Nottinghamshire

Nick Mashiter
Football reporter

Image source, Getty Images

"It feels unfair but I don't want to be complaining and feeling as victims."

Oliver Glasner's words offer a positive outlook as he believes Nottingham Forest deserve more following their disappointing start to the season.

There is belief that progress is being made, but it needs to translate on the pitch.

Forest are yet to score in the Premier League at the City Ground this season.

They have netted just eight times in the league at home in 2026 so their struggles in front of their own fans are not new.

They were masked by the Europa League victories over Ferencvaros, Porto and Aston Villa but, in the league, they have won just two of 17 home games since November.

Of those eight goals, four were scored against a weak Burnley side in April and they have now gone eight hours and 26 minutes without netting at home.

Overall this season, Forest have scored five times but have a -6.20 xG, which is the worst in the division.

They have had the third-highest number of shots in the Premier League with 120, only behind Manchester United (138) and free-scoring Brighton (125), but only 25 have been on target.

Against Arsenal, they had 14 shots but only two on target and Liam Delap's miss against Crystal Palace, Walter Benitez saving his close-range blast, summed up Forest's lack of cutting edge.

It meant Forest have a conversion rate of just 4.17% - the lowest in the division after Spurs' rose to 6.06% following Monday's win over Coventry.

Chris Adams
BBC Sport journalist

Ipswich Town welcome Nottingham Forest to Portman Road on Friday looking to consolidate their place in the top half of the table after a topsy-turvy return to Premier League.

Last season's Championship runners-up have blown hot and cold in the opening seven games, winning three and losing four, with draws seemingly off the table for Gary O'Neil's side, who sit 10th.

Tractor Boys ploughing on

One thing Ipswich fans can be assured of is that their team will fight until the end of each game. All three of those wins – over Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Fulham, have come through late winners.

They also scored consolations at the death in defeats by the two Manchester clubs, meaning their total of five goals netted in the 90th minute or later is more than any other side have managed this term.

Two of those have come from Zian Flemming. The Dutchman, who was top scorer for relegated Burnley last season, has made an impact since joining from the Clarets for an initial fee of £17m on transfer deadline day, with two goals in five substitute appearances. The ex-Millwall striker's next top-flight goal will be his 50th in English league football.

Ipswich manager O'Neil is unlikely to repeat the 3-4-2-1 system deployed in last week's loss to Manchester City. With midfielder Sasa Lukic hoping to be available again after a groin issue, a return to the usual 4-2-3-1 system is expected against an opponent O'Neil has a decent record against.

The former Bournemouth and Wolverhampton Wanderers boss hasn't lost in his five previous Premier League matches against Forest, winning one and drawing four; - the most games he has managed against any club without suffering defeat in this competition.

Faltering Forest need a win

Nottingham Forest head coach Oliver Glasner is one of several Premier League bosses in dire need of a win to stave off the threat of losing his job.

The Austrian, who moved to the City Ground just 40 days after guiding Crystal Palace to Conference League glory, is already under intense scrutiny after only one win in seven league games.

Forest have scored just five league goals, fewer than any other team in the division, and sit second-bottom with a tricky run before the November international window. Their xG underperformance of -6.2 is the worst in the division, with marquee summer signing Liam Delap netting just once.

Delap was Ipswich's top scorer in their previous Premier League campaign in 2024-25. Having scored with his third shot for Forest this term, the £45m summer signing from Chelsea has had a further 15 attempts without success.

"I don't see it as a massive problem because we're creating enough situations," Glasner said this week in reference to the goalscoring issue, although Forest fans might not entirely agree. The Tricky Trees have failed to score in four different top-flight games this season, with no side drawing a blank more often.

Forest have lost their past three league games, more defeats than in their previous 14. With last season's top scorer Morgan Gibbs-White fit again for the trip to Suffolk, Glasner will be hoping his men can arrest this worrying decline in form.

This game is a tough one to call. It is going to be very tight.

Nottingham Forest can't score. That's their issue, and they have only managed five goals in their first seven league games.

It did make me laugh when I read that Forest boss Oliver Glasner had got Chris Wood to give advice to the other strikers about finishing - why not just play Wood then?

