ForeverWestHam caught up with the Editor of www.eighteensixtyfive.co.uk and Forest fan Rahoul Baruah this week, to talk about the upcoming match this weekend, as well as the his thoughts on the Hammers chances this season.
A comfortable win for you guys in the League Cup this week, despite all it’s bad press would you like Forest to enjoy a decent cup run this season?
Promotion has to be our main objective – not least because Billy Davies came so close two seasons in a row. But to use a cliché I think winning is a habit so a good cup run can only help on that front.
Lewis McGugan seems to be the man of the moment, but apart from the English striker, is there a few unfamilar faces us Hammers should be wary of?
Radi Majewski had an explosive first season but dropped off a bit last year. However, his appearances so far suggest that he is going to be cutting defences apart with his insightful passes. And Miller and Findlay both impressed with their second-half appearances against Leicester.
You were reportedly going after Everton striker Jermaine Beckford this transfer window, and despite recently signing Ishmael Miller, is the attacking line an area you fill Forest need to strengthen?
We’ve really missed Dexter Blackstock (who will be out till Christmas at least) as he gave our attack a focal point – and we’ve lost Earnshaw and Tyson. To replace them we’ve brought in Miller and Derbyshire plus Robbie Findlay was signed last season, but never got to play because of injury. On their performances so far, I reckon we’ll be OK up-front.
However, we are really short on wide players and we’ve not had a proper left-back for as long as I can remember – the situation there is beyond a joke, and doesn’t look like being permanently remedied any time soon.
Doesn’t Nottingham Forest versus West Ham just sound like it should be a Premier League fixture? How do you rate both teams chances for promotion this season?
Definitely!
Promotion is the minimum for us – Billy’s sacking after getting so close two years in a row has upset many of the fans and, in their eyes, can only be justified if we improve on last year’s standing – which means going up.
As for you, this league is a lot tougher than you may expect – and absolutely full of surprises. It’s no lie that anyone can beat anyone else here and all it takes is three wins or three defeats and suddenly you’re at the other end of the table. Big Sam is well-placed to weather this – but while I have a lot of admiration for him, I suspect my reaction if he were appointed Forest manager would be to be extremely sceptical – just because of his side’s reputation. If he gets you up I guess you can look on it as a necessary evil though.
Obviously appointing the ‘Wally with the brolly’ was going to receive stick from fans and newspapers but what impression has Steve McClaren made upon the Forest fans?
Personally I think McClaren’s track record is excellent – when he left Derby, Man U and Boro, all three clubs struggled without him (although Man U’s “struggles” were that they didn’t win anything for a couple of years). The England job probably came too early for him – especially with the way it was handled – but I have no doubt he is a great coach and has at least the makings of a very good manager, and given a bit of time (and no doubt some luck) he will be a great manager for us – especially as he seems to believe in passing it on the deck and getting the ball out wide – things that make Forest fans very happy.
But, Billy Davies was loved by a lot of us – he gave us a fight, pride and belief in ourselves that we had been missing for many years, despite his many run-ins with the club’s hierarchy. So the fans seem pretty split – some think we have swapped a street-fighter who knew what he was doing for the clueless wally with the brolly; others believe it’s much easier to replace a manager than replace an owner who is prepared to swallow the club’s losses year in, year out.
Where do you expect West Ham to finish this season?
I think it will probably be tough for West Ham this year. It’s been a few years since you were down here (five years is it?) and it’s a rough, physical league where you get little protection from referees. Coupled with how tight it always is (it’s impossible to predict the top or bottom six, unlike the premiership) and I think you may find it difficult. If you adjust quickly (before Christmas) you’ll do OK and I don’t see why you won’t be pushing for promotion yourselves(quick tip – avoid the playoffs, it’s heart-breaking). But if you’re struggling come January then you really need to be looking over your shoulders as just a few dropped points can leave you perilously close to the relegation zone. And money doesn’t help (that much) – it takes unity and goals to climb out of this division.
Finally, what’s your prediction for the game? I’m going to say 2-1 West Ham
I reckon something similar to our result last weekend. Big Sam will outdo us tactically for the first 70 minutes, but Schteve will switch to his patented 6-upfront line-up (we were actually playing 7 up-front at one point against Leicester) and we’ll pull back an equaliser in injury time – 1-1 I reckon.
Thank you for taking part and lets hope for an entertaining game at the weekend.
Have your so on Rahoul’s thoughts below or on Twitter @Forever_WestHam
I think Forest will find it more difficult under ‘the wally’ than they think, after only 2 home game defeats in the last 42, West Ham rocked up and annihilated them in 12 first half minutes, as for the front line, didn’t look like scoring to me, sorry Forest, but it don’t look good…..COYI ‘><'