Thanks for joining me for tonight.
Ben Fisher was at the City Ground tonight. Here is his report.
Steve Cooper: “It is definitely a step in the right direction. It is not the main ambition to be drawing games at home and not having much of the ball.
“I know that are lots of things we need to improve on but we need to focus on the positives.
“We were deeper, we were more compact. Was it my way of playing the game? No, but it has worked.
“For all the possession Villa had they have not created a load of chances. We could have done better on the counter.
”This is completely different sport to the Championship. If I did not change a little bit, I feel it would be naive from a coaching point of view. I haven’t seen a group of players not showing willing, an attitude to take ideas on board. I am seeing a group of guys who really want to do well. Our work is to build an identity and team capable of earning points.
“I told the players we have to start giving something back to the supporters.
“This is a difficult coaching challenge, and for the players. I am finding out about the players, their characters. The motivation for me is to get through this period and make this season as successful as we can.”
Carragher says Coutinho is “a shadow of the player he once was”. This is cheery.
Roy Keane points out the game was utterly awful. He really hated having to watch it.
Ryan Yates: “It’s a good point. We want to be winning game but we had to stop the rot.”
What was the pre-match plan? “Do it for the fans, ourselves, everyone connected to the club.
“I thought Dennis came in upfront and did really well.
“Really frustrating [to concede equaliser], that’s football that’s the Premier League. We just need to look at the positives.
“I felt I was fouled in the buildup [to the equaliser] but there is nothing I can do about that. We need to defend it better.”
Worried about a conceding a penalty? “Yeah, it was because you never know. Sometimes they go for you, sometimes against.
“We just showed massive togetherness. The City Ground is at the best when the fans are connected to the players on the pitch.”
0.28 XG for Forest and 0.72 for Villa. I am not a stats man but that shows how underwhelming the game was.
Forest need to find a front three that works. Johnson-Dennis-Gibbs-White looked very much like three individuals.
Cooper goes for a walk around the City Ground, applauding each side of the stadium.
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Forest are off the bottom of the table, which will be a big morale boost for them after a tough spell on and off the pitch.
Full-time: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa
It was certainly not a classic. Villa were the better team and will be disappointed they were unable to find a winner. Forest were certainly better in defence and looked more structured as a unit. The point gives Cooper something to build on.
90+2 mins: Buendia bundles over Yates near the Forest byline to end any sort of threat.
90 mins: Three minutes added on.
89 mins: Archer leads the charge, eventually getting a cross in from the left which is blocked by McKenna. Surridge fouls Mings, allowing Villa the chance to launch a late free-kick into the box.
O’Brien primed to replace Gibbs-White.
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87 mins: Henderson plays with the back of his socks completely ripped out. That seems like it could get cold for a goalkeeper in winter.
85 mins: Henderson whacks the ball straight out of play. I think they would take the point right now.
83 mins: Watkins runs at Yates and the Forest captain sees his best option is to step across the striker to take him out, earning a booking for his troubles. The free-kick is sent into the box but Archer heads the ball away from goal.
Bad news … ‘I hate to disappoint Tom Sullivan, but the few times this Peter Oh,” says Peter Oh, “has been to Dallas were confined to its massive airport. I probably know more about Dallas the Northern Ireland and Leeds United player than the Texan metropolis.
“And I’ll take this opportunity to make the claim that, when it comes to football fan pun-ditry, there’s only one Peter Oh!”
81 mins: Villa line up a free-kick 25 yards from goal. Buendia has the ball. Needless to say, he hits the wall. How tedious.
79 mins: It is a very disciplined display from Forest. Cooper knows that a point, at least, will give them something to build on after five defeats.
77 mins: Dendoncker on for McGinn. Archer is also primed to come on for Villa.
75 mins: Gibbs-White swings in a deep free-kick from the left but it is easily cleared by Villa. They break quickly but Henderson comes out to end the attack.
Ramsey and Williams have a shoving match and go forehead-to-forehead. Taylor produces a yellow card for Ramsey. In the aftermath Douglas Luiz puts his head on Johnson. All very silly
“Two ex-Watford players on the score sheet tonight…us Watford fans need something to smile about,” says Gareth Williams.
