HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Saturday’s home game against Forest by delving into their forums.

“Our season, competitively speaking, is over”, “Only a few weeks left”, “Sadly the season’s end for me, we are far away enough from the relegation places to avoid the drop and any hope of a play-off challenge has disappear”, “Absolute dross and another season will peter out to nothingness.”

“Is the season effectively over?”, “I believe so.” Saturday’s 2-1 home loss to Bristol City was Forest’s third consecutive league defeat. The Reds are now 15th in the table, 13 points from both the play-offs and the drop zone and for many supporters there is nothing left to play for this season.

“It is déjà vu with Forest every season, we seem capable of playing averagely yet going on unbeaten runs before it all unravels and we go on a streak of defeats”, “We are such a negative and boring team”, “It’s harder to see promotion as an option now compared to previous seasons.”

Hopes had been raised when Dougie Freedman’s side put together an unbeaten 13-game run which started in late November and which propelled them to 10th in the table, but losses at home to Huddersfield and at Burnley ahead of last weekend’s defeat to the Robins have muted enthusiasm.

“Dougie can’t afford to let this season fizzle out like last year.” Some fans are worried about recent history repeating itself. “Last season as soon as it became clear we weren’t going to get relegated or make the play-offs, the players went into a lazy going-through-the-motions mode.”

Dougie Freedman

“Dougie, you’re doing a great job managing an embargo but a terrible job at managing football”, “He tried to be expansive at the beginning of the season and that didn’t work. He is tasked with getting as many points as possible with the players at his disposal.”

“Freedman is doing a decent job in the circumstances”, “He is a steady hand who is trying to build something. That’s boring at first but we have not had a manager or situation like that for a while”, “The second full season is the one that I will judge him on given the mess he walked into here.”

In a recent poll on one forum, just under half of Reds backed the former Bolton and Palace manager with 30 per cent wanting him replaced by the summer. Fans have welcomed the stability he has brought steering the side through a transfer embargo but feel worn down by the football on offer.

“In Freedman we have a manager who is actually trying to build something albeit under serious financial constraints. With that in mind he has done a decent job. The football could be better but at least he has made the side difficult to beat and that is something to build on.”

Many welcome the club’s new-found stability. “Sacking Dougie and tearing up what he has done after six months doesn’t work. We have been down that road too many times of late”, “By sacking him our reputation as a club that sacks its manager every five minutes will rear its head again.”

Formation

“We can’t play expansively because we just do not have the personnel”, “We have a pretty average squad that is five to seven players from being good enough to challenge for the top six”, “If we play a more open game we get beaten or we go back to counter-attacking and bore everyone to death.”

“We just don’t have the firepower or the attacking edge to go for it. We have one way to play which is to put 10 men behind the ball and hope for a break”, “We’re not set up to just play teams off the park. That’s why Freedman prefers to keep it tight, counter-attack and nick a goal.”

“We really are one-dimensional tactically”, “Our game is far too reliant on not conceding a goal”, “In our unbeaten run we were effective by being compact, denying space and waiting for the moment to attack”, “We can’t concede first. We don’t have enough game-changers to make a difference.”

“Entertainment seems to be a low priority right now”, “I consider goals priceless at the moment.”Forest’s defence boasts the joint fourth-best record in the division with just 30 goals conceded in 33 league games to date but they have managed to find the net on just 32 occasions.

“Unfortunately the 4-3-3 ends up being a 4-5-1.” The starting XI for Saturday’s home defeat to the Robins was set out in the Freedman’s most favoured 4-5-1 formation and had just one change from the team that lost at Turf Moor with Chris Cohen replacing Gary Gardner in midfield.

“We set up not to concede and to nick it.” Supporters sympathise with striker and top scorer Nelson Oliveira who has found the net eight times this season. Fans have blamed the lack of goals on a lack of tempo, energy and vision in central midfield and a lack of consistent quality on the flanks.

“Our problem is how to create something with three holding midfielders in the centre. We haven’t enough activity or creativity when the onus is on us”, “We need an advanced central player who can get us from A to B without coughing up the ball, link with wide players and play with urgency.”

“Anything going forward looks totally under-rehearsed”, “We have limited options in attack”, “We desperately need some urgency in the middle of the park”, “Our central midfield is 15 yards too deep and it is too static, not getting possession forward quickly enough to support the attack.”

