Remembering Brian Clough ten years on

"I wouldn't say I was the best manager in the business, but i was in the top one."

Ten years has passed incredibly quickly since football lost one of its biggest ever characters and my club Nottingham Forest lost the man who undoubtedly put it on the map.

Many Forest supporters will probably be able to tell you exactly where they were at the moment they heard the news of Brian Clough's passing on the 20th September 2004. I certainly can. I had just started at university. I had been in Leeds a matter of days, and a fairly insignificant welcome session ended with me recieving a text message telling me the news. I remember nothing at all about the hour in the room which preceded it, but I will take that feeling of reading that text to the grave. I could take you to that room now. My biggest regret to this day as a Forest fan was that I couldn't get back to Nottingham for the game against West Ham, the first at the City Ground since Clough's death. I watched the game on television in a Horsforth pub, with tears in my eyes at the significance of the moment. We won that match, but just eight more wins all season meant that we were relegated at the end of the season. Those were dark days for the team but we seem to be finally back on track; top of the Sky Bet Championship on the tenth anniversary of that sad day.

Last Sunday the club began its period of marking the anniversary with the game against Derby County. It seemed fitting that the fixture gods had brought together the two clubs with which Clough will always be most associated. He is arguably the reason why the rivalry is so fierce between the two sides of the stretch of the A52 which now bears his name. The game itself wasn't particuarly memorable, they rarely are, apart from a few flashpoints, but the afternoon was never going to be about 90 minutes of football. The minute's applause after ten minutes was observed by fans of both the clubs which Clough loved so much, and save for the three idiots that invaded the pitch during the second half, all in attendance behaved themselves and respected the man and the occasion. It was a timely reminder that while Nottingham Forest and Derby are rivals, we're not enemies. I am glad I was there to pay my respects.

You don't need me to tell you about Clough. We all have our stories and memories of him, even those of us who never met him or even saw any of his Forest teams play. My Dad once asked him for a handshake at East Midlands Airport following a European away game. Clough replied "course you can, big fella". I must have heard the story a thousand times, but the enthusiasm is still there when my dad tells anyone who will listen as if it made his life.

There will never be another manager like him. There will certainly never be an opportunity for a club like Nottingham Forest to rule Europe twice, certainly not without billions of pounds of investment.

Stuart Pearce has led us to the top of the table, and although we're only seven games into the league season, it's difficult not to think of how fitting it would be to mark such a significant year - it's also the club's 150th anniversary in 2015 - with promotion back into the top flight. There's a long way to go, but you just never know.

UEFA Champions League predictions

The UEFA Champions League returns this week, as Real Madrid aim to become the first team to retain the title in the Champions League era, and the first in the competition as a whole since AC Milan in 1990. Carlo Ancelotti's men will face competition from the usual suspects in the shape of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, PSG, and in the group stage they will face another potential contender in Liverpool, back in the competition for the first time in five years.

As well as the elite, there are teams simply happy to take their place in the tournament. Malmo are in the group stage for the first time, as they dream of emulating their 1979 side, who reached the European Cup final before losing to Nottingham Forest. The Bulgarian champions Ludogorets didn't even exist then, and their fairytale rise to Europe's top table was completed by a sensational play-off victory over Steaua Bucharest, where defender Cosmin Moti became their penalty-saving hero. Progression to the knockout stage from either club would represent a huge shock, but their participation can only be a good thing to appease those who believe the Champions League is a closed shop for anyone but the very biggest clubs.

Here is Behind The Goal's predictions of how the groups will finish. Admittedly, some are easier than others to predict, but while first place in the group is so important, no games can be taken lightly.

Group A:
1. Atletico Madrid
2. Juventus
3. Olympiakos
4. Malmo

Group B:
1. Real Madrid
2. Liverpool
3. FC Basel
4. Ludogorets

Group C:
1. Benfica
2. Bayer Leverkusen
3. Zenit St Petersburg
4. Monaco

Group D:
1. Arsenal
2. Borussia Dortmund
3. Galatasaray
4. Anderlecht

Group E:
1. Bayern Munich
2. Manchester City
3. AS Roma
4. CSKA Moscow

Group F:
1. Barcelona
2. Paris Saint-Germain
3. Ajax
4. Apoel Nicosia

Group G:
1. Chelsea
2. Schalke 04
3. Sporting
4. Maribor

Group H:
1. FC Porto
2. Athletic Bilbao
3. Shakhtar Donetsk
4. BATE Borisov


English clubs:
I expect all four Premier League teams to reach the round of 16 at the very least, although that could be where Liverpool and Manchester City find out the hard way just how important winning the group is. Facing a group winner in the first knockout round may be a step too far for Liverpool, whereas City may need a lucky draw. Arsenal are well placed to reach the quarter finals, but probably no further.

