Burnley 1 - 0 Nottingham Forest
Well, here we go again. And I'm not just talking about the start of a new season either. Despite every intention of compiling a brief review of last season, attention was soon deflected with the arrival of the World Cup, and any of Forest's shortcomings over the domestic season (and let's be fair there were far fewer of those than we've had to endure in recent years) were vastly overshadowed by all the arguments surrounding the glam Premiership clubs coming home to roost. Once club v country and the incessant influx of foreign players had accounted for England's predictable demise, accompanied by the inevitable crass remarks by IMO one of the key architects of the club v country row, that Scottish Monument sitting smugly at Old Trafford, there was little left to do or say except to blow the vuvuzela in sheer frustration and try and annoy the hell out of as many people as you could get away with.
Not that England's players deserve to get off lightly, and quite frankly they all deserve the same hot reception come the start of the Premiership season as David Beckham did on his return from France '98, and then we'll really see if they can repair their reputations in the way he did, albeit for some I fear it will be far too late.
Lessons to be learned, undoubtedly. So what of Forest? What has happened to all that intention at board level to strengthen the squad to meet the expectations of everyone connected with the club, which surely amount to nothing less than promotion this season? We expected new blood. We were promised new blood. Until only this week all we've had is that feeling of deja-vu (1998, 2003, anyone?) where instead of news of new arrivals, all we've been getting is the commercial stuff in which no-one is interested right now, coupled of course with some decidedly mediocre pre-season results. The arrival of Ryan Bertrand has at least done something to part allay those feelings, although it is too early to say whether or not this proves to be an effective move, though it is at least in the one position most in need of attention, and the fact Bertrand's arrival on loan is enough to justify farming Bennett out on loan for the same six-month period should give an indication of what we expect of him.
Anyway, that brief prologue over, a quick preface to the first Lancashire Red report of the season. In an attempt to re-vamp it slightly to give it a slightly fresher look, I've decided to break the key aspects of the game into separate sub-headings, so that the individual can pick out the bits of most interest to themself without having to trawl through paragraphs of my ramblings. By the same token it will also (hopefully!) help me to keep more to the point without going off too much on a tangent, even allowing the fact that these reports are designed to offer something of a sideways view of things as opposed to merely regurgitating facts already known by the time these reports will get read. Obviously I cannot guarantee it will meet with the approval of my other reader (answers on a postcard, please!), so we'll see how it goes. Whatever happens, let's hope Forest's season turns out to be at the very least as entertaining as the way these reports intend to read.
So what of today, then? Against my better judgement, and despite vowing never again to venture to the God-forsaken dump known as Turf Moor after the hideously depressing experience 18 months ago, the fact it was opening day of the season and only a short drive from Preston gave me little excuse not to attend. Even my girlfriend suggested I was 'so not going to miss that game' given how weak-willed I can be on matters Forest, and in the end I was booking my ticket the first morning they went on sale.
Background: A balanced enough history between the two sides over the last 10 years, though in most cases that has meant a high proportion of home wins, meaning Turf Moor is not one of our happiest of hunting grounds. Of course, even without the departed Chis Eagles and Robbie Blake, The Clarets (or 'Dingles' as the Prestonians prefer to call them) still have massive illusions of grandeur having been in the Prem only last season, even to the extent they've altered the areas around the ground the away fans have access to.
The Away Fan Experience: As mentioned just then, one or two things have changed, though most have not. Pre-match beers at the Cricket Club is still usually the most enjoyable aspect of coming to Turf Moor, with the added bonus today of actually watching some cricket being played. The ageing David Fishwick Stand (only a bulldozer is really capable of making substantial improvement to it now) situated right behind, which houses the away supporters is still a lengthy walk around the block, and still serves up cardboard pies which you need an asbestos-lined mouth to be able to eat. Terrible PA system churning out meaningless drivel from somewhere, not that you could understand a word of what was being said.
Opposition Fans: As neanderthal, moronic, hostile and as nasty as ever. And that was before I'd even parked up outside the ground. I'd say their vocabulary was probably suffering too given how difficult it was to understand a word of the chanting coming from the James Hargreaves Stand to our left.
Programme Notes: A classy looking publication, even compared to some of their previous seasons, albeit most of their references to Forest were of the increasingly distant past (not surprising given Brian Laws' association during the Clough era). Not sure if it would fit into many programme binders this season given it's non-conventional shape, though thankfully no danger this time of housing 45rpm records of 'Amarillo'. Just a pity it had to be polluted by featuring an an article by that odious creep Alister Campbell. Yuck!
The Match: Rather like watching some of the early group games during the World Cup, in which few chances on either side were being created. Burnley were doing their familiar impression of a pub team preferring clumsy tackles to gain possession which they eventually decided was the most effective way of playing having seen little of the ball during the first few minutes, though when they did get forward they were dealt with easily enough by Big Wes, and Dean Marney was getting little change out of our debutant at left back. There were inevitably a few scary moments posd by Burnley's new signing Chris Iwelumo, though the opening half hour was more noteworthy for the scowling Martin Paterson after Ross Wallace had decided to test Lee Camp instead of pass inside.
