From: seanb@cs.man.ac.uk (Sean Bechhofer)
Newsgroups: rec.sport.soccer
Subject: Man City vs. Nottm Forest
Date: 5 Oct 92 16:46:44 GMT


	MANCHESTER CITY 2	NOTTINGHAM FOREST 2
	Holden 17		McKinnon  56
	Simpson 64		Pearce 83

City: Coton, I Brightwell, Phelan, McMahon (Reid 53), Curle, Hill, White,
Sheron, Quinn, Simpson, Holden.

Subs: Margetson (gk), Mike

Forest: Crossley, Laws, Pearce, McKinnon, Tiler, Keane, Crosby, Gemmill,
Clough, Bannister, Orlygsson.

Subs: Marriot (gk), Chettle, Glover

Att: 22,571

City once again fell victim to the sucker punch in the closing stages of
this game, letting Stuart Pearce through to equalise seven minutes from
time. They led twice in the match, but were unable to convert superiority
into goals, and had to settle for a point.  

With City goalless in their last four, and Forest desperately looking for
their second win of the season, goals were always likely in this game. On a
very wet pitch, from the start, it looked like City were the better bet to
score.  With Quinn back in the side, City tended to favour the direct route
as ever, which payed off after seventeen minutes. A free kick was lofted
into the box by Curle, Quinn got a head to it, and in the resulting
confusion, Holden used his pace :-) to get into the right position and poke
the ball home for his first City goal. City remained in the driving seat
for the rest of the half, but didn't manage to score.

The Forest midfield wove pretty patterns, but their lack of a decent
striker showed. Many times they were unable to break through, despite
having a lot of control of the midfield. However, they were to prove very
effective on the break in the second half. 

The turning point for City seemed to be when McMahon went off for Reid
after 53 minutes. He didn't appear injured, so it looked like it was a
tactical change. If so, then it was a pretty terrible one. Reid always
insists on having every move go through him, and as a result, slows the
game down. This can be a good thing occasionally, but recently his passing
has been dreadful, and he's become a liability. Three minutes after he came
on, Forest were level. With Phelan well forward, City were caught on the
break, as a quick Forest move swept the length of the park, ending with
McKinnon shooting well past Coton. City fought back, and with their best
move of the game, went ahead. Phelan overlapped with Holden down the left,
"Tricky" Ricky, played the ball out to him, and he put a great cross into
the box. Quinn was there, as ever, and his presence was enough to put off
Crossley, who could only parry the ball into the path of Simpson, who
blasted the ball home. The scoreline should have stayed that way, but in
typical fashion, City were caught on the break again. Pearce started a move
out of defence, released the ball, but carried on his run, and was there
for the return pass to beat Coton. Once again, the City defence was caught
flat footed. On balance, a fair result, as neither side really deserved a
victory - Forest for their lack of penetration up front, and City for their
slack defending. Forest fans should be the more heartened from this game,
though. Come the end of the season, I'd be very surprised if they were
still at the bottom of the table. The signing of a decent striker should
see them right.

As for City, the situation seems more bleak. The goal drought has ceased,
but both goals came from midfield. The front line just aren't scoring.
Quinn played as well as ever, holding the ball up well, and being involved
in both goals, but without a decent partner, he labours for very little
reward. David White was completely invisible throughout the game. When he
comes up against a hard left back (a description one could easily apply to
Pearce :-), he just disappears. He's certainly not an international class
player, and if he plays again for England, his weaknesses are likely to be
shown up. Sheron is having a bad patch as well, and didn't really feature
in this game. He's developing a tendency to be a bit ball greedy, which may
be born of frustration. Holden's lack of pace is a real handicap in a
winger. He does cross well, but has to have the ball to his feet all the
time - City are used to knocking the ball into space for the wide players
to chase. Fitzroy Simpson is developing a bit of an attitude problem. He
was booked yet again, and seems to have real trouble controlling his
temper. It's a shame, really, as he's a good solid midfielder. Perhaps
playing alongside Macca is having an influence on him!  The defence is also
very worrying right now. Vonk is out, and Reid still persists in playing
Hill in the centre.  This is crazy. He's a (good) right back, but is having
real difficulty in the middle. David Brightwell is a reasonable centre
back, and would be preferable to Hill, as Hill could then play in his
natural position, with Ian Brightwell in the midfield. And with Phelan out
of position supporting Holden all the time, City are always going to be
vulnerable to the break, as we saw on Saturday.  Unfortunately, at present,
it appears that there's not much that can be done. The first team being
played consists of most of the players with first team experience. In
particular, there just isn't a goal scorer around. Some strengthening of
the squad is essential if the Blues are to finish anywhere other than in a
mid-table, or possibly even relegation position. It's Bristol Rovers at
Twerton Park on Wednesday: 0-0 after the first leg, and I can't say I give
the Blues much chance..... 

Cheers,

	Sean B