Does anybody still not want promotion?

[adam09]

We needed to make those buys because of our squad lack of depth , depending on the youngsters was never going to be the solution no thanks to our useless board , they make sure of that and we nearly suffered for it.
ND has never been proactive , he's reactive. He reacts when situation goes bad - proven time and again. If we go up , there is absolutely no guarantee that he will really go for it and let Billy do what's necessary , instead he'll likely just sit back and rely on his cumbersome AP which is always likely to screw up and then we make do as we always do under his reign.

There's no guarentee spending a load of money will mean we stay in the Premiership.

I take it you haven't seen what's happened to Leeds and Portsmouth?

If we spent all the money available and failed, it would be disastrous and we may end up without a club at all.

 

[marshal99]

There's no guarentee spending a load of money will mean we stay in the Premiership.

I take it you haven't seen what's happened to Leeds and Portsmouth?

If we spent all the money available and failed, it would be disastrous and we may end up without a club at all.

As opposed to not spending money at all , using our homegrown talents and ensuring that we'll be spending our next season in and around the bottom of the table ?

Of course there's no guarantee that we'll survive but we do need to spend money in the premiership , that much is clear. We need to spend it wisely , yes but we need to spend and we need to adjust our budget accordingly.
The gap between the top clubs and bottom is getting wider and wider every season. If we can't bridge that gap by refusing to pay or not willing to adjust our wage structure , then it's going to be a long hard season if we go to the premiership.

 

[MaxiRobriguez]

We've spent the 4th most in the division this year. Just because we didn't invest in January doesn't mean he's sitting on his arse doing nowt.

We gambled a lot of money on Platt and it backfired and we spent the next ten years trying to recover for it.

Have a bit of patience, we're going in the right direction for once. No need to upset the apple cart when we'll be there very soon.

 

[marshal99]

We've spent the 4th most in the division this year. Just because we didn't invest in January doesn't mean he's sitting on his arse doing nowt.

We gambled a lot of money on Platt and it backfired and we spent the next ten years trying to recover for it.

Have a bit of patience, we're going in the right direction for once. No need to upset the apple cart when we'll be there very soon.

So it's back to Platt again ? I wonder , who was intrumental in hiring Platt ? Who was going to extend his contract for another 2 years before the english FA thankfully took him off our hands ?
We might be going in the right direction for once but who's to say that ND will do what's necessary ? This feud between Billy & the AP might be on the back burners for now but it most certainly is still there. One can only hope that regardless of what happens in the playoffs , this power struggle will not come back to bite us in the ass in the summer. We'll see.

 

[king_congo_red]

So it's back to Platt again ? I wonder , who was intrumental in hiring Platt ?

Eric Barnes? What's he got to do with this??

 

[andover red]

So it's back to Platt again ? I wonder , who was intrumental in hiring Platt ? Who was going to extend his contract for another 2 years before the english FA thankfully took him off our hands ?
We might be going in the right direction for once but who's to say that ND will do what's necessary ? This feud between Billy & the AP might be on the back burners for now but it most certainly is still there. One can only hope that regardless of what happens in the playoffs , this power struggle will not come back to bite us in the ass in the summer. We'll see.

If you're so unhappy with Doughty as Chairman maybe you should buy him out and invest your millions in the club?

Oh yeah ....... you can't cos you haven't got £4-5M a season to waste. :bigboss:

Maybe you should come back when you are ready to buy the club. Or even when you find anyone else that is willing to. Until then be happy that we have a rich fan as chairman who wants the best for the club.

:fool:

 

[marshal99]

Eric Barnes? What's he got to do with this??

Try again , he was interviewed by both Barnes & ND. ND at the time was the puppet master pulling the strings even though he was yet to be the chairman. ND was the one who was instrumental in hiring Platt.
Read ND's interview back in 1999.

 

[marshal99]

If you're so unhappy with Doughty as Chairman maybe you should buy him out and invest your millions in the club?

Oh yeah ....... you can't cos you haven't got £4-5M a season to waste. :bigboss:

Maybe you should come back when you are ready to buy the club. Or even when you find anyone else that is willing to. Until then be happy that we have a rich fan as chairman who wants the best for the club.