A big night for the Pozzos.
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73 mins: Mings welcomes Surridge to the game by going through the back of him. Forest try to be clever with the free-kick and it comes to nothing.
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71 mins: Kouyate takes a touch and whacks a shot from 20 yards but it is close to Martinez who holds on.
Surridge comes on for Dennis. No Awoniyi …
69 mins: Forest are avoiding fun at all costs by playing with 10 men behind the ball whenever Villa are in possession.
Watkins gets to the byline ahead of Cook and pulls the ball back into the box to McGinn who decides to go for a diving header despite the ball bouncing at knee height. An odd decision from the Villa skipper.
67 mins: Ings and Watkins v Cook and McKenna could be fun for the next 25 minutes.
65 mins: Forest have their first real spell of possession of the half, ending with a deep cross from Toffolo which is cleared. The ball comes back at Villa, culminating with Gibbs-White trying to curl a shot from 25 yards out with the outside of his boot into the top corner but it goes just wide.
Coutinho is replaced by Ings.
63 mins: It has been all Villa since the break. Is it time to bring on Awoniyi for Dennis to bring a more physical presence in the final third to help hold up the ball?
Does Peter Oh do funerals too?” asks Justin Kavanagh. “His punning will be the death of us, if watching this game doesn’t age us all prematurely first.”
If the price is right.
61 mins: A Villa corner is sent back to Luiz, the taker, he swings in a cross with his left foot for Watkins at the back post, he heads the ball back across goal but Henderson makes a fine save down to his left.
Konsa asks for a penalty after being caught by Yates in the box but the referee is not having it, which is lucky for Forest as contact was made.
59 mins: To be fair, Aurier looked decent at right-back but I think a lack of match fitness meant he had to come off, especially due to being on a booking.
57 mins: Ramsey fumes with Yates after being pushed over and Taylor is forced to intervene, awarding Villa a free-kick which comes to nothing.
Williams replaces Aurier at right-back. Looks like the Ivorian has an issue with his right leg, proved by the removal of a shed load of strapping.
55 mins: Forest get to the edge of the box but struggle to find a gap in the Villa defence and the visitors get rid.
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53 mins: Villa look the livelier here. Can Forest match them?
51 mins: Ramsey spins Cook with ease to get into the box, allowing him to cross for Watkins but McKenna reads the danger and prevents a goal. Watkins does not help Ramsey by standing offside for a long time, forcing him to the delay the pass.
Forest break through Johnson but McGinn takes him out and is booked.
49 mins: Coutinho bursts into the box and takes aim from inside the box but he is off balance as he shoots and the ball flies well over the bar.
47 mins: Villa get an early corner thanks to good work from Cash. Luiz sends it into the box from the right but it is cleared.
Second half
Like Forest searching for a new Head of Media … here we go again!
“I had a classmate in high school for a year named Peter Oh, whose sensibility I am reminded of by the frequent MBM contributor. Can you ask him if he went to Dallas Jesuit in 1987 and, if he did, tell him Tom Sullivan says hi?”
Peter! Please tell me this is you and we are connecting people.
“It’s an ugly game, Will,” says Ben Watson, “but as a Forest fan I’d take that all day long of it means we don’t lose.
”Cash has nipped in too many times on Toffolo’s side, but other than that, and our total inability to defend the edge of box, we look ok.
”JLingz to get the winner?”
No one cares how a team wins, that is for sure. Lingard will come on at some point but he has looked underwhelming since signings.
Peter Oh is available for weddings, christenings and bat mitzvahs: “Villa’s back four are Young at heart and enjoy a healthy Cash flow, but they will need to turn Mings around quickly if they want to avoid the Konsa-quences of giving anything less than 100% against a determined opponent. “
Nostalgic.
11 - Ashley Young has scored his first Premier League goal for Aston Villa since May 2011 against Wigan, 11 years & 156 days ago. Indeed, only goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel (37y 336d) has scored a Premier League goal for Aston Villa at an older age than Young (37y 93d). Longevity. pic.twitter.com/mjfYn2CdY0
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) October 10, 2022
Kári Tulinius says: “Forest are much improved. This is the first time I’ve watched them this season and thought they had a chance to stay up. However, I’m starting to get a bad feeling about Villa. It’s a team with plenty of skilful players, but the build-up play is so aimless that there’s rarely any space to create a chance.”
