Burns: Will Forest make it the perfect ten?

IT has been another busy week at the City Ground, with more signings coming through the door.

Polish international Radoslaw Majewski, QPR striker Dexter Blackstock and Brighton full back Joel Lynch have all arrived.

Add them to Dele Adebola, David McGoldrick, Paul Anderson, Lee Camp, Paul McKenna and Chris Gunter, the Reds now have nine new men on their books.

Great stuff. It was needed. But they are still missing one very big piece to make it the perfect ten. A central defender.

I have said before it seems like only two clubs have been spending this summer – Real Madrid and Nottingham Forest.

And hats off to the chairman Nigel Doughty for his financial backing to make those happen.

But a centre-half has to be a massive priority.

At the start of the season, Billy Davies had two main targets. A leader in the centre of the park and a nasty centre-half. He has got one in Paul McKenna, now he needs that tough-tackling defender.

It is crucial and Davies is desperate to get one in. And if he does, it will be complete.

Look at that squad to the one 12 months ago and it is a whole different ball game.

Now it has experience, more quality and balance and it should be competing at the right end of the Championship table.

He has players now who can boss matters out on the pitch, players who can win their individual battles.

If anything, out of the ten battles going on out there in a game, the Reds were losing six or seven. Now they should be winning six or seven.

With players like Gunter, McKenna, Adebola and Blackstock, they will not be bullied.

It makes it interesting but I would like to see Davies get his wish and the board get him his defensive linchpin.

They missed out on Shaun Barker to Derby. Nobody wants to see another fall by the wayside.

So hopefully, we will see that cheque book coming out one last time to complete the hectic summer transfer action at the City Ground.