The last English team left will in my opinion be Chelsea. The semi finals is the very least I expect them to reach, maybe even further. Jose Mourinho's squad is twice that of Roberto Di Matteo's which won the European Cup in 2012, but as that season proved, anything can happen in cup football.

Dark horses:
This is surely the year that Juventus pose a bigger threat in the competition. Massimiliano Allegri's Serie A champions have flattered to decieve in Europe of late. Their group could have been a lot worse, and with perhaps a bit of luck in the draw, the bianconeri could reach the later stages. If - and it's a big if - Roma can get out of their group, maybe they could progress to the last eight, but in Manchester City and Bayern, their first hurdle couldn't have been more difficult.

Winners:
Last season I told friends I thought Real Madrid would win the title, and they did. This year I will tell all of you the same. My prediction is for Carlo Ancelotti's side to make Champions League history and retain the European Cup in Berlin in June.

Barclays Premier League Preview 2014-15 Part 2: My Predictions

In Part 1 of my season preview I took a closer look at the five teams who I think will challenge for the championship. In Part 2 I will predict the final table and offer my early thoughts of what may happen.

Here's the Behind The Goal predicted table for 2014-15.
(The usual caveat applies, namely the transfer window is still open, but right now, I'm happy with this order.)

1. Chelsea
2. Manchester City
3. Arsenal
4. Manchester United
5. Liverpool
6. Tottenham Hotspur
7. Everton
8. Newcastle United
9. Stoke City
10. Swansea City
11. West Ham United
12. Southampton
13. Crystal Palace
14. Sunderland
15. Queens Park Rangers
16. Hull City
17. Aston Villa
18. Leicester City
19. West Bromwich Albion
20. Burnley

 

First manager to be sacked:

Sam Allardyce of West Ham United. The fans don't particularly like him, the owners David Gold and David Sullivan aren't all that overstruck by his style of football, and their Andy Carroll-less side may struggle for goals if Enner Valencia doesn't hit the ground running as his replacement. The club's imminent move to the Olympic Stadium in a couple of years adds a ton of pressure for them to remain in the Premier League long term, and a poor start may be enough for Gold and Sullivan to pull the trigger.

I also expect Sean Dyche of Burnley and Aston Villa's Paul Lambert to be out of a job before the end of the season. For me, Roy Keane's appointment as Villa's number two looks so much like they have replaced Lambert before even getting rid of him. Think Rene Meulensteen at Fulham last year. That worked out well.

Best summer signing:
Cesc Fabregas, Chelsea.
Some may say Diego Costa; in fact I think he will be Chelsea's best player and top scorer, but Fabregas will be the most important player. He is the final cog in the wheel, and offers a wider variety of midfield options than the others.

Player of the Year:

Diego Costa, Chelsea.
Some may wonder whether Costa can score as many goals in the Premier League as in La Liga for Atletico Madrid, but for me, he is bound to. Chelsea were a top striker away from winning the title last season, but now they may just have found the final piece in the jigsaw.

Most looking forward to:

Seeing how the stars of the World Cup get on, particularly Jefferson Montero at Swansea City.

Leave a comment or Tweet me @adamgray50 with your thoughts on the new season.

Barclays Premier League Preview 2014-15 Part 1: The Title

The new Barclays Premier League season begins this weekend, and in this post I will take a look at the title contenders. 

Last season's title race was one of the most exciting for years. Liverpool looked like certainties to win their first championship for 24 years until their (well, Steven Gerrard's) late slip allowed Manchester City to take home the trophy, Manuel Pellegrini's first domestic title in a European league. Arsenal led the table for longer than anyone else, yet suffered damaging defeats to all of their title rivals. Chelsea beat both Manchester City and Liverpool home and away, but dropped points to so-called lesser opposition to end up only 3rd, and Manchester United suffered an unthinakble decline as their worst ever Premier League finish of 7th place followed. It's impossible to believe that the title will go anywhere else but to one of these five teams again, and here, I will look at their credentials.

