Match Report
Bournemouth v Nottingham Forest - Wednesday 21st July 1999
Reporters: Gareth Moore / Jon Ball
We Couldn't get any one down to Bournemouth for the friendly last night. It was just too far, what with work and all. So, a couple of lads on the NFFC mailing list, who did get there, posted reports to the list. They both offer different, and obviously personal views on the team and game. We include them here for those of you who have not yet subscribed to the list.
For those who are not aware yet Forest lost the game 3-1.
Gareth Moore is first up, he is a season ticket holder in the newly named Brian Clough stand. He works down south (for IBM) and lives in Bracknell, so it was a relatively easy game for him to get to.
"After watching last nights disaster, I racked my brain but I can't think of any valid reason why Chettle is a first choice central defender, let alone captain. As a player he is now a good player at best. But Forest need young players who are capable of developing into players who are if not world class, definitely top premiership class .
Chettle is not that player, definitely not these days anyway. And as for being captain no way. He is the most pathetic excuse for a captain I have ever seen. Last night I got to the game ten minutes late when we were 2-0 down, and for the remainder of the first half I didn't see/hear him say a single word. I don't know that much about football, but isn't a captain supposed to gee up his players when they are playing badly?
And as for last night. In case anyone doesn't know, we lost to Bournemouth 3-1. The team started out as follows.
Beasant
Bonalair Doig Chettle Rogers
Melton Palmer Quashie Bart-Williams
Freedman Harewood
As I said, I missed the first 10 minutes, and Bournemouth's first 2 goals. Bournemouth were the better team for the whole of the first half accept for a short 5/10 minute spell during which Quashie got Forest's only goal. To tell you the truth even the goal was messy. As far as I remember, there was a scramble for the ball which came out to Quashie outside the area who blasted a wonderful shot into the top corner. Doig looked fairly good in the first half especially as he had to do a fair bit of covering for Chettle who seemed like he didn't really want to be playing. Beasant was very verbal (if he was the first choice keeper, I would say make him captain). Quashie looked up for the game, making some good runs and passes.
I agree he also made some poor passes but even then most of those were very good ideas poorly executed. I think he has got the most vision in a Forest shirt since Nigel Clough. Rogers suffered as a result of being pushed back to left-back. Bart-Williams never has a good game out on the wing and he didn't last night.
The team started the second half unchanged. After a while Gray and Guinan came on for Harewood and Palmer? with Gray playing on the right wing and Melton being moved into the centre of midfield. Bournemouth then changed their whole team apart from their striker. Other changes in the half for Forest were: Burns? on for Melton, Edwards on for Doig and Allou? on for Quashie with Allou playing on the left wing and Bart-Williams moving into the centre. Gray had a fairly good game down the right. Doig playing well until he was taken off (why he was taken off and not Chettle I will never know). Bonalair looked fairly good on times both going forward and defending. I think that Allou should have replaced Bart-Williams not Quashie. I agree Quashie was making more mistakes then in the first half but as I said earlier most of those were due to him trying to be too clever. He needs a good run the team, to get his match fitness to catch up with his brain.
Overall the thing that worried me most last night is that Forest were outplayed by not just one Bournemouth team but 2 Bournemouth teams. Do you think that the Football league could postpone the season by one month because that is what Forest need at the moment."
Gareth Moore.
Jon Ball also attended the match, and after reading Gareth's report on the list felt compelled to respond with his own views on the game. His report follows.
"Well, football is all about opinions, and mine differs quite a bit Gareth.
I thought Doig was terrible (didn't know it was him until now). He was continually beaten in the air, and just lumped it forward, he seemed very out of depth.
As for the rest of the team, Dougie was poor, the rest not much better. Lots of pretty intricate midfield passing, but never getting anywhere, just back to defence to back it long.
First goal for them, Thierry showed the wingback inside, so he cut in and shot straight through Beasant.
Second goal, Rogers out of position, Chettle covered and failed to put a tackle in. Cross came over and Doig was quite convincingly outjumped by the tall centre forward who headed home.
Great shot from Quashie to pull one back - in off the bar in the top corner, after some fairly neat passing around the box involving Dougie, Bartman and I think Marlon.
Their third, scrappy, deflected shot Bes stopped with his foot, straight to edge of six yard box, sure enough not one of our defenders reacted, their number 8 blasted home.
Not much else to say really, about 2-300 trickies there, poor performance, no bite (but do you expect any in a friendly), nothing up front, very much like most of last season, resorting to aimless long balls.
good points - Melton is improving, Gray played well and Bart-man seems better - he had no pre-season training last year, I hope the same doesn't affect Johnno when he is fit again.
As for Bournemouth - one sub at half time, Mark Stein coming in up front, then midway into the second half, the funny sight of the other ten going off, leaving Stein on his own before the ten subs ran on - cue Cherries fans singing 'there's only one Mark Stein'"
Cheers
Jon