In the fourth of a series of pre-season reports, HarryfromBath assesses the mood around the Championship clubs by delving into their forums. In today’s report, we look at how things are shaping up at Bolton Wanderers and the league’s two East Midlands contenders, Nottingham Forest and Derby County.

Bolton Wanderers - History Repeating Itself

“Worried”, “Last season was another horrendous one and nothing suggests we can do better this time. Relegation or near - the club needs money badly”, “They say history repeats itself. I saw it in the seventies and exactly the same thing is happening now.”

“A different season, but the same old rubbish again”, “The season will stand or fall on how we defend”, “We have essentially the same squad as last season which was a disaster. We are counting on injury-prone players and unproven youngsters just to keep our heads above water.”

“The only positive thing is Clough.” Many Trotters would welcome survival this season and the blossoming of young talents such as striker Zach Clough. “We have the creativity and work rate to score goals if we can keep players fit. What we haven’t got yet is a settled defence.”

With debts reported last April at £172.9 million, fans feel that the club has little room for manoeuvre in this transfer window and there is little affection shown for chairman Phil Gartside. “Lennon is a good manager but with our basket case of a club I don’t think he will ever be able to prove it.”

Neil Lennon

“Leicester have appointed Claudio Ranieri as manager”, “Time to breathe again”, “We will be back here around Christmas when Leicester sack him.” Trotters breathed a huge sigh of relief after their manager was heavily linked with the recently vacant managerial vacancy at the Foxes.

“I hope that Lennon can see just how the club and the fans have taken him in to be one of their own and that he feels the need to finish what he started with us. He kept us up, has his head screwed on, understands the financial situation and seems to have a plan for it.”

There is one tactic which many Trotters don’t want to see repeated. “I just hope Neil Lennon still isn’t persisting with that 3-5-2 rubbish where we ship goals for fun”, “Some of our displays in the first three months when we played 4-2-3-1 were promising but the last three months were poor.”

“It’s a big challenge because we don’t really know where we are in terms of what we have budget-wise.” This comment made by Lennon five days ago raised alarm bells. “So, the manager doesn’t know what his budget is during the window - sounds like we’re really organised behind the scenes.”

Transfer Dealings

Wanderers have been rebuilding on a budget this summer following the departure of a number of high-profile names. Both goalkeepers have departed, Adam Bogdan to Liverpool and Andy Lonergan to Fulham, while seven outfield players have also moved on permanently.

Defenders Matt Mills (to Forest) and Alex Baptiste (to MIddlesbrough) have stayed in this division as has striker Jermaine Beckford (to Preston, where he was on loan last season). Striker Craig Davies and winger Sanmi Odelusi have joined Wigan and Conor Wilkinson has moved on loan to Barnsley.

Of the three other three veterans were on the club’s books last year, former Blues loanee Keith Andrews has yet to find a new club, Eidur Gudjohnsen has joined Chinese Premier League team Shijiazhuang Ever Bright while Emile Heskey is “close to signing a new deal” to stay at Bolton.

Five new faces have arrived, 25-year-old keeper Ben Amos from Manchester United (having been on loan with the Trotters last season), 22-year-old centre-back Derik Odese from Real Madrid B and two U21 squad midfielders, Jordan Lussey (from Liverpool) and Jon Ceberio (from Real Sociedad).

Gary Madine

“Madine will do a job but I doubt he will be the 15 - 20 goals a season striker we need at this level”, “He has not proven himself at this level and has had only one season in double figures when he was in League One”, “A physical presence rather than a hard man is my impression.”

“He lacks mobility but he has a good touch and some lovely hold-up play and that bodes well”, “I don’t see him running the channels or dropping off to play in runners. He’s a more typical centre-forward holding the ball in front of the centre-backs”, “A bit of a gamble for the Championship.”

Nottingham Forest - A New Mentality

“Remember last season? Remember the optimism, the City Ground roar at the first sight of Stuart Pearce walking out of the tunnel? Look at how that worked out. Maybe this season we all need to give it a few weeks to see how it all comes together on the pitch.”

Although working under the burden of a transfer embargo, most Forest supporters are viewing the coming season with optimism or are philosophical at worst. They are happy the quality in their existing squad and with the direction they are being given by manager Dougie Freedman.

“Keep calm everyone, we’ll be all right”, “We have an outside chance of the play-offs if we don’t sell any starters and keep an uninjured squad together”, “It has been quite refreshing not to be linked with Jordan Rhodes and the rest of it. I know some people thrive on it but it bores me to tears.”

