SIMPLE organisation can be Nottingham Forest's biggest strength this season, said Sean O'Driscoll today.
The Reds boss has won many plaudits for the style of play his side have adopted this season, with slick, passing football swiftly becoming their trademark.
Dangerous Forest have scored nine goals in their last three games – but O'Driscoll believes that the key to success in the Championship are often more mundane qualities.
"Organisation is the key," he said. "Looking at the teams who have got out of this division, that has probably always been the trait that has run through all of them.
"We would like to think that we can be a little bit more expansive.
"But to get that, you need to be organised in the first place. You need to be solid, without being rigid in the way that you do things.
"The only thing we coach is the organisation that allows you to get to the point where you can pass the ball.
"We coach how to win possession and how to get to the point where we can give the ball to players like Andy Reid, Chris Cohen, Simon Cox and all the other players can have options on the ball.
"Then it is down to them what they do with it."
Forest have also had a flexibility about them this season, frequently changing formation and personnel during matches.
Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini recently came under fire for switching to a back-three during a Champions League game against Ajax, away from their normal 4-4-2 approach.
But O'Driscoll believes the team's general mindset is more important than the formation and hopes his team are comfortable regardless of how they line up on the pitch.
"People fall into the trap of seeing the tactic as being 4-4-2 or 4-3-3," he said. "It isn't, that is the structure. Your tactics can remain the same regardless of the formation.
"Our tactic is to be organised when you haven't got the ball and to move it and be bright when you have.
"That is a tactic and you can do that within any formation.
"As long as you get that message through to the players, you can change the formation or the personnel.
"You might be doing it to get a particular player in a certain position – but your tactic can remain the same."
