The challenge facing Mark Robins

15 minutes into last night's game against Nottingham Forest and Mark Robins would have been satisfied with what he'd seen. Town were 1-0 up and had missed a couple of chances either side of that goal which would have really put us in control. Fast forward a couple of hours and Robins said "it is the most embarrassed that I have been in all my time as a manager".

That statement sums up how many Town fans will have felt as they left The City Ground - embarrassed. It wasn't the lack of quality that left a bad taste in the mouths of those who made the trip last night, it was the lack of effort. Forest had the quality to punish us, but we gave them too much time on the ball and constantly put in half-hearted challenges instead of trying to win the ball. Even Peter Clarke and Lee Novak, loved by so many because they try, looked like the couldn't be bothered.

The only starting player to really look like he cared last night was loanee James Vaughan. Following each of Forest's first three goals he clapped and screamed at his team-mates in an effort to elicit a response. In sharp contrast, our captain was stood silently on the edge of our area, looking at the floor with his hands on his hips. That's the major worry at the minute, we arguably have the quality to mount a fight against relegation, but it really looks like we don't have the spirit.

Just as we were well in the game last night until Forest scored their first goal, we were also holding our own against Watford and Derby in the early stages of those matches, before capitulating completely after conceding a goal. There is no backbone in our team at the minute, nobody to stand up and drag us through tough times, instead we just surrender timidly to teams who actually want to win football matches. Things become more alarming when you analyse our recent form.

While other teams near the bottom of the table are showing signs of life, Town are in free-fall. We've leaked 20 goals in our last seven league matches, including two 6-1 defeats. In that same period we haven't managed to score more than one goal in any league game, giving us a goal difference of -16 in 2013 and -23 overall, the worst in The Championship and second worst in the Football League. To top it off we've won once in 16 league games, a record dating back to early November.

Peterborough went to The New Den last night and won 5-1, their sixth win in 10 league matches. Sheffield Wednesday have lost only one of their last 11 league games. Barnsley have won four league games in a row and five of their last six. Bristol City have won three out of seven league games since Sean O'Driscoll took charge. Mick McCarthy has rejuvenated Ipswich. Of all the teams at the bottom end of the table only Wolves look as poor as Town, failing to win any of their last 10 league games.

It's looking more and more like we're going down without so much as a whimper. Every time Town collapse, another team in the relegation battle wins and moves above us. Our goal difference means we effectively have a point less than what the league table states, and we currently find ourselves one place outside the relegation zone with both Peterborough and Wolves not too far behind us. It's looking bleak, but it was also looking bleak for Coventry City when Mark Robins took over there.

Coventry were second bottom of League One with no wins in their first seven games when Robins got the job in September. By the time he got appointed as new manager of Town last week he'd moved them 15 places up the table to 8th place, 15 points clear of the relegation zone with the Playoffs looking like a real possibility. Combined with his achievements in his time at Barnsley Robins clearly has what it takes to pull teams away from trouble, but surely he's never managed a club looking as hopeless as Town currently do.

Top of his list of priorities should be putting together a team who have the stomach for a fight. Some of our players are well short of form and belief and need dropping in order to re-ignite their hunger while giving other players an opportunity to impress. The likes of Oliver Norwood and Jack Hunt in particular in recent weeks have had a really tough time, drop them to the bench and give the likes of Paul Dixon and Scott Arfield opportunities, both who have hardly been terrible of late.

Robins has some big decisions to make. He was present for our win against Leicester so he has seen the work-rate we have in the squad, but perhaps it doesn't lie with some of the players who started against Forest. Gerrard, Wallace, Arfield and Dixon all did their jobs well that night, and offer options for Robins should he wish to shuffle his pack. Sean Scannell has yet to be utilised by Robins as well, sacrificed twice in two games despite being the only player we have who can beat a man.

Although Town aren't currently in the bottom three, we're teetering on the edge and are many people's pick to be relegated. Our form is woeful and too many of our players don't seem up for the fight. Mark Robins has pulled teams clear of trouble in the past, but he'll need to do something very special to maintain our Championship status this season.