This weekend – the only real footballing ‘Derby’…

23 August 2009 5 Comments

Last years Championship table would suggest there is not much to choose between Derby County and Nottingham Forest, with only one point seperating the teams, and this season, both sides defensive frailities have been exposed. Any neutral looking on at this fixture would probably but it down as a classic draw between two similar teams, however, i’m not a neutral and i’m praying that the Rams extend their recent dominance over the ‘red dogs’ this Saturday.

Derby fans have had some fun times recently over our rivals down that A52, Forest haven’t beaten us since 2003 when they walloped us 3-0 at the City Ground. Since then the cycle has been in our favour (in the 80’s and 90’s we had a woeful run against them, even when we were playing well under Jim Smith), however, in March 2004 we beat Forest 4-2 at Pride Park, including the notorious ‘coffee cup’ goal from Paul Peschisolido, following this up the next season with a 3-0 whopping at Pride Park. Forest ruined the fun for us by getting relegated, however when they returned to the Championship last season it couldn’t have got much better.

In the Pride Park fixture Derby were robbed only by the incompetence of Stuart Atwell who ruled out a perfectly good goal from Miles Addison to leave the fixture at 1-1. Fate also paired Derby and Forest together in a Fourth Round FA Cup tie. Forest took Derby to a replay at the City Ground, and then it was known that the stakes were high as the victors would go on to play Manchester United in a lucrative fifth round tie.

The FA Cup game at the City Ground was a classic, Derby started disasterously, going 2-0 down when Cohen and Tyson both beat Stephen Bywater. However, the Rams battled back and Kris Commons started to run the game, and what must be the ultimate kick in the teeth to the City Ground faithful he scored in the 74th minute to send Derby through. Robbie Savage rubbed some salt into the wounds, as he does, by waving around a Rams scarf as he left the pitch.

This from a team led by former Nottingham Forest favourite, Nigel Clough, a Forest legend and son of Brian – revered by Derby and Forest fans alike. It must have been really rough to be a Red on that night.

It couldn’t really get much better for a Rams fan. What a way to thrust those ‘worst team in history’ taunts down the Forest fans throats. If they are beaten by the ‘worst team in history’, what does it make them ?

Oh no, wait it did get better, a couple of weeks later we then beat them again at the City Ground 1-3. So we hadn’t so much as laid a finger on them in their shed since the 70s, then two wins at the City Ground at once….bliss

The downside is, Forest must truely be up for revenge this Saturday, if they aren’t motivated for this seasons clash, they never will be.

So having had my bit of fun, what will the outcome of Saturday’s game be? I don’t want to say too much for fear of putting a jinx on my side, but truth be told there really isn’t that much seperating them, it could come down to whichever side gets the rub of the green and a bit of luck and whichever defence makes the least mistakes. My head says this is going to be a draw, (as it usually does).

Forest haven’t started well, and the pressure will be very much on Billy Davies’ to get one over his former team to kick start their season.

Derby fans are of course grateful to him for taking them to the Premiership, but when he tooks us there it was a double-edged sword, he also left the team with much acrimony and when Paul Jewell inherited the side, Derby became the previously mentioned ‘worst team in history’, with a record breaking Premiership season of awfulness, so much so the fans were named the ‘players of the season’ due to a lack of suitable playing candidates.

Derby and Preston fans both now know to their cost that Billy Davies can be a good championship manager, but he is abrasive and likely to cut and run when the going gets tough. Forest fans be warned, Billy Davies may very well take you on a rollercoaster ride, when it works it can be great, but he’ll also take you to lows. his preferred football style also isn’t pretty.

Davies has spent a lot of money on his Forest side in Championship terms, splashing out £6 million on new players, however as is always the case with Davies it’s not all plain sailing. He has been squawking at his board in frustration at missing out on several targets, and has all but demanded a longer contract, the recent arrival of David Pleat as a consultant at the City Ground has also further ruffled his feathers.

