BETWEEN now and the end of the season, Billy Davies must do one thing – pick his best Nottingham Forest team.
Forget about fatigue, forget about resting players, forget about freshening things up or rotation.
Unless somebody is injured and cannot get out on to the pitch, he should revert back to the team that won six matches on the bounce – and stick with it.
This is not a criticism of the decisions he made at Burnley.
Having had only one day to recover from a testing game against Brighton, I can understand why the manager chose to make six changes to his team.
But, between now and the end of the campaign, Forest will not go through the same situation again. They will have more time to recover between games.
And I hope Davies resists the temptation to shuffle his pack again.
Because consistency, in my eyes, was crucial to that streak of wins that took them close to equalling that club record that has stood since 1921.
In the end, they were never really close to securing a seventh straight win against Brighton, after twice having to come back from behind against the Seagulls.
But the manner of the draw will still have felt more like a win, as Henri Lansbury equalised in injury time.
The performance against Burnley may not have been quite as impressive, but don't underestimate how good that result is, either.
Forest have never done well there and to make the journey home with a share of the spoils – particularly given the manner of the result as well, will have left the players euphoric.
But, as Davies testified himself, their performance overall did not match the quality of their character.
At a time when they need to get back to winning ways against Blackpool on Saturday, the simple answer for me is to switch back to the team that had been performing so well and then to stick with it for the final six games. Trust me, the players will not have any complaints.
When I was playing, I would have hated to be rested or left out. But it just didn't happen.
People will be tired of hearing about how we played well over 100 games over the space of two seasons under Cloughie.
Yes, the game is quicker now. I accept that. But the pitches were also far worse. We still had to put a shift in.
Even if you were feeling jaded prior to kick off, once the whistle blew, the adrenaline would kick in and you would be fine.
And other modern sportsmen can do it.
Look at Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
We played a friendly game in Miami once and I swear after running 20 yards you were fit to drop.
It was so humid; so oppressive that it was actually a struggle to breath. It finished in a 0-0 draw and I knew it was going to after the first few minutes.
So I watched Murray's success out there this week almost open mouthed in admiration.
He won the Miami Masters while playing three games in four days, in those conditions, at the very top level of his sport.
The semi-final and the final both went to three sets.
And he will be playing another tournament within a few days, probably after flying half way across the world to do it.
If he can manage to do that, I am sure the Forest lads can muster up the energy to play six games between now and May 4.
What Billy has achieved since returning is remarkable.
I am not sure I can go along with his theory that the club were in a relegation battle when he arrived.
They were in a bad run of form, no question.
And the opposite is very true now, given that they are unbeaten in nine since Billy returned for his second spell as manager.
But he was never one for making too many changes before and I hope he rediscovers that habit now.
I am convinced the consistency they have found during this run was founded on the fact that Davies did not tinker.
He found an approach that worked – and the side got stronger with every game.
The back four has been solid and the midfield has been integral to Forest's success. Asides from Darius Henderson bagging a couple, the majority of the goals have come from Henri Lansbury, Radi Majewski and, of course, Lewis McGugan.
With Adlene Guedioura sitting in front of the back four, Forest's attacking midfielders have the freedom to do what they do best.
Hopefully the Algerian will return from his concussion to take a place back in the side on Saturday.
But I'd also like to see Danny Collins, Majewski, Henderson and Simon Cox back in the team.
Forest – and more specifically Davies – had found a formula that worked.
With a bit of luck, it will continue to do so between now and the end of the campaign.
