Forest Boffin

After two defeats in quick succession, Forest welcome relegation threatened Barnsley to the City ground in a humongous game for both clubs. The Garibaldi unquestionably needed at least one win this week; taking the league table into account you could be forgiven for assuming Saturday's game was the easier of the two. However The Tykes will be no pushover: they are a different proposition than the team so easily outmanoeuvred by Forest earlier in the season, and after studying them, we at Forest Boffin believe they will be, if anything, more difficult to get a result against than Middlesbrough. By now we all know what a strange and exciting league The Championship is. There are no easy games, and the worst team one month can transform into "invincibles" the next - who would have thought Ipswich and Peterborough would top the form guide as they do today? Barnsley under David Flitcroft are another anomaly in that they have an eerie ability to cause an upset. To s...

As the pressure in Forest’s promotion push builds, The Garibaldi travel to play against a Middlesbrough side who’ve perhaps already buckled under the strain, falling away from the top of the table with just two wins in 17 games. It would be with the gravest of trepidation for Forest Boffin to suggest this to be the ideal game to climb back into the playoff places – so I will not. This is The Championship and anything can happen. The Teesiders’ drop in form has been as dramatic as Forest’s recovery. Going into January they were battling for automatic promotion while playing surprisingly good football, utilising their strong forwards to bring other players into the game. However in 2013 they have won just two league games, picking up only 8 points ( see clickable form-guide, below ). Forest Boffin believes this turnaround to be at least partly due to a catastrophic change in tactics. Even in December, Tony Mowbray was making worrying statements underestimating the usefulness of dra...

Since his return to Forest, Billy Davies has rescued a faltering campaign, and with an unbeaten run of 10 games has raised hopes of promotion. However, with those hopes come the customary nerves, doubts and questions – much of which has been aimed at our strike-force. Why aren’t they scoring? More importantly, is their goal drought harming our promotion chances? Match-line , Internet forums and conversations in public houses are repeatedly throwing up the same accusation: that Simon Cox et al aren’t scoring enough goals. Forest have played 17 games in 2013, during which our strikers have scored just 2 goals. Billy Sharp has been our most lethal striker this season, scoring every 261 minutes he’s been on the pitch  – perhaps a disappointing return considering his record, even taking into account the unsettling managerial and tactical changes at Forest. Simon Cox has managed a goal every 652 minutes. Crystal Palace's Glenn Murray has scored, on average this season, every 117 min...

As the season comes to a climax, Forest entertain a side that often seems to have the last laugh on them - Blackpool. This is an equally important game for both sides, as Forest try to maintain their good form while The Pool struggle to turn around their seagulls swoop towards the murky depths of the relegation zone. After talking with a few Blackpool fans on the net, and watching them in action, Forest Boffin feels this is (as usual) another potential banana-skin - but when is it any different in The Championship ? Blackpool come into this game after beating Crystal Palace - not an insignificant achievement. New Manager Paul Ince struggled to get his first win, but has only lost twice in his 8 games in charge, after tightening up Blackpool's defence - they have conceded only 6 under his leadership, compared to the previous 8 games when they let in 13. This is despite The Seasiders coming under fire from more attempts at their goal, especially away from home, where they ...