Forest 1 - 2 Bristol City

“Angry”, “A shocking result and the fear is that we are repeating last season, losing all drive as there is nothing to play for. It’s not acceptable”, “That was a turgid uninspiring display from us”, “Boring, negative, one-dimensional, stale and there’s probably more. We were absolute rubbish again.”

Ben Osborn opened the scoring for Forest after half an hour but the visitors drew level four minutes before the interval when Jonathan Kodjia slotted home a rebound off the post. Aden Flint headed home the winner for the visitors from a corner kick with 20 minutes remaining.

“We actually played quite well in the first half, passing the ball wide, maintaining possession and moving forward. We looked in control and our goal felt inevitable. The equaliser changed the game. We were never contenders in the second half. We lost focus and our spatial awareness evaporated.”

“We saw Dougie’s system against Bristol City in the first 10 minutes of the second half. We were attacking and putting balls across the box and where were our two central midfielders? On the edge of the centre circle”, “We weren’t at the races today and we fell apart in worrying fashion.”

Burnley 1 - 0 Forest

“This was always going to be a tough game so we can’t have many complaints. It sounded like we just tried not to lose and got caught out”, “We matched Burnley all over the pitch except up front”, “They played high-energy football but created few chances and our defending was tremendous.”

“Looking at our starting line-up again and you just don’t see where a goal would come from.” After being indebted to keeper Dorus de Vries for a series of fine saves before the break, Forest fell behind when Sam Vokes slotted home the winning goal from close range on 68 minutes.

“I can’t remember anything of note in this game”, “The reality was that we couldn’t have won this game playing on the front foot”, “We can’t always pose a threat against well-organised sides”, “It’s awful when you go a goal down and you know you’re done. This team is set up only to steal wins”, “

Forest 0 - 2 Huddersfield

“No complaints, we were beaten by the better side”, “We effectively lost this game in midfield. We kept going backwards”, “Outfought and out-thought, we were ponderous, limited and second to everything”, “I never thought the unbeaten run would end against Huddersfield at home.”

The visitors won this game courtesy of a Matt Mills own goal on 14 minutes and a Philip Billing strike six minutes from time. Reds felt that the visitors high-energy pressing game never allowed them to settle with any rhythm and they struggled to establish any foothold in the game.

“We were far too negative from the start and completely clueless on how to change it when it was obviously not working”, “Defensively our shape was reasonable but individuals were just static to the danger around them”, “Our lack of any attacking threat played right into their hands.”

Goalkeepers and Defenders

“Even if you get past our much-vaunted defence, you still have to beat the big Dutchman”, “Dorus de Vries has been absolutely superb for us and long may it continue.” The 35-year-old ex-Wolves man “is a great shot stopper, great from distance and rock solid. He has no obvious weaknesses”.

“Dorus has been outstanding this season, pulling out some top-drawer saves and is a massive part of why we have become so tough to beat”, “You can hear his distinct voice organising things even if the ball is in the opposition half”, “He shouts at his back four, telling them what to do and where to be.”

“De Vries is a breath of fresh air”, “Confidence is the key here. It’s clear our squad believe and trust in him”, “When we lose the ball it’s good to see how we have someone reliable and dependable between our sticks”, “His kicking can leave a lot to be desires but it has improved over the season.”

“Eric Lichaj plays with passion.” The 27-year-old ex-Aston Villa right-back “is one of, if not the best, one-versus-one defenders I have seen at Forest”, “A wonderful, committed, no-frills footballer who gives 100 per cent and gets stuck in, all you can ask for really”, “There is a snappiness to his play.”

“A class act and an all-action team player”, the USA international “is a keen attacker but he doesn’t really offer much up there. He can’t cross whatsoever”, “Lichaj has tremendous enthusiasm and commitment and he bombs down the wing well, although not always with enough end product.”

“Bojan Jokic is a small guy who is built like a tank and who isn’t going to get knocked off the ball easily. He looks very cool on the ball when pressed by opponents.” The 29-year-old left-back and Slovenia international arrived at the City Ground on loan from Spanish side Villareal in January.

“Jokic is very aggressive and doesn’t like to give the ball away cheaply”, “He reminds me of Stoke’s Xherdan Shaqiri”, “A player with a lot of nous who makes very few mistakes”, “He isn’t going to give the ball away. A two-footed player, his passing and close control both look pretty impressive.”

