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Pitfalls await Martin O'Neill at Nottingham Forest

Martin O'Neill's appointment as Nottingham Forest manager means a Brian Clough disciple is back i...



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Pitfalls await Martin O'Neill at Nottingham Forest

Martin O'Neill's appointment as Nottingham Forest manager means a Brian Clough disciple is back in charge.

But what can the Ireland manager expect as he returns to his former club? And what can the club expect from a manager who's stock isn't too high after the end of his Ireland spell?

Football journalist Daniel Storey, who also happens to be a Forest fan, joined us on Off The Ball to discuss.

"There are a number of problems at Nottingham Forest that go way beyond the managerial position," he said.

Huge Turnover

"It's a club that's a monument to short-termism. We've had 10 managers in eight years. We've had numerous directors of football and heads of recruitment and a huge turnover in players.

"We've had three owners in the last nine years. This is all geared towards getting the club back where it considers its rightful place which is in the Premier League.

"But it hasn't been in the Premier League for 20 years. It's a big club by reputation but it's not a big club by current or recent performance.

"The suspicion is that the owners will throw money big decisions at the problem until it eventually comes off. But actually, the Championship has shown that it takes a bit more than that. It takes a bit more nous and faith in patience and savviness. That's not something Forest have had in the last few years."

Forest parted ways with Aitor Karanka over the style of play. But how will they react to O'Neill's style which is not exactly expansive?

"Martin O'Neill is going to have to change certainly what he was doing at Ireland for the last two years in charge," said Storey.

"If they want to see expansive football, that's not really his forte."

While style of play and club instability are a concern, the squad is quite deep. But there are a couple of issues.

"From the outside it looks a bloated squad and it looks a squad that was low on motivation," said Storey.

"All the talk is that Roy Keane will come in as assistant and they do strike as a bad cop-bad cop duo. So there will be heads banged together in that changing room. That may well be the best thing for them because there's plenty of talent in that squad."

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Brian Clough Daniel Storey Football Ireland Martin O'Neill Nottingham Forest Off The Ball Soccer Sport