The city of Nottingham is famous for two things: Robin Hood and Brian Clough. The first robbed the rich to give to the poor, like Jeremy Corbyn wants to do, and the second was less a legend, more a God to the people of that city. Because Cloughy managed Nottingham Forest football club back in the late 70s during which his team won the league and not one but two European Cups. More than Chelsea (1), more than Manchester City (none) and certainly more than Arsenal (zero). Since 1980, Forest have had little to celebrate. Nothing in fact. Relegation and struggle is seldom worthy of celebration. And Forest are currently mid-table in the Championship, the second tier of English football.

Yesterday they celebrated. Because the ‘wonder of the FA Cup’ is always that it throws up unlikely combinations of teams. And sometimes, the unlikelies actually win. Which is generally a brilliant thing because it gives the poorer, lower league teams a chance to make a bit more money as they advance to the next round, and it makes everyone feel fabulous. Except the losing team. They don’t feel so fabulous, they feel like shit. For losing to a team that, in theory, on paper, perhaps at another time, they’d beat with ease. Hence the term: ‘Giant-killers’.

So the current (or should I say ‘former’?) cup holders, Arsenal, went to the City Ground to play their third round tie against lowly Forest. And I don’t know (and will NEVER know, nor even care) whether Arsene Wenger fielded a really odd team of unknowns because Arsenal are playing Chelsea in a different cup on Wednesday night and wanted to rest his ‘stars’, or whether it was sheer arrogance that to play such a lowly team as Forest ‘we can afford to leave the big boys at home to rest, even our third-stringers can do the job with ease’. Either way, that’s what he did. Perhaps a combination of those 2 factors, I don’t know. I can’t read his mind, particularly when its banished up in the director’s box for slagging off referees. Ironically accusing them of giving too many penalties to other teams and not enough to his Arsenal. Ironic because Forest had 2 penalties awarded to them yesterday. And that coupled with Arsenal’s chaotic and lacklustre team, resulted in a rather emphatic 4-2 win for Nottingham Forest.

Sometimes penalties are given because of refereeing errors, players diving, dubious decisions. Other times they’re given because a team is shit, can’t defend properly and panics. I make no judgments, just leave it ‘out there’ for you.

I only know 2 Forest fans, and one of them is a West Ham fan really who ‘adopted’ Forest because he went to Nottingham University. But they’ll be very happy today. The glory days are back. Ish.

Tottenham Hotspur beat AFC Wimbledon 3-0. Just FYI.

Happy Monday

A xxxx