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Nottingham Forest’s first-half goals see off makeshift Blackpool Nottingham Forest’s first-half goals see off makeshift Blackpool
(about 2 hours later)
“Yeah, but as empty experiences go,” said Woody Allen in the film ‘Love and Death’ to Diane Keaton when she told him sex without love was an empty experience, “it’s one of the best”. “Yeah, but as empty experiences go,” said Woody Allen in the film Love and Death to Diane Keaton when she told him sex without love was an empty experience, “it’s one of the best”.
There was something of a similar feeling around the City Ground when the final whistle blew. OK, so Blackpool arrived as a club in total chaos, having seen 27 players leave over the summer and 12 arrive in the last 12 days, but it still felt mighty good to start Stuart Pearce’s reign as manager with a win. Even if the second half was a complete anti-climax. There was something of a similar feeling around the City Ground when the final whistle blew. Blackpool arrived as a club in total chaos, having seen 27 players leave over the summer and 12 arrive in the last 12 days, but it clearly still felt mighty good to start Stuart Pearce’s reign as manager with a win. Even if the second half was an anti-climax.
Rarely have team sheets been awaited with such interest, or in the case of the Blackpool supporters, trepidation. Such has been the turmoil at Bloomfield Road this summer that while 22 players made the journey to the City Ground, it emerged the Tangerines had not succeeded in registering three of those signings, including the former Forest striker Ishmael Miller, in time for them to play in this game – though Andrea Orlandi, the former Swansea and Brighton attacking midfielder, whose signing was only confirmed on Saturday morning, was included. Even so, why Jose Riga named only four substitutes was far from clear. “We’re acutely aware it was a first step in rebuilding the club, reuniting it,” said Pearce, after two goals in six first-half minutes from Michail Antonio, turning home the rebound after Andy Reid’s 25-yarder came back off the post, and then a fine long-range effort from Chris Burke, secured the three points.
Forest, by contrast, have had a relatively conventional and untroubled build-up, though earlier this week Pearce made no secret of his unhappiness at the decision of club owner Fawaz al-Hasawi to sell the defender Jamaal Lascelles and the goalkeeper Karl Darlow to Newcastle United for an undisclosed fee, albeit that both were immediately returned to Forest on a season-long loan. “The team has to grow from atmospheres like this. In my playing days it galvanised me, and it can be too much for certain individuals, but what was pleasing was the players seemed to thrive on it.”
Darlow started, Lascelles did not, and among seven Forest debutants there were also places in Pearce’s starting line-up for new signings Michail Antonio, bought from Sheffield Wednesday for £1.5m, and the striker Britt Assombalonga, signed from Peterborough United for a scarcely credible £5.5m. Rarely have team sheets been awaited with such interest, or in the case of the Blackpool supporters, trepidation. Such has been the turmoil at Bloomfield Road this summer that while 22 players made the journey to the City Ground, it emerged the Tangerines had not succeeded in registering several recent signings, including the former Forest striker Ishmael Miller, in time for them to play in this game – though Andrea Orlandi, the former Swansea and Brighton attacking midfielder, whose signing was confirmed only on Saturday morning, was included.
Unsurprisingly, in the circumstances, Riga sent his makeshift team out with five men strung out across midfield and Nathan Delfouneso on his own up front; what was surprising, and for the Forest supporters who greeted Pearce’s appearance with a somewhat disconcerting massed chant of ‘Pyscho’, was their competence in dealing with the Forest attacks. Forest, by contrast, have had a relatively untroubled build-up, though Pearce made no secret of his unhappiness at the decision of club owner Fawaz al-Hasawi to sell defender Jamaal Lascelles and goalkeeper Karl Darlow to Newcastle United for an undisclosed fee, albeit that both were immediately returned to Forest on a season-long loan.
In fact, the visitors should have taken the lead when, after 19 minutes, John Lundstram – who was outstanding throughout – lofted a free-kick to Delfouneso at the far post. The Aston Villa loanee headed down but wide. Unsurprisingly the Blackpool manager, Jose Riga, sent his makeshift team out with five men strung across midfield; what was surprising, and for the Forest supporters who greeted Pearce’s appearance with a somewhat disconcerting massed chant of “Pyscho”, was their competence in dealing with the Forest attacks.
What a difference it might have made, because five minutes later Forest were ahead. Andy Reid has seen a few false dawns at the club in his time, but the Ireland midfielder has always had one of the sweetest left feet outside the Premier League, and his shot from around 25 yards beat the Blackpool goalkeeper, Joe Lewis, all ends up. Unfortunately for Reid, but not ultimately for his team, it came back off the inside of Lewis’s left-hand post, but the rebound fell kindly for Antonio to side-foot past Lewis before he could fully recover. In fact, the visitors should have taken the lead when the outstanding John Lundstram lofted a free-kick to Nathan Delfouneso at the far post. The Aston Villa loanee headed wide.
Once a familiar sight at the City Ground, the Pearce fist-pump that followed was greeted with almost as joyous a cheer as the goal itself. What a difference it might have made, because 10 minutes later Forest were out of sight. There wasn’t much Blackpool could have done about the first, but Burke should have been closed down before getting away his shot for the second.
Now the traffic really was one-way. Antonio went close again, but on the half-hour Forest, in the person of Chris Burke, removed any last scintilla of doubt. The Blackpool defence backed off as he advanced towards the penalty area, giving him time to measure his shot and beat Lewis from around 23 yards. Given the Blackpool players’ almost total lack of familiarity with each other, their application and performance in what remained of the game did themselves, and Riga, considerable credit. Forest, for all Pearce’s urging, ran out of ideas and Orlandi missed a good chance to make the result even more respectable.
Given the Blackpool players’ almost total lack of familiarity with each other, their application and performance in what remained of the game did themselves, and Riga, considerable credit. Forest, for all Pearce’s urging, ran out of ideas, and Orlandi missed a good chance to make the result even more respectable. Riga paid tribute to his players for their spirited display.
“I cannot feel happy, but we knew how difficult it was going to be. I’m sure, if I’m here, there will be a better future: I know how players can grow individually through the collective, and so get better results, and I’m sure we can do it if I have the means.”
The Belgian revealed he found out only on the morning of the game that the club had failed to register Miller, among others.
“There are some questions I cannot answer, I try to do my job as a manager and not to solve administrative problems,” he said.
“You can complain, get angry, and maybe because of that the players feel the same. If I don’t have the good behaviour, what can I expect of my players? We have to be strong when we go through the problems. But it’s a long, long competition: in six weeks a lot of things can happen.”