Mr Wolf

Fair enough Purple Canary, you are more informed of his performances over there than I am. Their consensus seems similar to ours as a group of fans then, with people appearing divided but the general consensus being he''s not quite up to the task. As I say, for me, I think his real issue in terms of compatibility with the British game is his lack of physicality and if he had significantly more strength he would be much more worthy of a stint in our team up front (if there was ever a need i.e. through injury etc). He just doesn''t offer enough all round for me but I don''t think it''s a lack of quality, it''s more the lack of confidence and strength. I haven''t watched a lot of French football I must confess - how does it compare on the physical side? As if you''d think it is nowhere near as physical then my whole argument is potentially flawed!

A few points here... For all those saying RVW ''failed'' at St. Etienne, how do you define failure? He scored 9 goals in 35 games there in all competitions, and many of those appearances were from the bench. He scored some good goals playing up front on his own as well. Ligue 1 may not be the same level as the Prem but if it''s good enough for Zlatan it aint to be sniffed at. The only season in the last few years he hasn''t scored goals was under hapless Hughton, and we all know what our playing style was like that season; we barely made it out of our own half most games and if we did it was invariably brought forward by Snodgrass, who just couldn''t bring himself to cross the ball early enough to make the sort of chance a poacher would thrive off. Confidence has played a huge part, as it does with any striker. The longer a striker goes without a goal the harder it gets as the natural instincts go out of the window, they end up taking extra touches they wouldn''t normally take to try and make clearer chances etc. Especially when they have the expectations that come with a big price tag. I''m defending him here, but that is just basic human psychology. I am certain that given a run in the team and with the right service Ricky would score goals and get his confidence up. For me, the main thing that''s lacking in his game is not finishing ability or the instincts required to play as a lone CF. It''s his physicality that is just not there - he''s the same height as Grant Holt but his build is a lot slimmer. It baffles me why he hasn''t just hit the gym and tried to work on this (maybe he has but it doesn''t show). At his age and with the right guidance surely it would not be beyond the realms of possibility to pack on some extra muscle. He looks about 11 stone. Holt was apparently around 12.5 when he was in the prem (although I found this hard to believe as he looked more like 14.5 to me). Surely some heavy weights and a few protein shakes could make a difference and push Ricky more towards being a genuine contender in the Prem? Or do we think that significant muscular gains would be at the detriment of other aspects of his game? For me it would only be a positive as physical presence is a key requirement for a lone striker in this league and without that I don''t think we are ever going to get the returns from him in this league that he is capable of in leagues with less physicality / arguably more reliance on skill.

1) his unrelenting swooning over the opposition''s quality in pre-match interviews 2) his unrelenting swooning over the opposition''s quaility in post-match interviews 3) his tendency to mention our own players'' lack of quality in the final third after every game - hardly motivational 4) his treatment of fringe players and his inability to mix up his team selections or ever take a gamble. Once his mind is made about about who he wants in the team, the others hardly stand a chance regardless of the opposition. 5) his refusal to ever even try the wingers we have at our disposal on the side that corresponds with their stronger foot which ultimately results in a lack of early quality balls in the box and contributes to a lack of good service for our forwards and in turn a lack of goals. 6) his love affair with Robert Snodgrass which results in him being the first name on the team sheet even if he looks unfit, short on confidence or out of form. 7) his apparent contempt towards David Fox - who if used properly could in my mind have been the key to much better results during this dreadful spell 8) his ridiculous substitutions, in particular going to two up front too late to make any difference in fear of. Indexing at the other end. Even at home to a side we should be beating comfortably 9) the way he pretends to be a manager instead of what he actually is - a coach - by wearing a suit. 10) the way he pronounces the word ''any'' as ''Annie''.

I can confirm Josh Murphy is definitely starting tomorrow night barring any last minute changes of heart from cautious Chrissy

Bunn also made some tremendous saves to keep us in the game.  He was rightly awarded man of the match.

Fifth on current form:   http://www.footymad.net/form_tables/premier_league/index.shtml   Not really that much to moan about if you ask me.

[quote user="grefstad"]Welll...try to shake things up a bit by benching Holt for a start. And give Jackson and Morison a chance to see what they can do. That might bring some fresh ideas. Holty is a certain starter, and his form seem to be suffering. Let Morison run like hell for 60 mins, and Holty can come in, and likely find it easier to score against tiring defenders. Morison for a start spot vs Sunderland![/quote]   So you''d change the formation that has earned us three consecutive home wins, including Utd and Arsenal and strong stoke, all with clean sheets.  We''ve conceded three goals in seven games, including four away games and are unbeaten in seven.   Jackson does not fit into the formation.  You could try Morison up front on his own but I think Holt offers a lot more.  He just needs a ball to fall nicely for him to smash in and he''ll probably go on another run.   I actually cannot beleive people are fretting about this.  You can''t have it both ways.  Like Fergie recently said, make yourself hard to score against and you always have a chance of nicking it, which we have proven in recent weeks.  We''ve also shown tremendous character to come from behind in three of our last four away games.   Some people will always find something to moan about.  If we defended as well as we have been and scored more as well, we''d be top of the league, but we simply do not have the resources to have a strong attack and defence all at once.  Only a few teams in the World do.