“It is a season of consolidation and quite right too. Promotion would be absurd given the state we are in”, “I am looking forward to the new season, no hype, no expectation and hopefully all the players put in an effort and not just [Eric] Lichaj and [Michail] Antonio.”

Dougie Freedman

“We have one of the strongest squads but one of the weakest teams”, “That’s the problem. We live off scraps of individual success which suggests we have good individuals but very little collectively.” Many fans now blame the team’s recent under-performance on their expensively assembled squad.

Fans would like to see more adventure in his play. “Freedman needs to improve in some areas”, “My biggest criticism is his style of play against lesser teams. It worked against Bournemouth but not against Millwall or Rotherham. We need to be more effective and attacking at home.”

“He has a clean slate but he has a difficult job because of the FFP restrictions so will have us around mid-table. This may not be good enough for Fawaz and I would be surprised to see him as manager in January. If he gets to the end of the season, mid-table is where he will get to.”

Fawaz Al Hasawi

“We have no clear direction, no idea of where we are going or how to get there. We are run poorly off the field and our squad is overloaded with injury-prone past-it players on highly lucrative contracts. We are repeating the same mistakes. Until we learn we’ll never see the top flight again.”

“If we aren’t top of the league by October the usual chatterers will slate the manager and our impulsive owner will no doubt sack him after Christmas with us comfortably mid-table.” Many feel that the club’s recent problems have been down to the owner’s lack of patience and perspective.

“Fawaz has created a situation where you can’t have faith in anything. The second we hit a bad run of form the idiotic fans will frown and the fool upstairs will bring the sack-stick out”, “This club is a basket case”, “Our intolerance creates its own demise.”

Transfer Dealings

“Dougie is bringing in players with a bit of fire in their belly. That approach has me buzzing as a team full of tenacity won’t go down and may surprise even a few.” The former Bolton and Crystal Palace boss has won over many admirers with his astute transfer dealings despite the constraints of a transfer embargo.

Six first-team players have left, winger Jamie Mackie rejoining former club QPR and striker Lars Veldwijk going on a season-long loan to PEC Zwolle. Defenders Greg Halford and Danny Collins have joined Rotherham while keeper Karl Darlow and defender Jamaal Lascelles are now with parent club Newcastle United.

The three new faces to arrive are 29-year-old winger Jamie Ward from Derby, 28-year-old defender Matt Mills from Bolton and 27-year-old goalkeeper Ben Hamer on a season-long loan from Leicester. Striker Tyler Walker, son of Forest legend Des, has also been given a four-year contract.

Matt Mills

“Matt Mills is certainly not a bad signing but I don’t see how it improves on what we already have”, “What sets him apart is that he has been virtually injury-free for the past two seasons. You could build a defensive strategy around him safe in the knowledge that he’s going to be on the pitch.”

“This is a cracking bit of business given we are embargoed and a massive step towards sorting the squad out. We will have someone who can pull the other players into line”, “His leadership qualities have me excited. He’s no Roy Keane but he’s a player capable of taking on the captaincy.”

Jamie Ward

“I have more respect for Jamie Ward that I do for half our current squad, a good honest player with genuine quality”, “He asserts himself on the pitch and gets in the faces of the other team”, “Every time I have seen him play, he was generally a very involved player - for free, we can’t complain.”

“Ward doesn’t have the quality that Andy Reid possesses, but we need his competitive mentality required to consistently win games.” Many welcome the edge Ward will bring, but some fans have their doubts. “A four-year deal for a poor Jamie Mackie - it’s going to be a long season.”

“The majority of hatred against him is because he’s an ex-Derby player who scored a goal against us when [Chris] Cohen was down injured. If you don’t want him here because he’s injury prone with his hamstrings then fair enough, but if it’s because he’s a ****** who played for Derby, then it’s not.”

Jonny Williams

“An excellent player with real craft and skill”, “Yes please, he’s better than any of our midfielders”, “He’s better than anything we’ve got and ran the show at our place for Ipswich last year. I would have him in a heartbeat. You can’t turn down signings that would improve us.”

“One of the best midfielders I have seen at the City Ground in recent seasons.” The recent rumours about the former Ipswich loan signing teaming up with his former manager on loan generated great excitement. “If this comes off, Dougie’s having a 10/10 pre-season in terms of signings.”

