Jump to content
  • Sign up for free and receive a month's subscription

    You are viewing this page as a guest. That means you are either a member who has not logged in, or you have not yet registered with us. Signing up for an account only takes a minute and it means you will no longer see this annoying box! It will also allow you to get involved with our friendly(ish!) community and take part in the discussions on our forums. And because we're feeling generous, if you sign up for a free account we will give you a month's free trial access to our subscriber only content with no obligation to commit. Register an account and then send a private message to @dave u and he'll hook you up with a subscription.

Terrace Talk - The Steve Kelly Column


tlw content
 Share

Recommended Posts

A week is a long time in football. At Brighton, Luis Diaz was taken to the cleaners, and they recommended nothing should happen to the man who did it. At Forest, VAR was once again trying to drop trophies in our lap. Normal disservice has been resumed.

 

We beat Arsenal, and for perpetual gloom-mongers like me there was far too much clarion calling, “City will be bricking it” nonsense.

 

You’d like to think everybody was recharging their own fortitude, that they realise what we’re up against; a winning machine no-one’s ever seen in football before. But you can’t frown too much about our own chest-beating; a team that’s only lost two league games through to March isn’t too shabby, either.

 

There’s been yet more exaggeration of our opponent’s performances. Seems the more wins we get the luckier people think we are. The 1980’s finally make sense. Some of the reaction during and after the Emirates match, you’d think we were battered but for, y’know, the evidence of your own eyes.

 

They’re good, they’re in form, they were at home; expecting a stroll in the park was foolish, but once your heartbeat fell below 100 after Thiago’s madness and Jota was back on track, there was little to worry about. You knew my boy Diogo was going to go through a barren patch, because what had gone before was too good to be a fluke. We’ve said that about Mo for three years and still await a dip.

 

The first half was lame. Diaz is in form, but I wonder if Mane reacted badly to having his position taken off him quite so soon? Was this a response to Luis’ brilliance or Sadio’s current lethargy? This intricate thread of rotation, and competition for places, depends greatly upon footballer maturity, often in short supply, and Mane’s not exactly been the breezy sort where that’s concerned.

 

Robertson was exceptional, creating the second and dealing with Saka throughout. Trent had more problems with Martinelli, as might have been expected. Klopp got stroppy about his defending, inviting critics to “put ‘em urrrp”, like the lion in The Wizard of Oz. I had visions of him coming round to my house for a straightener!

 

You can’t complain about our collective defensive record, and Andy always has Van Dijk to rely on after the odd lapse. Everything’s good, but people are bound to focus on any weakness they can find, out of boredom, probably. We’ll soon find out what we’re missing, anyway.

 

You hope it’s one of those sly international ‘injuries’, followed by a coincidental miracle. Giggs did it all the time with United. If his replacement (probably Gomez) struggles, Klopp won’t be going “See? See?” for the Alexander-Arnold doubters, obviously, since he was the one who felt we could send Williams off to Fulham without a qualm. I don’t remember many complaints then, but the idea of a quadruple was laughable at the time.

 

So, to Forest, and a nice gesture for the Hillsborough memorial. It will only be bitter curmudgeons like me who remember what most of them were like in 1994, when Clough’s book came out. He opened the floodgates, and the bullshit poured out. He was their Shankly, so ambivalence might have been understandable, but it was as if they breathed a massive sigh of relief that someone had told it “Like it was” and reacted accordingly.

 

Their fanzine, which I’d swapped with until then, was full of it. Anyway, water under the bridge now. We’ve plenty of our own past disgraces to remain mute about, after all. The team selection again hinted at complacency.

 

It’s hard to believe any time Oxlade-chamberlain is selected, we’re respecting the opposition. He wasn’t up to much on Sunday either and still had the nerve to be grumpy about being replaced. We could introduce a new game, Ox Sub Lotto, although everybody would be lumping on 60 minutes.

 

Firmino’s deft touch at Arsenal wasn’t called for here. Just finish it, lad. The smartarse in him always wins out. Are they lackadaisical, or is this becoming so strenuous a challenge that occasional wilts are inevitable? Maybe we ask too much? Actually, there’s no “maybe” about it.

 

When the four subs came, it was hard to figure out how Jota wasn’t one of the replaced. Like Salah, he always has a goal in him and thus it proved.

 

As their team fell behind, they indulged themselves with “always the victim”. You knew it was all for show, in the end. TV commentators screamed for a home penalty, and now we must listen to more talk of referee bias. Craig Pawson? Seriously? So, two weeks to wait patiently before the impossible dream starts all over again. It’s not just the players who need a break.

 

Steve Kelly

@SteKelly198586


View full article

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 14
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Never ever liked Forest since going there in the 70's. Is there a  worse anthem than Mull of Kintyre which was followed quickly by Sign on ? Victims and Forest till I die are all songs from the League of Gentlemen playbook , sums them up. 

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On Trent's "hamstring injury" - 

 

Thankfully, his hamstring injury isn’t serious and there’s cautious optimism inside the club that if he continues to respond well to treatment then he should be fit for most of that April schedule. (James Pearce)

 

We've finally leant to play the "game" that everyone has been playing for years. I'd even add Robbo getting Covid to that as well.

  • Upvote 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, coachpotato said:

Forest have always been small time, bar for those few years when Clough dragged them into the limelight. I like it that we need a rest as much as the players, valid point, we’ll made Steve!

Unfortunately, a number of our important players wont be getting a rest as they've been called up for ridiculously name international break.

 

Jurgen was saying in the summer when there's no tournament, Scotland have schedule 6 games. Robbo's goona be fucked for next season before it's started!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • dave u pinned this topic
  • dave u unpinned this topic

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...