The experienced goalkeeper is impressing at Cardiff City – but maybe Nottingham Forest should have swooped first.
Nottingham Forest were forced to hand 22-year-old goalkeeper Jordan Smith, the club’s third choice, an unexpected debut in February. It’s an indication of the lack of quality at the club’s disposal that a number of fans are already hoping that he will be given the nod on a permanent basis.
Vladimir Stojkovic, usually the number one pick, has been subjected to intense criticism throughout an error-littered campaign while the currently crocked Stephen Henderson did little to convince when called upon.
All the while, however, 35-year-old Allan McGregor continues to help Cardiff City climb the table. The former Rangers stopper arrived in South Wales on loan from Hull City in a stop-gap solution until the end of the season and, as it stands, Neil Warnock’s side have lost just four times since with McGregor claiming four clean sheets.
And you wonder why Forest did not make an approach when the news broke that a goalkeeper of McGregor’s class and experience was made available in January. True, he signed for Cardiff a month before Henderson was struck down with an Achilles injury but the fact is that Forest have needed reinforcements in the goalkeeping department for quite some time.
Forest have lost six times since McGregor made his bow under Warnock, conceding 17 times in the process. Smith has certainly not underperformed but the Scotland international could have been the established safe pair of hands the club are crying out for.
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