Joel Lynch for Left Back

As the sun goes down on a manic few days at the City Ground, the show must go on.

First on the agenda is how we go about that troublesome left back role for the next 4 months…well at least until a potential loanee comes in.

I have a simple solution; give the task to Joel Lynch.

So far this season, Cohen and Gunter have shared the role as Forest begin their third season of putting round pegs in square left back holes. This is not ideal at all.

When we play Gunter at LB, we effectively weaken both full back roles.

Gunter is easily the best RB in the squad and when we move him to the left, we bring in Brendan Maloney; a much weaker player. Now Maloney is merely average in my eyes – harsh maybe but he’s nothing more than a player for the bench. When he has played this season, some clubs target Brendan as a weakness in the backline - Donny and Leicester for example channelled most of their attacks at him.

Gunts is one of the bright sparks in our team and not playing him in his strongest area shunts his progress – something which we’ll obviously benefit from. After all, Football is all about playing your best team with players in their best positions.

Cohen on the other hand is the engine of our midfield. Why we ever thought playing him at LB would work on the basis of him being left footedr, has always been barmy to me. Chris isn’t the greatest tackler after all and when faced with the best wingers in this league, he seems to be a walking yellow card.

Our midfield has also missed Chris’ presence. While Boateng and Greening will do all the grafting, neither has the work rate in them to turn defence into attack - and vice versa. We all know Cohen does, and as said earlier it’s all about your best team.

Bringing Lynch back into the team for me is a no brainer. After all, he is the best left back in the club.

Most of our fans slate Lynch for reasons I can’t quite understand. If you actually ask these people why they don’t rate him, you get the same generic response…”He’s sh#t!”

When he first came to the club, granted he did look very poor. Over time he’s blossomed into a competent enough member of our team.

He’s strong in the air, has magnificent pace and can whip in a great cross too – he set up Findley’s goal last week. When Lynch plays, the team also looks more balanced; something that we desperately need at the moment.

When I see Lynch, I never feel he has much of a weakness bar his concentration and injury record. Joel has a knack of doing novice like errors; giving away the penalty at Wycombe the other week being one. Now

Wes Morgan used to have a concentration issue a few years ago, yet with time has overcome this. I believe Joel can too provided we give him the chance.

For the good of the team at the moment, Lynch is the best choice. He'll free up Cohen and Gunter to play in their best positions and give us short term stability in the role until we identify a replacement.

Follow me on twitter @benando_torres

Follow the blog on twitter @forest247

Left Back Strongly Rumoured

Well in evidence that all members of the parish aren't signing form the same hymn sheet is the news today on Twitter that we are strongly looking into a left back, probably on loan from the Premiership.



Now this has come from Fanhouse Percy is heavily unreliable with rumours so it remains to be seen if this is true or just currying for hits, but it would certainly seem likely.



The names being mentioned are as always the young Chelsea left backs of van Aanholt and Bertrand. We know all about Bertrand of course. However, there are more clubs than Chelsea to raid for left backs, which considering they just let Gordon go out on loan,and he's a left back may seem a little unlikely. That said, Villas-Boas may not figure these two in the plans just yet and would like to give them first team football. Problem is I see Bertrand as now possibly looking at a Premiership club like Swansea or Norwich to improve his development.



It is vital we get a good left back in though. I have remained largely quiet on this subject, but I do see the vital signing of a left back as paramount to a promotion push. We need good players in every position,and although Doughty said he sees Cohen as good enough, the first few games look to have convinced McClaren otherwise, and so we chase a left back. Now of course Twitter and Facebook will just throw names into the mix mindlessly. I don't see the point in mindless speculation, so will just say that we are linked,and we aren't really sure who with.