Lifestyle habits a problem at Forest?

[Midland Red]

Davies has been talking with the NEP again:

http://www.thisisnottinghamforest.co.uk/news/Forest-boss-Davies--Stand-up-and-be-counted.aspx

16/03/2009 - Forest boss Davies: Stand up and be counted
Billy Davies will make sweeping changes to his Nottingham Forest side as they try to get their Championship survival bid back on track.

And, after the 5-0 thrashing by Burnley, he revealed: "I will ask the players to stand up and be counted."


Davies warned he would have liked to freeze out several players in his squad completely - including midfielder Lewis McGugan, who the manager revealed has been given a dressing down for his off-the-field discipline, believed to be related to his weight.
But, with the squad ravaged by injury, he knows that will not be possible, as the Reds fight to keep clear of the bottom three in their remaining seven games.

"I will make changes again. I will change the team again and I will ask players to stand up and be counted," said Davies. "It is about finding the right balance.

"We are looking at the bench and it was not the strongest. I had to drop McGugan again because his off-the-field discipline is not what it should be.

"I am not going to get into details. But there is a situation, not just with Lewis, but with one or two of them, with regard to their lifestyle, eating habits and preparation.

"There are one or two players in the squad at the minute that we should be leaving out, sending them away for a while so they understand things.

"You can do that in a winning side but at the moment there is a collective responsibility to get us out of the situation we are in."
Davies said the performance in their 5-0 defeat at Burnley on Saturday was simply unacceptable - and that Forest owed their fans better.

"These fans have been fantastic, we owe them a huge apology," he said.

"We will get some work done during the international break. But most of our work needs to be done in our heads. The goals we are conceding are in our heads at the minute.

"It is not physical, it is not a lack of skill, it is in the head. That is what we have to try to work out."

Davies gave his players another post-match dressing down, following a game in which they were never competitive - and told them they need to start earning their wages.

"I kept them in the dressing room and I told them the facts. They are very well paid, paid more money than they are probably earning at the minute.

"They have to show better commitment, more desire and they have to understand that, when they come to places like Watford and Burnley, there is a certain mentality you need," he said.

"We have not got that through the side at the minute. There are seven matches to go and we know what we need to do in those matches.

"We have to show a better desire for football, a better love for the game and a bigger commitment to playing in these types of matches.

"There were some good performances out there from one or two guys who deserved to be on a winning side.

"But the fact is that, when you are away, you need to have 90% of your team playing at the top of their game. Here we probably only had 40%."

It'd hardly be the first, second, third (hell... I've lost count) that Forest players out of work behavior and lifestyle has been accused of being unprofessional now, would it?

 

[earthworm]

Nearly started a thread on this, it reminded me again of Megson and his talk of problems off the field, unseen and behind the scenes. This sort of shit just keeps coming out of the woodwork now and again doesn't it.

 

[Rich]

They are frequently out on the town on a Saturday night.

Admittedly, after a match it gives them time to recover, but very few top athletes drink within 24 hours of a game.

 

[Midland Red]

They are frequently out on the town on a Saturday night.

Admittedly, after a match it gives them time to recover, but very few top athletes drink within 24 hours of a game.

Too true.

 

[DanR]

They do have responsibility for their own behaviour, but this could surely be helped by having a dressing room 'leader' around these young lads, someone who they could look up to, be inspired by, and copy the best traits of, not just someone to help them on the pitch, but to advise them off it too.

If our squad saw how, let's say, a Teddy Sheringham looked after his health and preparation, and how it helped his career, would it not inspire them to do the same. Sadly, if You Tube is correct, Neil Lennon was not this sort of figure. :bottles: Andrew Cole was not around long enough to make a difference.

 

[Rich]

Another example where Robbie Savage would have been a great signing for us.

 

[earthworm]

Another example where Robbie Savage would have been a great signing for us.

;D

 

[Monk De Wally De Honk]

we're f**ked
I just read this and have this feeling

 

[Rich]

;D

:'(

 

[clusternakker]

The body sees alcohol as a poison and cant properly process nutrients so ideally you'd be wanting our guys to cut the booze out completelt during the on-season, but drinking directly after a game certainly is stupid as you need to recover fully and alcohol is certainly not the best medicine.

 

[Billy Hunt]

Very interesting/disturbing to read that article. McGugan's attitude at times is awful and has put weight on too - something that hasn't gone unnoticed by a large majority of Forest fans. Shame as he's a great talent, just not 'got it up top' it seems.

 

[cknu]

Isn't this simply because we have such a young team/squad and thus loads of young single adrenaline prima Donna's.

I know that those with Families (Like Perch/Tyson and co) are a lot less likely to be seen out on the town in drinking sessions and more a quiet meal/cinema.

 

[Rich]

Isn't this simply because we have such a young team/squad and thus loads of young single adrenaline pre-madonnas.

I know that those with Families (Like Perch/Tyson and co) are a lot less likely to be seen out on the town in drinking sessions and more a quiet meal/cinema.

Hate to be a pedant, but this is one of my biggest gripes. You mean Prima Donna, not pre-madonna.

