Consistency has been discussed as the key element restricting Nottingham Forest’s rise up the table this season, with the Reds once again proving their critics right with a heavy 4-2 defeat at Ipswich Town.

Manager Mark Warburton's side were outclassed in Suffolk, with defeat condemning Forest to their second consecutive loss.

A young side with a lot of potential, their inexperience has been exposed on multiple occasions this season, and this is an issue Warburton must address very soon.

Playoff football is still in reach but will fade very fast, and action must be taken now if Forest are not to be resigned to yet another season in the second tier.

Warburton blamed defeat on ‘an unacceptable number of mistakes’, an excuse which will greatly concern fans.

“Mistakes have cost us today and we’ve given away an unacceptable level of goals,” Warburton told Forest’s official site.

“I’m not looking at individuals.

“Now it’s about how we respond and bounce back.”

The Verdict

Forest fans will be all too familiar with the phrase ‘bounce back’ this season.

Aforementioned inconsistency in the side was in full effect today, with the result meaning Forest have now only one back-to-back games once all season.

This is certainly not playoff form, and Warburton’s side are more likely to get swept up in a relegation battle if this pattern persists.

A solution needs to be found and fast, otherwise it will be a long road back for the Reds, with rivals beginning to put together solid runs of form in their own quests for end of season football.

Forest fans, how do you think your side can improve? Are January signings needed? Have your say below...