For those with a DE or NG postcode, Sunday’s match between Derby County and Nottingham Forest is the biggest match of the season. Live in front of a national television audience, the match has finally got recognition for what is usually a full-blooded and drama fuelled game (Stuart Atwell anyone?). City v United, Arsenal v Tottenham, Newcastle v Sunderland, Everton v Liverpool (I could go on, I really could. I have a list of all the world’s local derbies on my living room wall) are no different passion wise to the East Midland’s affair (and no Leicester, we do not care about you).
The difference with this game is that Derby are going into it as favourites. In previous years, a Nottingham Forest team led by Billy Davies were predominantly the better team and the ones with aspirations for higher glories. Now, after departing with Steve Mclaren, and welcoming (not sure many did welcome him, but hey ho) Steve Cotterill, Forest find themselves firmly in the middle of Struggle Street without a map to help them get off it. Few could have imagined Forest’s season would turn out so disastrously when they were 1 goal up and 1 man up against Derby with 88 minutes left to play at the City Ground in mid September. The comeback from Derby may well have been a hammer blow for the Reds. In previous years, such a thing would simply not have happened.
Derby on the other hand have eyes set on the playoffs. If it wasn’t for 3-2 defeat at Barnsley midweek they’d have entered the game in formidable form. They hadn’t conceded in 4 league matches, and were unbeaten in 6 (Ok, maybe not formidable when compared to other great records, but for Derby, that was pretty special form). They know how to grind matches out, unlike Forest who know how not to defend, and how not to score.
So on paper, Derby with home advantage look to be absolute certainties to win the A52 derby, and with it the Brian Clough Cup, but we all know that football is not played on paper. Form goes out the window for local derbies. I thought I’d dedicate this paragraph to footballing clichés, but I’ve ran out now, so let’s move on.
Former Derby man Danny Higginbotham joined Forest on loan in the week, and it is hoped he can do something about Forest’s terrible defence (a defence made weaker by the sale of Wes Morgan to Leicester). How the Forest fans must be hoping for the old ‘score against your old team’ piece of luck to be on their side.
Lee Camp cuts a very unpopular figure amongst the Derby faithful. Derby born and bred, he has done much to distance himself from his past. As well as saving a penalty late on for Forest (as a loan player) against Derby at Pride Park in 2008 and celebrating like a mad man, he struts around the pitch walking as if he has a roll of carpet under each arm. He has not been the most popular man on the banks of the Trent this season either after many poor performances, linked to him being unhappy at not getting a Premier League move to Swansea in the summer. His suggestion that Forest v Leicester is a bigger match than Forest v Derby also irked fans from both teams. Such suggestions come under the category of ‘bullshine’.
Up front, Forest look bereft of ideas. Unlike in previous years when they had Robbie Earnshaw and Dexter Blackstock banging goals in, they now rely on Ishmael Miller, who hasn’t hit it off at Forest, the very average Marlon Harewood, and Marcus Tudgay who is short of goals. Whether Blackstock can return to the form he had before his horrific injury and save them remains to be seen. A Burnley supporting friend of mine went to the City Ground midweek and gave me a report of “they’re a shower of shite mate”. That tells you more than any analysis I can give you.
For Derby, defence has been key. Fielding (no pun intended) a first choice back 5 of Fielding, Brayford, Shackell, Barker and Roberts, the Rams have been nothing but solid in recent games (forgetting Barnsley). Attacking wise they lack that cutting edge though. Callum Ball has emerged as a very bright prospect, and Theo Robinson will score 1 in every 35 chances but it could be a fit again Nathan Tyson that emerges as a match winner on Sunday against his former club.
It’s a match in which evokes pure dislike, but both sets of fans have been united on Twitter this week after a young Nottingham chav wrote for his wish for Forest fans to repeat the scenes in Egypt this week by ‘killing the sheepshaggers on Sunday’. He responded to fans from both sides telling him what a plonker he is by telling them they either had AIDS, or that he'd been with their mother the previous night. Seems like a character. You may not be surprised to know the police are involved, just a shame the hangman isn't.
Predictions... Lee Camp to be booed excessively by the home fans, Nathan Tyson to be booed excessively by the away fans, a cracking atmosphere and a few goals.
I’ve tried to write the article without indicating where my loyalties lie (even though 99% of you reading this will already know), so i’m ditching my objectiveness now...COME ON YOU RAMS!
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