Brian Laws looking for Hillsborough memorial at Forest

[Corway]

Good to see him looking well and speaking out for a good cause.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/ar ... jlxddv2k2o

[ClaretTony]

It is good to see him looking so good after his health scares too. A good player but not so good manager for us, but so good also to see him speaking on this.

As for the cause, we all know what so many people have had to deal with for the last 36 years and that has to include all those who were inside the stadium and witnessing it.

I always remember the scene when Forest fans were chanting against Liverpool as it unfolded until their chairman Maurice Roworth went round and spoke to some of them. There was an immediate hush in the Penistone Road end.

So many people suffered that day and in terms of football is one of the saddest days I can ever recall. My thoughts, as always on this day, are with those who have been affected by it and, of course, with the 97 who lost their lives.

[Corway]

Must have been a nightmare to witness, I share
your sentiments CT.
Not the best manager though he managed 400 games or so in his career and two promotions at Scunthorpe.
Definitely a great eye for talent though - weren’t Dean Marney, Lee Grant, Jack Cork, Charlie Austin, Marvin Bartley, Kieran Trippier, Ben Mee, Sam Vokes some of his?
Many on loan and little money involved.
A surprise appointee to Burnley on Jan 13th 2010 after Coyle took all back room staff and loanees Jack Wilshere and Stuart Holden with him. To appoint a new team and bring in new players in two weeks was some challenge.
Fans and older Coyle loving players were underwhelmed and didn’t help the cause. Had we beaten Wigan and not lost we would have stayed up.

[Herts Clarets]

Must have been a nightmare to witness, I share
your sentiments CT.
Not the best manager though he managed 400 games or so in his career and two promotions at Scunthorpe.
Definitely a great eye for talent though - weren’t Dean Marney, Lee Grant, Jack Cork, Charlie Austin, Marvin Bartley, Kieran Trippier, Ben Mee, Sam Vokes some of his?
Many on loan and little money involved.
A surprise appointee to Burnley on Jan 13th 2010 after Coyle took all back room staff and loanees Jack Wilshere and Stuart Holden with him. To appoint a new team and bring in new players in two weeks was some challenge.
Fans and older Coyle loving players were underwhelmed and didn’t help the cause. Had we beaten Wigan and not lost we would have stayed up.

Only Cork on loan I think. I remember more the likes of Frederic Nimani, Leon Cort, Danny Fox, Nicky Weaver and David Nugent (loan) as his signings.

[AfloatinClaret]

A surprise appointee to Burnley on Jan 13th 2010 after Coyle ...Fans and older Coyle loving players were underwhelmed and didn’t help the cause.

That.

[Fretters]

Coyle signed Nugent. Laws did sign Fox, Cork, Grant and Marney (his best signing IMO). He got very close to bringing in Billy Sharp too, but he chose Doncaster.

Wasn't Laws our number one choice before we turned to Coyle, but we couldn't get him out of Sheffield Wednesday?

[ClaretTony]

Coyle signed Nugent. Laws did sign Fox, Cork, Grant and Marney (his best signing IMO). He got very close to bringing in Billy Sharp too, but he chose Doncaster.

Wasn't Laws our number one choice before we turned to Coyle, but we couldn't get him out of Sheffield Wednesday?

He was - Flood wanted him

[Luppy]

Must have been a nightmare to witness, I share
your sentiments CT.
Not the best manager though he managed 400 games or so in his career and two promotions at Scunthorpe.
Definitely a great eye for talent though - weren’t Dean Marney, Lee Grant, Jack Cork, Charlie Austin, Marvin Bartley, Kieran Trippier, Ben Mee, Sam Vokes some of his?
Many on loan and little money involved.
A surprise appointee to Burnley on Jan 13th 2010 after Coyle took all back room staff and loanees Jack Wilshere and Stuart Holden with him. To appoint a new team and bring in new players in two weeks was some challenge.
Fans and older Coyle loving players were underwhelmed and didn’t help the cause. Had we beaten Wigan and not lost we would have stayed up.

Trippier, Mee, Bartley, Austin and Vokes were all Howe signings.

Marney, Cork and I'd argue Wallace were Laws' best signings. Danny Fox, Iwelumo and Grant were just about ok, just, let's not discuss Leon Cort.......

