Cardiff Home Pre-Match Preview

On Saturday (29th August 2015), Forest return to the City Ground to face Russell Slade's Cardiff City. Last time out Forest recorded a 1-1 draw against Bolton at the Macron Stadium which would normally be seen as a reasonable point if Forest hadn't conceded in stoppage time. There is no better way for Forest to return to winning ways than at the City Ground against the Bluebirds.

After a disappointing second half of the season under Russell Slade last time out, Cardiff have had a good start to the season in the 2015/16 Sky Bet Championship. They have picked up some very respectable results which see them sit 7th in the table just outside the play-off positions. Some of these results included a 2-2 draw away at QPR credit to a long range strike late on from Scott Malone and also a 2-0 home win against Wolverhampton Wanderers who many people tip to be up there this season. One factor which could play a factor in today's game is the fact Cardiff had a League Cup game mid-week away to MK Dons. This actually resulted in Cardiff losing in extra time after playing an additional 120 minutes to what Forest have this week. However, this is unlikely to stop Cardiff's momentum in the league after their very impressive start. In comparison, Forest sit not too far behind their opposition and have the chance to leap frog them with three points today. Forest picked up what can be looked back on as a credible point at the Macron Stadium even after conceding a last gasp equalizer. Forest have had a better start to the season than many people expected and have picked up five points from four games and sit 11th in the table. Forest remain unbeaten at home in the league and will hope to continue that run today. They also haven't lost since being defeated 1-0 by Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on the opening day of the season. Forest will hope they can go into the international break on a positive note with victory this afternoon.

Forest winger Jamie Ward will miss out on this afternoon's match as he continues to struggle with a hamstring injury. 







Dougie Freedman has confirmed that Forest winger Jamie Ward will miss out on this afternoon's game as he continues to struggle with a hamstring injury. Andy Reid has suffered a setback in his recovery and will be unlikely to feature until at least after the international break. Long-term absentees Chris Cohen, Matty Fryatt, Robert Tesche and Britt Assombalonga all remain on the sidelines. Dexter Blackstock is one player who has recovered from his recent injury and is available for selection. However, Dougie Freedman will hope he can add some more firepower to his squad before the deadline on Tuesday evening.

My score prediction for this match is Nottingham Forest 2-1 Cardiff City. I think it will be a very tough match but I think if Forest can match the performance they produced against Charlton at the City Ground last time out, they will go on to collect three points. I also think that Cardiff having to play 120 minutes midweek will have an impact and could see them tire late on.

Bolton Away Pre-Match Preview

On Saturday (22nd August 2015), Nottingham Forest face Bolton Wanderers in their second away game of the season at the Macron Stadium. Forest will look to build on two promising home performances against Rotherham United and Charlton Athletic during the last week. Manager Dougie Freedman and Matt Mills will both be eager to get a result as they return to their former employers.

Bolton Wanderers have had a pretty shocking start to the 2015/16 Championship campaign. They currently sit rock bottom of the Championship table and are yet to record a win. Wanderers are also the only team in the Football League who are yet to hit the back of the net. However, strikers Stephen Dobbie, Emile Heskey, Gary Madine among others can be dangerous on their day. They started the season off with a respectable 0-0 draw at home to title favorites Derby County. However, Wanderers have failed to build on this and have suffered a 1-0 defeat at home to Burton Albion, a 3-0 drubbing away to Middlesborough and a 1-0 defeat away to newly promoted MK Dons. Neil Lennon in the build up to the game has stated that performances have been good and if they continue playing as they are they will pick up results. Wanderers fans will hope they get off the mark on Saturday afternoon and get some revenge on unpopular former manager Freedman. In comparison, Forest have had a mixed start to the season but will be hoping to build on two promising performances in the previous week at the City Ground. Forest recorded their first win at home to Rotherham next week and followed that up with a 0-0 draw against Charlton Athletic. The performance against Charlton was particularly encouraging especially youngsters Oliver Burke, Jorge Grant and Tyler Walker who were all given a chance to shine. If Forest can secure three points against Wanderers it will be seen as a very good start to the season for the Reds.

