There are times to be unselfish...
In our latest GARIBALDI RED podcast, Nottingham Forest legend Garry Birtles and Reds fan Michael Temple join host Matt Davies.
■■Should Lewis Grabban have squared the ball against Reading when his shot was cleared off the line?
GB : “I’d have squared it without a doubt.
“Before I saw it I thought strikers always want that chance to score but sometimes you have to lift your head and have a quick glance.
“There’s two bright yellow shirts, it’s not as if they’re grey or anything. The angle he was at was acute.
“You saw the frustration with the players who had a tap in, rightly so.
“There are times where you do have to be unselfish.
“That could have been the difference between three points and one point.” ■■Is it fair that we’re singling him out with that one incident?
GB: “It’s not singling him out. You’re looking at an incident that could put the game to bed maybe.
“We’d have the same conversation if this were Lyle Taylor or Brennan Johnson. You aren’t signalling anyone out.
“It’s a situation you’re looking at that you have to ask where he should have passed. On that occasion he should have passed.”
MT: “Grabban looked fit and sharp but unfortunately there were two key instances he came out on the wrong side of.
“Garry’s right, he should have passed the ball. Then second half he’s rounded the keeper and you would back him to score there but he hit the side-netting.
“But for those two instances it’s a nine out of 10 performance from Grabban. He’s an automatic selection and if he had executed better in either scenario he’d have been the match winner.”
GB: “People will say if he had scored at the near post you wouldn’t be moaning but the fact is he didn’t. He’d have got a volley when we were playing.”
■■What is your verdict on Gaetan Bong as a Forest player?
GB : “It’s a difficult one for a player who hasn’t played for ages. You are expected to do ok. You are nervous and he knows he’s not the most popular.
“He knows he’s made mistakes.”