[JohnDearyMe]

Must have been a nightmare to witness, I share
your sentiments CT.
Not the best manager though he managed 400 games or so in his career and two promotions at Scunthorpe.
Definitely a great eye for talent though - weren’t Dean Marney, Lee Grant, Jack Cork, Charlie Austin, Marvin Bartley, Kieran Trippier, Ben Mee, Sam Vokes some of his?
Many on loan and little money involved.
A surprise appointee to Burnley on Jan 13th 2010 after Coyle took all back room staff and loanees Jack Wilshere and Stuart Holden with him. To appoint a new team and bring in new players in two weeks was some challenge.
Fans and older Coyle loving players were underwhelmed and didn’t help the cause. Had we beaten Wigan and not lost we would have stayed up.

Noticed that Jack Wilshire was part of the Norwich management team on Friday night.

[Herts Clarets]

Noticed that Jack Wilshire was part of the Norwich management team on Friday night.

Crutches, zimmer frame or wheel chair to get him from the tunnel to the dug out?

[ecc]

He got booked.

[HurstGrangeClaret]

Full credit to BL for this.
He never struck me as being the most dynamic of managers, although as someone else has already mentioned, he was a decent player.
But this is such a worthwhile cause. Well done Brian.

[ClaretTony]

Only Cork on loan I think. I remember more the likes of Frederic Nimani, Leon Cort, Danny Fox, Nicky Weaver and David Nugent (loan) as his signings.

He signed Cork twice on loan - Nimani was already on his way when Laws arrived. Nugent was signed in the summer window when Coyle was manager. He signed Weaver having witnessed Penny in a reserve game at Hull and realised he had no backup goalkeeper. Fox definitely, and I also believe Cort, were Flood signings.

[claret wizard]

I’m actually surprised Forest don’t have a memorial. Having been to both the Hillsborough and the Anfield memorials in the last couple of years it’s always got supporters, from both clubs playing, reflecting or learning about that day. Whilst things are so much better at grounds now we’ll still see over zealous policing, poor stewarding, bad crowd management. The more awareness, education and visibility of this the better. Everyone who goes to a football game should come home again.

[ClaretTony]

I’m actually surprised Forest don’t have a memorial. Having been to both the Hillsborough and the Anfield memorials in the last couple of years it’s always got supporters, from both clubs playing, reflecting or learning about that day. Whilst things are so much better at grounds now we’ll still see over zealous policing, poor stewarding, bad crowd management. The more awareness, education and visibility of this the better. Everyone who goes to a football game should come home again.

This

[Corway]

Trippier, Mee, Bartley, Austin and Vokes were all Howe signings.

Marney, Cork and I'd argue Wallace were Laws' best signings. Danny Fox, Iwelumo and Grant were just about ok, just, let's not discuss Leon Cort.......
[/quote/]

Apologies Luppy
I’d agree with your assessments, though I thought Grant was better than OK.

[CaptJohn]

Maybe I have a different viewpoint on this.
It's been a long time since the tragedy and the long, drawn out inquiry. My opinion is that we don't forget what happened but the memorial at Anfield is quite sufficient for this purpose. We don't need anything else.

[Corway]

Maybe I have a different viewpoint on this.
It's been a long time since the tragedy and the long, drawn out inquiry. My opinion is that we don't forget what happened but the memorial at Anfield is quite sufficient for this purpose. We don't need anything else.

Hi Capt
We don’t but the people and players of Nottingham seem to want it

[Beagle]

Maybe I have a different viewpoint on this.
It's been a long time since the tragedy and the long, drawn out inquiry. My opinion is that we don't forget what happened but the memorial at Anfield is quite sufficient for this purpose. We don't need anything else.

I suppose it all comes down to what those who were there that day and the victims’ families want. Plus, what’s the harm?

[ClaretTony]

Maybe I have a different viewpoint on this.
It's been a long time since the tragedy and the long, drawn out inquiry. My opinion is that we don't forget what happened but the memorial at Anfield is quite sufficient for this purpose. We don't need anything else.

What we or you want or need really isn’t relevant. There were a lot of Forest fans there that day who were badly affected and it is the Forest fans who have requested it.

