Potential deals come and go on deadline day, you never know whether that rumour is true, that source is credible and you never assume until Done Deal pops up on Sky Sports. But the Boyd saga was farcical if, as some quarters would have it, that he was present in Nottingham from mid morning. Fawaz Al-Hasawi has taken a lot of flak for this but here’s a thought and I will say I’m not in the know, I’m just throwing this out there. With owners acutely aware of FFP and Boyd out of contract in the summer what if  the club discussed with Boyd to hold fire, carry on playing for Posh but sign him on a pre contract and use the transfer fee to boost his weekly wages? Is that a possibility? I don’t know and I’m sure it’s not what Alex McLeish had in mind.

I just have a nagging feeling that there is something else to this story, it just doesn’t read right.

IAIN

Eleven players have checked in at the City Ground over the past month and a half which is a feat in itself but, thankfully, there are no journeymen players in there, no players looking for that one last decent signing on fee. Forest have spent good money bringing the likes of Adlene Guedioura, Simon Cox and Henri Lansbury to the City Ground but it is sensible money when you consider the amount Blackburn paid for Jordan Rhodes. Yes, he’s a fantastic talent and a great prospect but £8m for a League 1 striker is a risk in my book. £2.5m for Cox and £1m for Lansbury feels like much better business. The latter is lauded by quite a few Hammers fans that I know and most wished that they had signed him, hopefully the permanent move rather than another loan ranger stint will help him to settle and give us his best football. Cox has already shown us that he knows where the goal is.

As said previously I still think that this will be a transitional season for Forest and I would be extremely satisfied with a top half finish due to the installation of a totally brand new back four. It takes time to build the awareness and understanding in a defensive unit that is required to become one of the top teams in a division, similarly that new defensive unit needs to understand the tendencies of the goalkeeper and the trust between them needs to develop naturally, it cannot be forced. Although it was a good result at the end of the game, Bolton could have quite easily steamrollered us over the course of 90 minutes and probably should have. The City Ground will become a fortress again I have no doubt about that but it is an evolving team and it cannot be bought off the peg.

The measure of the progress that the club is making was clearly evident yesterday. For so many years transfer deadline day has been a source of constant twitter checking disappointment but finally there was cause to celebrate with the acquisitions of Billy Sharp and James Coppinger. I would hazard a guess that these two players have always been very near the top of SO’D's wishlist having managed both of them at Donny and I can see why. Sharp is a natural born goalscorer and I’m surprised that Southampton have let him go (although I’m certainly not complaining), he will thrive with support from the likes of Lewis, Lansbury, Reid, Coppinger etc and I’m tempted to put some pounds on him finishing top goalscorer. Coppinger has always tormented Forest when he’s played against us and I’ve always liked him as a player – he’s hard working, creative, has good delivery and he knows where the goal is. I’m positive he will become a terrace favourite at the City Ground. Like most fans, I woke up and checked the news again to make sure it wasn’t a dream.

Forest have made one of the best starts to a campaign for many a year (that I can remember) and the encouraging signs are there. The sensible approach of the manager and the owners is welcome but there is still a lot of hard work to do due to the short pre season and I would expect it to take a few more weeks before we start to see what this side is capable of. The most pleasing thing for me is that Billy’s dream is finally being delivered, round pegs are being played in round holes, there is good healthy competition for places and the manager has the Forest way at heart.

Do we dare to dream? Of course we do, but let’s not let those dreams cloud the support that the new side, new manager and new owners should get.

U Reds

IAIN

However, a week into the games and I am completely hooked, engulfed in fervent patriotism and watching sports where I don’t even know how the scoring systems work. I’m shouting louder and louder at the TV and I’ve sung the national anthem more in one week than I ever have in my life.

The games, so far, have been a triumph for British sport and that is down to the athletes themselves. My cynical pre games opinion of the ‘Inspire A Generation’ tagline as being slightly tacky has been blown into more bits than one of Peter Wilson’s clays as our British team have shown the kind of determination, hard work, nerve and guts that can ultimately do just what that tagline says. Funnily enough, though they may never compete in an Olympics, all generations seem to be gaining inspiration, not just the kids.

For me, so far, my favourite sporting moments have been:

• Bradley Wiggins in the time trial – following Le Tour, the support on the streets for Wiggo was amazing and his performance matched it.
• Katherine Copeland & Sophie Hosking in the lightweight double sculls – the sheer shock and emotion on their faces will be one of the most memorable images
• Women’s Team Pursuit – including Joanna Rowsell, my #hometownhero from Sutton, Surrey. 5 World Records in 5 consecutive races says it all.
• Men’s Team Sprint – 5th gold medal for Sir Chris and a World Record to boot, amazing

I’ve not even mentioned Her Maj parachuting into the amazing opening ceremony constructed by (Sir) Danny Boyle.

But, aside from the shameless patriotism, my favourite moment so far is seeing Oscar Pistorius take the blocks for his heat in the 400m. For me, this defined the Olympic spirit, the bravery, the sacrifice, the sheer guts and determination to be the best that you can be.