Arsenal's Community Shield win this week over a suprisingly poor Man City side has given their supporters the right to believe that they can live with the big boys this time around. Last season's defeats against their fellow contenders weren't just notable for their frequency, but for their comprehensiveness. Chelsea, City and Liverpool scored a combined 17 goals against them in three infamous early kick-offs. Their challenge wasn't helped by a familiar problem, that of an injury list far too long for their liking. Aaron Ramsey's early season form could have brought more to the Emirates trophy cabinet than the FA Cup had he not missed almost the entire second half of the season. He, a fully fit Jack Wilshere and Mesut Ozil, as well as the big money addition of Alexis Sanchez may give them the sort of midfield dominance needed to get over the line, but once again, they may just fall agonisingly short over 38 games, especially if they don't ease the workload on Olivier Giroud with another forward signing. (Behind The Goal Prediction: 3rd)

Manchester City's title win should have come as no surprise given that on paper, they had the best squad, but even great groups take time to gel. Their poor away form in the first two months of the season could have cost them, but once they got going they didn't really look back. Their transfer activity has been relatively quiet, as their hands are tied by the Financial Fair Play regulation slapped on them by UEFA. Despite that, Pellegrini has brought in Fernando and Eliaquim Mangala both from Porto, as well as Willy Caballero, Bacary Sagna and surprisingly Frank Lampard for a bit of squad depth. Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko will continue to provide plenty of goals, and Stevan Jovetic will be like a new signing this year, after his debut campaign was blighted by injury and poor form. Holding on to Yaya Toure is a huge boost too, after the controversy surrounding what did or didn't happen around his birthday. Whoever finishes above them will probably win the title. (BTG Prediction: 2nd)

Manchester United and their fans expected a transitional season under David Moyes last year. But by Manchester United's standards, that still means a title challenge and maybe a Cup run. It certainly didn't mean 7th place and your Chosen One out of a job by April, but that's exactly what they got. In Louis van Gaal, they have the manager with the sort of credentials that warrants one of the biggest jobs in world football. Whereas Moyes looked delighted to be there in his opening press conference, van Gaal was telling United that they should be delighted to have him. Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw have been brought to Old Trafford, but they still look short defensively following the exits of Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand and captain Nemanja Vidic. At the other end of the pitch, van Gaal is the right man to inject new life into Robin van Persie, who captained his Netherlands side at the World Cup. If they can get themselves back into the Champions League, United's fans will be happy. 4th place would never have been considered success under Sir Alex Ferguson, but it will be after last year's debacle. The trouble is, they have very quickly fallen too far behind the top three to get any higher this year. (BTG Prediction: 4th)

Liverpool snatched Premier League defeat from the jaws of victory last season. Brendan Rodgers' side may have won 12 of their last 14 games, but that's no good when the other two cost you everything. The 2-0 Anfield reverse by a Chelsea team who found a way to win with resolute defending, canny counter attacking and that slip, was followed by the catastrophe that was the last quarter of an hour at Crystal Palace which led to a 3-3 draw. They let Manchester City in to take the title that looked Liverpool bound after their win against the Citizens in April. Even that 3-2 victory though illustrated the ultimate reason why it went wrong. Despite scoring for fun, they simply conceded too many sloppy goals at the other end. Dejan Lovren's arrival should help arrest that trend, but how on earth do they go about replacing Luis Suarez and his incredible haul of goals? The £75million will hopefully from their point of view be spent better than Tottenham's Gareth Bale money was, but the jury is out on whether Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert can make the step up. Lazar Markovic should be good when fit, but Liverpool need another outlet in midfield, but if anyone can, Emre Can. Liverpool haven't turned into a bad side overnight, far from it, but despite being linked with a few, they remain a top-class striker away from getting as close as last season. even finishing in the top four should be considered progress.  (BTG Prediction: 5th)