The Ipswich Mindset

“We need to adopt a mentality like Ipswich last season where we just make ourselves incredibly hard to beat and take our chances when they come. It won’t be pretty but I reckon we’ll see some fight.”

A number of Reds expressed admiration for the tenacity of our play last season, but there was also some revised thinking about former Forest players. “Ipswich made the play-offs last season with McGoldrick, Anderson and Chambers. I don’t think the quality of our squad is the problem.”

“Well actually, maybe they were better than we thought and maybe we should not have let them go. We had our best defence when Chambers was in it. I always thought McGoldrick had talent but was never given a chance here and Anderson was also underrated by many here.”

Derby County - The Rams Are Going Up

“The Real Madrid of the Championship - that’s us”, “This summer has been the best I can remember for signings for years. It’s great to be a Derby fan with the helm being taken care of and the club moved on to the next level”, “What a season we are going to have.”

“It was a torrid end to the season.” After enduring the desolation of a late season collapse which culminated in a “shambolic abject failure” in their last day home defeat to Reading, Rams’ outlook for the coming season has been transformed by an eye-catching clutch of summer signings.

“Derby will just stay classy as they always do. It’s a major reason we are attracting new players”, “Between Ince, Martin, Weimann, Bent and Russell I expect 80 goals at least. Promotion will depend on our ability to defend”, “Just need the defence sorting out. The forward line speaks for itself.”

Money

“The view from the outside is not as nice and friendly as it once was”, “How times have changed. We were proud to have other teams talking about how we were doing it the right way and being jealous of our ethos as well as our success. Now we are in danger of becoming the villain of the piece.”

“Ten years of ‘nearly’ has probably created the attitude of ‘I don’t care any more - just get us out of this bloody league. I can’t take any more of these nearlys’. I have that attitude myself”, “I would argue we’re doing it the right way with the investment around the club and the academy as well.”

“We are not just doing a QPR, throwing stupid wages at has-beens”, “I really hope we don’t get a reputation for trying to buy the league”, “Too late - everyone already thinks that. I don’t think it matters that they are twisting the facts because football fans don’t like seeing other teams do well.”

Paul Clement

“I’m not worried about the cash being spent. I’m worried about the size of the squad and Clement being able to keep them happy. Other fans are getting that our bigger crowds mean we can spend more, but they are picking up on the fact that our squad is bulging at this stage.”

“Does anyone know what formation or system Clement favours?” Little is known about the tactical preferences used by the former Paris St Germain and Real Madrid assistant manager. “He is likely to change it up frequently depending on the type of opponent coming up.”

“Clement has made it clear he will switch formations. It should be interesting because we now have more formation options than I can remember at Derby”, “Last season we were too predictable to play against. We will hopefully be less reliant on Chris Martin and add other dimensions to our play.”

Transfer Dealings

Seven players have been released by the Rams this summer. Defenders Shaun Barker, Lee Naylor and Zak Whitbread are still unattached as is midfielder John Eustace. Winger Jamie Ward has joined Forest and defenders Tom Naylor (to Burton) and Mark O’Brien (to Luton) have also departed.

Three players departing on season-long loans are defender Raul Albentosa (to Malaga) and keeper Kelle Roos and defender Farrend Rawson (both to Rotherham).

The Rams have strengthened their defence with the additions of keeper Scott Carson (from Wigan), defenders Chris Baird (from West Brom) and Alex Pearce (from Reading), while this week saw the return of centre-half Jason Shackell from Burnley.

There have been no new arrivals in central midfield but winger Tom Ince (from Hull) will support an attack which has seen the arrival of strikers Andreas Weimann and Darren Bent (both from Aston Villa), with Bent having played the latter half of last season on loan at the iPro Stadium.

Derby’s busiest forum has a poll asking fans to rate each of their new arrivals out of 10 for the impact they will make. I have included the percentage total of the combined eight and above ratings for each player in the short pen pictures below as a barometer for how Rams feel about each one.

Defenders

“Scott Carson [44% 8+] is a great signing and with a decent defence in front of him could make a difference”, “He is excellent back-up and competition for Lee Grant”, “He doesn’t command his area as well as Grant. He likes to stand and watch and he definitely lacks presence.”

“Lee Grant was an absolute shambles at the end of last season. His lack of presence and ability to dominate a situation was very poor”, “Any dithering by rant or poor distribution with his feet like we saw at the end of last season and Carson is in for me, and no messing.”