After last summer’s dark days during the riots these Olympics have already restored British pride and provided some fantastic stories and memories to make this a great games. It was only soured for me slightly today by the sight of Justin Gatlin and Dwain Chambers on the starting blocks of the 100m as I have no time for drugs cheats, whether they have served their bans or not. It sends the wrong message to the generation they are trying to inspire, these guys will ever be remembered for their indiscretions and are not good role models for our children. Instead of Chambers, we should all focus our support on Adam Gemili, a likeable, smart young man who can go to the top without the need to cheat.

Here’s hoping the second week is as good as the first, if it is then this will be one of the best Olympics ever.

IAIN

It is important that we remember that Mick McCarthy was the manager in the Wolves dugout that day. Wolves finished the season top of the pile with 90pts (7 clear of 2nd placed Birmingham) and a goal difference of +28. Big Mick had assembled an exciting side, I remember Matty Jarvis turning Luke Chambers inside out every time he got the ball, Michael Kightly was in top form and ran the game from midfield. A stunning 25 yard goal from Kightly topped of a man of the match performance from him. I’ve mentioned one player there in Kightly that Big Mick was cruelly robbed of during the Premiership years, I was looking forward to seeing that he was mesmerising that day.

I know it was one game, but Wolves did that a few times that season. Do not think for one minute that McCarthy’s teams are boring, they will be efficient, solid at the back and tough to break down but I would imagine that if he walks into the City Ground hot seat we will see some flair players back as Mick loves a winger or two.

If Mick McCarthy is to be the new Forest manager I, for one, will be a happy fan

IAIN

Don’t get me wrong, after the tragic death of Nigel Doughty I am pleased that we have found new owners that seem to have the financial power to secure the future of the club as well as investing in getting the club back to the Premier League but I have a horrible, nagging feeling that the time taken to complete the takeover may have a negative effect for the immediate future.

Why the negativity? Well, it all stems from the players that have either left or been allowed to leave the club. We saw Morgan depart to the bin robbers in January, Joel Lynch (possibly the most improved player last season) has just signed for Huddersfield Town on a free and Luke Chambers has joined Ipswich Town. Are we going to be the anti-Spain, playing with no defence? The rose tinted ones among us will say ‘who cares, we’ll buy new players’ but I don’t think it is as simple as all that. Takeovers always seem to bring out the worst in people, clubs, players and agents. Transfer fees seem to gain a few pounds and negotiations always seem to take that bit longer, we’re already a couple of days back into preseason training and I can’t see us being ready for the start of the season. If rumours are to be believed then we could also be looking at a managerial change and that always means new targets and new ideas.

I guess all I’m saying is lets not get carried away, the takeover is complete but success isn’t an overnight guarantee. Today we’ll welcome Mr Al-Hasawi to the club and thank the Doughty family for their support over the years, but the hard work starts here so we should be patient and let the new owners get to work while doing what we should do best, supporting the boys in the Garibaldi.

We’ve endured quite a bit over the past few seasons and things do seem to be looking up so I’m sure we can wait a little bit longer.

(I’ve still had a fiver on us at 20/1 though)

U Reds

IAIN

London in the summer is a nightmare. Tourism brings in an incredible amount of revenue and creates numerous jobs but it also brings its own problems, especially for the hard working general public of our capital city. The streets and, more importantly, the tube are filled with people who don’t know where they are going, move slower than a sloth on a hot day or even stop moving all together at the most ridiculous of moments. For most Londoners these are our hurdles in the way of getting to the finish line of getting home at a decent hour. Add that to the incompetents with wheelie holdalls who have the spatial awareness of a blindfolded hippo and the morons who insist on reading while walking and you have an explosive mix of frustration in amazing proportions. The Olympics coming to town will magnify this and creaking inadequacies in the transport system, pushing it to breaking point.

TfL in their usual helpful way published a list of handy ‘hints’ to help us through these troubled waters, these include:

Changing core hours of operation, while ensuring customer needs are met;
Allowing staff to work compressed weeks, for example, work five ‘normal’ days compressed into four longer days; and
Staggering your staff start and finish times to provide flexibility, while ensuring the organisation has full coverage.
Encourage cycling or walking to work
Allow working from home

Useful I’m sure you agree. Hell, why not encourage them to erect makeshift camps in the office Dale Farm style?! I’m not sure my bosses will be rushing to accommodate changes in my travel circumstances.

