Nottingham Forest

Sixer’s Sevens v Nottingham Forest: poor up front and weak at the back

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Jake: ‘it won’t always be pretty’

John McCormick writes:I couldn’t get the matchday centre, no matter what I tried (and try I did). Various websites were no help because there are no clubs outside the Premiership so I was reliant on Pete Sixsmith and his half time text: “0-0 Better than Saturday but not very inspiring”.

I found the BBC’s text service for the second half.  It sounded as if Pete had summarised the first half perfectly. Then came a second text “terrible error by Browning 0-1” One of our ex-players, of course

And that was that, as Pete’s final text, in seven words, no more, no less explained:

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The first time ever I saw your team – Nottingham Forest

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Pete Sixsmith – pre-weight loss days

John McCormick writes:

Fixtures come thick and fast in the Championship. No sooner have we left our (in my case metaphorical) seats after Sheffield Utd than we’re sitting back down for the arrival of Nottingham Forest.

I have memories of watching Forest play us in the 60s and it’s likely I was at some of the games that Pete Sixsmith also attended. But I’m not sure about this one – I have no memory of ever seeing Harry Hood play. So it was with great interest that I read Pete’s account of this game, wondering if it would reawaken some distant flicker in my mind. It didn’t, although I do remember Churchill’s funeral, but that doesn’t mean it’s not another superb account.

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Cardiff, Ipswich, Forest, Wolves and Sheffield Utd leave Villa, Fulham, Wednesday, Middlesbrough and SAFC standing

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Do we know owt about football?

That’s what I asked a couple of years ago, when I was comparing a pre-season poll with end-of season positions. And that’s more or less what the Mrs said  when I showed her the graph I’d done to compare the current championship placings with our readers’ pre-season expectations.

Just as the last time, the expectation is nothing like the reality,  although it must be said that this time around it’s still early days.

 

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Reading at last? Norwich perhaps, or Derby, Leeds, ‘Boro and Sheffield? What’s your fancy?

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John McCormick:
John McCormick. Here we go again – but this time it’s different

I was away last week and didn’t log on much, on account of having a temperamental handheld device (a tip – don’t drop your computer onto a tiled surface) and iffy connections courtesy of a not-so-local bar.

But log on I did, twice.

The first time, it was to find three quarters of our readers thought our chances of immediate promotion were scuppered.

On my second log-in Colin’s poll had closed and the number had dropped to 70%. That’s still quite a damning figure.

Me, I’m not so pessimistic.

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Hillsborough (2): a Sunderland fan in Leppings Lane End as disaster struck

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Mick Goulding and son
Mick Goulding and son

We have already heard from Pete Sixsmith how the official approach to football supporters that was reflected when 96 people died at Hillsborough also threatened people attending at a Sunderland game, and how it nearly ended his own teaching career. Now, also discussing the historical context in which the tragedy was handled, Michael Goulding, lifelong Sunderland fan and occasional contributor to these pages, looks back on a day that affected all of us in different ways but especially those who, like him, were there …

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