Matchday 31 - Nottingham Forest Football Club vs Fulham Football Club. Tuesday, 2nd of April KO 7:30pm

[Rockabilly]

 

[PynchonForest]

Great game. MGW was absolutely superb. I'm regularly critical of aspects of his game but today was probably his single best performance since we brought him in. He could have had four assists today. This was top drawer stuff. CHO was excellent as well. Quite liked how everyone played. Even Yates was good. The one save by Sels was superb. A real statement win today, and have to say NES (whom I've also been quite critical off lately) got almost everything right and he and the coaches looked a very happy bunch. Now, can we have a couple more performances of this level in the next few games please?

 

[DizzyBala]

Take your prawn sandwiches, your happy clappers, your overpriced seats, your nob of an owner, your shitty little cottage, your randomly coloured stripes and your swimming pool and shove them up your hole Fulham.

God we needed that win. That first half was electric, like the United game. That second half might have been the longest 50 minutes of football I've ever sat through. I think I ended up chewing down to my knuckles by the end of it.

Also, Forza did a great job again with the display, love them.

I give Nuno a lot of stick but he was bang on with that team selection, that is arguably our strongest eleven.

Gibbs-White showed the best sides of his game today. Sels did fantastic in goal. Aina and Neco were incredible in the full back positions. Chris took his goal brilliantly. Hudson-Odoi was on it that first half, although I want to see him use his left foot more and try and go past the full back when he gets into the box.

Hopefully this is last year's Brighton game.

 

[YellowBelly Red]

Cannot fault anything last night. All the lads put a shift and a half in. I've never seen a manager make three substitutions so early...Silva must have been seething!

Forza display set the tone, and the crowd responded. The team fed off that energy, and for the first 45, we were unplayable.

And in a season where we've had lots to complain about, a big shout out to Micheal Oliver, who controlled that game really well.

 

[marshal99]

biggest question in the team is consistency with no injuries. After we won 2-0 against west ham with a dominant performance, we were 3-0 down against villa in the next match after 40 minutes with both felipe and murillo hooked off after the first half. We were bad.

 

[IvorThirst]

The first half was easily the best football we have played in the last 2 years

 

[Erik]

Hopefully the first 45 minutes has given the players belief in what Nuno is trying to achieve here and that they can run with it and take us forwards.

It's certainly a benchmark performance to show what we able to do and it's down to the players and manager to keep repeating it.

 

[Cloughie1975]

A vital 3 points as Forest gave a great first half display to blow Fulham away.
I felt Gibbs-White was outstanding and it’s nice to have a goalkeeper who looks reliable.
There’s still plenty to do though-let’s hope we can provide a shock in London on Sunday.

COYR

 

[Annesleyred]

Great win and a big boost for our confidence, hope it continues.

 

[Mcbeth99]

That was never a penalty in a million years,not sure why it took time.

I think it would have been a soft one but Neco gets the ball first and gets kicked as he does it. A kick is a kick I presume in the box and should be at least looked at (or have I got it wrong and VAR DID look at it?).

 

[DeletedUser]

I’m enjoying these mushes on the radio highlighting Fulham’s horror show first half, not a word on the fact we shredded them and could have walked off five up at halftime

 

[DizzyBala]

Hopefully the first 45 minutes has given the players belief in what Nuno is trying to achieve here and that they can run with it and take us forwards.

It's certainly a benchmark performance to show what we able to do and it's down to the players and manager to keep repeating it.

You could argue the second 50 minutes is just as important to show the team they can keep a lead. It was horrific to watch at times when all them set pieces and crosses were flying in, but we did it.

 

[Rubics]

Shout out for the lads that parade the banner in the Trent end “premier league - for the few not the many” keep it up. Must keep up highlighting the stupid / bent FFP rules

 

[MASE]

Great performance all told. Some stark differences from recent performances in that we came out the traps with far more intent, pressing was relentless, passing more adventurous & we finished our chances.

