Calm heads crucial for Forest – Davies

BILLY Davies today called for calm heads as Nottingham Forest's relegation dogfight reaches boiling point.

With six games left, the pressure is on for the Reds to claim the ten points needed to avoid the drop into League One.

Forest's next game is against relegation rival Barnsley, at Oakwell, after the international break.

But, with a series of individual errors and mistakes having cost Forest dearly in recent months, the manager is calling on his players – and fans – not to panic.

"There are plenty of games we are capable of winning home and away," said Davies.

"The most important objective is to make sure we get to the end of the season with the required number of points we need to keep us up.

"Now that might happen on the final day of the season.

"But it is important that we stay calm and focused. This stage of the season is always like this, whether you are chasing promotion or fighting relegation.

"You drop in and out of things a lot. Calm heads are required.

"It is crucial everyone stays calm, stays positive and stays behind these young players between now and the end of the season."

He says the experience of chasing promotion with Preston and Derby has taught him that there will be many twists and turns at both ends of the table between now and the end of the season, as teams begin to buckle under the pressure.

"It is very similar to what I found at my previous two clubs when, one minute we would be in the promotion places and the next we would not even be in the play-off positions," he said.

"Welcome to March, April and May, because this is what happens at this stage of the season.

"There are lots of twists and turns. Whether you are competing at the top end of the table or the bottom, there will be lots more shocks to come over the next few weeks.

"There will be surprises, history proves that."

Davies believes focus and concentration will be vital factors in the remaining games.

"We need to eliminate the individual errors, because that is what is costing us," he said. "Look at the goals we are conceding – a lot of it is concentration, a lot of is down to that.

"That is part of the reason why football is such a great game, I guess.

"But, if you can eliminate the errors, if we can get players back fit, I am very confident that we can get where we want to be."