Forest are at the moment top-heavy with a collection of strikers, and oddly for a side manager by Billy Davies, Forest are looking to outscore opponents. This isn’t really the Billy Davies way. As most Rams fans know he prefers the 1-0 win and a solid defence.

So Forest are in a strange position. In contrast Nigel Clough is still in his early days as a championship manager, but he will be looking to play the kind of football Forest want to play, in the Clough style, and if we do this to them at the City Ground I’m not sure there are many in the City that will forgive him!

Put simply, Davies and Forest needs a result on Saturday, if he doesn’t get one over the Rams – the gossip will start go begin that his Forest days are numbered. I can see this happening and many Forest fans again calling for a former favourite to take over

A reason for optimism for Forest fans will be that free-kick specialist Radoslaw Majewski might show the form he did against QPR, and if any Forest player is going to threaten Derby it could be him or if he is playing Robert Earnshaw will always be keen to put one over Derby after his spell at the club ended in acrimony, then again perm any one from six of the Forest forward line if Davies can hit the right combination. In the 1-1 draw last season another ex-ram Lee Camp played a blinder, will he be motivated to have another good game?

Derby are currently 5 points away from Forest, at this stage of the season, it doesn’t appear to really matter much. However towards the end, it could mean all the difference. Three points for the Rams and a first away win could propel us up into the play-off zone, a loss would dint our confidence and our pride, at least temporarily. A draw really wouldn’t be the end of the world neither,and i think most Rams fans would probably settle for one, but of course we dearly want the win again, and to win in style.

The pressure it seems though is all on Forest.

We’ve started with two reasonable home wins against the potential banana skins of Peterborough and Plymouth, but we had an horrendous time at Scunthorpe when the defence leaked goals and we were knocked out of the Carling Cup by Rotherham, both worrying results.

Like Forest our defence isn’t the best and even in the win against Plymouth it looked tentative, although we have yet to see if Dean Leacock will come back or if Shaun Barker will get a game with Jake Buxton currently the preferred option.

If the right Derby team turns up again though, I’m hoping we’ll have enough to win it, Commons, Hulse, Croft and Teale should be good enough to give the Forest defence a testing time…fingers crossed and bring the game on…..

5 Comments »

David ( Denmark ) said:

A good write up and i have the same feelings myself with regards to the outcome sat. I realise the Forest will be at home and the crowd and Billy need a win so it should be fun for the first 15 minutes.I expect a Forest onslaught from the start as they go all out attack for the first 15 minutes!!. OOPS sorry that may have happened years ago but remember this is Billy Davies , naaaaaaaaaaaa a slow start to the game a classic hard faught game a headed goal from a corner for Miles Addison ( Not dissallowed this time ) while croft, Teale and Commons running rings around the static Forest defence. Hulse to pop up with a couple of goals and maybe one from everyones Hero Robbie Savage to make a perfect end to my Birthday week.Rams win 4-0 savage is waving his scarf again and Billy Davies resignes on Sunday and David Platt returns.

# 24 August 2009 at 9:35 pm

This is Football said:

Cheers David! 4-0 would be awesome

# 25 August 2009 at 7:17 am

REDORDEAD said:

very succinctly put , I thought elv.

3-1 to the tricky trees , with earnie orchestrating A block again.

# 25 August 2009 at 11:50 am

Peter Howt said:

Well, I don’t mind telling you, I’m dirtying my pants with the thought of them sheep worriers coming to the City Ground.
I see that Campy is rested for tonights game, maybe he will need to be fresh and not have a bad back because I fear he will be bending down and picking the ball out of the net a few times on Saturday.

I hope that we don’t conceed 8 goals again, as I will have to move down south.

Anyway, I’m not going to the game, as I like to preach everything about forest and gee everybody up without actually putting my hand into my pocket to help the club.

We won the europeon cup you know, twice even, me dad told me all about it.

You REDS.

p.s. Billy out!

# 25 August 2009 at 8:13 pm