Forest Boffin

Forest strolled to an easy victory against Reading on Saturday, holding onto their early lead at the top of The Championship . It was another game where Stuart Pearce tinkered with his tactics at half-time; again this brought a favourable result. Forest began with a 4-4-2 and continued with a settled side. The front men and wingers were instructed to press the ball high up the pitch, but on the whole the team did this slightly more conservatively than they did against Bournemouth, and got the balance about right. Chris Cohen and Andy Reid were doing the donkey work in the middle, as The Reds looked to build here, and then pass the ball into wide areas, where the wingers and full-backs would find space to cross the ball; this has been the focus of Forest's attacking play so far this season, a fact ignored by Reading. Reading's system was a little more difficult to define; I've heard it described as a 4-4-2, Pearce himself called it a 4-1-4-1; personally it looked like...

Forest continued their disappointing home form on Friday night, making it only one win in six games as they lost 3-2 to a sassy Reading side. It was another entertaining evening with plenty of fluctuating emotions, but as good an advert for The Championship as it was, it’s another damaging home defeat. Forest only made one change from their dominant game against Burnley with Dan Harding replacing the injured Chris Cohen. Retaining the 4-2-3-1 system, Billy Davies planned on his two ball-playing defensive midfielders passing the ball out to a front four of Raddy Majewski, Jamie Mackie, Jamie Paterson and Simon Cox ( see right, all diagrams on Forest Boffin can be enlarged if clicked ), building possession as they did against The Clarets , but it didn’t pan out like that as Reading’s tactics initially triumphed in every aspect of play.   The Reds’ main problem was in possession, with Reading playing an energetic pressing game, harrying the ball. Forest are a possession tea...