Fair play to Nuno, I wouldnt have played that screen personally, but what transpired was an inspired Yates & a totally unrecognisable Danillo. Thought they complimented each other pretty well & Fulham didn't really get much of a sniff outside the usual set piece issues.

Ok we bearly got a kick second half, but the set up looked pretty solid & the players gutsed it out.

Bench marks been set, the crowd become much more involved when the team looks all in.

 

[Mcbeth99]

Night, night all... sleep tight and don't let the bed-bugs bite

Tuesday 2nd April 2024: Nottingham Forest v Fulham (Premier League; Kick Off 19:30):

Why can’t we play with such passion and skill every time we play? And why can’t Nuno pick that starting XI to start every game, because we were well balanced and threatening for much of the 90 minutes?

We started at pace and Hudson-Doi, MGW and Elanga were simply too much for Fulham’s defence to cope with. On 9 minutes MGW set CHO free on the left side of the box. I thought that the chance was to go begging as CHO checked inside his defender rather than trying a left foot shot. However, the jink opened up the path to goal, and CHO curled a low shot past the flailing dive of Leno, and into the far bottom corner. Chances fell then to CHO, to Wood and to Elanga, but good stops by the Fulham keeper and the ball flashing past the outside of the post saw Forest denied.

Fulham were well and truly rattled though, and a flowing move starting with Murillo, on to MGW and then Danilo saw Chris Wood hit a vicious drive from 25 yards leaving Leno stranded. Flat footed, the net bulging: 2-0 and only 20 minutes played.

Forest were rampant and on 30 minutes Marco Silva threw on 3 substitutes to replace The worst performers from his starting XI. While this steadied the ship for Fulham, it was only temporary respite. MGW was playing his finest and he capped the first half performance with a 3rd Forest goal, a sweet strike into the bottom corner following some simply breathtaking play by Murillo, Danilo and MG himself.

Half time and Forest 3-0 up.

Everyone around me expected something of a response by Fulham as the 2nd half kicked off. For 4 minutes they pushed Forest deep into our own box, and from a corner they pulled a goal back – yet again our weakness at defending a set piece being our Achilles Heel. Contrary to previous experiences this season, Forest did not let this set-back worry them. True, Fulham had wrested the initiative, and the second half was not a repeat of the first. Sels made a couple of excellent reflex saves to deny the opposition, and the bar and post came to our rescue on 2 occasions, but they were after Neco Williams had seen his curling shot from 18 yards out deflected onto the Fulham cross-bar. Origi, on for Hudson-Odoi hit a rasping, rising shot that flashed inches over the cross bar, and in injury time he was in acres of space but his low shot curled agonisingly wide of the far post. The lad really needs a goal to give him a confidence boost!

The final whistle came and the Forest fans who had been loud and proud all match raised the roof in salute of the lads who played their hearts out and secured a much needed 3 points. Pre-match Forza Garibaldi mounted a colourful Trent End display, and it was fitting that the main banner was a picture of MGW, who served up his best performance of the season, and was rewarded with my MOTM award, after a thrilling game where the combined team effort was at the root of our success. That, plus some audacious individual skills from MG, from Danilo, from Murillo, from Aina, from Wood and really from every man who took to the field.

Player Ratings:

Sels: 7 – some vital saves to keep us in it after Fulham scored their only goal early in the 2nd half;

Williams: 7 – played himself into the ground by the end, and was desperately unlucky to see his goal-bound shot get a slight deflection that made it smash against the face of the cross-bar;

Omobamidele: 7 – kept his head, and timed his tackles well to avoid silly fouls and worse;

Murillo: 7 – he and Omo look to be a decent central back partnership, despite not having the height of some of tonight’s opponents;

Aina: 7 – teased and tantalised down Forest’s left wing, but still managed to acquit himself defensively;

Danilo: 7 – some lovely skill, and 100% effort throughout;

Yates: 6 – not one of Ryan’s better games, but he captained the side with authority;

Hudson-Odoi: 8 – took his goal brilliantly and teased his full-back constantly;

Gibbs-White: 10 – what a privilege to witness a full 10 out of 10 performance… possibly even 11 ;

Elanga: 7 – so pleased to see Elanga starting again, and playing an important role in setting up attacks, and nearly scoring;

Wood: 7 – he doesn’t score many from outside the box, so tonight’s long distance strike was a bit of a collector’s item!.