As the budget for the games spirals out of control, time is running out for any significant improvements to be made to the underground service so we’re stuck with it. But, if that wasn’t enough the transports gods must have been pissing themselves laughing at what happened next. Today I read the news as per normal, on my iPhone not opening a paper into everyone’s way. There I was greeted by the story that Virgin Media are to implement free Wi-Fi into 80 stations by the time the games arrive. I raised my eyes and a clenched fist to the skies and asked ‘why?!’. If its not enough that we have to endure a daily obstacle course on the tube with the tourists and day trippers, now we’ll have to endure an even slower, more oblivious class of visitor as they ‘check in at Oxford Street tube station’ or tweet that they’re ‘riding the subway, lolz’

Roll on winter

IAIN

I haven’t always agreed with Doughty’s decisions during his tenure as the Nottingham Forest owner but the facts remain, Doughty bought the club for £11m when we were in danger of going to the wall and ploughed over £100m of his own money into the club that he loved. I said it yesterday, armchair football is easy. As fans we always know best don’t we? We could always do a better job than the board/manager/players, Football Manager and FIFA have taught us that haven’t they? The truth is that Nigel Doughty stuck his head above the trenches and took on the task of owning the club that meant the world to him. Everyone makes mistakes but, such was his connection with the club, every questionable decision would have hurt him to his very core. While we, the fans, demanded instant success Doughty was focused on ensuring that the club would be secure financially whilst trying to deliver the success that we craved. It was a brave strategy that didn’t earn him many friends amongst the supporter base but, in years to come, his contribution may turn out to be one of the defining moments for Forest.

Nigel Doughty was a fan, first and foremost and we should remember that. He never did anything with the intention of hurting the club or its fans, in fact it was quite the opposite.

Safe passage Mr Doughty, give Mr Clough our regards.

IAIN

Bieber may be venturing down a deviant pathway. Whilst on a trip to the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, the annoying little pop prat was papped in a compromising position with a robot

Ok, it’s a dancing robot and a microphone….. but it does look like he’s tossing off a robot.

IAIN

Crystal Palace have had their troubles both on and off the pitch in recent seasons but, with new owners and an unerring faith in a young manager, they are starting to build a team that are already achieving way beyond their development. The new owners may not be Russian billionaires but they are Palace to the bone, the club comes first. They are transparent with their manager about their capabilities in the transfer market but let him get on with the job he is paid to do.

Dougie Freedman may not have been everyone’s first choice as a replacement for the outgoing Neil Warnock, certainly not my wife’s! But the club has supported the ambitious young Scot by bringing in the wily old stager Lennie Lawrence. This was their first great decision. Lawrence has the contacts and knowledge of the game to be a huge resource for Freedman and he works with the manager, not above him with his own agenda like many ‘technical directors’. Freedman and and Lawrence are both in the dugout, both kicking every ball. The second great decision was to bring Tony Popovic back from Australia as a coach and it is no surprise that Palace’s defence have found their form since the former Eagle returned to Selhurst.

Palace have all the attributes to push on from here. An ambitious manager, determination, spirit and talent in the squad. They also have an outstanding youth system which continues to produce excellent prospects. It’s easy to forget that Ben Watson, Wayne Routledge and Victor Moses all came through the Palace youth while, these days, Nathaniel Clyne, Wilf Zaha and Jonathan Williams all have potential to play at the highest level and already have suitors in the Premier League.

I may have a slight bias towards Palace with the wife and father in law being long term season ticket holders but it is easy to see what they are doing right as a club, moving forward together and garnering the kind of spirit and support from their fans that can make Selhurst a uncomfortable place for clubs to travel to.

So the irony of Gardner scoring, a player that nearly joined Forest in the summer, wasn’t lost on me. There are quite a few clubs that could take heed of what Palace are trying to achieve. After all, beating United at Old Trafford, whatever side they put out, isn’t an easy task. A playoff spot would be an excellent season for Palace and it is achievable, if they can find the net regularly.

I hope they stuff Cardiff in the return leg, it’ll be a victory for the way football clubs should be.

IAIN

1. England will crash out of the European Championships at the group stages after fooling us all into thinking that they could possibly do quite well
2. Prince Philip will spoil the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations by either a) kicking the bucket or b) being racist to numerous world leaders
3. The Great Britain Olympic team will lose everything in spectacular fashion to keep in line with the piss poor organisation of the games themselves
4. David Cameron’s face will get larger and redder as the Tories continue to stumble through austerity measures aimed at reducing our debt ridden country
5. Labour will spend  the same period mocking the Tories, forgetting that they caused the fucking mess in the first place
6. Nobody will be able to list 5 LibDem MP’s, even Nick whatshisface
7. Some talentless twat will win a talent show
8. Some non celebrity will win a celebrity reality TV show
9. Chelsea will sack their manager
10. Boris Johnson will take up playing wiff waff full time in the hope of making the Olympic team. He will fail.
11. Alex Salmond will accept hat he looks like Berlusconi’s ugly sibling, leading the Scots to a referendum where they will bottle it
12. Prince Harry will do something to, once again, shame the royal family
13. Philip Schofield will take over all terrestrial TV channels
14. Someone will die in Albert Square at Christmas
15. The Loose Women will embrace their hatred of men, become lesbians and scissor each other into oblivion
16. Little Mix will release their autobiography
17. Piers Morgan will disappear up his own arse so fast that he creates a wormhole into a parallel universe
18. Joey Barton will break Twitter with his wisdom

Well, you never know…. get your bets on!

IAIN