What a Difference a Month Makes



Davies - Coming Under Pressure
Exactly a month ago today Forest beat Huddersfield away 3-0. We had just qualified for the FA cup Fifth round with an away tie against Sheffield United in the offing, which was completely winnable. Yes we had a couple of injuries but we were coping.

Fast forward 1 month and the picture is completely different. 3 defeats on the bounce, a tricky away game (which we also saw Huddersfield as) could see that stretch to 4. Fans are angry and disgruntled. The manager is openly being called into question, even more so as he serves a 5 match touchline ban for how he approached the ref at Leicester for not sending off Wes Morgan.

We exited the FA Cup after leading against lower league opposition, and now have even more injuries. Some sites have questioned f Davies training techniques, so lauded before in the Natalie Jackson feature last year by many fans, as perhaps being to rigorous, that the various injuries come from wear and tear that we are now experiencing.

28 days. That’s all it's been.

The various media that have been shut out are of course having a field day, and yes things have gone wrong. But to simply suggest it's all Billy is slightly blinkered, as is the opposing view of just pointing to a big red medical cross and going on about injuries.

The problem is the injuries have caused us to try and find a solution and this has exposed serious short comings in the clubs emergency planning. Now most managers I would hazard would see a tail off in results with such injuries, but the problem also stems from performances, and an essence of Billy trying to tinker to get the best out of his stretched resources and getting it wrong.

We have gone from chasing automatic and I stress chasing, as we were always behind in that race, to now looking like making the playoffs is going to be tough. All the while we have sat in that same fifth spot. All that’s happened is our cushion has eroded, and now clubs have games in hand on us to take our spot, but it relies on victories for them.

The whole media thing is what doesn't help. And a lot of people pointed us that something like this could happen. That a lot of borrowed good faith when the club does well could be used when the club does badly. Do you really expect the Post and radio Nottingham to come leaping to Davies defence? Or all the other media outlets. There are people suggesting that too many people are now revelling in the bad run and using it as a stick to beat Billy with, but when you've pretty much ostracized swathes of fans and media that will happen.

A lot of fans could be easily appeased, but instead we get this aloof I'm not talking to press approach. It doesn't sit well.

Especially when a lot of what Billy used as excuses before, the lack of investment namely, that still the same end results are happening. A stuttering end and a lack of convincing performances when it really really matters.

But then sacking Davies would be ridiculous. I've seen too many calling for this, and it’s the stock knee jerk reaction these days when things don’t go your way for a short while. Stability breeds success. Yes there are examples where it doesn't, but we as a club have chopped and changed for a while and got nowhere. Stability is absolutely key, even when that stability comes from a slightly unstable source.

What I just wish is instead of sniping, or revelling in failure, fans actually united and got behind the team. Instead of complaining "I knew it'd go wrong" actually realise that right now that team need your support more than before.

One month ago we were on the crest of the wave. A team and manager don't completely lose the plot in a month. We are still in 5th. Players will be returning from injury. The days are getting longer. The season is not over.

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