Red-Robbo

What a game to miss! Still, I can say that although I'm sat in a dull office in a different continent, I'm thoroughly enjoying this

In the right places at the right times - Which is an improvement. Williams was the pick of the defenders today IMO but Nosworthy was solid.

Et tu, Nige? http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/nigel-farage-asked-about-using-taxpayers-money-to-employ-former-mistress-annabelle-fuller-9186689.html

I don't think we've abandoned investing in youth, PSR. Aren't our U21 team enjoying some very good results? The thing that would really threaten any sort of long-term plan would be relegation to L2. The mass departure of anyone half decent would make a drastic impact on team cohesion. The reduced revenues could seriously threaten our youth set-up. We're not out the woods yet, but I think we have put it in our hands to stay up, rather than depending on other's results.'

Massively significant win. Time for a cider, I fancy...

If it was "my" BBC it would be a **** sight different, Gobbers!

Shall we ask an unrepresentative sample of Nottingham Forest fans for their approval every time we appoint a new manager? After all, they are known for their understated humility and sound judgement - like singing "one-nil to the famous club" seconds before we equalise.

TBH I'd settle for poor but gets the job done. Anything to stop our plummet towards the bottom like a stone. We can assess the long-term next season.

But can he play jazz flute, cider_dog?

I did apologise for the extreme length. ;-)

Can't argue with your last two-thirds Kid. Said the same myself.

Well, I think you're being unfair on that first point. I supported the appointment, and continued to support his retention as manager long after many had given up on him. Finally, what made me abandon my support for the guy, was that he was sold to us as a "great coach" and coaching has been in my opinion some sadly neglected here. However even many months in we were getting worse at defending set pieces, the organisation just was chaotic, our corners were pathetic, my personal bugbear throw-ins hadn't improved and many players - Joe Bryan and Greg Cunningham to name but two seemed to be going backwards in their development. Allied to that the results and he lost my confidence. I recognize some good qualities in the man although I never thought he was quite as "deep" as his devotees thought. The pseudo intellectuals' pseudo intellectual, perhaps? Now I might've made jocular references to his dull voice and constant sniff, but one thing I didn't do was call him thick, an idiot, a clown, a bullshitter, a penis. All things Cotterill has been called on this thread! So to say I have been guilty of referring to SOD in the same way SC is being abused is wide of the mark. SOD's interview demeanour didn't bother me either. On your second point, yes maybe I have spoken about that time too much. I'm trying not too, because it's got tiresome, but mea culpa to leaping in on occasions. I obviously had to mention my attitude to him here to try to explain that my opinion of him was not the sort of deep animus some here feel for SC. As to that survey, I really don't think you extrapolate something that maybe 200 people voted in and say it applies to 10/20,000 people. I never think this board is reflective. It is a hothouse dominated by the strongly opinionated and the professional moaner. I read things on the board in support of SOD I've never heard on the terraces or the pubs. Plus I don't recall that poll having a don't know option. That's where I was and am, and I suspect the majority of supporters fall into that group. To be fair to you, you've always stated you'd hate Cotterill to come here and have been 100% consistent. But while you may be ahead of the curve there, others are more sheepy characters swayed by the dire predictions of hoofball and no youngsters playing that were made at the time of the appointment. Not to mention the carefully selected quotes from Forest fans - as if we should give a shyte what they think. Nick and Noggers are dealing with the assertions that no-one likes SC very adequately, so I have no need to continue this argument. As you'd expect, I totally disagree with your last paragraph. Anyway, you know what I think and I've pretty much said all I have to say about SOD. He's had nice things said about him by Brendan Rogers and Arsene Wenger I know, but what stand have they got ST's in?! I hope we both don't have to carry on endlessly repeating ourselves on the same subjects. Sorry about the long post. Can't seem to 'chop up' my response from this Kindle. And thanks for keeping it non-personal.

Precisely what sort of due diligence did you want for Elliott, RCB? He wasn't an 18-year-old from Kazakhstan - he was a very well known player who Steve had worked with in the past. He'll have had a physical, but he didn't need "scouting". Considering he seems to be the sole player to leave Bramall Lane with some credit, it has hardly been a disasterous decision.