But in the main it was an extremely scrappy period, during which the only real chance of any note fell to Earnshaw after a good link-up with Blackstock, and his low and powerful shot ended up hitting the upright with Jensen beaten. What was particularly of concern was our propensity to pass the ball sideways and backwards like we've done frequently in the past to no avail, and it was most frustrating to see an apparently through ball wasted by feeding the ball out wide to Tyson when a direct advance forward seemed more logical.
As is the case of games like these when we have a handful of (admittedly not very clear-cut) chances, it took Burnley just the one to take the lead, which they did just as we entered stoppage time. Wade Elliott, a constant thorn in our side during our thrashing here 18 months ago sent in a cross for Iwelumo to head the ball past Camp from close range. Half time.
Thankfully the second half was better to watch as Forest emerged much sharper and with more purpose. The passes were strung together much better, sufficient for Cohen and Blackstock to work the ball forward only for Tyson to fire into Row Z whilst in acres of space. Admittedly Earnie also had a shot produce similar results albeit under far greater pressure, but these are still the sorts of chances which we cannot afford to pass up.
As the second half wore on, Burnley were looking increasingly rattled as they defended deeper and tackles were becoming increasingly rash, though it was gone 70 minutes before Mears became the first player to enter the referee's notebook. Blackstock, heavily bandaged from a cut sustained earlier made way for Ando, and Radi eventually came on for Moussi for the last ten minutes in an attempt to make the sustained pressure on Jensen's goal pay off, which sadly, it didn't.
Timekeeping: Kick-off was prompt at exactly 3pm. City Ground please take note!
Focus On: With Ryan Bertrand the only new face among today's squad it was not surprising all eyes were going to be on him and his effectiveness at left back. On today's showing it is perhaps a little too early to say, especially considering his late arrival meaning he'll need time to gel with the rest of the squad. Some encouraging signs, though it was fairly apparent he was playing with a bunch of players he's only just met. Good tackles when needed, though like the rest of the team, looking vulnerable in possession.
Defining Moment/Turning Point: Inevitably it was the only goal of the game as we entered first half stoppage time, which had seen Burnley in attacking mode, before switching to a far more defensive formation for the second period.
Entertainment Value: First half not pleasing on the eye with scrappy football and passes frequently going astray, not to mention Burnley's cloggers interrupting play with tackles which would have made a herd of elephants look like ballerinas. With Forest turning on the pressure in far more organised fashion after the break this made for far more compulsive viewing. It's just too bad we couldn't make those chances pay. Sounds familiar? 4/10
Atmosphere: As expected there was considerable banter between fired up Reds and the Dingles to our left, though a very scrappy first half had dampened the atmosphere considerably around the half-hour mark
Highlights: Sustained pressure by Forest in the second half showed a big improvement on first half performance
Lowlights: Too much 'comfort zone' passing which might have been avoided with better movement off the ball. Persistent hoofing the ball into the opposition box was pointless given Clarke Carlisle and Andre Bikey's ease at winning balls in the air. The awayday hoodoo needs sorting and fast if our promotion prospects are not going to be derailed early on.
Ref Watch: Colin Webster - A past villain I'm sure, but on the whole he did a pretty decent job. Could possibly have brought his notebook out a little earlier, but otherwise his decisions were balanced enough.
Stinker: Tyson's second half blaze over the bar, combined with some sloppy passing. He really should have buried that one.
Stormer: Lee Camp.
Reflection: A draw would probably have been a more accurate reflection of this game. OK, so it's early days, and defeat on opening day doesn't make for a bad season (remember the last time we lost on opening day at Portsmouth eight years ago and look how that season turned out!). Indeed, there were more noteworthy upsets elsewhere with Boro (still overrated IMO) going down 3-1 at home, and listening later on Radio Lancashire during the drive home from Dingley Dell even several Burnley fans admitted to having far higher expectations than the result they actually ended up with (though if they think they can clog their way back to the Prem there will be plenty of occasions in the coming months to make them think again). So on that footing, given our recurring inability to leave Turf Moor with any points, we can be thankful it was just the one goal, the fixture is out of the way, and we can look forward to hopefully better results in the coming weeks. You only have to turn the clock back twelve months for a reminder of how long it was before our season actually got going (and how exciting it became once things started falling into place). That said, there's plenty that needs to be worked on, most notably some measured passing in the right direction, better ball control and the realisation that when pumping balls into the air is met with strong resistance from opposition defence, that alternative tactics are employed sooner rather than later.
Premiership Chump Of The Week: Following England's dismal World Cup performance, this heading will feature as prominently as ever, showing no mercy for any displays of Poncey Premiership Prima-donna tendencies. So with no Premiership up and running this week, you can safely bet that at least someone will be working on getting mentioned in this report by next weekend.
