Sky Bet Championship outfit Nottingham Forest moved quickly to appoint former Glasgow Rangers manager Mark Warburton as the club’s new boss this weekend, with the 54-year-old taking over managerial duties from Gary Brazil.
Forest have slipped dangerously close to the relegation zone in the Championship and the Reds are now just two points clear of the bottom three in the division with nine games left to play of the campaign.
The Reds have a massive game this afternoon against their fierce local rivals Derby County and the ardent Forest supporters have piled into the Transfer Tavern nice and early to get stuck into breakfast and beer.
A group of Forest supporters are mightily nervous and as they sink their teeth into the landlord’s famous all-day breakfast, talk is turning towards the new Forest boss’ first team selection.
Lee Clarke looks at two players who must be dropped ahead of this afternoon’s huge East Midlands derby.
Armand Traore
The former Queens Park Rangers man didn’t look too bad during last weekend’s game against Burton Albion but if Dani Pinillos is fit to start then the Spaniard simply must play.
The left-back has struggled with his own injury problems this season and to play him in such a massive game would represent a big risk for Forest.
A couple of Forest fans are picking out their bets for this afternoon’s match and they think that Traore can do a job for the team, but do concede that if Pinillos is fit then he must play.
Danny Fox
The Forest defender has been in pretty good form for the Reds in an unfamiliar central defensive position but with some of the club’s injury problems healing, he could be cast aside this weekend.
Fox is a good central defender but by no means is he natural in such a position and with Michael Mancienne fit and raring to go, it could be the former Chelsea man who partners Joe Worrall at the back this weekend.
One Forest fan is already on his fourth pint of Guinness and he thinks that Fox has done a job for the club in recent weeks, although he does concede that he isn’t a long-term fix to the club’s central defensive problems.
