Chris Wood (Nottingham Forest | England)

martinb

Mental that you feel he should have got a hatty for the win. Yes, we reckon he’s Haaland good. 

But great to see good service from 4-5 different players and now assists from 3 different players for his goals. Several different kinds of goals, too. And like a shark he’s smelling blood and hopefully a goal frenzy follows this season.

On the flipside 2 points thrown away by Forest after being 2-0 up which is careless as they dominated the game.

 Feels like the gametime he got away with the All Whites helped

https://www.premierleague.com/stats/top/players/att_hd_goal
Woody only needs one more header to go equal with Wayne Rooney to go into the top 10 for all-time headed goals.

https://www.premierleague.com/stats/top/players/big_chance_missed
Also, fun fact Woody is also in the top 20 for chances missed. Hopefully he can keep turning them into goals.

Shows what happens when you give the big man some quality service.
I think he had a measly 13 touches against the Socceroos. Hopefully Singh, Bell & Lewis are available in Nov. Woodsman would still kill in it The Championship.

https://highlightsfootball.net/nottingham-forest-vs-luton-highlights/

Lol they didn't show his brace on 1 news - they show just about all Kiwis in sport but not football.

Despite his Forest side dropping two points late on, Woodsy still commands a spot in both the WhoScored & Sofascore Premier League Teams of the week for his performance, and two goals against the hatters on the weekend.

Screenshot_2023-10-24-21-06-26-80_07de052b70472489b19c0b66e29f0be4.jpg 193.88 KB

https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2023/10/24/premier-league-team-of-the-week-tottenham-stars-keep-team-top-of-the-table/

Not a bad way to round out your 500th appearance in the English game. Players would give an arm and their firstborn to have that sort of longevity and career in the game. Still only 31 (almost 32) as well, so no reason he can't make 600 in the next few years before a possible Auckland swansong? 👀

YoungHeartHM

Despite his Forest side dropping two points late on, Woodsy still commands a spot in both the WhoScored & Sofascore Premier League Teams of the week for his performance, and two goals against the hatters on the weekend.

Screenshot_2023-10-24-21-06-26-80_07de052b70472489b19c0b66e29f0be4.jpg 193.88 KB

https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/2023/10/24/premier-league-team-of-the-week-tottenham-stars-keep-team-top-of-the-table/

Not a bad way to round out your 500th appearance in the English game. Players would give an arm and their firstborn to have that sort of longevity and career in the game. Still only 31 (almost 32) as well, so no reason he can't make 600 in the next few years before a possible Auckland swansong? 👀

Yeah he's still got goals in him. How many people can say they have scored to EPL goals in a game? Let alone the 100+ he's scored over his career.

He's a true professional! 

Forest (15th) with the tough trip to Anfield. Liverpool 4th

Wood not in the squad? Couldn’t find anything in a quick search about an injury. 
Awoniyi back from injury, but Elanga starts up top with Wood not in the mix at all? 

Edit: found it. Picked up a hamstring injury and is going to be out for a while. Frustrating game, innit. 

Fingers crossed he's okay for the All Whites in 3 weeks. 
Forest lose 3-0.

Cooper’s quote seemed pissed. Just starting to get some return on investment in the big lad. 3 injured strikers. 

Forest (16th) to host Aston Villa (5th). Wood likely sidelined.
Jarred Gillett the ref.

https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2023/11/05/england/premier-league/nottingham-forest-fc/aston-villa-football-club/4082123/

https://www.nottinghamforest.news/2023/11/04/after-the-international-break-steve-cooper-confirms-31-year-old-will-miss-aston-villa-clash/ 
"Yesterday, Cooper admitted that Wood would be out until after the next international break."

Forest a 2-0 win over Villa. No Wood.

Woodn't

Forest (13th) travel to West Ham (12th). Doesn't sound like Wood will be fit.
https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2023/11/12/england/premier-league/west-ham-united-fc/nottingham-forest-fc/4082134/

More good AWs news. 

Wood off the bench at 76 mins (2-2), as Forest squander a 2-1 lead to lose 3-2 in London.

Forest (14th) host Brighton (8th).
https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2023/11/25/england/premier-league/nottingham-forest-fc/brighton--hove-albion-fc/4082143/

Woodsman to start up front. Piss off the know nothing Guardian columnist who was suggesting Origi should start, despite the fact Wood got a brace in his last game out for Forest. 

And his opposing number 9? Evan Ferguson of Ireland. A chance to get some bragging rights after the 1-1 draw. 

Eh. Commentators’ curse. Haven’t watched the game, but in a one goal loss he conceded a penalty and didn’t have much significant involvement beyond that, apparently. 

Forest lose 2-3 to 10 man Brighton. 

Not his best game by the sound of it. Off at 63 mins (Brighton up 3-1).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWWQ6czzKkk

It wasn't his best window with the AWs also to be fair. Hopefully just a blip after returning from injury.

He wasn't horrible, Forests first goal was partly due to his gravity drawing 2 defenders and leaving a man free at the back post. The penalty against him was incredibly soft, but Forest got their own similarly soft one back. Was surprised Forest hooked him instead of putting another player up top with him while chasing the game.

