Second string 'not as good as we hoped'
Some Nottingham Forest fans will have the seen the stat circulating at the weekend, highlighting that the Reds were the highest-placed club left in the FA Cup.Anyone who knows Forest knows that these kind of details are almost meaningless: firstly, because the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa are still in the fifth round; and secondly, we still had to play Exeter City.The fourth round proved how effective clubs such as the Grecians, Plymouth Argyle, Leyton Orient and Birmingham City can be against Premier League opposition. And the fact that it took penalties, and a few scary moments for the Reds to progress, prove how well Exeter played.The first XI will be more familiar against Fulham on Saturday but, if nothing else, last night's game proved that Nuno Espírito Santo's second-string side is not as effective as we hoped. Some performed admirably — seeing Ibrahim Sangare pulling the strings in midfield and displaying his wide passing range was a positive. However, some clearly need match time and will remain squad players for the time being.Hopefully Taiwo Awoniyi and Carlos Miguel will recover quickly, as Forest's record of having the fewest injuries in the Premier League (and days lost to them) are a clear factor in their current position in the table. Keeping the players fresh is undoubtedly at the forefront of Nuno's mind — although a long night in Devon might quickly erase the memory of a week in Dubai.Our opponents in upcoming weeks are facing their own injury issues and, with two games against Ipswich Town in quick succession — an FA Cup fifth-round tie at home followed by a Premier League game away — the Reds will be depending on their stars of the season so far to keep things alive.Find more from Pat Riddell at The Famous Club, external
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
Celtic Park is no retirement home as Premier League royalty hit with brutal reality check
Joe Hart and Kasper Schmeichel have been tempted north of the border at the twilight of the careers Celtic may have lured two Premier League legends north late in their careers. But Shay Given is adamant Parkhead is no retirement home for goalkeeping royalty. Veterans Joe Hart and Kasper Schmeichel both conquered English football but couldn't resist the pull of Paradise. Man City favourite Hart rediscovered his love for the game during three trophy-laden years before hanging up the gloves last summer. His successor might be 38, but Schmeichel isn't done yet. The Leicester City title-winner has signed up for a second season with the Double-winners and still looks hungry for more. While Celts continue to unearth hidden gems from across the continent, in recent years, there has been a clear strategy of choosing an experienced head between the sticks. However, Republic of Ireland icon Given has rejected the idea that Celtic Park is a graveyard for big names to wind down. Promoting next month's glamour friendly between Celtic and Newcastle United, he said: "I wouldn't say it's a place for goalkeepers at the end of their careers. "What I would say about their mindsets to come to Celtic, it's such a big club and the expectation levels are really high on the goalkeeper. "Especially with the Old Firm, I think the mindset of the goalkeeper has to be really strong because you know going over there is going to be spicy with the fans, and even here if you make a mistake, the crowd will probably let you know. "It's a position that's high-profile and it's a position where you need to have rhino skin and a strong mentality. I wouldn't say it's end-of-your-career stuff coming here, I wouldn't think that at all. "Chris Sutton came up here after winning the league with Blackburn and did some good things, it's not just goalkeepers." Schmeichel proved more than a safe pair of hands in his debut campaign. The Denmark captain's pinpoint distribution has added a new dimension to Brendan Rodgers' side, with the gaffer demanding the champions play out from the back. But there's no escaping the sting of Hampden. An uncharacteristic blunder from Schmeichel gifted Aberdeen the Scottish Cup – and ripped the Treble from the Hoops' grasp in heartbreaking fashion. Still, Given insists the battle-hardened Dane will be back stronger after a well-earned summer break. Given said: "He'll be disappointed with the final and the goal because it's a mistake, there's no point trying to dress it up any other way. "He knows himself he probably should have done better with it. It's a disappointing end to a brilliant season, because he's still won the double. "I suppose the icing on the cake would have been to get their hands on the Treble but it wasn't to be. The journey his whole career has been on, he's had knock-backs as a kid and had to go right down to Notts County and play. "He built his way back up and won the Premier League with Leicester. There's so much more positives than negatives. When you're a goalkeeper, you are either brilliant or rubbish - that's probably the mentality of some people. "We've all been there before. You