matches when coming on as sub. in February and later scored in the 1-0 win v. Chelsea . We struggled that season and stayed up - by ONE point. 1997 - f. Plymouth striker Micky Evans scored 4 times in less than a month and all his goals gained points. We stayed up by goal diff. but sadly it was goodbye Micky when Souness came as manager. 1999 - Marian Pahars scored the 3 most valuable goals in the The Great Escape season...we stayed up and the rest ..is legend, and thankfully Pahars continued to play for several seasons after. 2012- without be-littling Rickie Lambert in any way, he scored only 3 times in the last 9 games....but it was Billy who scored 8 goals in the last 8 games...and we all know how close it was at the end. Billy, goal-poacher who scores with a clumsy kick, a scuffed drive or the " in-off-the body " shots was mainly responsible for promotion in the Spring, but his manner and body-language aren't "Premier League ". Like many, we hope his sojourn at Forest gives him... games, goals and confidence -and he comes back re-energized, but if not - he joins the unsung heroes (above) who were the "Man of the Moment " when it mattered, but faded into the history books. Whatever happens (to him), IMHO - he had repaid his transfer fee.... by the end of last season.

now there you go Nick G, .....coming in with a well-argued, sensible and patient response to our opening few weeks in the top division, but BE CAREFUL now..... ....you're going to get a lot of flak from the "anti-Cortese / Adkins out " brigade who can't stand it whenever we don't rule a game.... and come away with 3 points from every match. This is the sort of post that normally turns up ......after about 200 idiotic diatribes about our failings, and now we have to prepare ourselves for the onslaught of " experts " who want to sack NA (without having an available replacement)..., and will criticise every player in the club - even though we can't buy in any new until January.....and all your logical explanations will anger Turkish for one, who doesn't like " hypotheticals" ......ah well .... I thought it was a good post though, and I agree with every word.......

Loans not allowed - we're restricted to signing players who are out of contract ....and haven' t yet been signed by anyone else .....if such a suitable player exists ....where is he ?

I still think he's young and inexperienced, but was more impressed yesterday when he had " something " to do and made a couple of good saves, and acquitted himself well IMO. If he's still good enough to be first-choice come December.... I'll be more impressed.

...or maybe he thinks.....dare I make this substitution, because I know that kpturner won't agree with me .........

join the club ART..... I also mis-spelt Nigel ADkins name incorrectly on one occasion..... and the language police caught me too.... Have you noticed how they never make a mistake ! ....pity they can't contribute more to the subject of discussion about the team....... instead of correcting Freudian slips when someone gets a bit of brain-fade....

........and I don't think it means that NA has 2 years left either. It surely is a new 5 year plan to the Euro standard, now that we've made it to the Prem. Getting " half-good and surviving" ín this league is something most of the teams struggle to do...year after year ...and don't always succeed. If Newcastle have guts enough to give Pardew an 8 year contract extension - surely we shouldn't be looking to sack Nigel after just 8 weeks !

congratulations on your 30,000 th post btw..........wish I had so much spare time ...... However, dell days .........surely having to play our 2nd choice RB ...and then having him injured after 8 mins. might have had something to do with that ?....... I thought Yoshida did a half decent job at RB, whilst covering the centre, too. I think the manager does know his best 11....but three of them were on the injured list already....and which substitutions would you have made instead?.....given a second look at the bench.

maybe .but not against the same players every time ......

don't think I'd want the likes of him in one of my classes.......

I had criticised Fonte's (lack of) form since Prem Day 1 ..and not without good reason. He looked indecisive, lacked pace and played many bad passes........ BUT yesterday..... he looked totally another player. Even without his TWO goals, he seemed more confident, and in command at the back. Let's hope it wasn't just a one-off game. I'd dearly love to see him back as the commanding defensive figure he was two seasons ago.

this is the BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE Turkish, few teams have a divine right to win.....Have we forgotten who we played in the first four games ? If we turned around in December, and said that we'd lost to; Man.City, Man Utd, Arsenal and Everton .....few eyebrows would have been raised.....what a good job we didn't also have Chelsea in August !

wasn't Rickie's day today. He had the best chances in the match from either side, and he never looked like scoring from any of them. Puncheon looked good going forward - first half, but in midfield he kept falling over..... looking for a free kick ... I didn't think Chaplow looked any worse.....and at least Guly got stuck in ..... There's a lot not right at present but being without two of your best players....and then making defensive changes after 5 minutes didn't help. If Jos hadn't have scored an own goal... we'd have said he did OK.

now now Turkish, he wasn't so far out - was he? Morgan played, but he was supposed to be out for some time, so maybe he wasn't 100% - but he played anyway. The rest seemed an OK call. ANYWAY.....this thread is supposed to be about Jay Rod...and he's on a learning curve....like everyone else in the squad who hasn't played in the Prem. before ...........

the third choice RB... is Danny Butterfield....good job he's not gone on loan somewhere.......

well as we can't sign any more players .....are you suggesting another manager could do better with Adkins' squad ?

YES . ..you have to give him time ......Recall that James Beattie had a miserable two years after he signed - before he found some real form.........

no I meant later in his career.(not with us ) . and even a couple of OG's in internationals I think ?

according to BBC stats. Fulham haven't won a League game against Saints in .....77 years, let's hope they don't start now ....

...not to put a sour note on a nice article about a good bloke, but his record of " own-goals " is quite impressive too. I know he does score a few for his own side, but I can recall several time (sadly) seeing his name .....on the opponents stats. Guess he's too often the right fella ....in the wrong place..... at the wrong time . '

interestingly ......Forest announced today that they have given a 3 year contract to their no. 3 keeper - currently out on loan ........(for match practice?).

...Now it was quoted by Fulham that (at one time) they tried to sign Adam Lallana and Morgan Schneiderlin .....But they didn't .....sounds like they are preparing the way for an eventual defeat. I think it's a bit sick to hear this every other week because you rise or fall based on such decisions. Last week it was David Moyes who " was already looking at " Rickie Lambert when he was lower league......so what? He didn't sign him either and it made ít sound like they did us a favour. Club histories are littered with such stories.......I really think it is scraping the barrell to put out such idiotic statements.. either you sign someone - or you don't . What follows is the outcome of such decisions - nothing else. Hypothetical " deals " don't sign players or win games....