Matt Mills celebrates scoring his first goal for the Reds against Rotherham United at the City Ground last weekend.




Forest face more injury concerns following a quick flurry of games. Jamie Ward has been ruled out for the next four to six weeks with a hamstring injury he picked up midweek versus Charlton. Dexter Blackstock will also face a late fitness test before the trip to Lancashire. However, after a turbulent week Forest are boosted by the fact Henri Lansbury and Michail Antonio are both still at the club following a huge amount of speculation. Lansbury's future has officially been resolved but for Antonio it is still unknown whether he will remain at the club before the transfer window slams shut. Forest also boosted their squad by adding box to box midfielder Kyle Ebecilio to their ranks on a season-long loan from FC Twente.

My score prediction for this match is Bolton Wanderers 0-2 Nottingham Forest. I think Freedman will get the players fired up for this one as he will also want to get one over his former club just like he did back in February. I also wouldn't put it past Matt Mills getting on the score sheet as I'm sure he is also desperate to impress. I also think Wanderers are a team low on confidence and I believe Forest can take advantage of this and should be full of hope after their performance against Charlton on Tuesday evening.

Nottingham Forest 2-1 Rotherham United

Nottingham Forest secured their first victory of the 2015/16 Sky Bet Championship campaign defeating Rotherham United 2-1 at The City Ground. Danny Collins stunned the Forest faithful by heading the Millers 1-0 in front. However, Forest responded with a Matt Mills header just before half-time to make it 1-1. Michail Antonio then sealed the three points for Forest in the second half.

Forest started off on the front foot after two disappointing results to start their season. Jamie Ward was causing the Rotherham defenders all sorts of problems right from the start and forced Rotherham keeper Kelle Roos into a smart save down to his left in the first minute of the game. However, Rotherham also had dangerous spells in the first half. Chris Maguire hit a free-kick just wide when it looked like it might just creep in with De Vries not moving a muscle. Matt Derbyshire then had a superb opportunity to put the Millers 1-0 up but his header was superbly saved by De Vries. However, the Millers did go 1-0 up soon after as no-one picked former Forest defender Danny Collins up from a corner and he capitalized by heading into the back of the net before celebrating infront of the Trent End. Tyler Walker thought that he had leveled the score line for the Reds but his close range goal was ruled offside by the officials. However, Forest did find themselves an equalizer in first half stoppage time as Matt Mills rose highest to meet a Jamie Ward cross and plant his header in the top corner to level the score at 1-1.

Rotherham should've restored their advantage after the break as a goal mouth scramble following some poor Forest defending resulted in Eric Lichaj clearing the ball off the line. Tyler Walker put in a good performance on his home league debut and his shot was well saved by Roos. Michail Antonio was the man who popped up yet again with a winner for Forest. Chris Burke's cross from the right hand side was fumbled by Roos onto the cross bar and the ball kindly fell to Antonio to smash into the back of the net to make it 2-1 to Forest. Michael Mancienne almost added some gloss to the score line as his shot from outside the area was pushed wide by Roos for a corner. Tyler Walker then delivered a superb cross into the area and Chris Burke's shot went agonizingly wide from the rebound. Forest then held out comfortably to secure their first three points of the season.

Overall, it was a pretty average performance from Forest but was very satisfying to secure the first three points of the season. It was all about just getting their first victory on the board rather than performance and they managed to do that. It now provides a great opportunity for Forest to kick on and go on a good run of results and hopefully put in even better performances. We all know Forest can play better than they did against Rotherham which is a very good sign for the rest of the season.

Gary Gardner vs Adlene Guedioura

The departure of Henri Lansbury is fast becoming a reality with rumours constantly circulating around his future with the Reds. Forest have made it clear that they will not allow Lansbury to leave until they have found a replacement. In this article I compare two players Forest are sure to be looking at to fill the gap left by Lansbury in the form of Gary Gardner and Adlene Guedioura.

