Forest v Leicester preview | Vital Football

Forest v Leicester preview

Forest Boffin

Forest Boffin

Vital Squad Member
Anyone getting nervous yet?

Hopefully this will be a massive game, though I suspect, even if we win, Bolton & Palace will thwart us. Realistically I think we'll need to stick 7 0r 8 past a Leicester team who have not conceded more than 2 goals in any Championship game.

Hope everyone has a good day whatever happens and makes the most of a truly exciting afternoon. We might be yearning for days like this when battling out mid-table bore-draws against Stoke in the Premiership for the right to finish 8 or 9th...

My preview: http://forestboffin.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/preview-forest-v-leicester.html
 
Another brilliant read Forest Boffin and interesting about them struggling against teams prepared to bully them. I suspect Henderson will start up front with Cox if BD thinks along the same lines.
 
Cheers guys.

Before seeing our stats on fouls I didn't cotton onto it by watching the games, but thinking about it there does appear to ba a more combative element to our game. We have seen the opposition getting awarded more red cards, and even discounting these we've seen a few incidents where opposing players have reacted badly to Forest players and have even committed what can only be described as assault at times.

I don't have the stats on it, but I suspect ,and have been told so by one very helpful Leicester fan online, that they are a young side lacking experience, & are perhaps being put off by bullyboy tactics. Very odd Nigel Pearson of all people would allow this (if it's the case - I may be wrong as I've only seen a handful of their games).

I'm having inpure thoughts... wonder how they would react to Moussi? Not that I want to see him instead of Gueddy, but we ARE struggling to break teams down, might it suit us to have more muscle in our mifiel against a side who clearly don't like the physical side? Just a thought - wouldn't be surprised to see him at some stage because if we've picked up on this possible defect in Leicester's game, Billy & his team will have.
 
Moussi? <shudder> Know what you are getting at but please god no! Gueddy and Lansbury in the middle are more than physical enough and they have ability in both directions.

Up front i think it will be Hendo and Cox. If Dex had been in any sort of form he might have figured but think Tudgay is the more likely alternative.
 
Basha73 - 2/5/2013 10:32

Moussi? <shudder> Know what you are getting at but please god no! Gueddy and Lansbury in the middle are more than physical enough and they have ability in both directions.

Up front i think it will be Hendo and Cox. If Dex had been in any sort of form he might have figured but think Tudgay is the more likely alternative.
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Oh I agree 100% - with respect to Moussi, and I do respect him, he gived his all and is a good, but limited player - there's no way he should be in the team ahead of Gueddy - swapping them would be a bit like admitting our 'football' has failed. I'd much rather watch us struggle to break down a team rather than bully them out of it.

But... i think he'd find sucess against this physically weak (apparantly - although looking at some of them I'm not 100% convinced)Leicester team. It's an option. How many times recently have we struggled to break teams down by playing our usual brand of searching passing football? Quite a few.

I think Leicester will be a bit more open though as they need a win, so we shouldn't see another Blackpool or Barnsley situation on Saturday.
 
Another good read FB. Good work.

It will indeed be interesting to see whether Billy tinkers for this game with someone like Moussi in midfield and I think Billy of old would, but I think we have a better midfield now and expect him to stick with his "usual" team with Gueddy, Lans, Maj and Reid behind Cox.

At a guess, I'd say Hendo rather than Sharp - with defence being dependent on who is fit. I haven't seen enough recent games to comment on whether this (Hendo over Sharp) is a good idea or not though. Hendo should certainly rough the Foxes up, but I would suggest he needs to get on whichever CH is not Wes, as handling big lumps is probably one of Wes's stronger points.

Next season I wonder if we'll lean towards the current en vogue prem formation of 4-2-3-1 with Gued and Lansbury sitting and Maj or Cox linking behind Hendo/another big target man, maybe Reid(or new tricky/pacy left attacker) in an advanced left position and a tricky/pacy attacker on the right? I guess it might depend on whether we go up or stay down (and my money is on us not going up this year).