Chelsea came only four points behind Man City last season even with the high number of dropped points against the likes of Sunderland and Norwich City. A new, improved Blues starting eleven should be far more comfortable of avoiding any such mistakes this time around. Ashley Cole and Frank Lampard have moved on, although the old guard is still represented in the form of John Terry and the returning Didier Drogba from Galatasaray. The Ivorian legend may not play as many games as he used to, but as any Chelsea fan will tell you, the higher the stakes, the more likely it is he'll score. Of course they also still have Fernando Torres, who gets more goals than people think, but the main man will no doubt be Diego Costa. The Brazilian-born Spaniard bagged 36 goals for Atletico Madrid last season, helping them to the La Liga title and very nearly the Champions League. Anywhere near that return and Chelsea will take some stopping. That's even before I mention the arrival of Cesc Fabregas. Arsenal didn't want him and Manchester United didn't think they needed him, but I bet they'll soon regret he's a Blue. The addition of Filipe Luis to what was already the league's best defence make Jose Mourinho's side my favourites. Like City, whoever finishes above them will win the title.  (BTG Prediction: 1st)

Who are your tips for the title? Tweet @adamgray50 or leave a comment.

Sky Bet Championship prediction 2014-15

The new season is back and so is Behind The Goal. It's the third season of your favourite football blog. Thank you for reading my posts last season, or if you are a new reader, welcome aboard.

The Sky Bet Football League kicks off this weekend, and as always, the race for promotion should be hotly contested. No fewer than 18 of the 24 clubs have played in the Premier League at some point, and a similar number will head into the campaign with genuine hopes of troubling at least the play-off places in the spring.

The three teams relegated last season are all in pole position to bounce straight back, with none of those sides having to make drastic changes. Fulham, Cardiff City and Norwich City will be in the mix and ought to finish in the play-off places with little fuss. All three of them will fully expect that they can bounce straight back via automatic promotion.

But of those, it is Fulham who are most proving that the parachute payments from the drop can now fund a promotion campaign rather than protect a club against further demotions, as has been the case in the past. Felix Magath's men will now be led by last season's Championship top scorer Ross McCormack, who moves to Craven Cottage for a second-tier record £11 million. He threw goals in for fun last year in an average Leeds United team, and he should continue where he left off, and my opinion, help the Cottagers bounce straight back to the Premier League in style.

Of last May's beaten play-off teams, Wigan Athletic are best placed to challenge again, although Derby County and Brighton and Hove Albion also have retained the squads needed to go close. After last season's poor start, not helped by their Europa League campaign, Wigan rallied to a top-six finish, and were unlucky not to beat Queens Park Rangers in the semi-finals. A better start, and maybe Uwe Rosler will get the Latics back this time.

As for my club, Nottingham Forest, to say this last week before the big kick-off has been a rollercoaster ride is somewhat of an understatement, and possibly worth a blog post longer than this one all by itself. In a nutshell, the controversial sales (and loans back) of Jamaal Lascelles and Karl Darlow to Newcastle United paid for the transfer fees of Michail Antonio from Sheffield Wednesday, and Britt Assombalonga from Peterborough United, the latter for a club record fee of in excess of £5 million.

Those additions, plus the recruitments of the likes of Matt Fryatt, Michael Mancienne, Lars Veldwijk and Chris Burke make us far stronger in depth than last year, when we limped home in a disappointing 11th place. Wishful thinking maybe, but a play-off place is the least I expect this season. I will play safe and not put us any higher than 6th though. I daren't predict we will finish above Derby County, although there will be very little separating both teams this time around. I'll be at the City Ground on Saturday  for Stuart Pearce's first game as manager against Blackpool; needless to say the atmosphere will be something special as a genuine club legend returns.

At the bottom, I am hardly going out on a limb in tipping Blackpool for the drop. What has been allowed to happen at Bloomfield Road is a disgrace, and the fans deserve better than to enter a league season with barely more than eleven players to play in it. Newly promoted Brentford may find the step up one too far, and can Charlton Athletic defy the odds with another late season revival? Possibly not, given their manager Jose Riga left, ironically to Blackpool, and they have a newcomer to English football in charge in the shape of Bob Peeters. Their young squad may just lack the quality to get over the line this year.

Last season I correctly called two of the relegation places, and I was right in predicting Queens Park Rangers' promotion, although I did think it would be automatic. In the interest of fairness I should also point out that I had runners-up Burnley down in 18th place before a ball had been kicked, so it's not all doom and gloom if I put your team towards the bottom.

