Then. Now. Forever...A NottingHam Forest FIFA 22 Career, presented by BigJDotCom01

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CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHDAY 1

vs.

COVENTRY CITY 1:0 NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Ricoh Arena (Capacity: 32,609)


Nottingham Forest had one breakdown on Saturday and it cost them in their opener at Coventry City..

SCORING:
55' - (COV) - M. Godden

DISCIPLINE:
NONE

8/7/21
Coventry, West Midlands (AP) - The Mister Ninja era at Nottingham Forest started off on the wrong foot as they dropped a 1-nil decision at a rainy Ricoh Arena against Coventry City. Matt Godden's goal in the 55th minute proved to be the difference between the sides in a pretty evenly played match.

Nottingham Forest held a big advantage in possession in this match but could not put together many great scoring chances. They were outshot 9-8 with Coventry City holding a 6-4 advantage in shots on target and an expected goals advantage of 3.5 to 1.2. Nottingham outshot Coventry City 5-2 in the second half.

Forest's best chance came late when Philip Zinckernagel raced down the right side and got past the Coventry defense, but his shot was stopped by keeper Tim Ronning. Alex Mighten had a chance in the 53rd minute but his shot bounced off the woodwork.

Nottingham Forest keeper and captain Milan Borjan earned Man of the Match honors. He had a match rating of 7.4 making five saves on six shots on target.

They won't have much time to reflect on the opening loss as they will host Millwall on Tuesday evening at the City Ground in the first round of the Carabao Cup. They return to EFL Championship play next Saturday as they will host preseason favorites AFC Bournemouth at City Ground as they try to avoid consecutive losses to open the campaign.

Match Day 1 Results:
AFC Bournemouth 0:4 West Bromwich Albion
Fulham 4:2 Middlesbrough
Blackburn Rovers 1:1 Swansea City
Luton Town 2:1 Peterborough United
Stoke City 0:3 Reading
Cardiff City 0:0 Barnsley
Bristol City 1:0 Blackpool
Derby County 0:1 Huddersfield Town
Preston North End 1:0 Hull City
Queens Park Rangers 0:2 Millwall
Sheffield United 1:0 Birmingham City

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CARABAO CUP FIRST ROUND



vs.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST 1:3 MILLWALL
City Ground (Capacity: 30,576)


Jed Wallace unleashes a howitzer into the top right corner to seal teh win for Millwall.

SCORING:
14' - (MIL) - T. Bradshaw
64' - (NFO) - J. Carvalho
72' - (MIL) - T. Bradshaw
88' - (MIL) - J. Wallace

DISCIPLINE:
NONE

8/10/21
West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire (AP) - Nottingham Forest was bounced from the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening at City Ground, dropping a 3-1 decision to Millwall. Tom Bradshaw scored twice for the visitors as they advanced to the second round.

Bradshaw put Millwall in front just 14 minutes in, splitting the Forest defense and taking a pass from Jed Wallace, then striking it into the top left corner from just inside the box.

Alex Mighten had a chance to level it in the 20th minute for Forest, but his shot rang off of the woodwork. The teams went to the break with Millwall holding a 1-nil advantage.

Nottingham Forest would level the match in the 64th minute as Joao Carvalho dribbled past his defender and struck a low right footed shot into the lower left corner. Forest had dominated possession up to that point and finally received their reward.

But it was short lived, as just eight minutes later Tom Bradshaw struck again. This time he made a run down the middle and Jed Wallace was able to thread a pass into him. He blasted it past Milan Borjan to make it 2-1. Jed Wallace would add a late goal as he hit an absolute cracker into the top right corner from outside of the penalty area to give Millwall a 3-1 advantage.

Millwall outshot Nottingham Forest 12-11 despite Forest possessing the ball for almost twice as long. Millwall had sic shots on target, while Nottingham had just four. Jed Wallace was the Man of the Match, earning an 8.8 rating with his goal and two assists.

Nottingham Forest returns to EFL Championship play on Saturday as they will host AFC Bournemouth.

