Internet Millers v Nottingham Forest Match Review

Squad:

Shark, Denti, Mark, Paul El, Copey, Duds, Dan, Gaz, JV, Andy P, Gilby, Adis, Lee, Bash, Symon, Grist and Jebu.

Formation and Tactics

The superb facilities and first league home game since October meant the Millers had a healthy squad to choose from. Forest only travelled to Rotherham with 10 men so Duds, unhappy at not getting at starting berth for IM, played left side of defence for Forest.

The home side went for their favoured 5-3-2 with Sharky in net, a back three of Paul El, Denti and Mark and wing backs of Gilby and JV. Gaz made a long awaited return to the midfield three and was flanked by Dan and Andy P. Chris Grist was given a chance up front with Burnsy being injured, and he partnered Jebu. The crocked striker directed things from the touchline.

First Half

It was a perfect day for football on excellent facilities and despite only having a bare 11, it was Forest who made the better start to the match. They had some quality players across the middle of the park and they were imposing themselves on the game and controlling proceedings. The Millers had failed to settle and were dwelling on the ball which nearly caused danger as Forest were quick to intercept with final passes often letting them down. Rotherham eventually got in to the game more and could have gone ahead as a great move that involved Gaz, JV and Andy P saw Gilby’s resulting goal bound volley thud in to Jebu’s midriff. The ball was going at some pace and Jeb has the imprint to prove it! Rotherham created another chance as JV flashed a header wide from a decent Chris Grist corner. The Millers were at last competing but still were off their game but it was them who took the lead. Dan got the ball midway in Forest’s half and threaded a superb pass to Jeb who finished coolly slotting passed an on rushing keeper.

The home side could not make their advantage pay as the Forest midfield was still running the game and it didn’t take long for them to restore parity. A break down the right saw a thumping shot which Shark pushed around the post. From the resulting corner there was mayhem in the Rotherham penalty area as several opportunities to clear the ball were not taken and eventually the ball was slammed home from close range by a Forest attacker. This is not the first time that Rotherham have come unstuck at a set play situation and despite the aerial presence of the back three they looked vulnerable. Things could have got much worse soon after as a defensive area saw a Forest forward break clear, however Shark saved well with his feet. Despite being under the cosh and still playing poorly, it was Rotherham who could have taken the lead again just before half time. A peach of a ball by Jeb found Gilbs in acres of space; he steadied himself and crossed perfectly to Chris Grist who unfortunately couldn’t direct his header towards goal. All in all, a disappointing half for Rotherham who were happy to hear the half time whistle.

Second Half

Symon came on to replace Chris Grist up front, which was perhaps a little harsh as he had worked well up front providing decent link up play. Buoyed by a vociferous half time rollicking IMFC came out with a bit of spirit and began fairly brightly. They managed to get a few scuffed shots in when a pass seemed a better and the nearest they came to scoring was when a loose ball following a corner fell to JV but his hooked effort found the keeper who had positioned himself well.

Eventually though Forest got back in to it and Rotherham’s performance was still being haunted by sloppy use of the ball. It wasn’t too long before Forest took a deserved lead. After defending a set piece well, the Rotherham back line failed to step up as a unit and the left winger broke clear and finished past Shark. This knocked the stuffing out of Rotherham and they became very frustrated giving needless fouls away and losing their cool. In truth Forest remained in total ease and the home side could not muster any sort of pressure despite the introduction of fresh legs and the decision to chuck Mark Morris up front. The fact that the Millers failed to give him any decent service whilst he was up there epitomised the poor use of the ball throughout. The nearest Roth came to evening things up was when a ball fell to Andy Gilby on the edge of the area. However, in time and space he dragged his shot wide of the post.

To put the icing on the cake Forest scored a fast, breakaway goal with the Millers defence in disarray, which ended all hopes of a revival. The goal was no more than the battling Forest outfit deserved; their legs did not visibly tire despite not having the luxury of subs. The Millers were left to rue poor individual performances as Forest cruised the rest of the game and recorded a thoroughly well deserved win.

Post Match Comments

So much has already been said about the 3-5-2 v 5-3-2 v 4-4-2 debate. Needless to say that in general 4-4-2 seems to be the best way to go in general but on Saturday we could have played any formation that appears in the coaching manual and in my opinion the outcome would have been the same.

As a team we seem to enjoy going to places like Lincoln, York and Barnsley etc and giving them a blitzing. But when we come up against a team with a bit of fight, determination and organisation (thrown in with a fair bit of skill) we seem to wilt. I can’t vouch for the Millwall game but in the games we haven’t won since I’ve been a player (Watford (defeat), Hull (draw) and Forest (defeat)) those teams have all shown those qualities and as a result haven’t picked up the results when it was evident we needed to battle and work for the result. Do we think we’re better than we are? I do think we are a good team but maybe not as good as the results at the poorer teams suggest. When we come up against those teams we can just boss them because they don’t have any presence in midfield or up front. When we come up against a team that has a strong midfield and a decent striker we are just crushed. So no, we’re not as good as we think but that’s just as much down to the league structure as us in that there is no consistency in the quality of team we are up against from one week to the next.

With great respect to Chris (I thought he did very well when he was on) and Symon, I think we missed Burnsy up front. His goal scoring record speaks for itself and not only that but he can create his own goals. Often what could be seen as an aimless ball down the channel can often be turned in to a goal. Added to that his presence up top, it was a huge loss to us in an important game. He may not be missed as much next week.

A lot of players had an off day, personally speaking I didn’t get as much of the ball as I would have liked or in a position I would have liked, perhaps that is linked to the formation.

It was a shame that we didn’t put the superb facilities to use as we had a great pitch to play on that allowed plenty of space to pass around in. Hopefully we won’t be as forgiving to Scunthorpe next week.