[Big Vinny K]

Maybe I have a different viewpoint on this.
It's been a long time since the tragedy and the long, drawn out inquiry. My opinion is that we don't forget what happened but the memorial at Anfield is quite sufficient for this purpose. We don't need anything else.

How do you think a memorial at Anfield is going to help the supporters and families of Nottingham Forest ?

As already said it’s one of those areas where I think only those who were there on the day or were impacted by the events through friends and family who should be the ones deciding what they think might be fitting. The rest of us who were lucky enough to not be there that day and lucky enough it was not Burnley who were playing to put it bluntly should not have any say on this.

[Goliath]

Laws seems a nice guy but he was an utterly dreadful manager. The exact type you don't want to take you through a rebuilding period. Thankfully we'd got shut so Eddie Howe could do it instead. God knows where we'd be now if Laws had been given another couple of transfer windows.

Marney, Iwelumo, Cort, Fox, Wallace, nearly Sharp. It's like a who's who of bang average Championship players. (Bar Marney who eventually showed a bit more)

[CaptJohn]

My opinion is that it happened a long time ago and if one was going to be put in place, it should have happened a long time ago. It's just morbid to keep raking it up.

[claret wizard]

My opinion is that it happened a long time ago and if one was going to be put in place, it should have happened a long time ago. It's just morbid to keep raking it up.

Read the room, it’s got nowt to do with us.

[daveisaclaret]

My opinion is that it happened a long time ago and if one was going to be put in place, it should have happened a long time ago. It's just morbid to keep raking it up.

People shouldn't engage with this in my opinion because when you scratch the surface of people who say things like this they typically have pretty nasty and uneducated opinions about the disaster itself.

[Casper2]

Bearing in mind Cloughs comments on the tragedy I would of thought Liverpool fans would be horrified at the thought.

[Fretters]

Laws seems a nice guy but he was an utterly dreadful manager. The exact type you don't want to take you through a rebuilding period. Thankfully we'd got shut so Eddie Howe could do it instead. God knows where we'd be now if Laws had been given another couple of transfer windows.

Marney, Iwelumo, Cort, Fox, Wallace, nearly Sharp. It's like a who's who of bang average Championship players. (Bar Marney who eventually showed a bit more)

Harsh on Wallace who played a key role in Dyche's first promotion. And I'd argue Marney showed a LOT more as soon as he had a proper partner in central midfield.

[Goliath]

Harsh on Wallace who played a key role in Dyche's first promotion. And I'd argue Marney showed a LOT more as soon as he had a proper partner in central midfield.

I really didn't like Wallace, he was petulant and pretty one dimensional.

I think you might be meaning Chris McCann there which is harsh. He was a good midfielder but he and Marney weren't suited to each other. Both needed a controlling midfielder next to them. Also they won't have played together under Laws.

In fact didn't Marney play some games with Cork and Alexander when he arrived, they weren't bad partners! He just needed a manager that used his energy and didn't like to play through the midfield that much.

[Rowls]

Hi Capt
We don’t but the people and players of Nottingham seem to want it

Hi Corway

I lived in Nottm for over 23 years and knew lots and lots of Forest fans. I've totted it up in my head and can think of 20+ Forest fans who I knew as colleagues / acquaintances etc and of those, 12-14 I knew fairly well at the time and 5-6 would be classed as good friends who I knew well and whom I'm still in touch with.

They're mainly (ex) civil servants but also a number who I met playing football and drinking in pubs and bars.

I've never heard any of them express a desire for a memorial at the City Ground. Not a single one. Running through their faces in my head, I can only think that a single one of them who I would assume would support the idea. And the topic of conversation *did* crop up on a semi-regular basis.

If there had been a large desire for such a memorial, I think it would have arisen much earlier than now.

I couldn't be 100% sure (I'm not going to poll them their thoughts and I'm only still in touch with 5-6 of them) but I'd be confident that, in private, they would respectfully express an opinion that they would not a memorial at the City Ground.

This isn't scientific but I suspect that if Forest season ticket holders had an anonymous vote on the subject then the proposal would be comfortably rejected.

No doubt there is a vocal group of Forest fans in favour of a memorial but this board itself is testament to the splits of opinions that emerge inside supporter groups. I would only believe that Nottm Forest fans collectiveely want a memorial to the Hillsborough disaster if a reputable, anonymized poll said that was the case.