have to have a strong mentality and mindset to bounce back from that. "Brendan knows him inside out and knows how to get the best out of him, get him back to peak fitness after a break in the summer, which he deserves. Sometimes it's a mental break as much as anything that the players need. "I'm sure Kasper will go away and switch off mentally as much as anything and come back refreshed." Behind every keeper, there's a goalkeeping coach. Celtic have one of the very best in Stevie Woods - even if the credit rarely comes his way. Given, 49, knows just how crucial Woods' voice will be behind the scenes, especially during a difficult patch. "He's been here a good few years and got the pedigree and experience", Given said. "He'll have seen it all, Woodsy. "He'll do brilliant sessions but sometimes it's the wee talks as a goalkeeping coach. If you do make a mistake, how do you bounce back? "Just going for a walk with a coach like Woodsy and having a chat about things is as good as diving about and making loads of saves. "It's such a specialised position. I think someone of that calibre overseeing the whole goalkeeping department is great for the club as well. "I'm sure him and Kasper will have a chat, even in the close season, so he bounces back for pre-season. These guys are in the background and they probably don't get the credit they deserve sometimes. "The manager is front and foremost but there's a team behind him as well. They deserve great credit, the unsung heroes behind the scenes. "Again, his job will be to speak to Kasper and get the best out of him, but also to say to Viljami Sinisalo, 'You've got an opportunity to play this season, you've got to push yourself to the max and compete with Kasper'. "It's all about that voice and messaging." Third-choice keeper Scott Bain packed his bags for Falkirk after seven years at Celtic Park. From the outside looking in, being paid to sit on the bench while picking up trophy after trophy might seem like a dream gig. But Given pointed out: "It's a nice job but it's not an easy job either. You're training every single day and not getting a great chance of playing. But things can happen really quickly, look at the Scottish set-up at the minute. "Goalkeepers were dropping like flies and before you know it, the kid Cieran Slicker is making his debut at Hampden Park. "At Newcastle, Loris Karius' first game was a cup final - sometimes it happens overnight. A third-choice keeper has to be training like he's playing on a Saturday, but has the disappointment of not playing. "When you don't play, it's tough mentally, it can be draining. If it was me, I wouldn't really fancy it, to be honest." A lifelong fan, Given came through the ranks at Celtic but never made a senior appearance before upping sticks for Blackburn Rovers in 1994. Asked if he was ever close to coming back to his boyhood club, he added: "I don't think I was, no. I was a bit old-school back in the day, I used to have a solicitor look after me. "I didn't really have an agent. There were different articles in newspapers but I was never really privy to it."
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
The key Celtic appointment made by Brendan Rodgers who Shay Given rates highly
Premier League legend Given worked with him at Newcastle United His name is often mistaken for an A-list celebrity. And Shay Given joked his old pal Adam Sadler is going all Hollywood these days. The Celtic first-team coach - not to be confused with funnyman Adam Sandler - arrived at Parkhead in 2023 after spells with Newcastle, Manchester City and Leicester. Sadler was reunited with Brendan Rodgers at Lennoxtown, having previously worked alongside him at the King Power Stadium. But years earlier, he was Premier League legend Given's goalkeeping coach at St James' Park. And despite touching down in Glasgow for a rare visit, Given revealed he was blanked by the Geordie - although he insists the Hoops have a real gem behind the scenes. The Irishman laughed: "I know him well. I texted him today for a coffee, but he said he's moving, he's too busy for me! "He's gone all big-time now. Adam was my goalie coach at Newcastle so we go back a long way. "But even then, he wanted to do outfield coaching. He's a big Geordie and Brendan worked with him at Leicester. "I think he's brilliant with the lads, he has a nice way about him. Jovial at times but serious when he needs to be. "I think he's a brilliant coach and a great lad." You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also on WhatsApp, where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to your phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
I went from Airdrie benchwarmer to FA Cup winner – I'd have laughed at the thought a couple of years ago
