Most Forest supporters in the perilous modern era will have experienced the uncomfortable reality of wanting heads to roll at managerial level.

Even the hallowed Paul Hart gazed into banners demanding his sacking on the final afternoon of his tenure.

Since the overdue retirement of Brian Clough, Forest have been unable to settle on a leader.

In recent times Joe Kinnear lost the backing of the terraces with his sharp tongue and contempt for the club’s past, Gary Megson meanwhile steered the club to the foot of the third tier and delivered football that would have disgraced the Wimbledon side of the 1990s.

Therein lies the first argument for keeping Colin Calderwood. Stability has been hard to come by in recent years, and in Calderwood Forest have an inoffensive character with big dreams and solid enthusiasm for the club’s future.

Then there is the issue of finding a replacement. Chairman Nigel Doughty and ‘expert advisor’ David Pleat have picked the men that have plotted Forest’s route from the fringe of the Premiership to three years in the third tier.

Should this be a case of ‘better the devil we know’?

And then there are the positive aspects of Calderwood’s management. Unlike Kinnear, whose side adopted a lifestyle akin to the one that earned Joe his portly frame, and Megson, who faced daily insurrection, Colin appears at least to be liked by his staff.

His work in the transfer market draws coy praise from even the most ardent of the out camp.

Bemusement

But the arguments against the Scot have strength in number as well as substance.

In the transfer market Calderwood has a bigger budget, and his club a greater pulling power, than any of his rivals.

On the pitch he repeatedly has supporters scratching their heads in bemusement.

Every manager in the football league seems to have trialled the so-called “4-5-1/4-3-3”; most have dispatched it to the scrapheap. Colin meanwhile has repeatedly forced square pegs into round holes as if this is the only way to play football.

His tinkerman approach to the game is radically contrasting to Brian Clough’s favourite philosophy: football is a simple game.

Yet in the wrong situations, Colin is overly cautious. I would not be the first to suggest that he often waits until it is far too late to bring a spark to the side with a much-needed change. Often it is the wrong change when it does come.

And we simply cannot ignore his performance on the big occasions, where his sides repeatedly stumble and falter.    

The play-off disaster last season burned bridges with many supporters, and there has been little improvement when it matters most this term.

Forest’s record against their promotion rivals makes for grim reading. This season the Reds have so far failed to score against the top two of Swansea and Doncaster, lost at home to Leeds United, lost at home to Carlisle United, and lost to Walsall.

No wins over Forest’s automatic promotion rivals.

Expectations

To sack a manager in fourth place may seem a sad reflection of the times and even somewhat irrational, but a board’s tolerance of a manager is directly proportional to the club’s expectations.

17 points off top spot having topped the table at Christmas falls some way short of those at Nottingham Forest.

For me personally, Calderwood looks unlikely to have the bottle or the ability to guide Forest to the exceptional run they will require to land second spot.

A change in management may be the only possible catalyst for success at this stage as Forest flounder in pursuit of the imperative: escaping League One before it kills an ailing club once and for all.

What do you think?

 
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