I'm pretty relaxed about Sat. as I think Bolton will win and it will be out of our hands, but I'm excited about the business we might do in the summer and then next season. the championship will be difficult again but we always say that and we always seem to end the season saying "That was our best chance of getting promoted for years because it was all so even" - just hope summer isn't a massive let down like every other summer for.....well as long as I can remember, certainly post-Frank Clark.
 
I think it is more likely to be us coming out cagey than Leicester. We have started slowly recently and i can see the team trying to 'feel' their way into the game for the first 20 mins.

Hopefully Leicester come after us and it rubs off and we get a real end to end affair with winner taking all (so long as it's us)!

We need to remember tho that as much as we have been saying we would like to end Leicester's season they will be just as motivated to try and end ours!
 
I think it'll be a cagey first half, very nervous, and a frantic end to end second half. It's gonna be brilliant can't wait. Whatever happens I'm gonna need a good drink Saturday night.
 
I cannot see this as being one of those games where we say 'the first goal is crucial'.

Too much rests on this game for both sides and even a win can't guarantee ours or Leicester's fate.

Nervous? Been having nightmares that we get the job done only to fall short, and then the 'what ifs' will appear on the site.

What if we'd stuffed Barnsley.
What if we'd brought Billy in sooner.
What if we'd signed a winger.

Simple fact is, if we fall short, we fall short. It has been another memorable season for right and wrong reasons, it has been an enjoyment and embarrassment (Can't think of more suitable word) sometimes to watch, listen, read and be part of. We've had our fair share of bad press and good times, let's hope next season we come back improved.

And yes, I am 'glass half empty' at the moment. I think we've missed the chance now.

Great blog again FB.
 
Does seem this season we have had some mares though doesn't it. The last minute penalty v Huddersfield when we had battered them. The whole ninety minute display by the ref in the derby game where he allowed assault after assault by the sheep then sends off dexter who hasn't looked the same since. The referee v hull who gives two dodgy penalties in the first half and then allows a ball to be put in the net with a hand for the winner. Also the Brighton game when would they have done so well if Lua Lua was sent off just before the break.yeah we have had a few breaks too but nowhere near on the scale that a lot of the visitors have got.many times we have absolutely mullered teams in the first half but not scored the goal that would have set us on the way to victories.we are where we are mainly because we have never managed to turn domination into two or three goal leads with any consistency. If we had we would have been home n hosed by Easter. Still that is not the Forest way and it tells you , that you are alive by hard your heart will be beating come 12:45 on Saturday.
 
SleafordRed - 3/5/2013 04:42

Does seem this season we have had some mares though doesn't it. The last minute penalty v Huddersfield when we had battered them. The whole ninety minute display by the ref in the derby game where he allowed assault after assault by the sheep then sends off dexter who hasn't looked the same since. The referee v hull who gives two dodgy penalties in the first half and then allows a ball to be put in the net with a hand for the winner. Also the Brighton game when would they have done so well if Lua Lua was sent off just before the break.yeah we have had a few breaks too but nowhere near on the scale that a lot of the visitors have got.many times we have absolutely mullered teams in the first half but not scored the goal that would have set us on the way to victories.we are where we are mainly because we have never managed to turn domination into two or three goal leads with any consistency. If we had we would have been home n hosed by Easter. Still that is not the Forest way and it tells you , that you are alive by hard your heart will be beating come 12:45 on Saturday.
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This kind of stuff fascinates me: what if all the wrond decisions had been right? What would the table look like? It dosen't average out - look at all the penalties awarded to Palace - they've had 14, 12 at home. Millwall haven't been awarded a single peno at home this season. Is it really all that likley that no millwall player has been fouled in the box in any of their home games throughout an entire season?

I'd love to be able to do a league table to put right the influence of the referee (they do as well as could be expected, doing a difficult job by the way), sadly it's impossible.
 
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