“Chris Baird [29% 8+] is distinctly average”, “The Paul Jewell saga has returned”, “He is a terrific player given time on the ball with an impressive range of passing and rarely conceding possession. If you are up against a team that presses from the off you better hope he is hauled off at half-time.”

“Alex Pearce [65% 8+] lacks pace but this does not concern me is the centre-backs are drilled right”, “His pace doesn’t worry me. When I have seen him play he seemed dominant and commanding which we don’t exactly have”, “It is nice to know we have an intelligent leader in defence.”

“Jason Shackell might not be the last piece in the jigsaw but he’s certainly a very big piece”, “He is a very good player coming into a position that was a weakness last season”, “He knows where to be, knows how to follow and organise a back line”, “A defender that defends into Row Z if need be.”

“Shackell’s distribution has been a problem but he’s more controlled now. It is incredibly steady”, “People mentioned Christophe Berra at Ipswich but he would cost as much if not more”, “Find me a better option at this level for the money we paid and I’ll tip my hat to you.”

Wingers and Strikers

“Tom Ince [89% 8+] will be our star player next season”, “I’m ridiculously happy with this. I have a very good feeling he’s going to fire us into the top flight”, “He’s the real deal”, “It’s nice to have a talking point at the club other than Will Hughes”, “The cherry on the cake has arrived.”

“He’s a good attacking footballer and not just a wing man.” Many Rams would like to see Ince used centrally. “Using him flexibly through the middle he can net 25+ goals”, “He has the ability to pass and keep the ball in a more central position”, “At today’s prices it could turn out to be a steal.”

“Andreas Weimann [79% 8+] is the perfect foil for Will Hughes. He obviously likes running through and finding little pockets. Hughes and Thorne will feed him all day long”, “Villa fans put his downturn in form down to Paul Lambert’s negative tactics and his being played out of position.”

“I have a feeling Weimann is going to steal the show next season.” The Austria international “is much less effective as a winger so we would get the best out of him up front. His work rate means that he will put a shift in wherever he plays.”

“Darren Bent [74% 8+] and Chris Martin fitting into a team together won’t be easy with the players we have”, “If you can’t accommodate a proven goal scorer at the start of a new season then there’s something wrong”, “For a team that is looking to get promoted, Darren Bent ticks all of the boxes.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing what the manager’s game plans are with Bent.” One small footnote to add is that most Rams believe his penalty miss in the fateful Reading defeat was down to good goalkeeping. “It was hit low and hard. No blame on Bent as it was a good penalty but a better save.”

David McGoldrick

“Oh my days - a Forest reject.” The recent rumours linking our striker with the Rams provided some interesting comments on both him and our team from County supporters. “We are talking about a third-choice centre-forward”, “Eustace will have to let him out of his back pocket first.”

“I like the idea of signing him. He can play as an out-and-out striker, wide forward or in the hole adding further options and strength in depth to an already decent attacking line-up”, “If we were play two up top I can see why we are in for him, but I wouldn’t like to splash a lot of money on him.”

“McGoldrick would be going from a star player for Ipswich to a squad player for us. That is how it is going to be this season - Ipswich will struggle to get anywhere near the play-offs at this rate barring a sudden influx of talent.”

“I just don’t see Ipswich as a serious threat. They will be occupying no-man’s land between mid-table and the play-offs.” Others aren’t so sure. “Ipswich should be up there too”, “Although they can be a bit dull, Ipswich have improved each season under McCarthy. I can see them grinding a way out.”

Message Boards

There are a number of active Bolton forums and some interesting discussion can be found at Burnden Aces. The liveliest Forest site is the LTLF Forest Forum and Derby’s busiest message board is DCFCFansUK .

On Wednesday, we will focus on the West Midlands to look at how Birmingham City and Wolverhampton Wanderers are getting on, and we will take a trip down the M1 to assess the mood over at newly promoted Milton Keynes.