[quote user="Hairy Canary"] I couldn''t disagree more. What do you lot want? We''re on the longest unbeaten premiership run since 1993, taken 13 points from the last seven games (four of them away) and beaten Man U and Arsenal. FFS!   Of course things can always improve but there is every chance that if we change things then it could get worse not better. I get so chessed off with people saying we haven''t scored two goals for however long. The last time we managed it we let in 5! One was enough to beat United.   While things continue like this then leave it alone!  [/quote] Spot on.  Let''s not complain as we are on a brilliant run of results.  I don''t understand some people''s negativity when we''re doing so well.   It comes back to getting a balance between attack and defence.  If we try and bomb forward on every occasion we will undoubtedly leak goals.   I think Hughton has started to get the balance spot on. Beating Arsenal, Stoke and Man Utd with clean sheets in successive home games is phenominal and let''s not forget we''ve come from behind to earn valuable points in three of our last four away games, keeping another clean sheet in the other.     The formation he has adopted has been the key to our success and as long as we don''t get hit with an injury crisis there is no reason why we won;t continue to shut teams out, week in week out.    Long may it continue.

[quote user="Norfolk Mustard"] I can''t see what Danny Graham would offer over & above Simeon Jackson or Steve Morison. Graham isn''t a greater finisher/hold-up player than either of those two. Should there be any truth in the rumours perhaps one or both of our players are also on the move in Jan?...     [/quote] Err, I think he is a better finisher than Jackson.  You don''t score 13 premier league goals from not being a great finisher. He also got 24 Championship goals in one season which is more than Holt, Simeon or Morison managed. £5m would be a massive bargain considering he''s still only 27 and has proved he can score goals in the Prem.   Hope this is true.

Come on people. Dig deep into your pockets and get behind the boys.  £30 is a lot of money, but the lads need your support so we can progress! Also if we sell 20,000 tickets that''s well over half a million pumped into the club in gate receipts - not a bad thing really?! The club has a business to run here so can''t be giving the tickets away for free.  Stop being so tight and give the lads the support they need and deserve!!

[quote user="lake district canary"][quote user="The gut"]LDC - so what makes you think Wes hasn''t been learning. 3 seasons ago he was playing in the 3rd division. I think he is a far better player now, far better than when he joined us. I think his work rate, tackling, sharpness, and for me, without a doubt, his decision making has improved season on season. He may not be perfect but would be on my team sheet along with Holt and Bassong before I started adding the other names. I think he has always suffered from a lack of appreciation by our fans, who barely sing his name from one game to the next. Personally I don''t get it, how so many don''t seem to see the influence he has on our performances. Additionally he takes the blame when some of the quick free kicks don''t pay off, for me, it''s others not being as switched on or aware. Yes he gets some wrong but so have our previous heros.[/quote] For what its worth, gut, I do see the improvement in his play.  But there is  room for more improvement still.    Maybe I chose the wrong week to have started a thread like this,  but over the course of this season I have lost count of the times when there were passing options for him and he has twiddled around in circles not really getting anywhere.   I feel we need more directness in our football.   Hoolahan often slows it up by turning on the ball all the time giving defenders time to organise.    I''m not against him being in the team and I have criticised other players too.   I just want them all to improve - individually and collectively. [/quote]   Sorry, but..''twiddling around in circles? '' How can you not see that when he does that it draws opposition defenders - even those of the top teams - all over the place leaving gaps for others to exploit? His ability to twist and turn like this is one of his greatest assets and this leads to a lot of our attacking threat.   Give the guy a break.  If he gave the ball away any less and converted more of his chances he''d basically be David Silva and rated at about £50m.

Wow. I only wanted an update on Vaughan and Ayala!   This is a very strange forum..  I think some of you may have been on here a bit too much and become a little detached from reality.

Does anyone know why Ayala was withdrawn at half time against Peterborough?

[quote user="Canarinator_T1000"]Can''t speak about Vaughan much, other than I believe he is on Twitter and occasionally twitting about how much he is enjoying himself. As for Ayala - he''s doing well. My dad is a Forest fan and seen him play a few times this season. Said he looks pretty composed and measured and has won Man of the Match for 3 games in a row. I watched the Forest v Derby match on telly and he looked good. I''ve always seen the best in him (albeit in the limited matches he played last season) and hopefully we will have a cracking CB, living up to his potential, coming back to us next season.[/quote]   Thanks for the update.  I like Ayala too and was surprised to see him go out on loan as I think he''s a quality CB. Good to hear he is performing well. Would be good alongside Bassong I think as we''d have a bit more composure playing out from the back than with Barnett whose distribution is not the greatest.

Does anyone know how Ayala is getting on? I''m guessing he''s injured again as he hasn''t really featured for Forest - anything serious? Maybe Hughton knew something we didn''t when he farmed him out on loan somewhat surprisingly.   Any news on Vaughan''s latest injury? Last I heard was that Grayson was desperately trying to reassure fans that his injury woes had not returned to haunt him. Again, the decision to loan him out was questionned by many but if he remains unable to compete for more than a handful of games at a time then I think it will prove to have been the right decision.   I notice Zak Whitbread - who a lot of us were disspointed to see go - has also been injured again and not really featured for Leicester.