:fool:

So i can't have an opinion ?
It's your choice if you want to bow down to ND and worship at his shrine , proclaiming him as a saviour. I just don't buy the hype , sorry , his reign at forest is the worse in over 30 years for the club.
While i am happy that we are on the rise currently , i certainly don't trust the man enough that he won't screw it up somehow and won't back our best manager in years , setting us back.

 

[MaxiRobriguez]

So it's back to Platt again ? I wonder , who was intrumental in hiring Platt ? Who was going to extend his contract for another 2 years before the english FA thankfully took him off our hands ?
We might be going in the right direction for once but who's to say that ND will do what's necessary ? This feud between Billy & the AP might be on the back burners for now but it most certainly is still there. One can only hope that regardless of what happens in the playoffs , this power struggle will not come back to bite us in the ass in the summer. We'll see.

Billy is on the AP.

 

[marshal99]

Billy is on the AP.

His role is overstated , his role is delivering a list of names, much like CC did in the past. Then it's up to the rest to deliberate , do some research/scouting , talk over , check with the academy director , get veto'd and get the list cut down to size.
Once 1 or 2 names get approved , it will go to our chief executive to do the formalities like faxing or calling or whatever it is that he does with a formal bid (which is usually derisory).
It's pretty much out of Billy's hands once he state his suggestions for those players , as Billy has said before.

 

[andover red]

So i can't have an opinion ?
It's your choice if you want to bow down to ND and worship at his shrine , proclaiming him as a saviour. I just don't buy the hype , sorry , his reign at forest is the worse in over 30 years for the club.
While i am happy that we are on the rise currently , i certainly don't trust the man enough that he won't screw it up somehow and won't back our best manager in years , setting us back.

Of course you can have an opinion - it's what the forum is all about

But there's no point complaining about something unless you can suggest a better alternative. I don't see anyone else queueing up to be Forest chairman and pump money into the club. It's pretty clear what ND's strategy is for the club so don't expect him to change. So my question is, who would you rather see in charge?

 

[king_congo_red]

Try again , he was interviewed by both Barnes & ND. ND at the time was the puppet master pulling the strings even though he was yet to be the chairman. ND was the one who was instrumental in hiring Platt.
Read ND's interview back in 1999.

I have done. The only thing which is clearly stated is Nigel's 'Yes' when asked if he 'played a part' in bringing Platt to the club. You've interpreted the size of that part to 'instrumental' and being a 'puppet master'. Spin spin sugar...

 

[marshal99]

Of course you can have an opinion - it's what the forum is all about

But there's no point complaining about something unless you can suggest a better alternative. I don't see anyone else queueing up to be Forest chairman and pump money into the club. It's pretty clear what ND's strategy is for the club so don't expect him to change. So my question is, who would you rather see in charge?

Well , i hope that once we reach the premiership , ND can sell up and put the club for sale , then we'll see whether who's interested. Forest have a rich history , we are a sleeping giant , i'm sure there would be interest.

 

[king_congo_red]

Well , i hope that once we reach the premiership , ND can sell up and put the club for sale , then we'll see whether who's interested. Forest have a rich history , we are a sleeping giant , i'm sure there would be interest.

I look forward to our club being used as a money laundering venture for the russian mafia/middle eastern crime syndicates or for some Americans to cream off the profits to make up for debt ran up whilst running the Amercian sports teams they REALLY care about.

The days of multitudes of rich owners - the boom years if you will - desperate to own a club are over. Just read the business presses and see how many companies are going out of business.

 

[marshal99]

I have done. The only thing which is clearly stated is Nigel's 'Yes' when asked if he 'played a part' in bringing Platt to the club. You've interpreted the size of that part to 'instrumental' and being a 'puppet master'. Spin spin sugar...

He was instrumental behind the scenes even before he took on the role of chairman , hence his involvement in the recruitment of Platt.

From various discussions that we've had with people connected with the Club, we are lead to believe that you played a substantial role in recruiting David Platt... is this right?
Yes.

