by Simon Hough
... our very own Roving Reporter!


At the half-way point of the season we find ourselves with an unbalanced squad, injuries mounting, unable to score, leaking goals and staring relegation to league 1. We have one of the most one-paced, boring and uninspiring teams in recent years. Cotterill is still working with McClaren’s back-room staff and players without any budget to do anything about it. The forthcoming transfer window represents the only way in which we can get our way out of this mess, but there are bound to be sacrifices we have to make.

One of his biggest challenges will be to either get the best from or get rid of McClaren’s signings who have brought very little to the club. We have an opportunity to change things around but we don’t possess many players with real value and our current position doesn’t lend itself to inflated valuations. Having said that, we could do a lot worse than clear out many of the under-performers who have got us into this position in the first place.

For a side in our perilous state, some of the performances this season have been disgraceful. Having been through the criticism of the board/managers etc., the players have escaped fairly lightly and it’s about time they took responsibility for some of the rubbish they have produced. Our once proud home record is now a distant memory with away performances only marginally better.

The likes of Chambers, Greening, Moussi, McGugan should be embarrassed at their contributions this season. In reserve, Derbyshire, Boateng, Findley and McGoldrick have had opportunities from the bench and generally done nothing to impress. Even our most consistent players like Camp and Gunter seem to have lost the desire to play for the club and as full internationals can’t be happy to hang around for long in the current position.

We used to be at our most dangerous when breaking up opposition’s attacks and then catching them effectively on the break. The speed and perceived threat of Tyson and Earnshaw left space for others to exploit as they would be doubly marked. The quality and balance of our midfield was often the difference between sides and gave us the edge to turn draws into wins. The loss of Cohen from midfield is one of the core reasons we are in this mess and makes McClaren’s decision to play him at left back even more ridiculous.

Looking through the options available, there are some tough choices ahead…

Camp still represents a much better option than the flapping Smith but certainly hasn’t reached the heights of previous seasons. There have been some horrendous errors in front of him and as a result he’s been left badly exposed. With January looming and being a current international, he unfortunately represents one of our most saleable assets at a time when he need his presence in goal. Making Smith first choice would only compound the uncertainty and confusion that currently exists in our defence. In reality, no one would blame him for wanting to better himself and play for a more organised club.

Gunter has been relatively poor this season, with spells where he’s been unable to get into the side and then having to fill in at right midfield. A number of goals were conceded due to his inability to prevent crosses from wide areas or failing to deal with crosses arriving from the other side. However, in recent games he’s started to rediscover some appetite for the game and getting forward to support the midfield. As with Camp, he’s one of the few players with genuine value and with Moloney in reserve, he might not be around for much longer.

Chambers has been nothing short of a disaster as captain this season. He’s been responsible for a large percentage of the individual defensive errors that have plagued this season. In no shape or form does he lead or inspire on the pitch and it’s a surprise that Cotterill hasn’t moved the captaincy elsewhere to allow him to concentrate on defending properly. Whilst it might be easy in hindsight, the decision to make him captain on the basis of only one decent season in a settled position was a very poor one. Unfortunately, he’s currently our only fit centre back and we’ll have to persist with him in the short term. However, with his contract expiring in the summer, he’s not going to have a saleable value for much longer.

Morgan has had a reasonable season has been around for ages but maybe it’s time for a change at centre back. The centre back partnership has never looked stable this season so maybe its time we brought in a short term experienced alternative and started again in the summer. As with Chambers, he’s out of contract soon and might have to be sold whilst he still retains some value.

Lynch has been one of the few bright points to this season and has shown moments of genuine promise playing in his preferred centre back position. He’s looked solid defensively and assured in possession in contrast to others around him. However, it’s the same old story with injuries. Just as he finds the form and opportunity to claim a regular place in the side, he’s quickly back on the treatment table. Another one out of contract but has done enough to justify offering him an extension.

Cunningham has added balance down the left hand side along with youthful enthusiasm without being outstanding. As with most young players, there’s been the occasional dip in form but he’s generally done a decent job. With the loan arrangement ending at the end of December, we can look forward to our bi-annual left back hunt starting again very soon.

