DOUG DEMANDS MORE NEXT TERM
First-half goals put Cardiff in top half
DOUGIE Freedman wants Forest to start thinking more long term after their desperate end to the season.
The Reds boss saw impressive Cardiff take complete control through early goals from Joe Ralls and Eoin Doyle as the home side finished with two points from their last eight games.
But, after crediting the home fans for Dexter Blackstock pulling a late goal back for Forest, Freedman emphasised the City Ground must change.
“Fawaz Al-Hasawi is a wonderful chairman. I talk to him every day about football and about life and he has put fortunes into this football club but got nowhere,” he said.
“We need a style of play and to recruit players to fit that style instead of bringing in whoever comes along.
“We have become a place for managers on gardening leave.
“I want to put in a longer term plan; I achieved success with it at Crystal Palace and to a lesser extent at Bolton.
“As for this season, the Norwich game killed us. We literally ran out of players and deep down everyone knew there wasn’t so much at stake after that.
“I’ve told the players we need to do better for the fans. At 2-0 down here, they lifted us to get back into the game – I’d credit them for our goal.”
Forest, whose 14th-place finish was two places lower than when Stuart Pearce was sacked, were a half-hearted shambles throughout the first half.
Ralls rattled home a volley from deep inside the six-yard box after Joe Mason’s shot had been deflected by a flapping Forest defence and the second followed swiftly after Karl Darlow had saved from Stuart O’Keefe’s 25yarder.
Matthew Kennedy got the better of makeshift left-back Michael Mancienne to swing over a right-wing cross and Doyle headed in unattended at the far post for his 30th goal of the season.
O’Keefe came within a whisker of a third with a free-kick in the 42nd minute as Forest went off to boos at half-time. A bobbler from interval substitute Chuba Akpom 30 seconds after the break was the home side’s first effort on target.
Freedman rang the secondhalf changes but, for long periods, news of Derby’s demise was all the City Ground had to cheer.
Ben Osborn and Jamie Paterson added much needed energy for the home side before Cardiff goalkeeper David Marshall aimed his head in the direction of Jamaal Lascelles in the 76th minute and was sent off.
This provoked Forest into by far their best spell with replacement goalkeeper Simon Moore doing well to block from Blackstock after a clever Osborn pass.
Ben Turner came to the rescue with an excellent goal line clearance from Mancienne before Paterson’s cross was stabbed in at close range by Blackstock in injury time.
Derby may have lost but Forest, who have taken only two points out of their last 24, have enough problems of their own.
Cardiff boss Russell Slade said: “It’s important now that we add a bit of quality in the summer – and I’m confident we can do so.
“Everyone at the football club is aiming for us to make a promotion push next season.
“We moved the ball well as we have tended to do away from home. We got the wingers into little pockets and caused them problems on the transition. It was a great cross from Matthew Kennedy for our second goal.
“David Marshall has made a mistake. There’s not a lot of contact but by going at Lascelles, I can’t argue with the decision.
“We looked to be seeing the game out until the news from Derby lifted the home crowd.”