Nottingham Forest – The Scout Report

United’s third game in six days sees them meet Nottingham Forest at The City Ground where Newcastle will look to set the record straight and put their last two results behind them. Forest are one of the league’s highest scorers but also have one of the Championship’s leakiest defences.

Nottingham Forest – A Factfile

Founded: 1865

Nickname: The Reds, Forest

Stadium: The City Ground (30,445 capacity)

Manager: Philippe Montanier

2015-16: Championship, 16^th

Major Honours: First Division (1977-78), FA Cup (1897-98, 1958-59), League Cup (1977-78, 1978-79, 1988-89, 1989-90), European Cup (1978-79, 1979-80)

Notable Signings

 Vladimir Stojković – GK – With the instalment of Frenchman Montanier as boss, the club began to bring in players with a European background. Veteran ‘keeper Stojković fits the bill, having played for a number of clubs across Europe and internationally for Serbia. He is a goalkeeper with international pedigree but is prone to the occasional error between the sticks.

Patjim Kasami – CM – Signed only on loan from Greek giants Olympiakos, Kasami is a well-travelled central midfielder who previously had a spell in the Premier League with Fulham. Kasami is a tall player, but with a great engine, able to be deployed in a box-to-box role, taking up both defensive and attacking positions.

Nicklas Bendtner – ST – A cult figure in English football for his often comical but relatively prolific super-sub displays at Arsenal, Birmingham City and Sunderland. Formerly on loan at Juventus and most recently at German side VfL Wolfsburg, Bendtner has scored goals wherever he has played. His imposing 1.94m stature is also a task for many centre-backs to handle.

Notable Departures

Oliver Burke – RW – Arguably Scotland’s most exciting youth prospect in a number of years, Burke was sold by Forest for a substantial fee to the Bundesliga’s current table-toppers RB Leipzig. Burke had begun the season promisingly, scoring four times in just five appearances before his £13m move. At just 19 years of age, Burke has already made his Scotland debut and looks set to continue in the national side for many years to come.

Jamie Paterson – CF – At just 24 years old but having already made over 150 appearances in the English Football League, Paterson is a talent and consistent performer for every club he has featured for. Paterson spent the 2015-16 season on loan at Huddersfield Town, before making a permanent move to Bristol City in the summer. Paterson scored nine league goals during his time at Forest.

Key Players

 Britt Assombalonga – ST – Democratic Republic of Congo forward Assombalonga is an explosive, powerful forward with excellent pace that can cause any team problems. His ability to charge at opposition defences is one which earned him his first international call up, and his move to Forest from Peterborough United in 2014. Assombalonga has netted 22 times in 44 appearances for The Reds, which is a great return for a striker who was out injured for such a long period of time.

Henri Lansbury – CM – Former Arsenal graduate Lansbury has been a mainstay at The City Ground since his move in 2012. Notoriously prolific from midfield, Lansbury scored a hatrick against Barnsley in Forest’s last fixture, adding to his goals tally which stands at 33. Lansbury is set to make his 150^th Forest appearance against Newcastle, and will be looking to mark it with a trademark goal.

Matt Mills – CB – Mills is a no-nonsense enforcer of a defender who has featured heavily for a number of Football League clubs including Reading and Bolton Wanderers. Mills has been a stalwart in Forest’s defence since his signing, playing in 42 of their 46 league fixtures last season, scoring five times.

Last Six Results

Blackburn Rovers 2-1 Nottingham Forest – 18/10/16

Nottingham Forest 1-2 Cardiff City – 22/10/16

Reading 2-0 Nottingham Forest – 29/10/16

Nottingham Forest 1-1 QPR – 5/11/16

Ipswich Town 0-2 Nottingham Forest – 19/11/16

Barnsley 2-5 Nottingham Forest – 25/11/16

Manager
Philippe Montanier

Montanier was a goalkeeper in Ligue 1 during the 1990s before embarking on a management career that has seen him as chief of Spanish side Real Sociedad and Stade Rennais, both top flight clubs. Montanier currently has a 38% win percentage at Forest and up until recently had struggled considerably away from home. Montanier oversaw a great deal of change over the summer, bringing in a number of foreign players and releasing a number of players who had become synonymous with Nottingham Forest over the years. He is yet to find his perfect Starting XI proven by his tinkering, but if his record is anything to go by, he will eventually be a success at The City Ground.