Heads will roll

This could be an interesting challenge… I have decided to attempt to write this without taking into account hearsay and rumour… wish me luck!

There is an old song that goes along the lines of “Nottingham, is full of fun. Oh Nottingham is full of fun! It’s full of tits, fanny and Forest, Nottingham is full of fun.” But it’s not that fun being a Nottingham Forest fan at the moment.

Having reached the bottom three of the Championship, the mood was bleak, a Green Scarf campaign started (more on that later) and everyone was to blame – including Robin Chipperfield at BBC Radio Nottingham. Then we went to Watford. It was an ugly 1-0, but it was a win… and a clean sheet. Optimism attempted to rear its ugly head like a glint of sunlight breaking through the clouds. “I’d rather win ugly then lose pretty,” we all said… and “It was at this point we started our great run under Billy to finish third”… The fence-sitters put their green scarves away and pulled out the red ‘uns again, pretending they never supported the campaign in the first place.

So we went to Burnley, thinking we can at least get a point out of this, and maybe, just maybe it will be the start of our upward push! Watford got us out the bottom three, with a good wind Burnley can get us out the bottom half.

4-0 down at half-time and even the most optimistic of fans could see it would be a struggle, and that the clean sheet wasn’t going to happen our way. Colin Fray asked FormerRedsCaptain John McGovern (who had joined him in the commentary box) if he could go home, and many of the fans must have felt the same. Bright side: we drew the second half 1-1 (that’s how they put a positive spin on it, right?).

The Green Scarf brigade were back in force, still not quite sure what or who they were protesting against, but knowing damn well they needed a protest. Arthur Out! Doughty Out! McClaren Out! Terry The Kit Man Out! Ball Boys Out! Tits Out! Someone was going to pay, just as soon as they could agree on who. Of course who would replace Doughty isn’t important, what’s important is he goes and takes his money with him.

Then it happened. Not long after Finance Director John Pelling said on the radio that David Pleat is not an employee of Nottingham Forest, and just advises the chairman as a friend (albeit with commission on signings he identified) Chief Executive Mark Arthur announced that David Pleat had been sacked from Nottingham Forest. The sacrifice had been made, the mob had their head, and Forest didn’t even need to loose a head that was actually connected.

As a casual member of the scouting team, David Pleat was directly responsible for team morale, keeping Lee Camp vocal, and defending crosses, so his departure will allow Keith Burt to step up to the plate and save our humiliation against Birmingham. Will this cunning plan work? Only time will tell, but I would hazard a guess that it won’t make much difference on the pitch, and may only cause a minor delay on renewed calls for Board/Manager/Caterers Out!

God Bless Nottingham Forest and all who fail sail in her.