WHATEVER the result at the Reebok tomorrow night, David Platt will head back to Robin Hood country desperately in need of some home comfort.

For while Forest have amassed a respectable away record this season, their unimpressive home form has made life distinctly uncomfortable for the former England captain.

It might be the pressure that comes from high expectation - City Ground crowds are among the best in the division - but, after seeing their team take just four points from their first four home games, the natives are getting restless.

To such a degree that the lad from Chadderton, who not many moons ago was being talked of as a future England coach, has seen serious doubts cast over his ability to manage at club level.

Appointed just 15 months ago when he became Forest's fifth manager in three years, Platt has had a tough introduction to management in England after his ill-fated spell in Italy with Sampdoria.

To such a point that there was speculation over his future earlier this month when the Forest board met - reportedly to discuss his future.

Chief executive Mark Arthur, although careful not to be drawn into issuing the dreaded 'vote of confidence', saw the need to offer an explanation.

"The manager's position was not on the agenda for the board meeting," he insisted, "football was on the agenda.

"There has been a lot of talk of pressure in the media and that is not the case. We are a single unit at Forest and that includes the players, the fans, the board members and the manager ... we're in it together. And the manager of Nottingham Forest is David Platt and noboby else."

He admitted however, that the team's results had aroused cause for concern. "Some performances may not have been what we would all hope for but the point is that we are still competing near the play-off places.

"David came here as a young, fairly inexperienced manager but the evidence is there that he is acquitting himself.

"He has already taken the brave step of bringing in some of the younger players in David Prutton, Chris Doig and now Keith Foy; he had the guts to name Barry Roche as his No 2 keeper.

"So talk about David Platt being under pressure is rubbish. He is under the same pressure as any other manager."

Whatever pressure the Forest boss may have been under should ease somewhat with the expected return from suspension of Tony Vaughan and Prutton, the highly-rated England U-21 international and the victory at Barnsley on Saturday did him no harm at all.

The Bolton players could see a familiar face when Forest parade their latest signing tomorrow night.

Ben Olsen will stay at the City Ground on a three-month loan. The winger from DC United who was in the US squad which just missed out on a medal in Sydney, played in the American U-23 team that beat Wanderers 1-0 in Indianapolis in July.