Forest Boffin

Few players at Forest have proven so divisive as our Irish International Simon Cox. A toothless predator, or the trigger for a successful hunt? Cox has been involved at every stage this season, and win or lose, he has been an important figure. Cox's detractors have pointed to a poor goal-scoring return from the Irishman ( see his stats, right. They are enlargeable if clicked ). His arrival, although slightly overshadowed by that of Billy Sharp, was highly anticipated, and five goals does seem low for a player of his reputation - a player who has himself stated his personal dissatisfaction with this. To iterate this further, Cox only scored, on average, one goal every 598.2 minutes he was on the pitch - roughly one every six and a half full games. So if goals aren't what Cox brings to the team (from his own boots at least), what does he do for Forest? His tireless work rate is probably the most touted of his abilities amongst Trickies - something that will naturally gain...

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 ...

The first Scene of the season's final Act sees Brighton travel to Nottingham for what's sure to be a great game. Who could have predicted how important this match would be for Forest a couple of months ago? Billy has ignited Forest's fire, and six wins in a row has seen the Garibaldi rocket above their opponents. Such form is bound to engender optimism, but The Seagulls will be no pushover. Brighton have been pushing for promotion all season and possess some truly special players at this level, but worst of all for Forest they play a system perfect for exploiting Billy's diamond formation. They pass the ball better than the average side, enjoying a lot of possession utilising the width of the pitch. Wide-men Will Buckley and Andrea Orlandi have 16 assists between them this season, with full-backs Bruno Saltor & Inigo Calderon getting forward to contribute another 9 assists - should Brighton find space in front of Cohen or Jara they will exploit it - see Key Batt...

  Welcome to the first ever article from Forest Boffin, where we'll be explaining why we think all Forest fans are in for a feast of goals for the rest of the season. Anybody witnessing the entertaining and revealing game against Huddersfield recently would have been thrilled by the attacking flair Forest utilised, however the Garibaldi were not exactly defending like AC Milan! It made for a very lively game, certainly one for the neutrals - but why was it such an open game, and can we expect more of the same? A diamond formation is a very fragile affair - without the correct players there are glaring defensive deficiencies that will be exposed by good players. The gleam on the gem is that it is a very useful tactic if you have creative players - Forest are spoilt in this department. It is the theory of Forest Boffin that Billy has shrewdly decided to play to the strengths of our current playing staff. So what's the problem?     What we may see (...