Carabao Cup First Round Results:
Oldham 2:1 Cheltenham
Ipswich Town 2:2 Derby County (Derby County advanced 5-4 on penalties)
Burton 1:0 Rotherham
Blackpool 1:0 Forest Green
Charlton Athletic 0:0 Mansfield Town (Mansfield Town advanced 4-3 on penalties)
Wimbledon 0:2 Exeter
Portsmouth 0:0 Hartlepool (Portsmouth advanced 5-4 on penalties)
Bristol City 1:2 Bolton Wanderers
Sutton 2:0 Cardiff City
Cambridge 1:1 Blackburn Rovers (Cambridge advanced 4-3 on penalties)
Northampton 2:4 Swansea City
Stoke City 2:1 Luton Town
Rochdale 1:2 Bristol Rovers
AFC Bournemouth 1:1 Swindon Town (AFC Bournemouth advanced 5-4 on penalties)
Barnsley 1:1 Wycombe (Wycombe advanced 5-4 on penalties)
Sunderland 0:0 Salford (Sunderland advanced 5-4 on penalties)
Plymouth 1:0 Newport
Lincoln 0:1 Hull City
Birmingham City 1:2 Harrogate
Coventry City 1:2 Oxford United
Gillingham 2:1 Sheffield Wednesday
West Bromwich Albion 1:0 Crewe Alexander
Colchester 1:2 Walsall
Middlesbrough 1:1 Wigan Athletic (Wigan Athletic advanced 5-4 on penalties)
Preston North End 2:0 Barrow
Reading 3:1 Doncaster
Port Vale 2:1 Stevenage
S****horpe 0:4 Huddersfield Town
MK Dons 1:1 Peterborough United (MK Dons advanced 4-3 on penalties)
Accrington 0:1 Shrewsbury
Fleetwood Town 3:0 Carlisle
QPR 1:2 Crawley
Tranmere Rovers 2:3 Fulham
Bradford City 0:0 Morecambe (Bradford City advanced 4-3 on penalties)
Leyton Orient 3:2 Sheffield United

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CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHDAY 2

vs.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST 0:2 AFC BOURNEMOUTH
City Ground (Capacity: 30,576)


Ryan Christie raced in and scored to put AFC Bournemouth up 2-nil.

SCORING:
42' - (BOU) - D. Solanke
76' - (BOU) - R. Christie

DISCIPLINE:
74' - (NFO) - P. Zinckernagel (Yellow)

8/14/21
West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire (AP) - Nottingham Forest's tough start to the 2021-22 campaign continued on Saturday afternoon as the dropped a 2-nil decision at home to AFC Bournemouth. Dominic Solanke and Ryan Christie each scored for the guests as Nottingham dropped to (0-0-2) on the young season.

Dominic Solanke got Bournemouth on the board late in the opening half, drilling one into the top right corner from just inside the box in the 42nd minute. It was a very evenly played first half with Forest dominating possession, but once again they could not convert their chances. Each side had five first half shots.

Joao Carvalho had a golden opportunity to level the match in the 60th minute, but his shot from the top of the six yard box rolled just wide of the left post.

Ryan Christie then scored a huge insurance goal on the counter attack in the 76th minute to put this one to bed.

The shots were even in this match at 11-11 with Nottingham managing 4 on target to just three from Bournemouth, but Forest could not score. They held a 60-40 advantage in possession in the loss.

Dominic Solnke was named Man of the Match with a 7.4 match rating. He scored the first goal and assisted on the second Bournemouth goal. He took five shots with just one on target attempt.

Nottingham Forest (0-0-2, 0 pts) will return to action on Wednesday evening at City Ground as they take on the Blackburn Rovers (1-1-0, 4 pts).

Match Day 2 Results:
Swansea City 0:3 Sheffield United
Huddersfield Town 2:4 Fulham
West Bromwich Albion 1:1 Luton Town
Millwall 0:1 Blackburn Rovers
Middlesbrough 2:1 Bristol City
Blackpool 1:2 Cardiff City
Barnsley 2:3 Coventry City
Hull City 1:1 Queens Park Rangers
Reading 1:1 Preston North End
Birmingham City 1:0 Stoke City
Peterborough United 1:1 Derby County

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CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHDAY 3

vs.

NOTTINGHAM FOREST 2:1 BLACKBURN ROVERS
City Ground (Capacity: 30,576)


Anass Zaroury scored the match winner in his club debut.

SCORING:
62' - (BLB) - J. Buckley
70' - (NFO) - J. Carvalho
90'+7 - (NFO) - A. Zaroury

DISCIPLINE:
41' - (NFO) - R. Yates (Yellow)
88' - (BLB) - D. Lenihan (Yellow)

8/18/21
West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire (AP) - Nottingham Forest picked up their first win of the 2021-22 campaign in dramatic fashion on Wednesday evening as newcomer Anass Zaroury scored in the seventh minute of injury time to send Forest to a 2-1 victory over the Blackburn Rovers at City Ground. The full three points were much deserved as Nottingham Forest easily played their best match thus far under new manager Mister Ninja.