Gary Gardner is a player who is more than capable at filling the gap left by Lansbury should he leave Forest to join Burnley for the reported £4 million. I don’t think there is one Forest fan who would complain about Gardner returning to the club after becoming a fan favorite during his loan spell in the second half of last season. The 23 year old performed very well for the Reds and scored 4 goals in 18 appearances under managers Stuart Pearce and Dougie Freedman. This included a range of stunning long range efforts against the likes of Reading, Middlesbrough and Watford. Joining Forest on loan was arguably Gardner’s most successful career move having only scored three goals in his career previous to joining the club. However, Gardner has also managed to break into the England Under-21 set up in recent years scoring 2 goals in 5 appearances.

Gary Gardner's stunning strike vs Reading at the Madejski Stadium last season.

This potential deal does have substance with several sources claiming Forest are actively interested in the midfielder. It would be possible for Gardner to join back up with the Reds but it would have to be a loan deal due to financial fair play restrictions. It would also involve Gardner having to accept a wage of £10,000 a week although this was not a stumbling block previously. However, the previous deal was aided by the club winning the Sky Bet Transfer Fund. Judging by some of his comments, Gardner would not hesitate about re-joining the club as it seems he thoroughly enjoyed his time on Trentside and made a connection with the fans. He is currently out injured but once he is fit it would not be a surprise for Forest to make their move.

Adlene Guedioura is also a familiar name for Forest fans from the recent past and is another player more than capable of taking over Lansbury’s role. At the age of 29 Guedioura is a player with a host of experience especially at Championship level. He was also a fans favourite at the City Ground and scored 4 goals in 59 appearances if you include his original loan spell. He has scored more goals than Gardner overall in his career scoring 21 goals to date. There is no doubt Guedioura is a quality player and was a key figure during Watford’s promotion to the Premier League last term with a string of impressive performances.

Adlene Guedioura's first goal during his loan spell at Forest against Leeds United at Elland Road. 








This would be arguably a much more difficult deal for Forest to pull off under financial fair play restrictions. However, he is seen as surplus to requirements at Crystal Palace as they have made additions such as the likes of Yohan Cabaye this summer. It is common knowledge that Palace are looking for a sale rather than a loan but if this doesn’t materialise than a loan deal could possibly come into the equation. Even then it would still be a difficult deal to pull off as I’m sure there would be a host of Championship and maybe even Premier League teams chasing for his signature. However, this is where his previous spell at Forest could work in the clubs favour when he is choosing which club to commit to.

Overall, I believe both players would be capable of stepping into Lansbury’s role if required. It is still unknown whether Lansbury will stay or go but it is said to all be concluded very soon. Gardner and Guedioura are two quality players who Forest fans would be delighted to see return to the club. I believe that at this moment in time Gary Gardner is the more realistic option and arguably a better fit. 

Walsall Home Pre-Match Preview

On Tuesday (11th August 2015), Forest face Walsall at home in the first round of this season's Capital One Cup in their first match at the City Ground. Forest will be looking to bounce back from their opening day defeat at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion by gaining a place in the second round with a positive performance and result.

League One outfit Walsall will be coming to the City Ground with plenty of optimism after witnessing Forest's poor performance on Friday night. Walsall achieved a 1-1 draw with Oldham at the Bescot Stadium on Saturday to give them a satisfying start to the season. It is difficult to predict how the Saddlers will perform this campaign due to it being so early on in the season. However, Walsall are expected to finish in the lower half of League One with odds of 11/1 for promotion and 4/1 for relegation with Sky Bet. There also very few if any names Forest fans will recognize from the Walsall line-up on Tuesday night but Jamie Paterson will be looking to play his former team after he joined Forest from the Saddlers for around £1 million not too long ago. Manager Dean Smith will be hoping they can cause an upset at the City Ground on Tuesday night. In comparison, Forest will be looking at this match as a good opportunity to get their season underway after a disappointing result and performance on Friday night. It is important for Forest to win their first match of the season on home soil to prevent early pressure building on Freedman and the team. It is likely Freedman will change the team around a bit and give some youngsters some game time against the Saddlers. Tyler Walker performed very well when he came on against Brighton and could be rewarded with a start.