“Michael Mancienne was nowhere to be seen when Flint headed Bristol City’s second goal. He was not there to get it clear and was not marking anyone either.” The 28-year-old ex-Chelsea man “struggles with his composure on the ball”, “His passing is generally poor or backwards.”

“Mancienne is no defensive midfielder but give him a man-marking brief and he will oblige.” He played a key role in Forest’s 1-0 win at Middlesbrough in January. “I don’t rate him as a midfielder is his job is to be a ball player. If his job is to man-mark an opponent in a free role, he’s very good at it.”

Matt Mills

“Mills has proved to be a quality signing and a significant factor in our being more solid at the back. He is a leader and a no-nonsense defender. He is able to pick a pass though some of his clearances can be a bit agricultural”, “I was sceptical when we signed him but now he is undroppable.”

“A proper focal point”, the 29-year-old ex-Bolton centre-half “reminds me of Luke Chambers when at his best for us”, “He has been excellent. He reads the game well, gets stuck in, leads well and we actually look a threat from set-pieces with him in the side. He has been John Terry-esque for us.”

Central Midfielders

“Chris Cohen is a proper club captain. By God, we have missed him.” The 28-year-old Forest stalwart has gradually returned to the team after a serious knee injury. “It’s great to see him back”, “He was the only one with any enthusiasm and drive against Bristol, giving us the industry we lacked.”

When Jamie Ward was withdrawn early on against Bristol City Cohen was switched to a wide role. “On the right he looked out of position, especially running back towards our goal in order to pass left-footed”, “He wins tackles and reads the game well”, “I admire his desire, mental toughness.”

“Jorge Grant is a decent attacking midfielder who has had a few useful cameo performances.” The 21-year-old ex-Nike Academy player “is comfortable and composed on the ball and helps keep the tempo ticking along nicely”, “A level-headed footballer who likes to play the ball forward.”

“Grant could give us a bit more life going forward and likes to open things up”, “He is the pick of the crop of youngsters and has a focus and presence about his play that shows real calibre”, “He showed excellent close-control skills to bamboozle his way past three Huddersfield defenders.”

“Robert Tesche is a no-nonsense, no-frills German engine”, “The strongest part of his game are his interceptions. He isn’t a tackler and he doesn’t get dribbled past often but from an attacking point of view he offers little.” The 28-year-old “can be very careless at times and give the ball away easily”.

“Tesche is efficient but ordinary and he rarely influences the game.” The ex-Hamburger SV player “has the least to offer of all our midfielders”, “He never shows aggressively for the ball, has a basic range of passing and no pace”, “His passing statistics aren’t amazing considering he plays it safe.”

“Gardner is a fabulous signing and a great player to have in a variety of formations.” Having played on loan last season at the City Ground, Forest fans were delighted to see Gary Gardner return in January for a second loan spell from Villa. “He has the best passing when with the game in front of him.”

“Gardner is great in defence, winning and intercepting the ball very cleanly.” The 23-year-old “turns defence into attack and is a great passer of the ball. He suits a counter-attacking approach”, “I forgot how good he is on the ball, pinging it around all over the place”, “He strikes the ball really well.”

David Vaughan

“For a counter-attacking team, having a midfielder who can retain the ball is a fantastic plus”, “He is an absolute dream with his retention of the ball”, “It is a toss-up between Vaughan and De Vries for Player of the Season”, “Now he is managing to stay fit we are seeing the impact he can make.”

“It has been a delight to see him play for a sustained period.” The 33-year-old ex-Sunderland midfielder “normally relies on passing to generate something but as his confidence has bloomed he has started gilding past players too. He’s a Rolls-Royce at the moment. He scares me with his tackling though.”

“Vaughan is peerless at breaking up play”, “A cut above”, “He gives us extra solidity as well as a defensive out-ball”, “Huddersfield forced him back and he couldn’t get out of the base of midfield”, “He never stopped trying but for most of the game he was playing deeper than our back four.”

Wide Midfielders

With Jamie Ward out with a hamstring injury from Saturday’s defeat against Bristol City, Ryan Mendes may feature. The 26-year-old loan signing from Lille has just recovered from groin injury. The Cape Verde international “moves us up the pitch and gives full-backs something to think about”.

