Just got back from the game

[Gully]

Pukka.

 

[London Irish]

Right my overall thoughts.

Can't believe we lost - we were playing so well, passing it about brilliantly. Que chants of "Its just like watching Brazil".

We lacked a target man and a lot of crosses didnt find anyone but we passed it about very well and dominated a lot of the game.

Reid supported the front players superbly and made an amazing goal line clearance.

Revell was superb. He and Harty are doing a fantastic job for us because they do all the dirty work. They chase down the defenders non-stop and provide a first line of defence. You'd never see Leon do that!!

If Forest are the benchmark, we have nothing to fear and we're gonna be up there this season and in with a shout.

Well played and unlucky lads.

I've been thinking over and over again, were we desperately unlucky to lose this game or not? When you think that all Hendo had to do in the second half was to pick the ball out of net twice, it would seem so.

Yet I think you are right that while our forwards are hardworking, they are still not threatening enough. And I would add to that our frequently shambolic defending at centre-half in this game.

We were unlucky to lose, but there is still enough wrong with our team to not dismiss this result as an utter freak. McGhee I think has to reconfigure our defence into a more combative and authoritative unit and Dick Knight has to find us a striker.

Unless that happens, the 5-point gap with Forest is going to widen quickly. That would be a shame, because there was enough good about our performance to really scare even the best teams in the division like Forest.

 

[Gully]

I think you sum it up pretty well LI, for all our industry yesterday there was not enough end product, we seemed to either lack the ball to really put them under pressure or the man on the end of it. I agree that we were unlucky to lose, I have to admit that I was totally gutted when I left the ground as you would think that controlling the game for the first hour would have merited a draw at worst. But there you are, that is football, it is a funny old game.

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Poor for the first 10 minutes then bossed the rest of the first half.

Couldn't see the pen from the lower tier but having seen it again on TV looked a tad harsh. (Came from Mayo being skinned)

Goals change games and we were always likely to concede again as Forest got on top. We should actually have been 2 up as Ravell should have squared one a few minutes earlier but shot at the near post.

I really like El Abd, but he and Lynch don't look as comfortable as I'd like although the Forest forwards were pretty lively in the second half.

We need another striker fast - not sure why Hart plays down the centre and Ravell wide - I'd swap these 2

Stokes very quiet. Robinson OK - Reid excellent.

Overall I said on Friday Forest will go up and I still believe that - we'll finish in the top 10 - top 6 ? depends who MM gets in. It's not impossible as for long periods we were better than them without looking like we were going to score.

 

[Beach Hut]

We really lack a striker yet we have one banished to the reserves.

Also Mayo was a total disgrace and should not play at present, apart from that we were OK.

 

[m20gull]

Henderson - 7

Reid - 7
El-Abd - 6
Lynch - 7
Mayo - 7

Carpenter - 7
Hammond - 6
Stokes - 6

Revell - 7
Hart - 7
Robinson - 6

Cox - 7
Frutos - 6

Wouldn't disagree too much with that, though 7 for Lynch looks a bit generous

 

[m20gull]

Couldn't see the pen from the lower tier but having seen it again on TV looked a tad harsh. (Came from Mayo being skinned)

Definite pen. A wild lunge in from Adam.

Mayo was skinned but it was unusually skillful for a player at this level; Southall is a class act.