Nibor: you are an intelligent guy and your posts often make sensible points - albeit couched in a dry, superior, slightly sneery tone, which has probably irritated more people than any post match interview given by any manager. You say I'm a hypocrite because I've criticised O'Driscoll but post here that I am bored of the whole SOD v SC endless roundabout. That is - to use one of your favourite expressions - a category error. I'll express it plainly: Yes I've been critical of the last manager but I now think it's time for the whole debate to move on. I'm trying not to reference him. What is important is what's going on now at the club. Now to the thing you took umbrage at - as you always do when someone challenges your assertions. You think Cotterill's appointment was a bad one and fair enough, you can take that view, although I think it's too early to judge. Those two points that you use as "major reasons" why he was wrong for the club are very weak however. He is a "divisive" figure who was "opposed" by the "majority of fans". First up, how did you carry out this survey? I don't remember getting a ballot paper. It's fair to say, his appointment was opposed noisily by a number of people on this board, but you can't extrapolate that to the fanbase as a whole. I suspect if you'd walked around the Gate on Steve's first match in charge and questioned every spectator you'd find some people with strong opinions, but the majority would say "let's see how he does" or "can't be as bad as the last bloke" and some would probably say "Steve who?" There were people who raised objections to McInnes "not experienced enough"; Millen "the cheap option" even Johnson "not proven at this level". I can't remember Alan Dicks' appointment but I imagine there might've been some consternation then. Being a "divisive figure" doesn't mean you are a bad manager. When Stoke appointed Pulis for the second time, there were fan protests outside the ground, but of course when he proved successful those fans who would "never go again" drifted back. Bloody hell! The popular choice on this board seems to be Warnock who has "divisive figure" engraved on his cufflinks! You also state, he was a bad appointment because his public pronouncements made him difficult for some fans to like. Bloody hell, when have we heard that before?! My initial post on this thread said that post-match interviews - conducted in the heat of the moment as it were - do often contain some doozies. And 'I'm a winner' falls into that category. But really it doesn't matter what people say - he could've grabbed the Mic and said I Am A Dalek for all I care. What matters is how he manages the team. We both can agree that there are some causes for concern there.

I've flounced back, Mr Tedium. Good luck with your plan to ensure the manager is always supported by 51% of the fanbase. Perhaps when you buy the club you'll be able to implement this plan to democratically elect playing staff. Good luck with that one...

I said it was long, not enjoyable. Your posts are never that. So, I beg to differ as to Cotterill's past. He is well regarded at Notts County and Burnley. I can't be arsed to read your reply with this, since your last one veered from puerile characterisations of the manager to inaccurate statements about me. Time this wanky thread was put to bed. Ta-ta.

I didn't vilify the last manager. I didn't like him and I thought he was bad for the club. However I think micro-analysing the post match statements of managers is pointless and a bit pathetic. I thought that in the past too. Nice long post, Nibor.

I'd say the absurd hypocrisy is shown by those who bitched and moaned about quotes being taken out of context and character assassination of previous managers and are now happy to do so with this one. As I said elsewhere, SC has been a success at some clubs, failure at others and somewhere in between at others. We don't know how he'll do here. You may have your theories, but you don't know. Your post advances a hypothesis that I disagree with: namely that whoever is appointed manager needs to command some sort of majority support and that everyone has got to like them from the outset. Perhaps you can tell me which manager you have in mind who would meet these criteria?

You seem to have missed the point. The point was that you do not have to LIKE a manager for him to be a good choice.

If you'd read my post it raised questions about conflicts now, Darfur; South Sudan; I could add Irian Jaya, the Celebes; Somalia and many more. All humanitarian crises, none seeing UK intervention. If you took off your blue coloured specs you might be able to see the world as it is. We are not Team UK world police. You rightly slate Blair for his pretensions in that direction, but then to criticise Britain for not getting mixed up in more foreign conflicts is a bit rich.

SOD was very hard to like as a person IMHO. A distant, sniffy, sub-audible droning Midlander with pseudo intellectual pretensions and a habit of getting his excuses in first. Other than on this board, I've yet to meet anyone with a good word to say about him. And that includes casual supporters, diehards and - yes - club employees. But that's neither here nor there. To paraphrase Churchill, they don't have to be nice, they have to right. As NickJ points out correctly, Sean's record was atrocious and you'd not be able to point anywhere in the leagues to find a manager who survived such a terrible run. As for the first point: SC wasn't my first choice either, but what does that prove? We don't vote in our managers - thank God - and I doubt, say, Alan Dicks would've been the popular choice. I'm sick and tired of every thread turning into an SC v SOD civil war. Most posters said last season you couldn't judge SOD on a few months, FFS show some consistency and do the same to Cotterill. The bloke hasn't been here 3 months yet!

Quite agree. It was a done deal.

China and Russia would never have allowed an intervention. Your post focuses on Labour's failings while ignoring failures by Tory administrations. The subject of Mugabe was brought up earlier and the question of why did Labour not intervene there was raised. Of course, it's a different problem entirely to Iraq which had invaded neighbours twice in 12 years, however if you wanted to make a case you'd need to ask why the Tories didn't intervene in the late 80s/early 90s when Mugabe was using North Korean troops in a near genocidal way against Matabeleland and his political opponents.

I guess we just saw it differently. We never looked like we'd score a goal, dominated possession but had just one good chance up the other end. United's strategy was to sit back and play on the break. They were a shyte side back then before their confidence was up but it was always possible they would get a break through: put it this way, I was always more nervous during their attacks then I was excited during ours - such as they were. Anyway, Cowshed is quite right that I haven't gone to an away game since September and I cannot fully comment on the team's recent form. What I would say is losses on the road at top sides like Wolves and Brentford are a bit easier to shrug off than a loss in Sheffield which does seem to be something of a new low. Home again on Saturday, let's see how the team responds.