Wes Morgan

Every club has one. A player who entertains, annoys, captivates and infuriates in equal measure. For Nottingham Forest, that player is Wes Morgan.

Last Saturday, Forest clinched a vital win over Coventry, a win that kept their hopes of staying in the Coca-Cola Championship alive. While other players will have received the column inches

- Gareth McCleary, in particular, was superb after coming on - Morgan was simply immense.

Performances like the one he produced on Saturday reminded the Forest faithful of the Wes Morgan they love, the Wes Morgan who attracted attention from Premier League clubs, the Wes Morgan who refused to join Newcastle United to help get them promoted (which they subsequently did).

Hard to believe that the same Wes Morgan is more than capable of calamity and error.

Against Barnsley two weeks previous, Morgan was an incompetent laughing stock. His poor marking left Jamal Campbell-Ryce - all 5’ 7” of him - available to head home for Barnsley’s opener. He spent more time on his backside than any professional footballer in living memory.

Yet the fans didn’t get on his back. They know he can do better, but preferred to leave Morgan to figure that out for himself. And that he did.

A solid performances against Bristol City and Sheffield United were followed up by Saturday’s Man Of The Match showing. Everything he touched turned to gold. Every header has won, every loose ball pounced upon, every tackle fiercely contested. With Forest leading, he even managed to put Lewis McGugan through with a backheel.

Performances like Saturday’s will remind Forest fans why they place Morgan’s name in the “Des Walker Song”. While not quite in Walker’s class, Morgan’s style and general demeanour on the field are reminiscent of the former England international.

Morgan has had a lot to deal with in the past few months. His 9-month-old son Rio is bravely fighting pneumonia and Wes has spent much of the last few months racing between hospital and the club’s training ground.

Morgan is prone to mistakes. As a Forest fan myself, I often despair at a misplaced pass or a needless stumble, but I think I speak for all fans of the club when I say we wouldn’t change him for the world.

You’ll never beat Wes Morgan. Well, maybe sometimes.

By Tom Snee, Live Media UK