“Awful game so far…” says John Ryan. “Instead of goals, could we just do shots on target, like first to five wins? Having said that no, we could be here till next week then...”
Email Richard Masters.
The good news is that Forest look far more disciplined in formation this time around.
Half-time: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa
It is level at half-time, which is a very fair reflection of the match thus far. Neither team has tested the goalkeeper apart from the goals. Neither team looks high on confidence and they cannot get their creative players into the match. Will things open up in the second?
45 mins: Two minutes added on.
44 mins: Konsa sends a fine pass through a gap for Cash who pulls the ball back into the box but Freuler reads the danger and clears for a corner. The corner is well worked but Douglas Luiz’s shot is blocked and Forest get rid, forcing Konsa to curtail the counter with a foul on Gibbs-White.
42 mins: I think both teams would be content to get to half-time level at this stage. It’s not been a game high on quality.
40 mins: Yates is fouled while trying to clear, which is fortunate for him as he made a couple of poor decisions in the few preceding seconds to put his team in trouble.
38 mins: Ramsey is tripped by Freuler just outside the box to give Villa a free-kick in a dangerous position. Douglas Luiz takes aim but whacks it straight into the wall and Forest clear.
Kouyate and Buendia have a little pushing match, then a few of their teammates get involved. It’s all quite petty and Anthony Taylor brings the two midfielders together to calm tensions.
36 mins: Aurier curls in a cross from the right with his left foot for Kouyate to attack but the midfielder gets no power into it and Martinez easily grabs hold.
34 mins: Young catches Dennis on the ankle, much to the Nigerian’s dismay.
Buendia and Coutinho are such incredibly creative players but they have barely been involved thus far.
32 mins: Villa enjoying a good spell of possession as Forest look to stay in their compact defensive shape to keep them at bay.
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30 mins: Douglas Luiz is in a heap on the floor after being caught by Freuler. He eventually gets up after not being given a free-kick.
28 mins: Cook is now on four bookings in five games, which is not the sign of a man up to speed with the level he is playing at.
26 mins: NO GOAL! McGinn plays the ball out to the left for Ramsey to cross into the box to a waiting Watkins to slide home from close range, only to see the offside raised and the goal is rightly disallowed.
Cook goes into the book for lunging at Ramsey inside the Villa box. What a poor challenge from the defender.
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24 mins: This all feels a little familiar … Forest need to regain their composure. Cooper was unhappy with a challenge on Yates in the box before the goal but there was nothing in it.
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 1-1 Aston Villa (Young, 22)
WHAT A HIT! Cook heads the ball out to Young, who takes a touch and absolutely pings a low shot into the bottom corner from 25 yards out.
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19 mins: Aurier slides in on Ramsey and is rightly booked for a reckless challenge. It looks like the defender went in with two feet off the floor. There is a quick VAR check and the yellow card is seen as a suitable punishment. Aurier really is a liability at times.
17 mins: Forest will have to make sure they are less open than in previous losses at City Ground when they took the lead against Bournemouth and Fulham before losing.
GOAL! Nottingham Forest 1-0 Aston Villa (Dennis, 15)
Gibbs-White swings in the free-kick from the right onto the head of Dennis who is left unmarked and nods home from seven yards out. Huge moment for Forest but they have given up leads before.
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14 mins: Johnson cuts inside and sends a cross into the box but Dennis is nowhere to be seen and Villa clear. Dennis does better seconds later as he is fouled by Mings on the right to gift Forest a free-kick in a dangerous area.
13 mins: Coutinho whacks the free-kick straight into McKenna’s face which is good news for Forest but less so for the defender.
12 mins: Buendia bursts through Freuler and Kouyate, and is fouled by bother of them around 25 yards from goal. Coutinho and Douglas Luiz line it up …
10 mins: When defending it looks like Johnson and Gibbs-White are playing as auxiliary full-backs. Cooper really is trying to make Forest harder to break down tonight.
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8 mins: Forest not offering anything in the final third. Dennis is yet to touch the ball.