Ipswich are still bottom of the league table based on my predictions but they ran Manchester City close in the end last week and are doing better than everyone expected, myself included.

I like what Tractor Boys boss Gary O'Neil is doing there, and they already have three league wins from seven games - the last time they were in the Premier League, in 2024-25, they only managed four all season.

Forest are second bottom and could really do with getting something here, and Ipswich haven't drawn a game yet - so that's what I am going for.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Image source, Getty Images

Mansfield Town forward Tyler Roberts says he still feels the same way he did in the summer when he decided to stay on with the Stags after saying his time there had made him love the game again.

The Wales striker originally signed on a season-long loan from Birmingham City last term before staying with Mansfield on a deal until the end of 2025-26 after ending his contract at Blues.

The 27-year-old then agreed new 12-month terms in May after scoring four times in 19 league games.

When the deal was announced, Roberts said the club had helped him "fall in love" with football again after a difficult time with injury and making 62 appearances in three seasons at Queens Park Rangers, Blues and Northampton Town before joining Mansfield.

"I think that was a big comment from me last year but one that was probably the most true out of everything," Roberts told BBC Radio Nottingham.

"The last few years have been so difficult for me in terms of injuries, changes of managers, some places the way I've been treated, so coming here and feeling that love and appreciation and the family club that Mansfield is, it really did make me fall back in love with football.

"Even though I have had a few injuries, I come back on the pitch and I'm already smiling straight away. I definitely still have that same feeling as I did last year."

Roberts added that the One Call Stadium is "a great place to kind of show my abilities" and "get over the past few years", and credited boss Nigel Clough and the way the team plays as a key part of that.

"The manager gives the players a lot of ownership, a chance to do what you need to do. On the pitch we're very possession based, high pressing, we like to attack and that's what I love about football," Roberts added.

"The manager gives me licence in the final third to express myself and try to create opportunities.

"I think it's been a positive start to the season. The league is competitive but also open this year so I believe that we have a squad and the capabilities to really push on and be around that top-six spot."

Nottingham Forest boss Oliver Glasner says "five points after seven games is not good enough", but is confident his team "will give everything" to get more on the board in the coming weeks.

"I never look at the table in October, but of course we want to get more points," Glasner told BBC Radio Nottingham. "I feel we are playing better than the teams I've previously managed in the early stages.

"The results are the same, but the spirit gives me confidence."

Listen to Glasner's full interview above or here on BBC Sounds

Notts County head Coach Martin Paterson says "honesty" and "togetherness" has helped the team through a challenging start to life in League One.

Tuesday's 2-0 home win over promotion hopefuls Sheffield Wednesday was only their second victory in 10 matches since winning the League Two play-off final.

The result ended a run of four successive league defeats, and was their first clean sheet in 13 matches in all competitions.

Paterson told BBC Radio Nottingham: "The way we played was exactly how I want us to look, and sometimes it is hard to get that every week but that's what we'll be asking.

"It was a really good togetherness and a really good honesty to the way we played. I can't take any more credit than I thought we looked like the aggressive unit that I want us to be - running and passing it at the right moments.

"I'm pleased for the players and for the supporters. The test now is to keep everyone fit and everyone hungry to go and replicate that".

County are sitting one point above the relegation places in 18th with 10 points. They were the top scorers in League Two last season with 74 goals, but have managed just a goal a game this term.

Paterson concedes he's been quite hard on the players in this campaign.

"The lads know me and sometimes my moodiness comes out on them," he said. "I am intense but I am really pleased with the group, and a little bit with my staff and myself.

"Not once have we bent the knee and started to doubt. We've just had a bad run and we've stayed calm, kept working and believed in ourselves.

"But it's one win, we need to do more. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we need to replicate that".

Next up for Paterson's side is Saturday's home game with league leaders Stockport County. He is confident his players are ready to continue the step up.

"They're a resilient bunch and to a certain degree they're a new bunch as well", he added. "A lot of them are adapting to me and the way we want to play.

"It's about the next game now. Give them credit where credit is due, but make sure they're really ready for the next game and we keep trying to adapt to this new level, and keep calm in the storm."