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STEW'S PREVIEWS
MIDDLESBROUGH v NOTTINGHAM FOREST
Stewart Flaherty, 20 Nov 2009
BORO EYE VIEW
It was nice to have an international break.
After watching back-to-back Boro games in
which we toiled, played well in patches but ultimately came away losing 1-0, it was
nice to see England. ah! Never mind.
So we are back at it and we are right where I feared we would be with regards to the promotion
race - in a royal rumble of teams chasing the promotion spots or play-offs.
We are in a group of
ten teams that are separated by one win, beginning with Cardiff in third place with 27 points and
ending with Watford in 12th place with 24 points.
A win will see a team reach the top six whilst a defeat could see them drop below the dreaded dotted line marking the bottom of the play-off places.
Forest are right in the thick of this
promotion battle with us so Saturday's game is massive. The winner of this game may finish the day in the top six and the loser will fall further behind.
Gordon Strachan will look to get not only
his first win under his belt, but his first home win. And we all know what an issue
that is becoming.
Column Continues Below...
FOREST EYE VIEW
After an average start, Forest are hitting some form and riding high on an eight game winning
streak that includes a win over league leaders Newcastle and a draw at Cardiff.
They will look to continue this run at the Riverside and break into the top six.
Having already knocked Boro out of the Carling Cup, they will have some belief in
their ability to get a result and look to stir the restless Riverside crowd further.
HEAD TO HEAD
Goalkeepers
Boro - Brad Jones continues his run in goal and also his quest to win the faith
of the Boro crowd. Goalkeeper may be an area that Strachan looks to strengthen as
time goes on.
Forest - Lee Camp is a former England Under-21 international who signed for Forest
from QPR in the summer.
Edge: Even. Two middle of the pack goalkeepers by Championship standards.
Boro Defence v Forest Attack
Boro - Sean St Ledger played in the biggest games of his career over the
international break. Hopefully, he will use the experience to further his Boro
career and solidify his partnership with Wheater, who is becoming a target of
criticism lately.
Hoyte and Grounds played at Crystal Palace. Hoyte has the pace and
ability to get forward and join the attack, but needs to contribute more consistently.
Boro are conceding on a regular basis now and seem to lack the confidence that
existed before Huth moved on.
Forest - Former Southampton youngster Dexter Blackstock is Forest's leading goal
scorer, with six strikes to date. Like Camp, Blackstock joined from QPR after a
relatively successful spell in London.
Blackstock is usually joined up front by
hometown boy David McGoldrick (two goals in 11 games), or the speedy Nathan Tyson, who
has netted only once in 10 games this season.
Despite Blackstock being the only
regular goal scorer this season, the Forest front line has depth with the powerful
Dele Adebola, and Wales international Robert Earnshaw also in the squad.
Edge: Forest. It has been a while since Boro kept a clean sheet and confident Forest are on a good run. Blackstock is a real threat.
Midfield
Boro - Isaiah Osbourne will look to build on his solid first game at Palace and
will most likely be joined by either Rhys Williams or Gary O'Neil. Either pairing will
give Boro a solid ball winning combination in the engine room.
It will be
interesting to see if Arca continues out right and the phenomenal Adam Johnson will
look to create his usual mayhem down the left flank.
Forest - Forest have done a good job this season of getting goals from midfield. In total, they have had 12 different players on the score sheet.
The Forest midfield is anchored by the ever-present and energetic Chris Cohen. Cohen is a
talented playmaker who began his career with West Ham United. He is also the
reigning Club Player of the Year.
Cohen is joined in the engine room by the
hypnotic Paul McKenna (sorry) who is highly experienced, having made over 300
appearances in the Football League.
Polish international Radoslaw Majewski is on a
season long loan to the Reds from Polonia Warsaw, and has scored twice in 10 games
so far.
Academy product Lewis McGugan is viewed as a top prospect by many. He has
started only two games this season but has made a big impact, netting a late equaliser
in the recent tie at Cardiff City.
Winger Paul Anderson began his career with
Liverpool and is an FA Youth Cup winner.
Frenchman Guy Moussi is another
contributor, having netted once in five games, the winning goal against Barnsley.
Edge: Boro. Osbourne adds some athleticism to the group, and Johnson is a
regular game changer. We have more talent than Forest in this area.
Boro Attack v Forest Defence
Boro - Boro made the very welcome addition of Dave Kitson to the squad over the international
break.
The Boro have had a habit of giving media interviews over recent seasons
stating how a certain player was going to start scoring, was going to improve, or
would get his chance.
I much prefer the Strachan approach. In his short time in charge, he has
now brought two new strikers to the club who have a history of scoring in this
division.
Kitson had his best spell between 2004 and 2006 with Reading, when he
produced two seasons with a simply magnificent return (19 goals in 37 games, followed
by 18 in 34). He has had a poor spell at Stoke, but did produce this cracker which is well worth a watch.
Lita and Bent could continue up front together, or Kitson could replace one of them. Either way, the front line now has a lot more physical power than it did on the opening day of the season.
Forest - Wes Morgan is ever-present in the Forest back line. He also scored a late goal in
their last game, a draw with Bristol City, and at 6'1" and 14 stone plus, he will
give that new physical power in the front line a pretty thorough examination.
He is
joined in the back line by Welsh International Chris Gunter, who has Premier League
and UEFA Cup experience from his spell with Tottenham Hotspur.
Kevin Wilson is
versatile and can play either centrally or in either full-back spot.
Edge: Boro. They are certainly a lot more physical and robust with the addition of
Bent and Kitson over the last month. Now it will be seen whether this translates into
goals. The crosses from Johnson certainly have some more sizeable targets in the
area now.
Fans
Boro fans will need an early goal as sections of the crowd remain cynical and a
"here we go again" mentality can slip in quickly on a home run like the one we are currently on.
Forest have a sizeable following and quickly sold out their full ticket allocation
of 2,000 tickets for this big promotion clash.
Amongst their contingent could be BBC
text commentator Jonathan 'ear bleeder' Stevenson, Legendary Lower League journeyman
goalkeeper Paul Reece, and Loughborough's Premier Disco DJ from Amber Sound FM,
Mighty Mark Turner.
Prediction
Draw. A home win would be good for Boro on a number of levels, but an in form
Forest side will certainly be out to make it hard work.
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