| About Matt Forde | I have grown up in Nottingham since I was about six months old. I went to school here and decided to stay here for my University education as well. I am proud of Nottingham for many reasons, notably its multiculturalism and its nightlife. However, it is Nottingham Forest that I am proud of most. Our history is a vital part of Nottingham. |
Filling the gap between the end of one season and the start of another is hard work for football fans. Saturdays are now meaningless days off with nothing to do or talk about. We become desperate, looking for anything that might give us just a fraction of a football fix. A few weeks ago we had Des Walker's Testimonial, a timely reminder of the sort of football Forest were capable of playing. Now all we have "Old Big 'Ead in The Spirit of the Man", the only piece of Nottingham Forest related entertainment going until our friendly away at Boston United on Saturday, 23rd July 2005. I had my fears about this play. We love Cloughie not just because of his football success, but because of his personality. Doing his voice is one thing, capturing his wit is quite another. Colin Tarrant does a very good impression of the great man, and does manage to portray his warmth. However, the script does not do him justice, and five minutes into the performance and I knew my fears had been realised. The jokes were no way near as good as Brian's were; the best ones in the play are those that Clough himself told when he was alive.
 | | Colin Tarrant as Old Big 'Ead |
From a Forest perspective, it is bittersweet to watch. It's always nice to hear Nottingham Forest mentioned in glowing terms because it seldom happens these days. Growing up under Cloughie was different, you took it for granted, Forest were a regular feature of everyone's football conversations. Now we hardly ever get talked about. If this play succeeds at anything, it is in reminding us all just what Clough achieved at Forest, and how irrelevant we seem now. It is the Forest of old: McGovern, Robertson and Shilton that gets the respect here, not the Forest of Doig, Friio and Roche. Like the Tories with the pound, Forest fans have an emotional attachment to our crest. Immature as it may sound, when you see it adorn a car window or a tattooed arm you feel a swell of pride. So to see it on the uniforms of Robin Hood's merry men was quite a nice touch. Forest shirts got trotted out every now and again, and a trophy room with scarves and hats draped over cups was nice to see. The pride felt hollow though. It is pride in a past unlikely to be repeated. The finale, where Clough rises up through a model of the City Ground, singing 'My Way' would have been far better had he not already sang the song twice already. I remember the effect 'My Way' had on all present at the West Ham game when it was played before kick off. Hearing it sung as Brian would have sung was part comical, part tragic. Comical because instead of the smooth American tones of Sinatra it is the nasal northern tones of Clough. Tragic because you can just imagine Brian singing along when he was alive and still entertaining us. I would cautiously recommend this to older Forest fans as it will doubtless stir some pride in the good old days, despite the fact that the play is pretty lacklustre. For fans of my generation though, I wouldn't recommend it. We saw the last 5 or 6 years of Clough, some of which were very memorable. But we did not see Forest lift the League Title or the European Cups despite our pride at the fact we did. We cannot feel nostalgia for those glory days as we never lived them in the first place. For those that do go, I hope it inspires them to come and support us. As the play continually reminds us, everyone loves an underdog. For those that heed the warning and stay away, put that saved money toward either a season ticket or a game for next season. That is where you are most needed. This review has been written by a member of the public. Find out more about 'User Generated Content' and how you could become a contributor on the site by clicking on the link in the top right hand corner of this page. | 
