Hoofball/Football

Might our pitch as well as look like this? "Agricultural" Football surfaces at its ideal.

The main criticism of the Pearce tenure so far is mainly the balance between the rather agricultural football being served up, and the desire for a passing game which Forest fans identify with. Bare no illusions in this article, I prefer a passing game, good football, played well and with style. However for the purpose of the following let us entertain the notion it’s a viable option.

Forest fans pride themselves for a passing game being the very DNA of the team. Spoiled for years with a successful manager who also insisted on Football being played on the ground, it enters the fabric of the club. The Nottingham Forest way. I as much as any fan who grew up in the 80’s and the 90’s identify with this. But we have another generation who see it as an identity without actually truly experiencing it save for short bursts under particular managers.

Indeed it can be argued we haven’t been truly a passing team for the last 15 years. Yes the golden era for which we use as many a focal point for our clubs identity was in such an era, but were we truly spoiled?

If we were playing agricultural football and winning, would the vehement critics of the style of play speak so loudly? It’s possible they would, but its always a case of many fans stay quiet when they watch a winning team. We had teams who played pretty before and lost and does it really get us anywhere? You can claim morale victories but if your just getting out muscled then in reality the League Table will tell another story.

Above all I want to watch a winning team. Secondary a team playing with style. The dream is both.

But with the recent run, and it seems that with bad form comes a default mode of punting it long to the faster players to run round the back . All well and good if it works, but to have poor results and bad football, it makes for disgruntled fans. I’ve spoken before that many older fans will give Pearce a lot of slack in this. He is the greatest playing legend ever at the club arguably, so he has a lot of fans patience and buy in. Where things go wrong is this weird hinterland of fans who are used to an era of bad football and not fully appreciating quite what Stuart Pearce means to the club.