Substitutions:

Origi (on for CHO): 7 – lovely first touch, and fights hard but boy does he need a goal to restore his confidence;

Reyna (on for MGO): 7 – improving with more game time;

Toffolo (on for Aina): 7 – as Aina tired, and Traore started to cause some problems, Toffo was brought on and put a stop to Traore’s trickery;

Dominguez (on for Elanga): 7 – with Fulham dominating the 2nd hald for long periods, Nick was brought on to add a bit more bite to midfield.

Conclusion: a superb win tonight that does ease some of our relegation worries – let’s hope Arsenal win against Luton tomorrow. If we can sneak at least a point at White Hart Lane on Sunday, It will have been a decent return for the first week of April. Nuno went with the right starting XI, and his substitutions were well made.

And for the Foodies out there, tonight a return to the Bridgford fish Bar, but I rang the changes with a battered sausage and chips.

Thanks Cap'n, I agree with most of that except Yates. I would give him a 7 too. He blocked and stopped loads of important shots and passes. Would have been 8,5 if he had scored but we know that is not his strength!!

 

[Mcbeth99]

I presume the scores were being tempered by our nervy second half performance....

 

[king_congo_red]

Thanks Cap'n, I agree with most of that except Yates. I would give him a 7 too. He blocked and stopped loads of important shots and passes. Would have been 8,5 if he had scored but we know that is not his strength!!

Good job really, as there’d be a few needing fished out of the Trent.

 

[Mcbeth99]

It feels great to he a Forest supporter today

Actually wondering if we could possibly nick a point at Spurs now, no way I was thinking that 3 weeks ago. Hope noone from last night is injured for Spurs (eg CHO where the guy was allowed to go through him to get the ball...)

 

[Rockabilly]

I’m enjoying these mushes on the radio highlighting Fulham’s horror show first half, not a word on the fact we shredded them and could have walked off five up at halftime

I'm just so happy the best team won.

 

[MaxiRobriguez]

Thanks Cap'n, I agree with most of that except Yates. I would give him a 7 too. He blocked and stopped loads of important shots and passes. Would have been 8,5 if he had scored but we know that is not his strength!!

Doing his job exceptionally well it's what merited the 8. If you want him to bag a goal as well from outside the box then that's a 9 minimum.

 

[DeletedUser]

I'm just so happy the best team won.

Me too

 

[Joe Baker's Dog]

A truly fantastic night at the WFCG. As everybody else has said MGW was excellent. On my drive home - yes I got home after discovering you could get onto the A46 - Steve Hodge was saying on BBC Radio Nottingham it was the best Number 10 performance he'd seen in years for Forest. The first half was unbelievable. 3 goals superbly well created. We should have had more. the second took what seemed an age but we ended up defending well - for us. A slightly better referee helped but he still missed big fouls on CHO & MGW. Onwards & upwards with the original Reds.

 

[Joe Baker's Dog]

After the Sheffield United playoff I had four different motorway or main road closures to contend with - every time I was diverted by one I came across another. Got to see far more of suburban Coventry than I would have chosen and eventually got home (Gloucestershire) at 02.20.

There's a guy who sits down the front of our block (block R in the LBC) who said last nigh the hoped to get home by 1.30am.......he does live in Kent tho.

 

[RianBrice]

Chuffed to bits with that result, the spirit and disciplined shape the team showed second half and the flair in the first half. The 90 minutes showed the togetherness (including the fans) that we need going into the final straight. Thank you Forest, for making me feel so positive today