Are you impressed with what you've seen of David so far?
We interviewed a lot of people for the role of Manager of Nottingham Forest. It is a big job and you have to be a credible and capable person to do it. A number of those discussions unfortunately were leaked to the press but I have to say that both Eric and I were convinced that David was the best candidate we saw. He is certainly going to be a very successful manager in the future.

 

[king_congo_red]

He was instrumental behind the scenes even before he took on the role of chairman , hence his involvement in the recruitment of Platt.

From various discussions that we've had with people connected with the Club, we are lead to believe that you played a substantial role in recruiting David Platt... is this right?
Yes.

Are you impressed with what you've seen of David so far?
We interviewed a lot of people for the role of Manager of Nottingham Forest. It is a big job and you have to be a credible and capable person to do it. A number of those discussions unfortunately were leaked to the press but I have to say that both Eric and I were convinced that David was the best candidate we saw. He is certainly going to be a very successful manager in the future.

Your quote has proved what I said.

 

[marshal99]

I look forward to our club being used as a money laundering venture for the russian mafia/middle eastern crime syndicates or for some Americans to cream off the profits to make up for debt ran up whilst running the Amercian sports teams they REALLY care about.

The days of multitudes of rich owners - the boom years if you will - desperate to own a club are over. Just read the business presses and see how many companies are going out of business.

Let i say , put it on the market and see for ourselves.

 

[king_congo_red]

Let i say , put it on the market and see for ourselves.

That would be like putting your house on the market just to see if anyone is interested in buying it. You do realise how much red tape is involved in selling something like a football club, right?

 

[marshal99]

Your quote has proved what I said.

ND interviewed Platt and he was the investment behind the club. He was instrumental in hiring Platt (even though platt flop at sampdoria) and he was instrumental in making so much money for Platt and yet after 2 dismal years , he still was going to extend Platt's contract before the english FA came for him.

 

[king_congo_red]

ND interviewed Platt.

So did Eric Barnes. As chairman, if EB had not wanted Platt, he would have had power of Veto over ND who was just a shareholder at that stage.

and he was the investment behind the club.

As were the other shareholders.

He was instrumental in hiring Platt (even though platt flop at sampdoria) and he was instrumental in making so much money for Platt and yet after 2 dismal years

Based on what? A leading question from one journalist that he gave a snap one-word answer to?

he still was going to extend Platt's contract before the english FA came for him

Again, EB was the chairman and had the power to veto that decision. Any decisions made regarding the running of the club during EB's time as chairman must ultimate rest with him as he had the FINAL say on any decisiosn. If he chose to blindly go along with ND, then he is still culpable.

 

[marshal99]

That would be like putting your house on the market just to see if anyone is interested in buying it. You do realise how much red tape is involved in selling something like a football club, right?

I don't know and neither do you . Doesn't matter either way i suppose since ND doesn't want to sell out so i guess we have to stick with the devil we know and hope that he changes into a saint and not revert to sitting on his ass when we needed him to do something.

 

[king_congo_red]

I don't know and neither do you .

Actually, I probably do, given that in my professional career I've been involved in one merger, seven acquisitions and one business sell-off...cheers.

 

[adam09]

As opposed to not spending money at all , using our homegrown talents and ensuring that we'll be spending our next season in and around the bottom of the table ?

Of course there's no guarantee that we'll survive but we do need to spend money in the premiership , that much is clear. We need to spend it wisely , yes but we need to spend and we need to adjust our budget accordingly.
The gap between the top clubs and bottom is getting wider and wider every season. If we can't bridge that gap by refusing to pay or not willing to adjust our wage structure , then it's going to be a long hard season if we go to the premiership.

Who said anything about not spending money or adjusting budgets?

That's exactly what the club has done the last few years, and it's worked fine. Promotion from L1, survival in the CCC, potential promotiong from the CCC... we're skipping a year here.

The AP haven't screwed up in any shape or form. So far they've got the players that have been available and wanted to come to Forest, and they've pretty much all been an improvement on what we've had and played a part in an improving team.

