Nottingham Forest 1-0 BFC, Saturday 21st September 2019

‘We’re off t’Hooters for t’chicken wings’

Public Enemy #1.  Do not, under any circumstance, try to reason with this guy.

It was like the bad old days on Satdy.  No, not the chants making reference to the Miners’ Strike (there were plenty of those), but the utterly appalling attitude of matchday stewards.  I’ve not seen an attitude like it for years.  Lord S refused entry, another fan removed for a hand gesture and other stewards refusing to actually steward.  The City Ground, Nottingham, really is a place to avoid.

The calm before the storm.

Obviously our headline is Lord S not even being allowed in – for ‘having a poor attitude’.  Christ, I’d never get in anywhere with that proviso.  His crime?  He’d bent down to pat a sniffer dog…thereby causing the dog to act in a way that made the stewards think he could be carrying pyros.  ‘Could you stand over there while you have a police search?’  So he does, and a steward pounces on him, grabbing at his top pocket.  Lord S steps back, and asks for ID.  ‘Right, you’re not coming in.’  ‘Eh?’  ‘You’re refusing to be searched.’  ‘No I’m not.  I was told by the steward over there that I would be searched by the police.’  Anyway, aside from not refusing to be searched, if you’re looking for pyros, you hardly dive into the smallest pocket on someone’s jacket.

R.I.P. the best manager England never had.

So, the conversation carries on like this for a minute or two….Lord S asking for the head steward to try and sort this out…when another steward / thug basically manhandles him, pushing him 6 yards so he’s now outside the temporary railings set up outside the away end.  Lord S does the sensible thing, not fighting back (fearing that is exactly what this steward wants, so the police can get involved).  We find the head steward (who’s manner was impeccable, I might add).  Apparently, all of this has been filmed.  He goes and speaks to the cameraman and comes back.  ‘Yes, he refused to be searched.’ 

You've only come to see the Barnsley...

Well, I’d tried to hold my counsel, mainly wanting to be there to act as a witness to events, but this beggars belief.  I (politely) suggest to the head steward that he simply views the footage for himself.  ‘Oh, I can’t do that.  Too busy.  There’s things going on inside the ground too.’  I’m perplexed.  He has the time to speak to us, but not to actually do anything.  Seems his main job is to back up what his minions tell him (a good boss, some might say).  So Lord S suggests I get myself in the stadium, while he goes and speaks to a copper…who tells him they’ve no control over events and are only there in case something gets out of control (ie, there’s trouble).  Hopeless.

Those were the days.

Inside the stadium, being late, I stood at the back of a gangway.  A father with kids moved down the steps to try and get a decent view (everyone standing, they couldn’t see).  They never came back, so hopefully they found some.  Nice Guy Chris said there were similar problems where he was, as he asked stewards to tell fans to sit down, as children couldn’t see, but they simply stood there.  (To be fair, the stewards in my section would intermittently come up our gangway, telling us to clear it.)

The Brian Clough Stand.

Late in the match, 3 stewards steamed up said gangway and grabbed the guy behind me.  What had he done?  I’d not heard him shout anything abusive.  I asked a steward what he’d done.  ‘I’ll come back to you.  Just gotta get this guy out first.’  He never came back.  I saw the main steward protagonist outside the ground later, the one who’d shoved fans aside to get at his man.  ‘Excuse me, could I ask, what had that fan done?’.  His attitude was instantly provocative, the smug stance, the folded arms, the disparaging way he spoke.  Apparently the fan had ‘given a wanker sign to someone who’s disabled.’  ‘I s’pose you think that’s acceptable do you?’  Well, aside from whether it’s acceptable, I’m not sure the recipient being disabled makes a difference.  My own view is that this happens all the time at football.  Surely a ‘quiet word’ and a threat of eviction for a second offence would temper tempers?  (Equally, does this mean the disabled fans of Nottingham Forest – in a box behind the away end – have the power to have fans evicted on a say-so?)

