Matchday 6: Crystal Palace v Nottingham Forest Official Matchday Thread

[Marshall.]

[LTLF Sponsors]

[Marshall.]

[D***y Red]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again... I bloody love our away kit!

[dannydarko]

Went to the game tonight and can tell you we can definitely be well well happy coming away with a point. We were terrible as everyone has heard by now, struggling to string more than 3 or 4 passes together for virtually the entire match, players not moving for each other, just never at any point did we even start to gather any momentum. Certainly dont think that starting 3-5-2 helped at all and I was much happier when we reverted back to the norm, but still it didnt kickstart us. Also I dont think that the red card particularly got us going as others have said, more just Palace not really going for the killer blow, thinking they were relatively safe being 1-up against 10 men (who were basically not posing any kinda threat).

Camp's distribution was just too slow, very frustrating; Ayala I think is a tad too slow and tries to do things that his abilities at the mo just dont quite match up to; Harding looked very average but in all fairness, he was up against Zaha who I thought looked very bloody good 2nite; can see what people mean about Gillet, altho probably not his best game, he was all over the place being a real nuisance, was still impressed; Goog's and Reidy did not a lot really; Sharp not quite looking there yet sharpness-wise but thank god we have Cox, loving this lad and his workrate and attitude massively already.

All-in-all, very happy with the point, undeserved but very gratefully received!

[gamble]

The teams still doesn't quite know how to play together, we've had so many players come and go this season it'l take us till around 10 games to get going properly. Saturday and tonight were our 2 worst games so far and we still came away with 2 points, so all is good, keep Cox fit get Lansbury fit and hopefully a nice win saturday followed by a pasting of the sheep a week sunday.

[theloner]

Hoddle on SSN now, thank Christ he isn't in the hot seat at the CG. He has a face on him like a well scalped arse, which is complemented by that horrible whiny accent.

[Nord]

Crap performance away, one goal down, one man down, finish the game with one point. That is the mark of a team fighting for promotion.

[thehockleyhustler]

Let's hope Sean has time to work with the lads before Saturday to sort out last nights issues.

[DezzieD]

That was the worst Ive seen Forest for quite some time. I was quite confident going into the game and expected 3 pts but we were 2nd to everything all night and didn't seem to have a clue.

Everytime the crossed into our box I cringed, as they looked threatening all the time. We can't seem to deal with crosses at all, Camp and back 4 are like statues and Palace could have been 3 up before we scored from nothing. Makes me wonder what they do all week in training.

We lumped it forward to Cox and Sharp all night which surprised me. Dex offered a target when he came on.

If we play like that against leeds we will get thrashed.

[Black Rose]

If we play like that against leeds we will get thrashed.

Leeds have lost their last two. Granted both were tough games but they won't be swimming in confidence.

On his leg?

Apologies, just said what a Palace fan tweeted.

[Cooky]

Lots of overreaction here.

We weren't very good at all, but come one everyone this team has been together for what, 2 months? Our good start has evidently got people thinking way above their station.

We're going to have games like this, especially away at places like Palace.

The fact we got a point is brilliant, shows huge character. Chins up, they can't all be pretty football.

[Raymondo Ponte']

Too many of our players simply didn't want to be playing at Selhurst Park last night, attitude that SOD must stamp out.

[Brian Rice x11]

Not that many positives from yesterday but one big one was that we scored a proper "strike partnership" goal - Cox and Dex scored when they were 2 against 5 in the box through having a killer touch find a killer run.

If we can build on that it'll take is far. Gelling once in front of goal beats gelling five times in the middle of the pitch.

[Alf-Inge of Fudge]

@AdleneGUEDIOURA: I want to apologize to all my teammates, the club and the fans. 

And so he should!

Apology accepted lad, get your head down, get your form back, get your way back into the side and push us on from there.

It was a daft thing, but it could turn out to be a positive. Not only did it spur the lads on tonight to come from a goal behind after playing so badly- but now hes out for 3 games and hes going to really have to have to fight to get back into the side.

It will hopefully bring out the best in him.

As they say "Sometimes when things are falling apart, often they are falling into place"

Geddy's suspension now means we can bring a proper wide man in on the right in either Coppinger or Lansbury (from what I saw of him at Norwich i reckon he'll take us up another level when he's fit & settled in the side), and hopefully we can stretch teams a bit more.

I'm also not averse to us playing 4-5-1 away from home to accommodate both Geddy & McGugan when both available - start 4-5-1 and go to 4-4-2 if we aren't cutting through. We've looked good with 5 in the middle and I think generally you get more success from trying to take the sting out of an opposition side then try and nick a win, than trying to match them like for like or just be the better team when playing away from home.

And I know people are saying that 3-5-2 didn't work last night, but it's this part of the season and this part of his Forest career in which SOD needs to be trying those things, making those mistakes and learning those lessons. Like we've all said SOD needs time to find his feet - he's come here to stabilize the club then try and take us up, well to me he's doing a great job at the 1st part and that's what matters at this stage.

I'd have snapped your hand off if someone offered us to be 6th and unbeaten at this stage. It's tough games like this where the side learns and develops in order to ultimately improve. We've got a tough patch of games coming up, so its good that SOD can identify and hopefully resolve our mistakes in time for them. Onwards and upwards boys.

It worked Saturday as we needed to try something else. No need to tinker with your whole team though on the back of that!

I'm not complaining as we showed some real character to get back into it. But lets stop dicking around and just play our best team!

I'd disagree with that and I think that if we didn't have Derby approaching fast people wouldn't be as jittery about it. Now is the time for SOD to be dicking around whilst he puts the players through their paces and sees what they are/aren't capable of. Remember, he only had a very short pre-season.