Harry's Notes by Club

Birmingham
Blackburn Rovers
Bolton Wanderers
Brighton and Hove Albion
Bristol City
Burnley
Cardiff City
Charlton Athletic
Derby County
Huddersfield Town
Hull City
Preston North End
Leeds United
Middlesbrough
Milton Keynes
Nottingham Forest
Reading
Rotherham United
Sheffield Wednesday
Wolverhampton Wanderers

Photo: Action Images

LankHenners added 11:22 - Jul 27 “Derby will just stay classy as they always do." Not talking about their own fans I assume? I really hope they implode dramatically like last season. They talk about being the new QPR, but are in danger of becoming the new Bournemouth - assuming that they have a divine right to beat anyone and everyone, and anyone who tries to stop them is being mean and unfair.
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TractorCam added 12:11 - Jul 27 Derby fans are even more deluded than they were last season, brilliant!
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TR11BLU added 12:14 - Jul 27 Love it Harry.... Will love it.....when Derby fail again. Looking forward to the Christmas present of beating them on Dec 19! Just can't wait for the season to start.
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radiogaga added 12:26 - Jul 27 Derby fans as modest as ever. Just think, we could have signed an "influx of talent" like they have had we followed their suit, and totally ignored FFP.
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jpring89 added 13:20 - Jul 27 Wonder what Derby fans will think when we finish above them again. Mcg better off with us hopefully scores the winner in both games pfft squad player yeah right
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essextractorboy93 added 13:50 - Jul 27 Wow Derby fans are being very arrogant, did they learn nothing from last season? I agree with them though that their main issue will be keeping that squad happy and I'm sure there are a few with big egos in that dressing room. Amazing how they can be so confident despite their manager never actually having managed in England, yes he might do really well but its still a risky appointment. Hard to compete against teams like Middlesbrough and Derby when they are throwing millions around but we will go under the radar and be up there again! COYB!

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DanLyles added 18:21 - Jul 27 On paper Derby look like title challengers but will the likes of Bent, Ince and Weimann bust a gut to track back? Will the prima donnas who aren't regularly in the starting line-up create a good atmosphere within their squad? We will quietly go about our business with the hardworking ethos that got us top 6 last season. The creativity and pace we lacked will hopefully come from Fraser and Maitland-Niles, who from what I saw against Cambridge United do track back and have bought into the McCarthy way. Add a fully fit McGoldrick to the equation and they think we will finish outside the top 6? Some Derby fans need to do their research imo.

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HarryfromBath added 20:44 - Jul 27 Cheers everyone for chipping in with your thoughts. Derby are a very interesting case study this year, but it's interesting to see the other two teams - Bolton and Forest - licking their wounds in different ways after failed investment binges. Dan, I reckon that Weimann has a bit of a work ethic about him but there are a lot of existing reputations in that squad who will need massaging if they are dropped. Add to this the issue of blending in a cohort of new signings and they may not hit the ground running. Rams definitely split into two camps, those who were carried away somewhat by the hubris of their new signings and those who are more nervous that this approach (a) may hurt their reputation for patience and (b) may not get them promoted. I know that the bookies have us around eighth and I am really happy about this it takes all the pressure off a settled squad which had been growing incrementally stronger. Let Boro, Derby and the Owls have all the publicity. We'll have the points. :-)

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Miles added 21:55 - Jul 27 How different are forest and derby fans! Forest seem to have respect and a bit of realism where as Derby think they are already promoted! Quite looking forward to their 11th place finish this season
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Warkys_Tash added 23:23 - Jul 27 Cheers Harry, another top report. Wow, how arrogant are a Derby fans? Think they might be our biggest rivals already & sense sour grapes that we pipped them to the play-offs. Forest after Jonny Williams? That would be a disgrace if they got him, especially as they are meant to be on an embargo. What does that actually mean?? They are still signing players.. I really hope he turns out to be McCarthys Marquee signing. It seems unfair & boring that Derby can splash the cash! Let's hope that MacG reads their fans opinions of him. One true Derby fan that Ai know reckoned he was our best player when they edged us 0-1 here -?Eustace never had him in his pocket, just fouled him constantly!!

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carsey added 09:01 - Jul 28 Whatever happens to us I would love to see Derby and QPR fail given the money they have spent and the perpetual arrogance of their fans.
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solemio added 11:19 - Jul 28 I agree totally about the current arrogance of the Derby fans. This is a great shame as not so many years ago they were some of the best fans, and a visit to Derby was one of the most pleasant awayday experiences.
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Seasider added 16:41 - Jul 28 Henners itfc;so Derby are in danger of becoming the new Bournemouth,weren't they promoted! Think Bolton will struggle,Forest will be mid table,and Derby on the face of it challenging for promotion;but with a rookie manager who knows.As Greavesie used to say its a funny old game.
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