Looking towards the Trent End.

In the midst of all this was a match.  It was ‘Brian Clough Day’, commemorating the anniversary of the great man’s death, and as such it was an excuse for fans to drag themselves out: it was a sellout.  Well, it might have been sold out, but I know at least 2 folk weren’t there; The Captain had also not taken up his ticket, losing the will these days.  I can understand that.  Mind, Cloughie would be turning in his grave watching this Forest team.  Reds fans showed their dues by chanting ‘There’s only one Brian Clough’ a couple of times (even after they scored).

The old Main Stand.

For a third consecutive game, I’ve seen us be the better side – and be unable to score, let alone win.  An even first half saw both sides miss a golden chance; Forest, early on (well, earlyish, given I’d missed the start) were clean through and the shot was dragged wide.  Was it Grabban?  I’d bet my house on him scoring.  Meantime, at the other end, a superb run by Thomas from left to right took out 2 Forest players before he shot too close to the keeper with the far side of the goal open.  An even half ended all-square.

Reds fans take a break from mentioning the Miners' Strike.

The second half was all us.  So obvs we lost.  2 minutes after we should have scored, Forest broke down the right and the pullback was finished decisively into the near corner with Collins wrongfooted.  Accurate passing and good movement, whatever we might say about the goalscorer losing his marker with ease.  Just before, Penniless had found himself clean through, having ran at their defence and played a one-two.  Shame the extra touch gave the keeper time and from an acute angle the keeper saved.  How sweet would it have been for the former Forest left back to open the scoring?

The thin yellow line.

The atmosphere ramped up – from our end.  Now it was non-stop chants revolving around that old ‘scabs’ chestnut.  I love it.  ‘SCABS UNTIL YOU DIE!’ et cetera.  We can be really charming when we want to be.  Unfortunately, for all our pressure, we never looked like scoring.  Unless we can get the ball to Woodrow, I dunno how it’s going be done.  Tho why a Reds fan should start berating Stendel for dragging Woodrow off with 20 mins, I don’t know.  I never enjoy Reds fans turning on each other, but this guy got a rightful mouthful from a fan behind me.  Hasn’t Cauley just come back from (yet another) injury?

*** Thomas.  There’s 2 camps on this one.  Either he had plenty of the ball and created FA, or he was the only one likely to do owt.  I’m in the latter group.  Good running at the opposition and had more shots on target than their entire team.  Be nice if his crosses beat the first man, but small steps, eh?

** No-one.  Not being harsh, but we were kicking towards the other end 1^st half, and had the sun in our eyes 2^nd.  I just couldn’t see anyone else stand out.

* No-one.  As above.

Londontykes' MOTM: 1. Thomas  2. No-one  3. Sibbick

3 matches I’ve seen.  Played well, no goals, one point.  We’re going down.

Onwards and…downwards!

I wish my Lyons Cakes shirt (c.1989) still fitted!

Despatches:
An optimist (or Daniel Stendel) can make a case for us still being able to have a successful season.  Playing well, it just needs SOMETHING to click at the business end of the pitch.  So I stuck a tenner on with Nice Guy Chris that we’ll go down (he’s given up on one of his other bets of Thiam scoring 7 this season – arf).  I’d love to see us stay up, but if we can’t create or finish when we’re playing well, what hope is there?  Having sold Kiefer, we appear to have no options. 

Drink du jour: Brewdog all the way.  Punk IPA in the pub, Dead Pony on the way back.

Away: 2000 (minus 2). 

The Damage:
£23 train
£20 ent
= £43
Didn’t see any programmes on sale.  This is becoming a regular occurrence away.  No wonder teams are considering ditching them – you can’t buy what you don’t come across.

The Tunes:
Gotan Project Live (Gotan Project)
The Libertines  (The Libertines)
Ill Communication (Beastie Boys)

City Ground panorama.

I'll give it to Forest, they have a classy badge.