Tyler Walker may be rewarded for his positive display after coming on against Brighton on Friday night with a start against Walsall.








Forest injury concerns grew even larger on Friday night as Robert Tesche hobbled off with what appears to be a broken foot. Dougie Freedman has already suggested that he could be without the German for several months rather than weeks. This already adds to other long-term absentees Andy Reid, Chris Cohen, Matty Fryatt and Britt Assombalonga. Other than that there were no fresh injury concerns on Friday night. It is likely Ben Osborn will be included in the squad after he wasn't risked on Friday night due to recently returning from a shoulder injury obtained in pre-season.

My score prediction for this match is Nottingham Forest 2-0 Walsall. I think Forest will make sure they respond from the disappointment of Friday night be achieving a victory on home soil on Tuesday night. It is also about time Forest had a decent cup run and the Capital One Cup could be the tournament to have it in. It will be a good chance for the youngsters to show the City Ground crowd what they are capable of.

Fans Predictions:
@fonforest: 3-1 Forest
@dtipper1975: 2-0 Forest
@Jervis_Street: 1-1

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Brighton & Hove Albion 1-0 Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest began their 2015/16 Sky Bet Championship campaign in disappointing fashion falling to a 1-0 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium. It was a very cagey first half which saw the teams go into half-time goalless. Brighton upped the tempo in the second half and Kazenga LuaLua's low strike secured all three points for Albion.

It was the home side who started the game the more brightly out of the two teams. Tomer Hemed had a good chance to put Albion 1-0 infront but he failed to find the back of the net with his header. Forest gradually started to get themselves in the game and they came close when Henri Lansbury's well-worked free-kick agonizingly hit the outside of the post. Jamie Ward looked lively on his Forest debut after joining from local rivals Derby County and delivered in a great cross to Dexter Blackstock who failed to convert his header. Beram Kayal thought he had put Albion 1-0 up but his fantastic effort from the edge of the area bounced back off the post. Michail Antonio showed everyone why there has been so much interest in him this summer as he stormed through the Brighton half before forcing Stockdale into a decent save low to his right. Just before half-time Robert Tesche was on the end of a poor challenge from Kayal which it appears will leave him on the sideline for several weeks, the last thing Forest needed in their current situation. Forest found themselves lucky to go in 0-0 at the break as Dorus De Vries came up with an early contender for save of the season to deny Hemed from heading Albion infront.

Forest began the second half in the worst possible fashion, Kazenga LuaLua continued to cause Eric Lichaj all sorts of problems before going past him with ease and firing a low shot into the far bottom corner to put Albion 1-0 up. Henri Lansbury came close with another free kick as hit effort when fizzing over the bar. Danny Fox then stepped up for a free kick on the opposite side of the penalty area and arguably put in a contender for worst free kick of the season as it sailed miles over the bar to the disgust of Dougie Freedman in the dugout. Tyler Walker came on for Forest midway through the second half and made a good contribution. He went on a good run before his shot was saved low by Albion keeper Stockdale. Dexter Blackstock had a great chance to level for Forest as Tyler Walker headed on Michail Antonio's long throw but failed to convert when it looked easier to score. Albion then managed to comfortably retain their lead in the final moments of the match and achieve all three points.

Overall, it was an incredibly disappointing and frustrating night for Forest on the opening day of the new season. It was clear that Forest need to make additions in a range of positions most notably in the full back, central defensive midfield and attacking areas of the pitch. I thought Mills and Hobbs put a solid performance in at the heart of our defence but were let down by Lichaj and Fox on the night. Dougie Freedman will now know how important adding the likes of Michael Frey and Gary Gardner to his squad will be in the coming weeks.