Looking at his debut at Milton Keynes on Tuesday, Alan comments:
"Marlon had the run of the right side of the pitch but I wouldn't like to call it midfield because I would like to think that with the team we have got at the moment we are going to play three strikers and add to our goal threat.
"But ultimately we need to be able to defend with the guys behind that; we are doing okay at the moment but not as I would wish, and we are not making the passing opportunities that we should - so there is a bit of work to do behind them.
"I do feel we have had a lack of threat down our right hand side and I do feel, at the price I could get Marlon for, was a good deal.
"Along with Hayden that is two 24 year olds who have been at their previous clubs for 10 and 12 years and I know they will be important for the future.
"Marlon has 12 goals already for Forest and up front we have Defoe, Connolly, Deano, Neil Mellor, Garcia, and now Marlon so we have plenty of strikers now.
"I thought it was a problem at the start when I arrived so I have addressed that one, it is done, and now we have to get the right balance behind them to score the goals.
"We do need goals from other areas and I have stressed that to the players; I genuinely feel that first win weighed on us when Wimbledon scored and when we get a setback the pressure starts to mount and it is important we stop giving away soft, disappointing goals.
"Once we stop doing that the win will come and the confidence will start flowing back, because we have got some very good players here.
"I know that there will be a settling in period for Hayden and Marlon - the latter was thrust in at Wimbledon purely because we have no width in the squad and I thought he did well considering he had only met the players a couple of hours previously."