Nelfoos

He wasn't horrible, Forests first goal was partly due to his gravity drawing 2 defenders and leaving a man free at the back post. The penalty against him was incredibly soft, but Forest got their own similarly soft one back. Was surprised Forest hooked him instead of putting another player up top with him while chasing the game.

Yep just watched the highlights back and was about to say something similar. And he out jumped the two defenders he’d drawn in any case and would have won the ball if the cross was slightly flatter. There was one other chance and the ball wasn’t passed to him, but to Gibbs White with 5 players around him. 

And Brighton are a team above Forest on the table in the Premier so you don’t get much of a sniff. His dominant game came against Sheffield where they had a lot of time and space comparatively. 

Luton a double. Though yes his 3rd goal EPL this season was against Sheffield.

Shows that lower down in The Championship he'd likely still be 15+ goals a season.

The Guardian run a second article saying Wood is not up to snuff. Two in a week suggests a bit of a campaign against him. 

A Wood verus Dyche reunion. Forest (15th) host Everton (19th)
https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2023/12/02/england/premier-league/nottingham-forest-fc/everton-football-club/4082154/

Taiwo Awoniyi is expected to miss three to four months after having surgery. So Wood should continue to get mins starting or off the pine.

Full game for Wood in a 0-1 loss. Tarkowski all over him no doubt. Another ex Clarets team mate Dwight McCNeil with Toffies goal. Dyche made 1 sub all game.

From these highlights, the Woodsman with no real chances. Though Forest had a decent pen shout declined by VAR. I'm guessing Wood is their current pen taker.

McNeil with a bullet shot. I remember him scoring a few similar for Burnley.
https://highlightsfootball.net/nottingham-forest-vs-everton-highlights-2/

Forest (15th) travel to Fulham (14th). Early whiff of a relegation 6 pointer.
https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2023/12/06/england/premier-league/fulham-football-club/nottingham-forest-fc/4082160/

Wood on at 58 mins (3-0) as Forest get trounced 5-0. Not good signs.

Forest drop to 16th, 2 spots above the relegation zone - benefiting from Everton's points deduction. 1 win in their last 11 games. Cooper apparently in the firing line to be sacked.

coochiee

Wood on at 58 mins (3-0) as Forest get trounced 5-0. Not good signs.

Forest drop to 16th, 2 spots above the relegation zone - benefiting from Everton's points deduction. 1 win in their last 11 games. Cooper apparently in the firing line to be sacked.

Cooper has been on the block for a few games. Wood’s hammy can’t have helped. Saw a few articles blaming Wood too, for not being the same kind of striker as the other guy. A bit irritating. Brendan Johnson has been a big loss for them, but other than that it’s hard to see what’s gone wrong in terms of morale. They were playing well and now in a slump. 

Hard to blame the attack when you’re conceding 3 or more goals a game.

Losing Awoniyi for an extended period can't have helped after he started the season on fire.

Forest (16th) travel to Wolves (13th)
https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2023/12/09/england/premier-league/wolverhampton-wanderers-fc/nottingham-forest-fc/4082175/

Edeit - Woodsman on the pine

On at 84 mins (1-1) in a 1-1 draw.

Flying Kiwis.

After their 5-0 loss to Fulham midweek (in which Woodsy played half an hour off the bench) it was reported that Steve Cooper was on his last legs as boss. They’ve since drawn 1-1 with Wolves (Wood only introduced in the 84th minute – he had been dealing with a wee knock though) and so far the gaffer survived the swinging axe. But with only three wins from 16 Premier League matches it ain’t looking good... and the Woodsman is definitely someone who could get shafted with a different style of manager turns up.

Or he gets a more prominent role.

Chris isn't a great striker (by prem standard) by he is good enough. But, he would be one of the best team players though going around and in a team that's battling relegation that is huge.

He works hard on D and is an asset in a team when defending set pieces etc.

He brings the kind of attitude you build teams and cultures around.

He was a big part of helping Newcastle stay up 2 seasons ago. He arrived with others like Tippier when the Maggies were in the drop zone, and Eddie Howe rated him highly even if he didn’t score much.

But he’s 2 years older and likely a bit slower now, and Forest don’t have a top gaffer like Howe. We wait and see

Forest (16th) host Spurs (5th)
https://us.soccerway.com/matches/2023/12/15/england/premier-league/nottingham-forest-fc/tottenham-hotspur-football-club/4082184/

Comes off the pine at 68 mins (0-2) in a 0-2 loss. Jarrod Gillet the ref.
So an ANZAC EPL trifeceta of player, coach & ref.

Gillet had to send Spurs Bissouma off at 70 mins, just after Wood arrived, and Forest had chances late to score.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dFyum2OkfI

Looks like it will be Nuno for Forest. 

Did Wood’s hamstring injury after his two goals against Luton doom Cooper? They really lost cohesion and shape after that quite badly, and Wood was briefly getting some good service. 

Hard to say if Wood would be in Nuno’s immediate calculations, but I guess we’ll find out. 

The press I saw was a bit rough and reactive the last few weeks calling for Origi and then for Gibbs White to start up front. Seemed like Cooper tried it too, which just seemed like desperation. Or an admission he’d lost control. A front 3 of Elanga, Gibbs-White and Wood seemed like the way to go with Awoniyi out imo, to build on their Luton success. 

Anyway. Anyone watch Nuno at Wolves? What kind of football does he play?