Cash breaks down the right but his cross is pretty woeful and ends up going out for a throw-in on the opposite side.
6 mins: Buendia is on the deck after a midair clash with Freuler. Looks like the Argentinian has sore ribs following the incident.
4 mins: Buendia looks to slide a ball through for Watkins but he is cleaned out in the process by a late foul from Toffolo. The left-back is lucky to get away without a booking.
Douglas Luiz takes a short corner to McGinn whose shot is blocked. Forest look a little flat.
2 mins: It is a back four for Forest. Will Cook be able to cope with Watkins? They are defending with five across midfield currently.
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Kick-off
Peep! Peep! Peep! Here we go!
Cooper comes out for a round of applause from the fans and takes his place in the dugout.
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Steve Cooper: “I was recently disappointed with the performance and result at Leicester. Having reviewed it, it was far away from what we want.
“There’s been some strong conversations and reflections, which have come from the players as well. That’s how we like to work.
“I make no secret that we do have a lot of new players, so we are trying to find the right blend and team. What I will say about changes, it gives opportunities and when you are given them, you have to take them.”
“The sight of players like Henderson and Lingard in the squad is a reminder that this club won two European Cups with plenty of ‘rejects’ with a point to prove in Clough and Taylor’s teams,” emails Justin Kavanagh. “Could Kouyaté be the next Kenny Burns? Those days are probably gone but it’s good to see a coach get a chance to at least try to build a new team.”
I think Burns arrived with the best years ahead of him, I am not sure the same could be said of Kouyate.
A new face at the City Ground. How hands on will Filippo Giraldi be? It will be interesting to see what he has planned.
Like some of the readers, I have very fine memories on Monday nights in Nottingham, as Martin can confirm.
Oceana still on? That was a Monday right? Can you get that in the MBM?
— Martin Gowans 🌹 (@martingowans) October 10, 2022
It is five changes in total which is a sign of how tough Cooper has found it to nail down a starting XI following the influx of players. It is interesting to see that Lingard is on the bench for this one – he has really looked off the pace since arriving on a free. The expensive gamble looks a poor one at the moment.
Matty Cash is back where it all started.
Welcome back to the starting XI, @MattyCash622. 💪#NFOAVL pic.twitter.com/qR5NbM6Sa7
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) October 10, 2022
I am guessing it will be a 4-3-3 for Forest because Cooper could use Kouyate as a centre-back and carry on with just two central midfielders but this system has not worked in the Premier League following its success last season.
Some interesting Forest team news because Dennis makes his full league debut, Aurier is preferred at right-back, Steve Cook keeps his place and it looks like Cooper is adopting a three-man central midfield.
Starting lineups
Nottingham Forest (4-3-3): Henderson; Aurier, Cook, McKenna, Toffolo; Kouyate, Freuler, Yates; Gibbs-White, Dennis, Johnson
Subs: Hennessey, Boly, Worrall, Williams, O’Brien, Mangala, Lingard, Awoniyi, Surridge
Aston Villa (4-3-2-1): Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Young; McGinn, J Ramsey, Douglas Luiz; Buendia, Coutinho; Watkins
Subs: Olsen, Sanson, Ings, Chambers, Bednarek, Dendoncker, Archer, Bogarde, Nakamba
Preamble
What another week it has been on the Nottingham Forest Premier League rollercoaster. After their 4-0 thumping at Leicester last Monday it looked like Steve Cooper’s days at the City Ground were numbered. They have sounded out replacements but in the end Cooper signed a new contract, much to the surprise of many in Nottingham. When not trying to find a new head coach, the club were also dealing with claims that their chief executive and the recruitment team were getting their marching orders, which transpired to not be true.
Forest have four points from eight games after their summer of signing almost an entire new squad. If they beat Villa this evening, however, they will only be one point behind Steve Gerrard’s side in the table. Admittedly, Forest have lost their past five matches so it is a tough but they achievable task ahead of them.
Villa come here as the sideshow, few remembering what an earth they have done recently due to circus at City Ground. They are unbeaten since the end of August and will be optimistic of extending that run against the league’s bottom club.
Let’s hope for a cracker!
Kick-off: 8pm BST
