They took their time to bring Colin Calderwood to the club yet when they did, Mark Arthur and Nigel Doughty proved that they had finally learned from past mistakes.

The failure by the last two men to step into the vast void left by Old Big ?Ead could well be attributed to their rushed employment by a Board in panic. Both Joe Kinner and Gary Megson started at The City Ground mid season, expected to step in and stop a team on the slide. By contrast, Calderwood?s tenure began under completely different circumstances. Barlow and McParland had done a terrific job restoring the team to winning ways so rather than conducting a rescue mission, the former Northampton Town manager was tasked instead to build upon success and was given pre-season to get to grips with his new squad. A week in Italy during the World Cup may have been expensive and sparked mutterings amongst season ticket holders who had just been hit with a ten per cent price rise. The exercise however, was not a holiday but a regime of intensive fitness that has served us well in the early stages of this season, whilst other teams are still trying to move up the gears.

Calderwood could also run the rule over his players who in turn were able to acclimatise to a new coaching ethos. He inherited a tightly bonded unit which needed little tinkering. Megson had already mercilessly cut out the rot and added to with a handful bright young talents, as well as experience where it was needed. It didn?t take the Scott much to realise that he already had the players at the squad who could gain him promotion so he only reinforced where necessary. Yet the masterstroke that immediately set him aside from his predecessor was to give all the staff a clean slate upon his arrival. Whatever had gone on before was left in the past and it was up to all players to prove their worth for the team. You can sense that in Calderwood is a manager who is acutely aware a season lasts for forty six games and the need for more than just the eleven on the first day team sheet. A player who may not necessarily be in form now will know that he will be always given his chance and that as a motivational tool is second to none.

Off the pitch there was much to be optimistic about then before the season had even started except the bottom line, as always. is about what happens on the pitch. A centre-half as a player Calderwood nevertheless encourages attacking, free flowing football which typified Northampton during their push for automatic promotion last season. This as a style of play will quickly endear the new manager to the support in the terraces, particularly after the twelve months of the hoof-and-chase that became a hallmark of Megson?s reign. There were tantalising glimpses of the passing football to come during the first game against Bradford yet the long ball was still predominant. It takes time for a team to adapt to the way a new manager wants the game to be played so given ten or fifteen games we should have a better idea about the football Forest will be playing this season.

If Brian Clough insisted on doing everything his way, Colin Calderwood will not be swayed from starting with anything other than his favoured 352. Traditionally a club to play 442 the new era has seen a new formation to encourage overlapping runs and support of the front two that was lacking previously. The team has yet to fully come to grips with this new system but already they are starting to make use of the advantages it possesses. Julian Bennett for example finding himself now playing more of the ?Ashley Cole? roll and with him joining up with the attack, we bagged our first goal against Bradford on the opening day of the season. Calderwood is certain to persevere with the formation that served him so well at Northampton but we have seen that he is not afraid to change things. Even at three up against Chesterfield we were treated with a 433, although the man himself would argue he did in fact stick to 352. Nevertheless there is no hint that this regime will be happy with snatching a lead and holding it, which Megson so often tried but failed to do during his time. Defending will come from the front therefore hopefully eradicating the possibility of to many injury time goals conceded this year.

Finally, to illustrate the Calderwood effect on Nottingham Forest Football Club, you need only look as far as Neil Harris. A man out in the cold and forgotten for much of last year loaned out as he was to Gillingham. Twenty two games and no goal in a Red shirt and it looked a certainty he would be on his way out before the transfer window snapped shut at the end of August. He has however worked hard for the new manager and for his club coming back pre-season already at full fitness. He did not begrudge those others their starting places over the first five games of the season and instead bided his time on the bench, continuing about his job in a professional manner. Calderwood kept faith with the forward and the rewards for his patience were finally reaped against Chesterfield with a superb strike and his first goal. The commitment and perseverance he has shown is a credit and example and I am thoroughly delighted for him.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 4th, 2006 at 8:43 am and is filed under Nottingham Forest. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments. Both comments and pings are currently closed.