The opening half was scoreless but Nottingham Forest dominated, outshooting their guests 11-4 including 6-2 in shots on target. But as has been the case this far, they were unable to find the back of the net.

Then in the 62nd minute, a turnover by keeper Milan Borjan setup Blackburn to take the lead. His clearance kick went right to Johnson who sent it back into Dolan who one timed a pass to an unmarked John Buckley, who tapped it home to give Blackburn the lead despite having none of the run of play.

Minutes later Joao Carvalho looked like he would level it, but his shot was somehow saved by Thomas Kaminski to keep the visitors out in front. Finally in the 70th minute, newly acquired Anass Zaroury sent a perfect through ball onto Joao Carvalho and he raced in alone. This time he made no mistakes and the match was level at 1-1.

It would remain that way late into injury time and it looked like the teams would settle for a draw until Ryan Yates intercepted the ball in the midfield and raced down the left side. He sent a pass across to Zaroury who beat his marker and he knocked it in off the far post to send the City Ground crowd into a frenzy as Nottingham Forest took the lead 2-1 in the seventh minute of injury time.

Anass Zaroury, making his Nottingham Forest debut, scored the match winner and assisted on the other goal.

"We brought in Anass because we needed speed on the front end," said manager Ninja after the match. "He gives us an element that we were lacking the first few matches."

Blackburn keeper Thomas Kaminski earned Man of the Match honors in the loss. He faced 19 shots, including 13 on target and he saved 11 of them. The 19 shots were a season high for Nottingham with another season high in expected goals at 9.6.

The win snaps a five match losing streak across all competitions for the Reds as they improved to (1-0-2, 3 pts) with Blackburn dropping to (1-1-1, 4 pts). Up next will be a trip to Staffordshire on Saturday afternoon as they will take on Stoke City.

Match Day 3 Results:
Swansea City 0:0 Stoke City
Huddersfield Town 0:4 Preston North End
Blackpool 3:3 Coventry City
Peterborough United 0:3 Cardiff City
Barnsley 1:3 Luton Town
Millwall 0:3 Fulham
Reading 1:1 Bristol City
West Bromwich Albion 1:1 Sheffield United
Birmingham City 1:1 AFC Bournemouth
Hull City 0:2 Derby County
Middlesbrough 0:2 Queens Park Rangers

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CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHDAY 4

vs.

STOKE CITY 2:4 NOTTINGHAM FOREST
bet365 Stadium (Capacity: 30,089)


Alex Balde celebrates his first goal at Nottingham Forest.

SCORING:
6' - (NFO) - J. Carvalho
15' - (STK) - A. Sima
40' - (STK) - A. Sima
45' - (NFO) - A. Zaroury
45'+3 - (NFO) - J. Braaf
64' - (NFO) - A. Balde

DISCIPLINE:
76' - (STK) - M. Vrancic (Yellow)

8/21/21
Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire (AP) - Nottingham Forest won their second straight match on a rainy Saturday afternoon as they bested last place Stoke City 4-2 at the bet365 Stadium. Three goals for players acquired in the last month helped pace Nottingham to the victory.

Joao Carvalho got things off to a quick start in this one, scoring in the sixth minute. He took a pass from Alex Balde and put it in under the crossbar to make it 1-nil. Just the quick start that Nottingham was looking for.

But it was Abdallah Sima who answered for Stoke City, scoring twice. In the 15th minute he volleyed home a deflected shot to level the match. Then in the 40th minute he put Stoke City in front with a quick shot from just about the penalty spot that caught Nottingham Forest off guard. Stoke City came into this match without scoring a goal in their first three matches of the season.

But Nottingham Forest struck twice in the dying embers of the first half. First it was newcomer Anass Zaroury, who took a long pass from Joao Carvalho, beat this marker, then raced in and slotted it home to level the match at 2-2. In the third minute of injury time, Jayden Braaf raced down the left wing, dribbled into the box and cracked one over the shoulder of keeper Josef Bursik to put Nottingham Forest in front, 3-2.

A wild first half with five goals and Nottingham outshooting Stoke City 5-3.

The second half was much more defensive as Nottingham Forest sat back, content to defend and limit chances. In the 64th minute Alex Balde dribbled up the left side and hit a left footed shot in that seemed to stun keeper Josef Bursik and Nottingham Forest extended their lead to 4-2.

Forest (2-0-2, 6 pts) would outshoot Stoke City (0-1-3, 1 pt) 14-10 and held a 61-39% advantage in possession. Abdallah Sima earned Man of the Match honors for Stoke City in the loss. He scored twice and had seven shots.

