RoystonFoote'snephew

We're winning 2 games now.

Sadly I'm not at the Riverside today but judging from comments on here it seems with Cornick off we'll need to work hard to ensure Ayling doesn't go marauding up the pitch.

Spot on Ange.

Bonkers idea, as was the introduction of cards in the first place! The use of yellow and red cards has done nothing to enhance the game but instead has led to a lowering of standards of behaviour by players officials, supporters, commentators and pundits alike. Back in the day when the referee was the sole arbiter of whether a player was cautioned he took his black book from his pocket and without fuss wrote down the players name. The showiness of cards, held aloft so that everyone can see a player has been sent to the naughty step incites bad behaviours. Prior to their introduction players didn't run around waving their hand in the air like some poor impression of John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever and crowds weren't incensed by theatrics. Referees have become more inconsistent by the pressures of playing to the crowd and tv audiences either reluctant to get out their cards or hand them around freely like sweeties at Christmas. Some ofcourse decide to do nothing for 75 minutes and then have a buy one get one free offer for the remaining minutes. But if you think referees are inconsistent it's nothing compared to the pundit who screams for a player to be 'carded', not booked (thus lowering English language standards), for an innocuous trip on the halfway line but later seeks to defend the same player who receives a red card for common assault. The introduction of blue cards won't address behaviours or inconsistencies. Some referees will dole out cards for dissent while others will laugh a situation off as their (or their fellow officials) sensitivity threshold has not been breached. 'Professional' fouls will continue to be made as sides weigh up the pros and cons of such actions, particularly in the last 10 minutes of games. Supporters will be left frustrated by what is deemed a 'professional' by one ref but not by another. Heaven help us if VAR is ever to be used to decide as we could all be asked if we can come back next week. Don't introduce blue cards, scrap the yellow and red ones.

Probably stuck his hand up to take one. I doubt that City had 10 volunteers for Manning to put in order.

Yes, we won one at QPR. Cant fully recall but it may have been Rosenior who chipped his shot down the middle for the winner. And of course much later we won one at this ground.

Spot on. Incredible games today with Cote D'Ivoire winning in ET despite being down to 10 men for the majority of the game, and the South African keeper saving 4 out of 5 penalties in the shootout against Cabo Verde. The only non surprise perhaps is that in each QF the highest FIFA ranked team progressed. So it's Cote D'Ivoire v Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Africa v Nigeria. Expectation would be for a Cote D'Ivoire v Nigeria final, so that's unlikely to happen then.

Outclassed.

Apple muller for me.

At first glance you'd think that if Burnley are relegated they'd keep Twine. But as in all transfers it will depend on the prevailing market. If Burnley believe that they've identified someone better as available they could let him go. The question then would be will we pay the asking price. Time will tell. As for this window I'd give it 7 or even 8 out of 10. We were never going to splash the cash but we've done some sensible business for now and the next season ahead. Just have to hope that our loan curse doesn't arise again and that those we've loaned back don't pick up a, serious injury that will see them miss preseason 2024/25. Finally, while wages are a factor, of the King, James, Williams triumvirate I'd prefer to keep James. Murphy and Stokes are very young and both Gardner-Hickman and Bird are close enough to student age that they could benefit from Matty's experience.

Gas, City, FGR, Cheltenham. Where next?

But what have they been watching? Man City U21 re-runs presumably as he's only had 3 senior games in Belgium. Let's hope this bolt out of the blue turns out to be a Eureka moment.

Signed for Serie B side Spezia Calcio on loan until the end of the season.

I've really been enjoying this year's AFCON which continues to throw up shocks. With South Africa defeating Morocco tonight (top African team on FIFA rankings) all of the North African giants (Morocco, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia) are now out of the competition. With holders Senegal also sent packing by the hosts Cote D'Ivoire (who only made the last 16 by the skin of their teeth) the tournament is really up for grabs. Personally I'd love to see little Cabo Verde win it. I've also enjoyed the colourful fans, many of whom seem to move, chant and clap in unison. A particular favourite was the massed ranks of what appeared to be the Senegalese WI who line danced and clapped their way through the game.

I'm old and old fashioned so I disagree to some extent. What Forest have, and what many have including us, is not so much a badge as a logo. What Barnsley have on their shirt is a proper badge that honours the club's history. Personally I think clubs should have both. For simplicity of design for replica shirts have a logo but for official correspondence the letterhead should sport a badge.

It's not that simple is it? Presumably there has to be agreement (and payment) to Forest who would need to accommodate the cameras.

Some players lucky (or favoured?), some not. For example, Kevin Davies and Lee Peacock were always penalised by refs whereas despite liberal use of elbows Chris Sutton and Alan Shearer were free to do what they liked.

I don't worry about Anthony. His step overs look pretty but his record for goals and assists clearly indicate that during his performances no banjos were damaged and no cows asses were harmed in any way.

I don't believe in such things but I do know that for those who believe in such things it cant be Max. Having played every game we'd be top if it was him.

Good on the kid but many a footballer has proven, in domestic competition and at international level, you don't need to be a genius to play the game.

Been a decent tournament so far and some real shocks, not the least Cabo Verde topping a group including Egypt and Ghana and today's 4-0 thrashing of hosts Cote D'Ivoire by Equatorial Guinea. One of the great joys though has been the colourful commentary reminiscent of the likes of Sid Waddell and Murray Walker at their best. One of my favourites from today has to be 'when all the gods were around and the pyramids were being built I don't think they had drama like this'

Not just those two. Almost everyone who interprets them does. Depending on which side of a fence people are sat on stats are used to illustrate their argument and it is often quite possible to use the same set of statistics to illustrate opposing arguments. Unless you are a total purist who puts the aesthetics of performance over results then the only statistic that matters for advancement through the league is points and you can stick xg and all other indicators where the sun don't shine. We can't keep regurgitating arguments that seemingly indicate it was wrong to dismiss Pearson (which it was in my view) and employ Manning. It's moot, it's happened and we need to concentrate our efforts on supporting the management and team instead of decrying it. As someone who prefers to look at a glass as half full rather than half empty I see us as moving forward, and I believe we'll finish just inside the top 10. As a tortoise rather than a hare with slow and steady progress we will get there.

While the wage problem has been exacerbated by nation states common sense went out the window years ago. The debts incurred by clubs due to wages are solely of club owners/boards making as it is they that sanctioned payments to teenagers of sums equivalent to the GDP of a small nation. There has always been a gap in income of players at the top in football and the fan base but it's now long been the case that few season ticket holders have an annual salary that is commensurate with a few months wages of the average EFL player.

So far so good. A few misplaced passes but that's to be expected first up. So an encouraging start and now to keep it going.

That was a predictable result. The number of times we draw with Watford, especially at the Gate, is almost of biblical proportions.