Here is the BTG Championship table prediction:

1. Fulham

2. Wigan Athletic
3. Cardiff City
4. Norwich City
5. Derby County
6. Nottingham Forest
7. Ipswich Town
8. Blackburn Rovers
9. Brighton and Hove Albion
10. Middlesbrough
11. Reading
12. Wolverhampton Wanderers
13. AFC Bournemouth
14. Bolton Wanderers
15. Watford
16. Birmingham City
17. Leeds United
18. Rotherham United
19. Huddersfield Town
20. Sheffield Wednesday
21. Millwall
22. Charlton Athletic
23. Brentford
24. Blackpool

Where do you think your team will finish? Have I got your boys in the right place? Whether you agree or disagree leave a message or Tweet me @adamgray50

The Behind The Goal Awards: World Cup 2014

As the 2014 FIFA World Cup draws to a conclusion with the final between Germany and Argentina, and  before that the third place play-off featuring Brazil and the Netherlands, I take an early look back at the best and worst of the tournament with a World Cup edition of the BTG Awards.

Player of the Tournament:

The World Cup was all about which of the game's genuine superstars would announce to the world that they were the best. Cristiano Ronaldo flattered to decieve in a disappointing Portugal side. Neymar threatened to take it by storm before his injury ended Brazil's hopes of letting him. Lionel Messi has the chance to become an all-time legend of the game with a win in the final, but he hasn't taken Argentina there single handedly. Which leads us to the player without whom his nation would have looked far weaker, especially one already missing another world class player in Radamel Falcao. My player of the tournament scored six goals, and was only stopped in the quarter final by some rough tactics by Brazil. The winner is Colombia's James Rodriguez.

Goal of the Tournament:

'Ham-ess' also wins this award, for this...

Biggest disappointment (player):

While the game's world class players proved why they are just that by scoring goals, influencing games or producing brilliant pieces of skill, another's World Cup participation will only be remembered for a moment of madness. Uruguay's Luis Suarez's bite of Giorgio Chiellini of Italy cost his country their realistic tournament challenge and himself a four month ban from football. After a phenomenal season for Liverpool, I thought his previous misdemeanours were things of the past. All eyes will be on the striker when he returns to action, probably at Barcelona.

Biggest disappointment (team):

While few in my country expected our team to win the competition, or even reach the business end, elimination in the group stage fell far below the standard required. Granted, England were in a difficult group, and their two defeats came against teams higher than them in the FIFA rankings, but what was difficult to accept is that while Roy Hodgson's side were never outclassed, they were never clinical enough in the key areas to win those games. The final game against shock quarter finalists Costa Rica was one of the biggest non-events in the history of English football. I don't think Hodgson should pay with his job, and it looks like he won't, but we will expect far better in the next European Championship if he and this group are given two more years to gel together.

Best game:

Round of 16
Brazil 1-1 Chile (Brazil won 3-2 on penalties)

Worst game:

Group stage
Iran 0-0 Nigeria

Boob of the Tournament:

My pre-tournament prediction that the Netherlands would fail to make it past the group stage. I was very relieved that Argentina knocked them out in the semi final. I would never have lived it down if the Oranje had won it all!

World Cup 2014: My Predictions

The 2014 FIFA World Cup begins on Thursday with Brazil v Croatia. Before the action kicks off be sure to get yourselves in the mood by checking out my favourite goals of the last 20 years of World Cup football, and read my predictions for the competition.

Let me know your expectations by leaving a comment or Tweeting me @adamgray50

The final:
Brazil to beat Argentina in what will hopefully be a thriller.

How far will England get?
We will play decent, but not brilliant football in the group, before stunning Colombia in the second round. A plucky, gallant, typically English quarter final exit to Brazil will then follow.

Surprise package:
Possibly Bosnia-Herzegovina. A quarter final place in their debut World Cup isn't beyond the realms of possibility. I am really looking forward to seeing how Miralem Pjanic gets on at the top level.

Biggest disappointment:
Netherlands. Chile will beat them to the second place in Group B behind Spain. Three defeats at Euro 2012 followed by another failure in Brazil; the final of 2010 seems an awfully long time ago.

Golden Boot:
Neymar.

Most looking forward to:
Hearing the Brazilian national anthem sung before the opening game. It will be something else.

Least looking forward to:
Hearing some England fans no doubt claim the tournament has been a failure if we 'only' reach the last 16.