You're using phrases like "going for it" and "making do" which implies that you're wanting things to happen which just aren't feasible in a business sense for our football club. Leeds 'went for it', Villa 'went for it' (they've spent massive amounts and not really got any further), Portsmouth 'went for it' and have almost lost their entire club.

Everybody knows Doughty made mistakes in the past and he's rectified them and ensuring Nottingham Forest survives and runs properly as a club and business.

 

[adam09]

I don't know and neither do you . Doesn't matter either way i suppose since ND doesn't want to sell out so i guess we have to stick with the devil we know and hope that he changes into a saint and not revert to sitting on his ass when we needed him to do something.

What exactly do you want him to do? Throw a wad of cash at Nicky Shorey to come here instead of Fulham?

 

[marshal99]

So did Eric Barnes. As chairman, if EB had not wanted Platt, he would have had power of Veto over ND who was just a shareholder at that stage.

As were the other shareholders.

Based on what? A leading question from one journalist that he gave a snap one-word answer to?

Again, EB was the chairman and had the power to veto that decision. Any decisions made regarding the running of the club during EB's time as chairman must ultimate rest with him as he had the FINAL say on any decisiosn. If he chose to blindly go along with ND, then he is still culpable.

Even though ND said in one word - YES to the question whether he played a substatial role in recruiting Platt , it doesn't mean anything ? Remember at the time of the interview , Platt hasn't had the years of mediocrity that was to follow after that interview.

Anyway , here's a old article last year when we were staring down the toilet of relegation. It pretty much sums up what i feel about our beloved chairman.

Nigel Doughty - Ten Years Of Hurt
May 1999, saw Nigel Doughty take a 40.5% stake in NFFC and with it effective control of the club. Within a month of taking over, he probably had his best day ever at the office, when one sunny day in June, Messrs Wray and Scholar announced their resignations from the club. With those two chancers out of the way, the path was clear for Doughty to take total control of the club and lead us back to the Promised Land. At least that was the theory.

In terms of achievement, the past ten years at Nottingham Forest can be best described from a fans point of view, as an unmitigated disaster. Mr. Doughty can point to a healthy balance sheet though as a means of success, thanks to his loans/investments/handouts...call them what you like, it currently stands at around £45M! Now, although he's highly unlikely to see much of that money again, it is effectively a loan and NFFC do owe it to him. Saviour?.....Hmmmnnn.

Nigel Doughty has overseen the appointments of no less than eight managers during his stewardship, from David Platt, right up to the present incumbent, Billy Davies. Some of those appointments did have varying degrees of success. Namely Hart and Calderwood, but both were either let down with funds, or had taken us as far as they could. In hindsight, fans will look back on the appointments of Platt, Hart, Kinnear, Harford, Megson, Charlie and Frank and Calderwood as bad 'uns. Appointing managers has never been his strongest point.

Doughty will argue that it's his club and he can do what he likes with it. But the fans, as with any club are the lifeblood and without us it will die. There is a growing sense of discontent amongst Forest supporters at the moment and that discontent is aimed at him and his CEO Mark Arthur. The club is heading back to League 1 again, due to a lack of funding on Doughty's part and the inability of the club to attract new players. Maybe Doughty is feeling the effects of the recession as much as us and he has to cut his cloth accordingly. If that's the case, a little honesty wouldn't go amiss, instead of yet again keeping fans in the dark and leading us on, into thinking that a couple of signings are just around the corner. As per usual, the silence coming from the City Ground, is deafening......apart from the noises being made by Billy "yer wee upstart ye" Davies of course.

It will be ten years in May, when Nigel Doughty celebrates his anniversary as Chairman of NFFC. I really hope he isn't celebrating it with his second relegation to League 1, because right now that looks a distinct possibility. Thanks for saving us from extinction Mr. Doughty, but the rest has been awful, truly, truly awful. As a supporter of this great club for over 30 years, I can honestly say the past ten years have been pitiful to watch. A second relegation to League 1, will see many fans throw in the towel with this club, maybe the Chairman should consider doing the same if it happens.

Is he the saviour of NFFC, or the cause of all or troubles?.....You decide.