Anderson has suffered a number of injuries this season but even when fit, he continues to frustrate. For a winger, he just isn’t effective enough and we need more than someone who can run around for ninety minutes. His crossing is below average; he lacks the talent or confidence to beat an opponent and doesn’t score enough goals for the side. At best, his work-rate adds defensive cover in front of the fullback but we’re desperate for inspiration going forward where he contributes little. For some reason, we’ve never seen the direct running/goal scoring winger that previously played for Swansea. Out of contract at the end of this season and hasn’t done enough to justify another one.

Reid clearly isn’t the same player we remember from years ago but at least shows a desire to play for the club. He was the only one fighting for the club during the Leeds embarrassment and in the end, his frustrations cost him the red card. With better alternatives in central midfield, we should be able to accommodate him down the left hand side, especially with a pacey left back behind him. He still remains one of the few creative players at the club and we have to find a regular starting place for him.

McGugan has been the biggest disappointment of the squad this season. At no stage has he come close to the excellent string of performances he used to produce on a weekly basis. Davies started to get the best out of him but this season he’s been in and out of the side and struggled to have any influence. When selected, his work-rate is nothing close to last season where he earned the praise he received; now he’s reverted back to showboating in a struggling side when we need effort more than ever. We previously used him on the left hand side of a midfield diamond and this worked well. However, we’ve tended to employ a standard flat midfield this season and too often he’s been stuck on the left touchline. When used with Greening in central midfield, they are simply too slow and lack the work-rate to compete in this league. Certainly has the potential to play at a higher level but maybe it’s time to sell and move on.

Greening’s arrival has been a disaster from the start and his 3 year contract contradicts everything about the current financial position at the club. He looks nothing like the dominating all-action midfielder from his West Brom days and instead has wandered through a number of games offering nothing that someone, much cheaper/younger, from a lower level could have. We badly need someone with energy; drive and commitment in central midfield (like McKenna’s first season) to get the side moving forward together. It looks unlikely than anyone will take him off our hands so we’re stuck with him for the next 2.5 years and we’ll have to find a midfield balance to get the best from him.

Moussi was always a Jekyll and Hyde performer for Forest but once fit, his performances tended to positively dictate how well the side would play. Our best runs over previous season would generally coincide with a fit Moussi controlling the midfield. This season the inconsistencies have been worse than ever, there’s no question about his ability to tackle and stop the opposition but his passing is so poor for a professional footballer. When on-form, he remains our best hope of winning midfield battles and is certainly someone we have to persevere with and get the best from.

Majewski has certainly shown promise at times this season but too often has been restricted to left wing positions which clearly don’t suit him. Still remains a luxury player at a time where we need to be showing some fight and it seems impossible to get both him and McGugan playing in the same side.

Boateng was favoured consistently by McClaren but hasn’t figured at all under Cotterill despite being fit again. He’s another player out of contract in the summer and unlikely to be here much longer.

McCleary has recently returned from injury and added some pace down the right hand side. However, if we’re relying on him to provide enough quality to stay in this league, it shows how far our standards have fallen. He’s out of contract in the summer but probably worth persevering with in the short term as he’s not going to be a high-earner.

Tudgay has worked tirelessly for the side but simply isn’t capable of scoring enough goals with the poor support provided by our midfield. With the technically superior Blackstock returning from injury, his appearances may be limited in future.

Findley has been a big disappointment after the promising cameos towards the end of last season. He’s often looked out of his depth and barely worth a place on the bench. However, it’s surely time to give him another run of games in the short term to at least introduce some extra pace to the side and try something different.

Miller provides the only genuine goal threat from our forward line and has been badly missed from the side due to injury. However, he doesn’t look much of a team player openly showing disapproval to team-mates on the pitch when he doesn’t get the service he expects. We badly need him fit and leading the line as soon as possible. However, like Greening, having signed him from the Premier League, he must be one of the top earners and it’s debatable whether we’re likely to see value for money from him.

Derbyshire has had limited performances from the bench and has done nothing to suggest that McClaren didn’t only buy him to add numbers to the squad.

It's going to be tough sorting through that mess but we've got to do something and getting value for money is going to be even harder. The success or failure of this exercise will determine which league we're in next season...