If Guedioura doesn't soon recover the form he showed last season as a loanee I might start to think that McCarthy might have had a point when he dropped the lad, and that we may have purchased a pig in a poke.

Dew, he just needs a bit of form and to be played in the middle - either 4-5-1 or in place of McGugan. Geddy's form is a bit up and down at the mo, but that's probably not helped by the fact he's been playing out right either.

3 games off for him so if I were SOD I'd try and get someone else cemented on the right in that time, tell McGugan he best keep up his top form coz Geddy'll be breathing down his neck, and start 4-5-1 away when Geddy's back if McGugan is firing.

The teams still doesn't quite know how to play together, we've had so many players come and go this season it'l take us till around 10 games to get going properly. Saturday and tonight were our 2 worst games so far and we still came away with 2 points, so all is good, keep Cox fit get Lansbury fit and hopefully a nice win saturday followed by a pasting of the sheep a week sunday.

[FBS]

Not much to add that hasn't been said, second best all night. Very, very lucky to get anything. But it shows our fighting spirit.

One thing I must mention is about Camp, last night he looked shot. All over the place, no commanding presence, no shouting to his defenders, terribly slow releasing the ball. Several times the ball came into the six yard box and he was rooted to his line.

[Raymondo Ponte']

Not much to add that hasn't been said, second best all night. Very, very lucky to get anything. But it shows our fighting spirit.

One thing I must mention is about Camp, last night he looked shot. All over the place, no commanding presence, no shouting to his defenders, terribly slow releasing the ball. Several times the ball came into the six yard box and he was rooted to his line.

I think he was very poor on the goal conceded.

[kevin]

worrying times

[Tutts]

Cold light of day, it was a point we didn't deserve and we'll take it.

[Anatoli]

What a great goal that was. Never mind that we weren't brilliant. Cox did that and we got a point.
Still unbeaten. Be happy.

[bhastings316]

Definitely a point won and one we didn't deserve. Class play again from Cox to create the goal for Blackstock. Can't tell you how highly I rate him.

Don't understand why we didn't have a man on the post for their goal. Have we been doing that all season? I suppose it's one of those things you notice when it doesn't go right.

I said at the start of the season our midfield lacks pace and energy and for me the sooner we get Lansbury and Cohen in there the better. If you need to grind out results i'm not sure you are going to do that with McGugan, Reid & Majewski in midfield and we are going to need to earn the right to play our football.

Stupid from Adlene but he's apologised now so lets move on. He's got 3 games out to think about things and maybe even longer on the bench if we do well without him.

Never a fan of 3-5-2, Platt, Calderwood & Megson all tried it and despite seeming to have the players to suit that system I really don't want to see it again!

[Beasty]

Take a point!

We are doing better than I thought we would be doing by this time really with a brand new team. A lot of people seemed devastated we can actually play badly and that maybe got a bit carried away, a bit like people have built Guedioura up to be invincible and flawless every game, people seem shocked that we aren't either. People getting way too carried away as per.

We need to lose a game I think to learn a lot of lessons.

[Daniel]

Amazing, another game and still unbeaten. Now tell me where this is a bad thing?

[Luke]

Cox looks the real deal, very good link up play. My bbc app said Pep got two yellows...obviously not true I take it?

I know our home form is decent and all well and good but is anyone else a bit concerned about the set piece threat Derby will pose?

[Jimmy Floyd Stranglew@nk]

Palace are that kind of team; although they'll probably finish mid/lower table, they're capable of beating anyone at home. I'll take the point.

Lovely finish from the Dex machine. Not quite sure how Camp can be blamed for their goal, but so goes it...

[TheRedForest]

Just got into work after going to the game last night. Absolutely phenomenal away support, 1800 away fans for a Tuesday night away in South London is very impressive! Going through the thread there are some major over-reactions here. We weren't quite at the races last night and it was very frustrating to watch us have two shots on target all game and give no service to Sharp or Cox at all throughout. During the first half we seemed to resort to long balls up to them both; granted their both big strong lads who can hold the ball up, but the Palace centre halves towered above them and won everything aerially. If we're using Sharp and Cox up top, surely they thrive on low, through balls along the deck?

I don't understand some people's criticism of Halford at all tonight. Personally, I thought he was man of the match for me, despite one or two stray balls (which every Forest player was guilty of at some point last night) he was 100% committed in the tackle and his HUGE throw-ins were a big threat, especially when Dex came on. I was very disappointed with McGugan in the second half especially tonight. During the first half he played well, he dropped deep to collect the ball from Collins/Halford/Hutch, tried to orchestrate play and was tracking back. Come the second half, he looked disinterested after a few sloppy touches. Very bad move from Adlene, in the replay it looks as if the Palace player has got in his way and blocked him off and out of pure frustration he's stupidly kicked out at him just as the referee has looked around. It's a major over-reaction from the Palace player but it's a stupid thing to do.

I was particularly impressed with Zaha tonight. I know a lot of Palace fans rave about him but I've never properly watched him play until last night. He had Harding all over the place, very fast, skilful and tricky, exactly the player we'd only dream of having on the right. Like McCleary, only better. Very bad defensive organisation for their goal; really don't understand why Camp didn't have two men on the front and back post. If he did, they would have cleared the ball, every decent team has two players on the front and back posts and Palace looked threatening from EVERY corner they had. Against Leeds on Saturday, where Beccio is a very good header of the ball from set-plays and even more so against Direby where all they've got is set plays; we're going to have to defend better from set-plays/aerially.

As Hulk mentioned on a previous post, we have to understand that during a season, we are going to have bad games where things don't work. It didn't work at Palace last night, yet still we came away with a good point. This HAS to be a positive, forget the performance because the players certainly will and accept a good point away from home. Bring on Dirty Leeds. COYR.