Ipswich Town Fans’ Jury: Optimism for Nottingham Forest as life after McCarthy begins

Ipswich Town Fans' Jury Predictions League standings (Image: Archant)

Every week, our panel of Ipswich Town fans will make their predictions ahead of the Blues’ latest game, with three points awarded for a correct scoreline and one point given for a correct outcome.

We’ll keep a league table along the way, before crowning a winner at the end of the season.

Seán Salter

All aboard the Bryan Klug Express - destinations include new challenges, new obstacles and new memories. I’m really looking forward to the last four games of the season - a pre-pre-season as such!

Ipswich haven’t won at Forest’s City Ground this millennium but I’m optimistic this will change on Saturday. The shackles will be off, tiki-taka football will be on show and this will be backed up by a desire to win. What more could we ask for? Prediction: Nottingham Forest 1 Ipswich Town 3

José López Lerena

It’s the first Fans’ Jury of the new era at Ipswich Town! After the surprising (and shocking) departure of Mick after beating Barnsley under the lights of Portman Road the league continues tomorrow as we are facing Nottingham Forest under the command of Klug!

The Tricky Trees are currently 18th in the table coming from a 1-0 defeat at Griffin Park. I expect a considerable young presence in our game at the City Ground alongside with some regular players.

It’s going to be a very interesting game indeed but i predict a 1-1 draw which won’t be a bad result at all! Safe travel to all the fans! COYB! Prediction: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Ipswich Town

Alistair Rattray

Whilst the sight of a new management team in the dugout will feel like a breath of fresh air to most Ipswich fans, its unlikely to have much immediate impact on Saturdays match between these two goal-shy sides.

With only three days to train with the players since being put in temporary charge, Bryan Klug, Gerard Nash and Chris Hogg will have had scant opportunity to really work with the players, who are also bound to feel disorientated in this interim period. Equally, their options are relatively limited; injuries are now biting in defence, aswell as midfield and attack, whilst fatigue leading into a 3rd game in 8 days is also bound to be an influence on team selection.

Yet, in his pre-match interview, Klug has shown a very clear awareness of the schism that has developed between fans and club and a willingness to repair it. It would be no surprise to see a couple of youngsters get another chance, but a positive result may be hard to come by so soon. Prediction: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Ipswich Town

Kieren Standley

Wow, what a whirlwind week it’s been for Ipswich Town Football Club. The Mick McCarthy era has come to an abrupt end and now we can play our final four games of this torrid season without any toxicity.

Hopefully Bryan Klug will be able to implement some new ideas and lift the pressure off the squad for the remainder of the season. He’s already mentioned giving young players a chance, so it would be great to see the likes of Folami, Morris, Drinan and the impressive debutant Barry Cotter involved at The City Ground.

Forest haven’t scored in six games, so this hardly sets up for a classic. Out record at The City Ground is awful, so I’m not sure we will come away with the win, that said - I’m gonna go with a score draw in this dead rubber. Prediction: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Ipswich Town

Amy Downes

Forest are one of those teams you always feel should be doing better than they are, they always seem to have some kind of off-field drama going on with their managers and owners, but perhaps the same could be said for Ipswich. They haven’t won for over a month, but I’m nervous about whether Town will be able to take advantage of that after everything that has gone on this week - it must have unsettled the players.

My hope is that tomorrow will be the start of a new chapter, I’d like to think the weight of worry will be lifted from the team and the fans and we can enjoy a good day together for the first time in a long time. So, I’ll start the positivity here, and go with 2-1 to Ipswich - Waggy to score, of course. Prediction: Nottingham Forest 1-2 Ipswich Town

Joe Fairs

Two sides who are massively short on goals playing out a meaningless mid-table match isn’t likely to be one for the neutrals, the only thing that adds intrigue to the game is the fact that Mick mcCarthy won’t be in the away dugout.

I don’t expect Bryan Klug to make any big changes in personnel, shape or even style bearing in mind he will have only had 1 or 2 training sessions to work with the players, but look forward to seeing if they can achieve some better football over the following 3 games and if he introduces more of the youngsters carrying on from what Mick had done over the last few games where Barry Cotter, Ben Folami and Ben Morris all made league debuts. Prediction: Nottingham Forst 0-0 Ipswich Town

Benjamin Bloom

As if predicting football matches wasn’t hard enough already we now have to cope with the absence of certain slightly too much talked about Yorkshireman in the dugout. We have years of evidence of Mick pushing and pulling from the sidelines and absolutely zero idea what to expect from Klug and co on the caretaking debut.

The absence of Micks defensive in game prowess is offset by the fact Forest haven’t scored for 6 games so hopefully this limits any Mick shaped hole, and the big hope is that we’ll see a more vibrant exciting Ipswich, maybe not on the pitch straight away but certainly in the blue end at the City Ground.

I’ll back both sides to break recent scoring ducks and go for a 1-1 draw. Prediction: Nottingham Forest 1-1 Ipswich Town

Katy Sealy - Nottingham Forest 2-2 Ipswich Town

Kate Riley - Nottingham Forest 2-0 Ipswich Town