It's been quite the remarkable journey for Justin Devenny who has reaped the rewards for digging deep at his football low moments It was February 2022 when Justin Devenny found himself sitting on the Airdrie bench wondering where his young career was heading. Fast forward just three and a half years later, the former Killie kid had to stop for a second as he clambered his way to the top of the Wembley steps to ask himself just how he'd made it quite so far. The trouble for Steve Clarke and Scotland is that the chance to rewind the tape and claim the 21-year-old Crystal Palace ace for the nation of his birth has come and gone. Born in Irvine and raised at Rugby Park, Devenny has taken not so much taken the scenic route to the Premier League and an FA Cup winners' medal as a 500-mile detour. The starting point was the Kilmarnock academy but with first-team opportunities out of reach, his first stopover was a brief loan stint at Lowland League outfit Broomhill. From there he headed to the Excelsior Stadium, first on loan with the Diamonds before signing permanently. A mere 54 appearances in League One was all the evidence Palace needed to spot his top flight potential - something he has fulfilled this year with 23 appearances in the best league in the world. His talent was so clear to Michael O'Neill that the Northern Ireland boss opted to cap the dynamic midfielder last November before Scotland could realise their mistake. Overlooked by a succession of SFA age group coaches, he's now on course to become a regular for club and country - just not the one where he grew up. Asked if he had any regrets about opting for a green jersey over a dark blue one, Devenny said in his Ayrshire accent: 'Well, Northern Ireland showed their trust first. 'They showed their trust and they believed in me before Scotland did. 'Was that loyalty, that show of faith important to me? Yeah, exactly. You want to play for a team that want you but it's been great since I came in here. I'm just happy to be playing. 'I qualify through my mum, my gran, that side of the family. They were all here on Tuesday so it was good. 'Representing that family heritage is special to me. That's kind of where it all started! 'For me to be playing for Northern Ireland, it's a great, great feeling.' Just as good was that moment of euphoria as the final whistle blew at Wembley last month. Devenny may have been an unused sub as Eberechi Eze's winner sealed victory over Manchester City and with it the Eagles first-ever major trophy but he celebrated the triumph as wildly as any of the men who started for Oliver Glasner's side. Reflecting on the journey that has taken him being a Diamond benchwarmer to Palace's silver-winning squad, he said: 'Well when you say it like that, it's been amazing. 'My route in football has been an upward spiral but I had to dig deep with the low moments and thankfully I've got the rewards. 'It's just gone from strength to strength this season and next season I'll be hoping for more. 'At Wembley it was amazing. You're walking up the Wembley steps and you're like, 'Wow, I can't believe this is me'. 'But I thought we deserved it to be fair. Throughout the year we worked so hard as a team and I think at the time I was just enjoying the celebrations. "But now I can look back and be like, 'Wow, it's a great achievement and I'm grateful for it'. 'It is important to reflect on where you came from but even when I was at Airdrie, no matter what was happening I had that belief in myself. "I was always striving to get to the top. Whether I thought I'd get there so quickly, I don't know. But it's been amazing for me and I just hope for more. 'To have played 23 times in the Premier League this season is incredible. That's what I mean. I just need to reflect and say, 'If you'd told me that a year ago or told me that two years ago I'd probably have laughed'. 'But again, it's just about being confident when you get the chance and I feel like when I've had the chance before then I've grabbed it with both hands. I think that's what you need to do, especially as a young player breaking through.' A year in the Palace Under-23 squad was the perfect transition ground. And he's looked more and more settled in Glasner's side since being handed his Premier League debut in a Selhurst Park defeat to Fulham last November. 'Once you're in that environment that's you,' he said. 'You try and feel at home almost. 'The boys have been great as well. You see that quality straight away when you come in. 'But that's when I need to believe in myself and believe in my own quality. "But the step up has almost been effortless just because of the group. It's been such a good group at Palace and the boys are all helpful, all humble and that's what you need. 'You don't know what to expect and when you've got such a good group, it helps a lot.' Glasner has been key to his development too. Devenny appreciates the opportunities he's been given this year - and made sure to do as he was told on international duty last week. 'What did he tell me before joining up with Northern Ireland? Don't get injured! 'He obviously wants the best for me as well and he wants me to get as many minutes as I can. 'He doesn't want me injured coming back for him. But I think he knows as well it's such a great opportunity for me to try and show what I can do in terms of getting more minutes and stuff. If I do well then I'm almost coming back to Palace with a point to prove.'