“Mendes is brilliant at picking the ball up in our half and carrying it forward at pace for 30 yards. The trouble is he is so inconsistent with his final decision-making. I still rate him and he gets the crowd going with his sheer energy and pace. He has got a touch of Franz Carr in him at the moment,”

Oliver Burke is another wide man returning from injury who may play, the 18-year-old youth product recovering from a fractured hand. “Burke has bags of pace, power and technical ability”, “He’s a big lad, not just quick-heeled but genuine pace and power. He’s not your tiny speed merchant.”

“Burke is raw, makes mistakes and struggles with defenders and decision making but by God he gets you sat on the edge of your seat”, “A roaming advanced wide player”, “I want to be entertained and he certainly entertains”, “I like it when he cuts inside. He seems to find space and scares defenders.”

Ben Osborn

“As usual Osborn sounds like the most energetic player on the park”, “I love his energy and work-rate, and also the fact that he picks his head up and delivers a decent ball”, “We have no box-to-box ball carrier to counter-attack with pace down the middle. Osborne is best equipped to do that.”

The 21-year-old youth product “has adapted well to playing on the left wing”, “He is inexperienced but always gives 100 per cent and looks the business. He goes after the ball, gets in possession and tries to make things happen”, “He shows for passes and gets things moving up the pitch.”

“The only minus to Osborn’s game is his lack of goals. He has time to improve on that and get a bit stronger but that will come”, “Give him a central role and he will dictate and create but you can’t ask any more of him out wide”, “Most important he keeps trying and doesn’t let mistakes knock him.”

Strikers

Chris O’Grady is with the Reds on loan from Brighton but the 30-year-old has hardly featured. “Please don’t let O’Grady anywhere near the first team”, “His control is poor for a target man, his passing is very poor and he doesn’t score goals”, “He could leave tomorrow and I wouldn’t care.”

“Tyler Walker, finally!”, “Time to shine, young man.” The 19-year-old youth product replaced the injured Jamie Ward early in the Bristol City game as Forest switched to playing two up front. “He looked lost”, “I’m not going to lie. If Walker was another player he would get a hammering on here tonight.”

“Walker had no aggression or determination and was pushed off the ball too easily”, “I can’t see him playing again for a while”, “He looked awful all game, not running for the ball or really challenging for it”, “Lethargic and low on confidence”, “The lad has lots of quality but he isn’t particularly quick.”

“I know Dexter Blackstock has been a good player in the past but in the past few months I have struggled to see what he offers.” The 29-year-old ex-QPR frontman has featured as a substitute lately. “He has lost more than a yard of pace and has been simply too ineffective in too many matches.”

“Blackstock has been a good servant but is way off the pace of this level now. What he was good at before, holding up, laying the ball off, winning fouls and meeting crosses have turned into losing the ball, giving away fouls and not being in the right place to nod in”, “That is reality over sentiment.”

Nelson Oliveira

“We are struggling to make a Portugal international look good up front at the moment”, “Our only attacking outlet is Oliveira. When he can’t score, we can’t score and there’s nobody else”, “Poor old Nelson, what can he do with dreadful service and no one really willing to get up alongside him?”

The 24-year-old is on a season-long loan from Benfica. “Nelson is a good technical player but he’s neither quick nor strong so he is not exactly a presence leading the line”, “He has been as good as we were ever going to get in this division”, “He’s better dropping deep and running with the ball.”

“I have loved watching him this season. I have seen so many strikers that frustrate the life out of you and give you no entertainment. He’s the opposite”, “He would have had more than eight goals in a team creating more regular goalscoring chances”, “He is a class above the Championship.”

Forest Supporters’ Views on ITFC and the Game

“I reckon we are going to get beaten on Saturday. The season may as well be over now and I can't see players doing anything other than going through the motions. Any team who puts in 100 per cent against us should get a result. I knew we would be awful last week and this will be similar.”

“I am finding it very hard to muster any optimism about this one. Dougie Freedman really needs to administer some good backside-kicking to the players but I'm not sure he's capable of doing that. There's a feeling of resignation about the place. It will be 1-0 to Ipswich.”

