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Manager:
|
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Colin
Calderwood |
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Ground
Name:
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City Ground |
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Capacity:
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30,602
(all seated |
|
Last
Season Prediction:
|
|
N/A |
|
Last
Season Position
|
|
Promoted
from League One |
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Official
Web Site:
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www.nottinghamforest.co.uk |
|
Unofficial
Site:
|
|
Blooming
Forest |
| |
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|
| |
|
| To Win
the League |
33/1
|
| To Get
Promoted |
10/1
|
| |
|
Robert Earnshaw (Derby)
Paul Anderson (Liverpool) - SEASON LONG LOAN
Guy Moussi (Angers)
Andrew Cole (Sunderland)
| Date |
Opponents |
Score
|
| 18th July |
Kickers
Offenbach |
2-1
|
| 22nd July |
Burton
Albion |
3-1
|
| 23rd July |
AFC
Telford |
4-1
|
| 25th July |
Everton |
1-1
|
| 28th July |
Curzon
Ashton |
1-2
|
| 30th July |
Sunderland |
0-1
|
| 2nd August |
Notts
County |
3-2
|
| |
|
|
QPR fans will know how Forest
fans have been feeling these last few years. Like us they suffered
relegation despite former glories in the top division. Forest's
glories of course were far greater than ours but that counts for
little in league one as Leeds found out last year.
Forest were the big fish in a
small pond and after a playoff defeat in 2007 nothing other than
automatic promotion would do for them.
Colin Calderwood was under big
pressure and his side looked to be choking with firepower from Tyson
and Agogo not enough to push them into the top two and with Kris
Commons linked with a move away in January things looked tough for
Forest.
Forest fans were getting ready
for a fourth year in league one until they knuckled down and went
on a storming run taking nineteen points from the last twenty one
on offer which was enough to pip Doncaster to promotion on the final
day of the season.
They did it against a Yeovil side
who had ended their promotion dreams a year earlier and win them
back a place in the Championship which is the least their fans think
they deserve.
After years struggling to get
up Forest will now find themselves in a league where the pressure
is not on so much and that could be a huge benefit to them.
For the last three years they
have been expected to walk every match but now expectations will
be to just stay up and progress from there. Of course Forest fans
will expect more and to be honest they could well get more this
season.
Colin Calderwood has always been
a safety first manager and will look to make his side hard to beat.
The loss of Kirs Commons will hurt but they have brought in some
real quality up front with Robert Earnshaw and Andrew Cole both
capable of scoring a lot of goals at this level.
Forest also have momentum with
them similar to Bristol City last season that can get them through
the early months which can define the season.
The weakness for Forest appears
to be in midfield where they will miss Commons and Clingan but the
addition of Paul Anderson will go some way to solving that.
I can see Forest having a good
season back in the Championship and think they'll be the surprise
package, although me tipping them to do well means I won't actually
be surprised so expect the surprise package to be the three I tipped
to go down.
You get my drift anyway and I
think they'll be close to the playoffs.
PREDICTION:
8th in the Championship
|
Nottingham
Forest Fans View
|
I asked Nottingham Forest fans on an unofficial message
board for their thoughts on the new season and here is what they
had to say.
How do you think Nottingham
Forest will fare this season?
9th
Who are your players to
watch out for?
Rob Earnshaw
Is your Manager the right
man for the job?
Yes but would like to see
more passing football
Which three teams will
be promoted this season?
QPR, Wolves and Birmimgham
Which teams will be relegated?
Doncaster, Preston and
Derby
How do you think QPR will
fare this season?
Top two
Perhaps
the best player to ever wear a QPR shirt was sold to Nottingham
Forest in 1978.
Stan
Bowles wonderful skills and showmanship helped make the
mid 1970's such a golden era in the history of Queens Park Rangers.
Stan won just five international
caps mostly due to his antics off the field rather than the genius
he displayed on it. Like most football geniuses his talent on the
field was matched with many off field problems and his private life
is almost as fascinating as his playing career.
Former Rangers star Don Givens
describes Stan as "the most talented player I ever played with or
saw in action" and not many QPR fans that saw him would disagree.
On the other end of the scale
John Curtis joined QPR from Forest last summer and it's safe to
say he wasn't the best player we've ever seen in the hoops. I'll
leave it at that.
Gino Padula had a spell at Forest
after doing so well at QPR where he was a very popular defender
whilst Nigel Quashie began his career at QPR and went on to be a
decent player for Forest.
Rangers have never won at the City Ground
and since this web site started the results have been mixed.
In 1999 Rangers fell a goal behind thanks
to Ian Wright but the former Arsenal man also missed a penalty in
an incident that saw Jermaine Darlington sent off. Ten man Rangers
battled back well though and earned a point thanks to a late Karl
Ready goal.
The return game was also a draw. Chris
Kiwomya gave Rangers the lead before the returning Nigel Quashie
won his side a point.
The following season rangers were in
the middle of a dire run when Forest came to town and Rangers battled
and fought to a narrow 1-0 win thanks to Peter Crouch's goal. The
return game was another draw as Stuart Wardley scored a late equaliser.
We met again in 2004 after our three
year stay in league one and lost up at the City ground. Georges
Santos scored for Rangers but Joe Kinnears men ended up with a 2-1
win.
At Loftus Road a win for QPR would see
Forest relegated and thats what happened as a John Curtis own goal
and a screamer from Marc Bircham saw Forest relegated to league
one.
Click on the match for a report of the game from this web site.
|
All Time
Record
|
|
|
|
|
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Queen's Park Rangers
wins
|
draws
|
Nottingham Forest
Wins
|
| League
Game |
12
|
13
|
19
|
| Cup Games |
1
|
2
|
5
|
| Total |
13
|
15
|
24
|
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