Firstly I'd like to congratulate little brother Nottingham for doing better than us so far this season.
Strett told us the combination of a squad stacked to the rafters with journeymen, championship fodder and the footballing principles of the Billy Davies', Aitor Karanka's and Sabri Lambrusco's of this world would finally overcome the more difficult to achieve attacking, passing, easy on the eye and fluent principles of play as championed by the McLaren's, Lampard's and Cocu's of this world.
It doesn't take a mathematical genius to figure out the table. The proof appears to be in the pudding. We sit inconsistently mid table and Forest have consistently been in the playoffs with their mediocre and methodical take on the modern game. However, as we saw the notoriously fickle Forest faithful stream out of a dilapidated stadium bathed in the hues of a fading pink, it made me ponder the question of beauty vs the beast a little more.
What is one without the other? From an attacking football perspective you get a high quality game when two footballing teams collide. From an anti-football perspective, you get the race to the bottom, who can attack the least and who can be the biggest mouse or coward. When both managers want to give control of the game to the opposition, what gives?
It seems Forest on their travels have been quite willing to exploit the space left behind by teams that attack, at home when they're actually expected to have a go, they've been found wanting. To quote some close Forest fans actually "incapable of playing football".
I'm not attacking Anti-Football per se, there's no right or wrong way to play the beautiful or ugly game, but I think there are maybe lessons in longevity and sustainability we can draw from teams such as Nottingham Forest.
Their formula has proven quite successful this season, we sit back and stifle play then exploit the spaces that are left behind. However, at what point does this strategy alone actually become counter productive. Will the Gary Rowett's of this world out Anti-football them, will they fall apart when playing weaker teams who like them can't actually pass the flucking ball or will they plod along and out mediocre all the other averages and make the play offs?
For a team that hasn't made the playoffs in a very long time, how will they negotiate their home leg when they're supposed to bring the fire and lastly what if they get promoted playing only like this? As Karanka's ill fated tour of the Premier, showed with Middlesblubber you cannot always sit back, sometimes you have to show courage and be brave enough to actually play football.
A lot of Derby fans feel rightly humiliated at the sight of a team that can't string more than 4 passes together sitting higher than them in the league but I think it might be wise to humble up and see the bigger picture. In the immortal words of that footballing sage Peter Beagrie when analysing Savage vs QPR's Tarrabt he said it is far easier to be destructive than creative.
As cracks are seemingly starting to appear at the city ground, elsewhere they are starting to show signs of healing, maybe the table does lie after all, maybe in Derbaydos the foundations of a bigger project have already been laid in that there footballing heartland of the East Midlands.
<shrugaduck>
Time will tell I guess.
The Problem With Anti Football - Case Study
posted on 7/3/20
comment by lastapostleofvidal (U1491)
posted 2 hours, 9 minutes ago
Well Rev, at least we can remember when we were last in the Premier League.
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Yeah, but I bet to a man, you wish you couldn’t
posted on 7/3/20
comment by ThE ReVoLuTiOn Is HeRe (U22182)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by lastapostleofvidal (U1491)
posted 2 hours, 9 minutes ago
Well Rev, at least we can remember when we were last in the Premier League.
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Yeah, but I bet to a man, you wish you couldn’t
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Seriously Rev? No, throughly enjoyed the ride and maybe to the purists it was a horror show but better to have loved than never loved at all - well, since May 1999 that is - last century
posted on 7/3/20
Exactly. Fans got the Jack Stamp, 606 was on fire, it was a very good year for many reasons!
posted on 7/3/20
The big question at the Schitty Ground. Are the wheels coming off?
posted on 7/3/20
Anyway, wasn't it Rev (or maybe Strett) who said 65 - 35 possession was a moral victory?
posted on 7/3/20
comment by ViewFromDeWallen (U1581)
posted 54 minutes ago
comment by ThE ReVoLuTiOn Is HeRe (U22182)
posted 4 minutes ago
comment by lastapostleofvidal (U1491)
posted 2 hours, 9 minutes ago
Well Rev, at least we can remember when we were last in the Premier League.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yeah, but I bet to a man, you wish you couldn’t
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Seriously Rev? No, throughly enjoyed the ride and maybe to the purists it was a horror show but better to have loved than never loved at all - well, since May 1999 that is - last century
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Point take mate
posted on 7/3/20
comment by Let Me inRamdini (U21882)
posted 16 minutes ago
Anyway, wasn't it Rev (or maybe Strett) who said 65 - 35 possession was a moral victory?
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Wasn’t me
posted on 7/3/20
comment by Let Me inRamdini (U21882)
posted 39 minutes ago
Anyway, wasn't it Rev (or maybe Strett) who said 65 - 35 possession was a moral victory?
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Has to be the statistics aficionado, Stretto
posted on 7/3/20
comment by ThE ReVoLuTiOn Is HeRe (U22182)
posted 4 hours, 2 minutes ago
comment by đ AngVanDerRaam đ (U17428)
posted 1 hour, 50 minutes ago
Exactly, Vidal. Norwich have had a good season and whatever the outcome, their fans are going to remember it for the right reasons.
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A bit like how you lot remember your last attempt in the Premier League
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Be interesting to see if Ipswich fans try to goad their rivals next season, should Norwich come down, despite the fact that they have been floundering in the 3rd tier
No, surely theyre too intelligent for that ?
posted on 7/3/20
comment by đ AngVanDerRaam đ (U17428)
posted 54 minutes ago
comment by ThE ReVoLuTiOn Is HeRe (U22182)
posted 4 hours, 2 minutes ago
comment by đ AngVanDerRaam đ (U17428)
posted 1 hour, 50 minutes ago
Exactly, Vidal. Norwich have had a good season and whatever the outcome, their fans are going to remember it for the right reasons.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A bit like how you lot remember your last attempt in the Premier League
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Be interesting to see if Ipswich fans try to goad their rivals next season, should Norwich come down, despite the fact that they have been floundering in the 3rd tier
No, surely theyre too intelligent for that ?
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Ipswich 1 down at home ATM as well.