Up Next for Nottingham Forest is a trip to Derbyshire for the East Midlands Derby with Derby County (1-1-2, 4 pts) next Saturday afternoon.

Match Day 4 Results:
Bristol City 0:1 Swansea City
Queens Park Rangers 1:1 Barnsley
Luton Town 1:1 Birmingham City
AFC Bournemouth 1:1 Blackpool
Fulham 3:1 Hull City
Sheffield United 4:0 Huddersfield Town
Derby County 0:1 Middlesbrough
Cardiff City 0:2 Millwall
Blackburn Rovers 1:2 West Bromwich Albion
Coventry City 1:1 Reading
Preston North End 0:1 Peterborough United

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CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHDAY 5

vs.

DERBY COUNTY 0:0 NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Pride Park Stadium (Capacity: 33,597)


Lewis Grabbon ponders his miss in the 86th minute.

SCORING:
NONE

DISCIPLINE:
6' - (DER) - T. Lawrence (Yellow)
9' - (DER) - K . Bielik (Yellow)

8/28/21
Derby, Derbyshire (AP) - Nottingham Forest and Derby County played to a scoreless draw on a rainy Saturday afternoon in the East Midlands Derby at Pride Park Stadium. Each side had plenty of golden opportunities to score but could not as both settled for the point in a scoreless draw.

Lewis Grabbon had a couple of glorious opportunities to score late in the match, twice missing wide and once off of the woodwork. Colin Kazim-Richard missed just over the bar for Derby County in the 81st minute in what was likely their best chance to score.

Derby County outshot Nottingham Forest 12-8 while Nottingham held a huge advantage in possession. Nottingham Forest managed just one shot on target in the match, while Derby County had three.

Derby County was cautioned twice, both in the opening ten minutes of action.

Centerback Joe Worrall was named Man of the Match for Nottingham Forest. He completed 89% of his passes and had two tackles while winning possession seven times in seven chances.

The draw extended Nottingham Forest's unbeaten streak to three matches as they improved to (2-1-2, 7 pts), and leaving Derby County (1-2-2, 5 pts). Up next for Forest is a home match against Cardiff City (2-2-1, 8 pts) after the international break.

Match Day 5 Results:
Huddersfield Town 1:2 Reading
Fulham 1:0 Stoke City
Luton Town 1:2 Sheffield United
Preston North End 1:0 Swansea City
Barnsley 1:3 Birmingham City
Middlesbrough 0:3 Blackburn Rovers
Millwall 1:2 Blackpool
Queens Park Rangers 0:1 Coventry City
Hull City 0:2 AFC Bournemouth
Peterborough United 2:3 West Bromwich Albion
Cardiff City 2:2 Bristol City

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CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYER OF THE MONTH: Bryan Grabs, LB (Fulham)

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TRANSFER DEADLINE DAY

Nottingham Forest was busy over the summer bringing in young talent that they hope will put them in position to not only challenge for the EFL Championship title, but also a Premier League title and European success.

Overall this summer, Nottingham Forest spent just over $25M on six young players. While none of these players will likely crack the starting eleven initially, they should all get some playing time throughout the 2021-22 campaign.

17-year-old Alex Balde, the left back brought over from FC Barcelona is the most exciting prospect, but Manager Ninja has high hopes for 18-year-old striker Liam Delap, acquired from Manchester City.

The biggest moves in the summer transfer window were:
LM Heung Min Son moving from Tottenham Hotspur to Inter Milan for $155M
ST Lautaro Martinez moving from Inter Milan to Manchester City for $124M
RM Serge Gnabry moving from Bayern Munchen to Inter Milan for $101M
LB Lucas Hernandez moving from Batern Munchen to Chelsea for $90.6M
CM Florian Neuhaus moving from Monchengladbach to Liverpool for $84.4M

The biggest Championship deals were:
RW David Brooks moving from AFC Bournemouth to Norwich City for $14.4M
CB Chris Mepham moving from AFC Bournemouth to Monchengladbach for $9.5M
CB Lloyd Kelly moving from AFC Bournemouth to LASK for $5.5M
CAM Ilias Chair moving from QPR to West Brom for $4.7M
CDM Han-Noah Massengo moving from Bristol City to PSG for $4.2M
CM [b[Aaron Morley[/b] moving from Rochdale to Luton Town for $2M
LB Clinton Mola on loan from VfB Stuttgart to Stoke City
LB Dan Potts on loan from Luton Town to Union Berlin
CB Kyle Bartley on loan from West Brom to Granada CF

Here is the updated Nottingham Forest roster after the summer transfer window has closed.