Such is the affection for Stuart Pearce in these parts, the opprobrium of the Nottingham Forest supporters on the final whistle was muted and delivered as much in sorrow as in anger, but their patience with the manager must be wearing thin.
Whether it has already run out in the boardroom remains to be seen. Having topped the Championship in September, Forest have won two of their past 20 games, and none of their last eight, five of which have been lost.
As worryingly, Forest were second-best to a well-organised, confident and physically dominant Sheffield Wednesday from the start, and at times in the second half, almost embarrassingly so.
It was a performance, and a result, that does little to discredit the suggestion Pearce has lost the dressing room. Rumours persist that the former Chelsea and Sheffield Wednesday player Dan Petrescu may be brought in to try to rescue a season rapidly heading south. If Pearce is still in charge come next Saturday’s match against high-flying Derby County, it is hard to imagine him surviving a beating at the hands of the Rams.
“In myself, yes,” said Pearce, when asked if he believed he would still be in charge next Saturday. “I don’t make that judgment call but the one thing this football club needs is togetherness. Any manager would be disappointed not to be given the time they need to finish a job, but if you’re asking me whether I’m very disappointed at this moment in time, yes, I am.
“All eyes are on me, whether it’s the media, the boardroom, the players, the supporters. I have to be rock solid and I can tell you I won’t be buckling, and the players have to take strength from me.”
Pearce went on to list the injuries depriving him of Michael Mancienne, Matty Fryatt, Dexter Blackstock and Andy Reid, though he was still able to make three changes to the side ignominiously and deservedly beaten by Rochdale in the FA Cup, bringing in Jamaal Lascelles, the new loan signing from Chelsea, Todd Kane, and the youngster Ben Osborn.
Wednesday, whose exit from the Cup at the hands of Manchester City had been infinitely more honourable, had their regular goalkeeper Keiren Westwood and the midfielder Chris Maguire back, and the visitors were more impressive from the start, Jacques Maghoma coming close to opening the scoring three times in the opening quarter.
Forest’s threat was intermittent at best, though Robert Tesche, having sliced one effort disappointingly wide, drew an outstanding close-range save from Westwood after the Wednesday defence failed to clear a corner.
The game was drifting as half-time approached, and perhaps Eric Lichaj lost concentration for a second. The Forest left-back allowed Stevie May to run in behind him, the forward crossed intelligently and although Atdhe Nuhiu’s header was blocked on the line by Tesche, Kieran Lee was on hand the force the ball home.
Pearce reacted by bringing on another new loan signing, the Aston Villa midfielder Gary Gardner, at the start of the second half, only to see Wednesday double their lead almost immediately. Again the defence failed to clear a cross, and Maguire, picking up the loose ball, made room before firing low past Dorus de Vries.
The Forest goalkeeper then saved his team from further humiliation with blocks from May, Maguire and Maghoma before, with Wednesday threatening to score every time they came forward, Nuhiu pulled his shot inches wide.
By the final whistle the stands, other than that containing the jubilant Owls’ supporters, were half-empty. The result meant Forest slipped to 13th in the Championship, while Wednesday, on the back of three successive wins, rise to eighth.
