On reflection, it's fair to say that Nottingham Forest haven't had the best of seasons so far.

Unless their fortunes dramatically change in the next 14 games, the collapse of the takeover and all of the off field uncertainty, the poor results under Philippe Montanier and a potential relegation battle will represent a very poor season for the East Midlands club.

First team manager Gary Brazil has come in and steadied the ship somewhat after some excellent Deadline Day recruits and an unbeaten home record so far, but there is still plenty of work to be done to make certain that Nottingham Forest are playing in the Championship next season.

With only 14 games remaining, the Reds are currently seven points from safety though every team below them apart from Rotherham United have a game in hand.

If Forest can continue their strong home form and make sure they pick up some points away from home then they should be safe, but FLW writer Harry Webster takes a look at two things they must do to ensure that they stay up....

 

Improve away form

After losing again on Tuesday night away at Fulham it means the Reds have only won two games away from home this season.

Fortunately for Forest they have managed to pick up some vital wins at home to push them away from the danger zone, but if these home wins come to end then they could be in big trouble.

Whether it is because of their mentality away from home or because it is a fairly young squad can be debated, but one thing they must do is find a solution and start to pick up some points on the road.

 

Find some defensive solidarity

Over 32 games, the Reds have only picked up four clean sheets all season.

Injuries to Jack Hobbs, Matt Mills, Michael Mancienne and Dani Pinillos over the course of the season has not helped their cause, but there is no excuses for some of the defending by Forest this season.

Going forward and scoring has rarely been a problem for the East Midlands club, but if they don't stop shipping easy goals then it could be a long last 14 games for them.

On too many occasions the opposition have been gifted easy goals due to poor defending and the Reds must find some defensive solidarity and quick.

Nottingham Forest fans... Will you stay up this season? Do you think League One is a real possibility or do you think you will be safe? What else needs sorting going into the last 14 games? Let us know what you think in the comments below!