“We will probably lose. Ipswich are a well-drilled team with a superb manager.” Pre-match polls suggest that the visitors are far from optimistic for their prospects on Saturday, with 62 per cent forecasting a Town victory against 21 per cent predicting a win for the Reds.

Given the lack of goals in their games, most see us winning by a solitary goal. “A mind-numbingly boring game that will end 1-0 to the Carrot Crunchers”, “A 1-0 defeat, as standard”, “My worst fear is the smug look on Luke Chambers’s face should he be the one who scores the winning goal.”

Websites

The busiest Forest message board is the polite and knowledgeable Forest Forum.

@HarryFromBath

Photo: Action Images

TR11BLU added 11:11 - Mar 4 Great read again Harry....Thanks. I can see this being a bore fest also. 1-0 would do but Id like to think we will get at them with maximum energy and try to boost the GD.....if only
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rickw added 11:13 - Mar 4 Good work as ever!
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Steve_M added 11:22 - Mar 4 An end-to-end 4-3 is probably not on the cards tomorrow then. I'll take 1-0 though, build on last week and get the season going again. At least that little cheat Ward is out too.
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Bluebell added 11:35 - Mar 4 Thanks. Great read as always Harry. This is one game I am confident we can win as long as we can keep Mendes quiet. We need to start winning these home games as we have a difficult final few away games. We need to build up the points now. I predict an early goal from us and then squeaky bums for the rest of the game. COYBs.
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Kikapu added 11:36 - Mar 4 “We will probably lose. Ipswich are a well-drilled team with a superb manager.” Pre-match polls suggest that the visitors are far from optimistic for their prospects on Saturday, with 62 per cent forecasting a Town victory against 21 per cent predicting a win for the Reds. Love it when they respect our manager more than their own. Most of them do.
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LankHenners added 12:52 - Mar 4 Thanks Harry, I expect it will be like their fans are saying - a bit of a drag with one goal settling it, and I'd like to think we'll be the ones to score it. I'll be very happy this month if we can scrap out 1-0 victories as often as possible to be honest - just to get a bit of confidence back and in the interim period before the return of Fraser (and possibly McGoldrick and Bishop).

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GeorgiDoundarov added 15:04 - Mar 4 Kikapu In this instance they are right. It is unfortunate that other teams fans respect our manager more than some of us. And the fact is - we really have a great manager, which is not very common for us in general. From Sir Bobby era on I cannot think of so many great managers with the exception of John Lyall, Joe Royal, and George Burley to some extend (here he was more of an icon rather than a good manager as we saw his performance elsewhere). So my say is - we need to acknowledge the fact that we probably have the best manager in the Championship and not moan about his style or his transfer strategy (which is not even his own). I hope he will stay here for the long run and to answer the coming question from the Mick haters - if Mick goes who will come? Probably somebody young and risky who may drag us years back... COYB

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Crawfordsboot added 15:07 - Mar 4 And they haven't been paid this month!
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Crawfordsboot added 15:08 - Mar 4 last month!
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itsonlyme added 15:41 - Mar 4 Georgi... You are having a laugh. Your tongue is not only in cheek its disappeared! To say we have the best manager in this division is an insult to Middlesborough Hull Burnley and maybe Birmingham fans. You obviously have not seen many town games this season!
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Kikapu added 15:42 - Mar 4 GeorgiDoundarov There was no sarcasm intended in my post. I agree with you. So many of HarryFromBath's (excellent) reports include similar comments from opposition fans about MM. Most of them would take him like a shot and, for the life of me, I don't know why he stays here given the recent criticism of him. He would be bound to find another club with a larger budget to spend on more attack-minded players. The fact that he has accepted a new contract says a lot about what he thinks about the club and, I hope, that Evans has agreed to increase his budget next season.

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itsonlyme added 16:20 - Mar 4 Georgi and Kikapu ... The best manager in this division would not be playing players out of position, playing players out of form each game, have no plan b when needed and play hoof fall every game!
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itsonlyme added 16:21 - Mar 4 Hoof ball that should read
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jas0999 added 18:43 - Mar 4 A boring 1-0 win to us I suspect. Will be pleased with the win.
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htb added 19:31 - Mar 4 Kikapu that is because they don't have to watch us every week. When you look on their websites after they have played us very few positive comments. Which not very surprising as we are terrible to watch. Whose fault is that only one person MM
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