Why returning Rover no longer feels the Forest fire

Nov 3 2007 by Chris Beesley, Liverpool Daily Post

TRANMERE striker Gareth Taylor is hoping to frustrate one of his former clubs Nottingham Forest today as Rovers look to leapfrog Colin Calderwood’s side in the League One table.

The 34-year-old striker, who was on the East Midlands club’s books between 2003 and 2006 before joining Tranmere via a loan spell at Crewe, was given something of a hot reception behind some of Forest’s fickle fans when he returned to the City Ground for the first time last season.

Taylor let his feet do the talking on that occasion, netting in a 1-1 draw, but although he remains outwardly diplomatic about the supporters of his former employers, it seems obvious that he doesn’t feel he has to justify much to them.

Taylor said: “It probably does mean a little more to me but saying that I think all the lads will be looking forward to it.

“Most of the players in this division will look at Forest away being a good game. It’s a nice stadium and a big crowd.

“It’s different for me having played there. I was looking forward to it a lot more last season now it’s just another game really.

“I enjoyed my time there. At lot has been said on how I went back there last season and got a bit of stick and scored against them.”

He added: “I look at things and put them into context.

“The season I went down with them from the Championship was a disappointing season.

“I was playing up front one week and defence the next but I still finished top scorer. It wasn’t as if I had a disastrous time there, I scored a few goals.

“I think I got the brunt of what was going on with the crowd because I was captain.

“You have a couple of bad games, your form isn’t very good and you get a bit of stick, they’re that sort of crowd but that’s the way football is going.

“However, I enjoyed my time there, there’s a lot of good people at the club.

“It’s a huge place, they’ve got really good support and they’ve made a decent start to the season.”

Part of the problem that haunts contemporary Forest sides is an unrealistic burden of expectation that hangs over the club following the glorious over-achievement of the Brian Clough era when a brace of European Cups were added to a string of domestic honours.

Taylor believes that this rich tradition is actually working against Forest rather than actually helping their cause in the way it should.

He said: “You’ve got the history there and it’s difficult for a new manager coming in. I had three managers in three seasons when I was there so that just goes to show what things were like.

“Stability seems to have gone out of the window these days and not just at Forest.

“There’s a growing trend of giving managers a dozen games and then that’s it.

“I don’t think that’s right at all, you don’t have time to put in place what you’re looking to do.

“The chairman and everyone these days seem to want results straight away.

“It is a results-based business, there’s no doubt about that but for the people who’ve gone into Forest the tradition can be a bit of a noose around your neck even though I feel it’s something that should be celebrated.”

So while their opponents remain seemingly haunted by the ghosts of the past, Tranmere remain confident in what they can achieve this season and Taylor is satisfied with the way in which his team-mates have coped in adversity so far during the current campaign.

He said: “You’ve got to have that mental resilience.

“The gaffer installs that in us, things aren’t always going to go your way, it’s how your react to when things go against you.

“We’ve had a couple of injuries already this season and have lost Steve Davies plus Chris Shuker for certain games but the lads who have come in have done fantastic.

“Kevin Cooper came in last week, he’s an experienced player who’s played at a good level and Mike Jones has done superb when he comes in. He’s a positive lad who gives us that something different on the right wing.”

Taylor added: “People might draw comparisons with last season in that we were up there at the start and fell away but we’ve shown good consistency so far.

“The gaffer bought well in the summer and with players he’s brought in we seem to have a lot more strength in depth, particularly at the back where we’re keeping clean sheets.”