At 2pm on Sunday afternoon, an hour before kick off at Oakwell as Nottingham Forest needed just a point at bottom of the table Barnsley to secure a playoff position with two matches of the season left to play… 30,000 sighs of ‘oh no’ mumbled across the internet as Sabri Lamouchi announced his team.

The usual 4-2-3-1 was scrapped, in came an extra defender in what was obvious to ‘everyone’ that Forest would aim to play for a nil-nil.

Why did he do it? The Coach has been labelled as ‘negative’ for often preparing his side not to get beat… Forest are one of the few teams ‘better’ off the ball this season than on it… Not many teams have that philosophy… Not many teams in the Championship play not to win… Forest set up to not get beat, in fear that by losing too many goals it may have an impact come the seasons final day… But this was bloody Barnsley… Bottom of the league? I understand measures to be taken in order not to go ‘gung-ho’ but come on… Barnsley?

After the predictable 94^th minute single goal loss Forest now have a scary final day of drama as they face a Stoke side with nothing to play for ‘still’ needing that point.

Cardiff, level on points with the Reds have a ‘gimmie’ against Hull, whilst Swansea, three points short of Forest face Reading away, needing to overturn a five goal swing currently in the Reds favour.

Whatever happens on Wednesday night… It now won’t be easy for Forest… Checking radios and score apps as they go, should at any time the Reds be behind they’ll be looking nervously over their shoulders working like stockbrokers to understand the mathematical equations of their destiny in real time.

But I back Sabri to get it right… Because when Sabri gets it wrong… He often bounces back.

We all remember Charlton Athletic and the horror show after Leeds… When we wrote off the Reds following defeat as they took on West Brom at the Hawthorns, but the never say die attitude in this team is what’s got them to where they are today.. Forest have bouncebackability and have proved it on more than one occasion. Now they need to prove once more…. Again.

After Barnsley, Sabri Lamouchi stated “We didn’t play so well and when you run less and don’t win the duels, it is difficult.”

Ahead of Stoke he sighted “We have to be calm and now we have to think about the final game. Win or draw and we will play the play-offs then everyone will be happy.”

The question is now ‘how does Sabri play his cards right’? Not one for going for the jugular he may feel now ‘pressured’ into at least ‘trying’ to play a bit? He may be stubborn and stick with what he’s installed in his players all season long?

For me the concern with Forest is that they are asked to defend for too long when clearly they aren’t at the levels they need to be to see off the job and get clean sheets… That might not be critical v Stoke, but should the Reds make playoff football over two legs it will be essential when it comes to the overall result.

If Forest ‘do’ make it… And they certainly still should… Then who’s to say they aren’t the side that ‘everyone’ will be wanting to avoid. Poor form will go out of the window in knockout football and the Reds it seems have coasted now for weeks… Perhaps Sabri knows this, for the first time after Barnsley (in a number of matches) he didn’t use the word ‘tired’ in his post match interview… Knowing that his players conserved a lot of energy in simply ‘parking the bus’ all be it to little effect… Maybe he now knows in his head, with Samba, Cash, Lolley, rested for bigger things to come that ‘really’ everything is simply ok? Could it all just be ‘mind-games’ as the Reds relax ahead of facing Brentford, Fulham or West Brom?

I personally don’t think we’ll get the same last day drama as we had verses Ipswich a couple of years back as the Reds are 25/1 with bookies to fall out of the playoff zone, they don’t usually get it wrong, and when under pressure… Neither does Sabri either.

*Article provided by Daniel Peacock (Editor).

*Main image @NFFC Forest need just a point verses Stoke to guarantee a playoff place.