STATISTICS can tell you many things – but they do not always paint a complete picture.
Nottingham Forest, for example, have scored in ten consecutive games.
They are unbeaten during the same period – the last time they lost was in early February, at Bristol City.
But are they firing on all cylinders? No. They are not.
They have drawn three games in a row, amid three very different matches.
And now I believe they need to get a win at either Cardiff or Middlesbrough, if they are to make sure they do not drop out of the top six.
Yes, there is a mood of confidence, Forest are full of self-belief.
And they have one man to thank for that – because Billy Davies has sent both things through the roof since he returned to the club.
But there remains another issue he needs to address, one that may just transform Forest from a side that is drawing matches, into one that is winning games, at a vital stage in the campaign.
He needs to get his strikers scoring goals again.
During the run of six consecutive wins, the scoring form of Forest's midfield was so prolific that it was not an issue.
You felt that Forest were always going to get a goal from somewhere; where it came from did not matter.
Henri Lansbury, Radi Majewski, Andy Reid and Lewis McGugan always looked to be a threat.
But it is no coincidence that, in the last three games subsequently, we have gone through another spell without a goal from a front man.
Darius Henderson netted on a dramatic afternoon in Hull, when Forest made it six wins on the bounce, almost a month ago.
But going back to the stats, Henderson is also the only forward to have found the back of the net for Forest in more than two months.
You have to go back to the final minute of the 2-1 defeat at Birmingham, on February 2, for the last time another striker scored, with Billy Sharp converting from the spot.
Simon Cox has been playing very well. His industry and work-rate are enough for him to deserve his place in the side.
But, whether it is him, Sharp, Henderson or Dexter Blackstock, it is time for the front men to start doing what they are paid for – scoring a goal or two.
Forest are going to need something special to get a win at Cardiff, who have only been beaten twice on home turf all season.
Which means they need one of their match winners to step forward and do exactly that.
Yes, it is great when the midfield do get goals, because it takes the pressure off your forward line.
But that pressure has been off for weeks now, on that front – it is time for them to deliver.
Over the remaining five games, Forest need the players who are best equipped to get goals to do exactly that.
And yes, before anyone says it, I am not overlooking the achievements of McGugan in the past month or so.
Six goals in six games is truly an outstanding record, particularly considering five of those have come off the bench.
He is currently a man with a point to prove, given that he is out of contract at the end of the season.
Whatever his motivation is, he is clearly full of determination right at this minute.
Maybe it is because he wants to put himself in the shop window, given that he can move on a Bosman in the summer.
Maybe he wants to earn a new deal at the City Ground.
Either way, having left it this long to resolve the situation, there is no point in having a panic about it now.
It actually seems to be working in Forest's favour because, whether it is because he wants to stay or he wants to go, there is absolutely no question that McGugan is playing at his peak right now.
But, from that point of view, I would absolutely love it if McGugan did not need to come off the bench on Saturday – because Forest did not need him.
It would be fantastic if Forest could get a nice, comfortable two-goal lead in South Wales, so that they did not even need to turn to their talismanic midfielder to provide a goal to get them out of a hole.
It would be even better if, for the first time in four matches, Forest did not concede the first goal, leaving themselves needing to claw their way back into the game.
In an ideal world, Forest would bring an end to another statistic, by scoring in the first 15 minutes of a Championship match, for the first time this season, to put themselves ahead.
And it would be fantastic if that goal came from the boot of a striker.
But, as I said at the start, statistics can be used to tell many different stories.
And the only one that really matters is that, over the course of two difficult away games between now and next Tuesday, Forest collect enough points to keep them in the top six.