 

[fil]

the thing is McGugan is one of the best players we have so to drop him for stupid reasons when we are in the shit is just plain stupid.
i'm sure Billy no mates just likes falling out with people for the sake of it and uses excuses like the player is overweight etc. to cover it up

 

[DanR]

Hate to be a pedant, but this is one of my biggest gripes. You mean Prima Donna, not pre-madonna.

A team of pre-madonnas would be interesting. I'd certainly go and see a team of pre-pop career madonnas, back in the days when she used to let the cat out of the bag for a bit of money.

As opposed to the days when she got it out in her awful book, obviously.

 

[Rich]

I'd still smash Madonna, though.

 

[cknu]

Hate to be a pedant, but this is one of my biggest gripes. You mean Prima Donna, not pre-madonna.

Thought it seemed wrong when I wrote it!! :wink:

 

[Square Peg]

the thing is McGugan is one of the best players we have so to drop him for stupid reasons when we are in the shit is just plain stupid.
i'm sure Billy no mates just likes falling out with people for the sake of it and uses excuses like the player is overweight etc. to cover it up

Mcgugan is overweight and unfit - I don't think Billy is pointing anything out that people haven't already realised themselves.

The shame here is, on his day, Mcgugan is one of the most naturally gifted players in not just the squad but possibly the league (see goal away at Reading as example). BUT I think he has started to believe he is too good and doesn't have to put the effort in anyway (see Watford away performance).

Billy knows Mcgugan's a class act (his comments after the Reading and Swansea games will testify to that) but Billy's job as manager is to get the best out of his players and whilst he sees players such as Mcgugan, Garner etc wasting their potential he is every right to lash out at them in public to try and make them see sense.

 

[Johno22]

I wrote this in an obscure Dexter Blackstock thread but I reckon it has more credence here. I think NFFC has been treated as a holiday camp for too long now and it's about time we became a professional football club. Good on Billy for acting on it.




It might be the much heralded local boys for a local team that many were so excited about when it was all going so well at the end of last season that have seen us get into this mess now.

How many times did I hear the PR guy ask CC "how important is it that you have so many Nottingham boys playing in the same team?" and the response "it's really great etc etc". I want him to ask Billy how he thinks this Nottingham culture is impacting how current prediciment and if it is part of the "off field discpline" problem we currently have?!

 

[FBS]

Mcgugan is overweight and unfit - I don't think Billy is pointing anything out that people haven't already realised themselves.

The shame here is, on his day, Mcgugan is one of the most naturally gifted players in not just the squad but possibly the league (see goal away at Reading as example). BUT I think he has started to believe he is too good and doesn't have to put the effort in anyway (see Watford away performance).

Billy knows Mcgugan's a class act (his comments after the Reading and Swansea games will testify to that) but Billy's job as manager is to get the best out of his players and whilst he sees players such as Mcgugan, Garner etc wasting their potential he is every right to lash out at them in public to try and make them see sense.

Exactly the same sort of thing I was thinking. McGugan is a class act, but recently he hasn't been the player we know. Whether that's down to off-field antics or just not being able to cope with the amount of games - we won't know.

 

[Jonathan]

I think it's a case, a lot of the time, of the players taking their position for granted.

McGugan, for too long, has been a shoe-in, and I hope this might be the kick up the arse that he needs.

If he carries on as he is (if what I was told is true) then he might not get anywhere near any team, never mind ours.

It's disappointing when someone so talented and so privileged doesn't put the effort in that you wish they would.

I know he's someone who has been vilified so often, but Joel Lynch was in tears after Colin Calderwood was sacked because he thought he'd get sent back to Brighton.

He loves playing for Forest and has said on numerous occasions that he wants to stay, fight for his place, and improve his game and Forest's team.

I think that's quite impressive for someone who isn't a 'Nottingham boy'.

That's one of the problems with our club, despite it being the chairman's aim to 'put the Nottingham back into Nottingham Forest."

 

[DapperDan]

Putting the 'Nottingham back into Nottingham Forest', also risks putting the clique back into Nottingham Forest. Also these players are going to still be hanging around with their friends from outside of football who they grew up with. I know my friends I grew up with would make it very difficult for me to be a professional sportsman through their influence. Also my lack of ability wouldn’t help either.

 

[Jonathan]

Putting the 'Nottingham back into Nottingham Forest', also risks putting the clique back into Nottingham Forest. Also these players are going to still be hanging around with their friends from outside of football who they grew up with. I know my friends I grew up with would make it very difficult for me to be a professional sportsman through their influence. Also my lack of ability wouldn’t help either.

That's exactly what I'm saying.

I think it's quite well known that Smith was dropped when Camp came in because of pressure on him from the Nottingham boys in our defence and it was easier to replace one man than two or three.

Our team needs sorting out from top to bottom and unfortunately that can't take place until the summer.

 

[paolo nutmeg]

Our team needs sorting out from top to bottom and unfortunately that can't take place until the summer.

when unfortunately we will be back in league one!

 

[It's Baggio]

Whilst any 'ill-discipline' needs sorting out I can't help but feel this was the worst possible time for such an outburst.

To lambast the Players again after such a demoralizing defeat wont help anyone.